Most veteran bands on a reunion tour would save their most well known song for the encore, but Love and Rockets dropped “So Alive,” their 1989 single that went to #3 in the US (#1 in Canada), midway through their set at Kings Theatre, the band’s first NYC show in 24 years. With its gospel choral backing and T-Rex groove, it sounded amazing in the cavernous former movie palace. It was met with rapturous applause, but this crowd was here for all of it and the band did not disappoint.

“Now that we’ve played our big hit,” bassist/singer David J said, “We’re going to play a deep cut for us, and hopefully you too.” The trio then launched into “Deep Deep Down” from their underrated 1998 album Lift, a hallucinatory trip-hop number that, with the aquamarine lighting, turned the room into a undersea coral reef. Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins may have all played in Bauhaus, but Love and Rockets are a psychedelic band first and foremost with very little black in their palette, and Friday night’s show showed all their colors. Not all comebacks are built the same, but Love and Rockets are bringing their A-game (unlike others) and are currently in top form, sounding and looking fantastic.

The night opened with two songs from their 1989 self-titled album, the dreamy “I Feel Speed” and the clanking “No Big Deal,” followed by two of their classics, Express‘ “Kundalini Express” and Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven‘s “The Dog-End of a Day Gone By.” Guitarist/singer Daniel Ash likes to make noise — “Mirror People,” “No Big Deal” — but he is especially facile with the acoustic, whether strumming furiously on “Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man),” painting watercolor atmospherics on “Sweet F.A.,” or delivering psych-pop singalongs (“No New Tale to Tell”).

The main set, a well-plotted tour of hits and lesser known gems, flew by, and the band’s lesser known ’90s songs, like Sweet F.A.‘s “Judgement Day,” fit right in alongside ’80s faves. They didn’t play anything from 1994’s Hot Trip to Heaven, but they did play “My Dark Twin,” an outtake from the Sweet F.A. sessions that is also the title of the new rarities comp that was just released as part of their reissues series. Some of the best moments were the vibeiest, like “Haunted When the Minutes Drag,” whose echoey production, playful percussion, and fluid bass lines were perfect for a room like Kings.

The encores were terrific, with two of Express‘ best deep cuts — “Holiday on the Moon” and “Love Me” — before knocking us back with the ever-relevant Temptations cover “Ball of Confusion” (Love and Rockets’ debut single) that worked in a verse of Edwin Starr’s “War” for good measure. The delicate, ethereal “Sweet F.A.” closed out the night, but most of us would’ve stayed for lots more.

As good as Love and Rockets sounded — and they sounded great — the psychedelic visuals on this tour were equally impressive, from the LED rings that backlit each member, to the simple but effective projections and the overall rich, vivid lighting design. It all really complimented the songs. Daniel Ash told us before the tour that they had no plans of continuing past this tour, and this “last blast” is the way to go out with a bang, but this show is a great argument for never say never. They could still have tales to tell.

A few random notes:

• In addition to guitar, Daniel Ash can also play a mean saxophone, but those talents were not on display tonight.
• Also noticeably absent tonight: Love and Rockets’ alien alter egos The Bubblemen, who got stuck on Planet Girl this time around.
• When the lights came up after the second encore, Love and Rockets song “All in My Mind,” which they aren’t playing on this tour, came on over the PA as the crowd filed out, which almost felt like an apology to the audience for not playing it.
• While Love and Rockets are goth adjacent, Kings Theatre was not quite the macabre fashion parade it was for The Sisters of Mercy the week before. There was still no shortage of darkly stylish looks on display, though.

Check out photos by Ellen Qbertplaya, plus video of the entire show by Youtuber alleyc8cat and the Kings setlist, below.

SETLIST: Love and Rockets @ Kings Theatre 6/10/2023
I Feel Speed
No Big Deal
Kundalini Express
The Dog-End of a Day Gone By
Judgement Day
Haunted When the Minutes Drag
An American Dream
No New Tale to Tell
So Alive
Deep Deep Down
My Dark Twin
The Light
Mirror People
Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)

Encore:
Holiday on the Moon
Love Me
Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)

Encore 2:
Sweet F.A.