ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Michael Giltz Freelance writer and raconteur Posted: March 9, 2011 05:17 PM BIO Become a Fan Get Email Alerts Bloggers' Index 28 55 7 13Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyOMD at Terminal 5, First U.S.</p><p> Show in 23 Years Read More: British Bands , John Hughes , Omd , Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark , Pop Music , Popular Music , Pretty In Pink , Synth-Pop , Entertainment News OMD Terminal 5 in NYC I think the bandmembers of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark were almost as surprised as I was by the mob of people who showed up for their first U.S. concert in23 years.</p><p> Their new album History Of Modern -- which sounds very OMD-ish indeed and should delight fans --hasn't made much of a ripple commercially here.</p><p> MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 9/11 Responders Warned They Will Be Screened For Terrorism Ties (EXCLUSIVE) Jerry Seinfeld, Donald Trump Rip Each Other In Heated Political War Of Words PlayStation Network Could Be Down For Days FOLLOW USBIG NEWS: Celebrities | Britney Spears | LeAnn Rimes | Lindsay Lohan | Personal Finance | More...</p><p> PHOTOS: The Funniest People Not On TwitterMiranda Kerr & Orlando Bloom Step Out To 'The The Funniest Someecards For Easter 2011Weekly Roundup of eBay Vintage Clothing Finds News Web Like 276K April 24, 2011 | Log In | Sign Up Get Alerts SHARE THIS STORY Submit this story Get Entertainment Alerts Sign UpPHOTO GALLERIES Like 20K Like 4K FRONT PAGEPOLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA TECH COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD FOOD LIVING IMPACT EDU LOCALBut there the audience was, faithful fans who weren't just there to hear "If You Leave," which was placed seven songs in on the 21 song set list -- not so early that they wanted to get it out of the way, but early enough to show they were confident in their songbook to keep the energy going.</p><p> That they did, with leaders Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys repeatedly saying how much they appreciated the turnout and promising to come back again very, very soon.</p><p> If anything, OMD proves that credibility is elastic.</p><p> They came into prominence riding a wave of UK synth-pop acts, with OMD leaningtowards the darker, Kraftwerk and Brian Eno side rather than the more Motown-ish feel of, say, HumanLeague.</p><p> With songs name-checking the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and Tesla, theybacked up their hooks with smarts.</p><p> They were... cool.</p><p> Then along came John Hughes.</p><p> He was applauded for having excellent taste and actually breaking new acts with the soundtracks to his hit films about teenagers And yet, when Hughes helped give acts a hit song, their coolness plummeted immediately: Simple Minds went from a critic's darling to a stolid popmachine with pretensions of U2, Psychedelic Furs seemed defanged and OMD was seen as just anotherpop act from the UK.</p><p> A few Top 20 hits followed in the US, but everyone soon went their own ways.</p><p> A pop hit is a wonderful thing.</p><p> I told one friend about the concert and he revealed that "If You Leave" wasthe song for he and his girlfriend in high school... until they got into a fight with another couple who wasfriends with them but insisted that the OMD tune was their song.</p><p> My friend Jamie, who cajoled me into going to the show, said one of his first concerts was seeing OMD open for Thompson Twins at MadisonSquare Garden at the peak of fame for both of them.</p><p> And another friend from Minnesota who saw mytweet about attending immediately texted the lyrics and wondered if James Spader was wanderingaround wearing a polo shirt with an up-turned collar.</p><p> He too was amazed when I sent a photo showing the several thousand people filling the venue.</p><p> And the best acts can survive a hit.</p><p> McCluskey danced with all the dorky abandon of David Byrne at his art-rockiest and then made fun of it.</p><p> But he also knew how to strike a pose at the end of a tune and drawout more applause.</p><p> After a patch of slow tunes, he said everyone needed to start moving. "It iscompulsory; you will be ejected if you don't dance." Like old pros, they took pleasure in starting off theset with a new song, "New Babies, New Toys." The title track received some of the warmest applause ofthe night and they introduced another new tune -- "Sister Mary Says" -- by saying, don't worry, it'sactually quite good.</p><p> Popeater: Brad and Angelina's Strict Nanny Requirements Shelterpop: Unplugging Appliances: Do I REALLY Have to Do This? What To Do About Smelly Feet Noam Chomsky Is the World Too Big to Fail? The Contours of Global Order AOL Real Estate: Prince William and Kate to Live in Royal Mansion TV Squad: Maria Menounos Relives Her Paparazzi 'Wardrobe Malfunction' on 'Lopez' (VIDEO) DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Sam Waterston Saving Easter Island’s Marine Ecosystems David O.</p><p> Russell FDR Said it All in 1936 -- Who Will Follow in His Steps Today? More Celebrity News at People.com Like 1K Like 1K Like 1K Like 664 Like 3K Like 56 Like 52 Lindsay Lohan Is 'Angry' About Jail Sentence READ MORE Antoine Dodson Arrested READ MORE Stefano Langone RevealsHis Relationship Status READ MORE Royal Wedding Guest ListRevealed: Who's Going? My favorite moment was the moody, quiet tune "New Holy Ground," with McClusky half in shadows and the music sounding like it was rising up from the bottom of the ocean.</p><p> But the entire set was more fun than expected by this casual fan who had nothing more than the new album and a greatest hits set on his shelf.</p><p> In a way, OMD is more fun live.</p><p> Their sound on earlier albums might be a bit dry and poppy, but in a show with a live drummer (in this case original bandmember Malcolm Holmes, not to mention Martin Cooper on keyboards) and the warmth of imperfections to give their tunes a humanness, songs like"Souvenir," "Sailing On The Seven Seas" and "Joan Of Arc" (all Top 5 hits in the UK) sounded better thanever.</p><p> It helps when a few thousand fans are cheering you along.</p><p> Here's a link to their upcoming shows inthe US and Europe.</p><p> Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinionmakers as guests.</p><p> It's available free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews .</p><p> NOTE: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of CDs or digital downloads by numerous labels toconsider for review and feature coverage.</p><p> He typically does not guarantee any coverage in exchangefor these CDs and indeed receives far more albums than he ever comes close to covering in his variousoutlets.</p><p> He was provided with free tickets to this concert with the understanding that he would bewriting a review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz More in Entertainment...</p><p> TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 10 Lindsay Lohan Back in the Slammer Beckhams In, Obamas Outat Royal Wedding Olsen's Wacky Fur Outfit MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 More Celebrity News at Popeater.com'Bed Intruder' Star AntoineDodson Arrested Paul Reiser's New Show Yanked After Two Weeks Mel Gibson Opens Up: 'I Could Easily Not Act Again Viral Star Antoine Dodson ARRESTED Gwyneth Paltrow Is Right.</p><p> We're All Jealous. (Of Her and George W.</p><p> Bush.) Like 4K Tyler Perry To Spike Lee: 'Go Straight To Hell' Like 11K mayhemstudios RT @sbeasla : What happens when you tickle a little penguin? http://j.mp/dEZjCM via @huffingtonpost twsuccess Antoine Dodson Arrested For Marijuana Possession http://huff.to/edLaIo Comments 13 Pending Comments 0View FAQ 8 Fans Follow 'The Hangover 2' Trailers: New TV Spots...</p><p> Dan Savage Gets on the MTV, Savages...</p><p> Lindsay Lohan Quickly Released From Jail After... 'The Office' Season Finale: Jim Carrey Joining...</p><p> Buy a link here Sponsored Links Mom Is 55, Looks 30...</p><p> Her clever $5 wrinkle therapy angers Botox Doctors.</p><p> Find Out How! FDXNews8.com SHOCKING: Apple iPad for $24.87 TODAY ONLY: Auction site to give away 1,000 iPads for $24.87! NewsToday9.com Trade Free for 60 Days.</p><p> Plus get up to $500.</p><p> Apply at E*TRADE Securities. www.etrade.com/tradefree DO NOT buy Auto Insurance! A secret to saving you money now. $9 Auto Insurance is here! www.Consumer-Insurance.org Great article.</p><p> We are attending the Atlanta show this Monday night.</p><p> Have enjoyed OMD since 1980.</p><p> Link below is a portion of our wedding video, dancing to the band as they kill "Souvenir" - our song. (I had lobbied for a DJ, but sadly lost that battle.) http://www .vimeo.com /20493948 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES NBA Afghanistan Fast Food Gas & Oil NASA Hockey Brian Williams Gabrielle Giffords Mexico MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Recency | Popularity Joe Machos 11:10 AM on 3/13/2011 Permalink | Share itLogin or connect with: More Login Options Post to Facebook.</p><p> Post to Blogger.</p><p> Post to Twitter.</p><p> Post to WordPress.</p><p> Post to TypePad.</p><p> Post to Tumblr.To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.</p><p> Share your Comment: Post Comment Preview Comment View All 16 Fans 78 Fans 57 Fans 57 Fans 24 Fans 24 FansGod.</p><p> I didn't even know about this show.</p><p> A few of my co-workers keep telling me to stay away from Terminal 5 because it's one of theWORST places in this city to see a show.</p><p> So I didn't bother paying attention to the schedule.</p><p> OMD was one of my favorite bands out of that whole Synth-Pop era.Loved "GENETIC ENGINEERIN G", ENOLA GAY", and "ELECTRICI TY".</p><p> Gonna have to break out the compilatio n CD later.</p><p> Well, the older I get the more I appreciate seating :) It's just a huge space with balconies going up two levels.</p><p> If you arrive early enough, youcan get close to the stage and avoid being trapped in the back.</p><p> Or get upstairs and if youare early enough and can get on the rail, you'll have a great sight line the whole show.</p><p> Aswith any show, the rowdier the crowd, the less fun you are likely to have in the middle ofthe floor.</p><p> It just depends on the mood of the audience, just as it would anywhere else like Bowery Ballroom. it's definitely big, though, so if the show is sold out, you don't want to walk in five minutes before showtime and expect a happy time.</p><p> Second great OMD song, "Electrici ty" http://www .youtube.c om/watch?v =Y43XLVqjy tQ&feature =relmfu Enola Gay.</p><p> Enough said.</p><p> A good article.</p><p> It is nice to see others noting that "pop" wonders can be deeper than the sum of their hits.O.M.D. and 88 Seconds in Greensboro is another example, (of many), of O.M.D.'s non-pop work.I would like to add that the Human League also had their "darker" moments too, (Seconds).</p><p> Enola Gay.</p><p> Wow.</p><p> O.M.D. at their best.LLNYRN 05:55 PM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it HUFFPOST BLOGGER Michael Giltz 04:49 PM on 3/12/2011 Permalink | Share it HUFFPOST SUPER USER RhiannonRings 11:54 AM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it HUFFPOST SUPER USER RhiannonRings 11:50 AM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it strike1905 09:12 AM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it strike1905 08:44 AM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it254 Fans 6 Fans 78 Fans 28 Fans 19 Fans 604 FansNever heard of them but then again I wasn't into the Euro pop scene or the pop music scene either so it's not that surprising .</p><p> I imagine their fans enjoyed the show, I know when I saw Deep Purple on their reunion tour years ago it was a very unique experience to see a group that I adored that hadn'tbeen around in decades. 23 years since they toured the US with the full lineup when they opened up for Depeche Mode on the Music for the Masses tour which eventually became the 101 video and album.</p><p> Andy toured in 92 in support of Sugartax and Paul toured in 2001 as "the guy who was not from OMD" due to licensing issues.</p><p> Both tours were fantastic, though paled in comparison to their A&M reunion tour acouple years ago when I saw them in London.</p><p> Seeing them in DC tomorrow night so lookingforward to topping that show.</p><p> Enjoy the show! Sign Siouxsie Now! (OMD? Good harmonies, tight musiciansh ip . . . what's not to like?) I was there last night, and I must say it was a fantastic show! They sounded great, and had just incredible energy.</p><p> Andy's moves were amazing/hi larious.</p><p> Who knew OMD are such a good live act? Well, seeing as they haven't played here in 23 years, probably not too many Americans.</p><p> I, for one,hope they do come around again soon.</p><p> I'd definitely catch them again.</p><p> Indeed! Buy a link here Sponsored Links Mom Is 55, Looks 30...</p><p> Her clever $5 wrinkle therapy angers Botox Doctors.</p><p> Find Out How! FDXNews8.com SmotPoker 08:08 AM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it dinoue 10:06 PM on 3/09/2011 Permalink | Share it HUFFPOST BLOGGER Michael Giltz 05:30 PM on 3/10/2011 Permalink | Share it stevehamlin 08:27 PM on 3/09/2011 Permalink | Share it Donald Kaufman 06:57 PM on 3/09/2011 Permalink | Share it DustinTime 10:46 PM on 3/09/2011 Permalink | Share it ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ | Contact Us User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Get AlertsFRONT PAGEPOLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA TECH COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD FOOD LIVING IMPACT EDU LOCAL
