British Electro Band OMD Played The Truman on its “Souvenir” Tour
Legendary electro band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark brought its “Souvenir” tour to The Truman in downtown Kansas City, MO on May 8, 2022. The stop was part of a pandemically delayed outing celebrating 40 years of the ultra-beloved British group’s biggest UK hit. OMD continues to feature founding members Andy McCluskey (lead vocals/bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboard/vocals) plus classic mate Martin Cooper (keyboard/saxophone) along with Stuart Kershaw (drums).
It was a long awaited return for KC fans. OMD last played here in the summer of 2016 when it joined Howard Jones in opening the annual “Last Summer on Earth” concert for Barenaked Ladies at Starlight Theatre. Yet again, it was the ultimate nostalgic thrill, but this time the local faithful following was blessed to catch the band in an action-packed headlining performance inside an ever-so-intimate venue. The sound and atmosphere of The Truman truly sets it apart as a premiere club venue in the city. It was the perfect place to not just hear the group’s cherished synth-pop tunes, but to really feel them through every nerve and fiber.
Although a general admission show, the audience certainly would have stood the whole night through. Just watching McCluskey dance across the stage with his enduring English swagger was enough to have fans on the constant move, and everyone was beside themselves already the moment the lights dropped anyhow. You could feel the anticipation in the room throughout the set change and see the elation on all the faces. From the moment the members stepped foot on the stage and the first note hit to the metaphorical bow and curtain drop, the crowd was on cloud nine reveling in those synth sounds and reliving the best of all decades with the tunes that defined it.
The 24-song set featured tunes spanning OMD’s entire career from its debut single “Electricity” (1979), which closed out the night, to a handful off of the latest album, “The Punishment of Luxury” (2017). The staple ’80s hits filled the night though, including “Enola Gay,” “Joan of Arc,” “Locomotion,” “So in Love” and so much more. And, of course, as heard in the opening of the encore—the biggest OMD hit in the US—”If You Leave” as made popular by the John Hughes film “Pretty in Pink.” It was absolutely a night for the storybooks, one that makes you go home a different person. The reeling just simply never ends.
OMD Setlist at The Truman in Kansas City:
“Atomic Ranch,” “Stanlow,” “Isotype,” “Messages,” “Tesla Girls,” “History of Modern (Part 1),” “Forever Live & Die,” “Souvenir,” “Joan of Arc,” Maid of Orleans,” “Time Zones,” “Statues,” “Almost,” “Stay,” “Don’t Go,” “So in Love,” “Dreaming,” “The Punishment of Luxury,” “Locomotion,” “Sailing on Seven Seas” and “Enoly Gay”; Encore – “If You Leave,” “Secret” and “Electricty”
