Pop Music : Psychedelic Furs Re-Create ‘Pink’ Era

So there was the venerable English band the Psychedelic Furs at the Palace on Friday, encoring with an acoustic version of its signature song “Pretty in Pink,” sounding not unlike Bruce Springsteen doing his acoustic “Born to Run” a few years ago. It’s an apt enough comparison--”Pink” is sort of the post-punk “Born to Run,” and how many times could we expect the Furs to flog its warhorse the same old way?

Well, about a dozen times in this show, it turned out. “Pink” itself may have sounded different, but the bulk of the concert came directly from the blueprint of that song. The Furs are nothing if not limited. At least it was the original version--abrasive guitars clashing wondrously against Richard Butler’s abrasive voice--and not the more familiar, smoothed-out “Pink” that they redid for the John Hughes film that took its name.

The whole show was a virtual re-creation of the early-’80s “Pink” era. Butler, exuding a perfect balance of geniality and brooding, windmilled his arms and shook hands with the fans up front as he croaked gruffly, while the band droned on--at best recalling the Arabic funk of early PiL, though too often descending into tedium.

And with the Furs, who were headlining amphitheaters and arenas just a few years ago, back at the relatively intimate small-theater level, there was a nostalgic kick to the show--but also a sense of aimless deja vu all over again.