It’s hard to believe that Gary Numan has been at it for over 40 years and with a new album (Intruder) and North American tour in flight, it’s clear that he has no intentions of slowing down or letting up. And why should he? A Thursday night in San Francisco proves that his followers are more than happy to continue showing up as evidenced by the Fillmore which was absolutely packed, even by pre-pandemic standards.
I Speak Machine kicked things off with Tara Busch’s one-woman show who, in referring to herself as “we” no doubt was including the laptops, keyboards, buttons, knobs, gadgets and electronic doodads that surrounded her on stage. It seemed things could go one of two ways and thankfully Tara was able to step out from behind her equipment and absolutely crush her 30-minute set.
Gary and his band took the stage a few minutes after 9PM and launched straight into “Intruder” from his latest release. If you’ve never seen Numan before, what befell the Fillmore stage at that moment would likely be nothing like your mental image. Pushing past 60 years, Numan belies his age between the full shock of black hair and his incredible on-stage energy. Couple that energy with the thump of his music as well as a carefully crafted production and aesthetic and you have what proves to be one of the best shows you may ever see.
I SPEAK MACHINE
Setlist
Intruder
Metal
The Promise
Everything Comes Down to This
Films
Ghost Nation
Love Hurt Bleed
Pray for the Pain You Serve
Pressure
The Gift
Down in the Park
Cars
Here in the Black
The Chosen
My Name Is Ruin
Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
Encore
Me! I Disconnect From You
A Prayer for the Unborn
