That Was The Show That Was: Peter Hook & The Light | Royale | 8 Nov.

[PHOTOS: Quinn Banford, special to Clicky Clicky] Fact: it's really hard to stay objective in regards to one of your heroes. New Order was, and in all honesty continues to be, a crucial band for the associates of Clicky Clicky Music Blog, and the sheer ridiculousness of seeing Peter Hook play Brotherhood, one of our favorite records of all time, was not lost on us Saturday night. What's more, Mr. Hook and co. did us one better: he and his outfit The Light (which includes Hooky's son, Jack Bates, on bass) opened for themselves with a handful of tunes from that other world-conquering band he was in, Joy Division. And so we descended upon Boston's Royale early Saturday evening to soak in sounds that in many ways make us what we are.

Opening with "No Love Lost," a selection from Joy Division's astonishing debut EP An Ideal For Living, the seven-song taster set spanned the Mancunian act's tragically short walk across the proverbial stage. One could deem it a primer for the budding Joy Division fan were it not for the fact that everyone in the full house already knew every last word. The band also offered "Transmission," "Shadowplay" and "Decades" in succession, a weighty run of tracks that stand among the truly essential post-punk documents.

Following an absurd pre-recorded stage announcement, the New Order section of the program took over. As noted above -- and on the ticket, mind you -- the band ran threw Brotherhood first and in its exact order, although all the advance warning didn't stop a few fans from crying out for "Ceremony" just two songs into the main event. We're particularly partial to the record's opening brace of tunes, but were just as willing to jump around to "Bizarre Love Triangle" as any other member of the decidedly mature crowd. Indeed, it should be noted our royal we that evening (including shadowy CC mercenary Quinn Banford) were among the few millennials taking in the show. Hooky and his cohort paused briefly following the final reverberating tones of "Every Little Counts" before reclaiming the stage to perform New Order's absolutely essential LP Lowlife front to back. The ping-ponging synths that herald the opening of "The Perfect Kiss” were precisely recreated to great applause, and the song was a notable high point of a performance filled with highs. Hooky and the boys returned yet one more time to run through a jaw-dropping encore featuring a gleeful rendition of "Blue Monday," a selection that elicited some truly inspired dancing from the crowd.

By 9:30 p.m. we were shuffled out the door so the club could change over and cater to a younger nightclub crowd that, were this 30 years ago, likely would have had a few New Order tunes waiting for them among the DJ's cache of 12 inches. The cycle of life... The full set list from Saturday night's show -- to the extent the running orders of the albums aren't internalized as part of your DNA at this point -- are viewable right here. Peter Hook & The Light's tour continues west until they land in Hawaii at the end of the month; thereafter the act heads back to the UK in December, and on to Australia in February. Dates can be found right here. -- Dillon Riley

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