My dear friend Tyson has loved Pulp forever, even traveling to Sheffield, England for their hometown concert two years ago. When I learned that they were planning to play at The Stage at Suffolk Downs, just 20 minutes from my house, we planned to go together. I was not really familiar with them other than their anthem "Common People", but I listened to their new album "More", which was #1 in the UK, and liked it very much. Craig and I also watched their documentary "Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets: A Britpop Band Returns to Sheffield for Their Final Show." I really liked the music and their aesthetic.
Because it was a standing room only general admission outdoor show, Craig couldn't go (with his MS, he can't stand for that long). But we made plans with our childhood friend Alison to meet up with her, her husband Jesse, and their friend Amie at the show.
Tyson came down from Utica for the weekend. Friday night, we watched a Pulp video compilation. Between that and the documentary and the new album, I was familiar with most of the songs that they played at the concert.
As the show was outdoors, we kept a close eye on the weather. It was supposed to be beautiful and clear with 0% chance of rain. As we were waiting for the gates to open, it started to sprinkle. Where did that come from? We convinced ourselves that it would pass quickly. Tyson was lucky enough to score one of the handfukl of autographed LP's available at the merch stand. I bought a hoodie. We got drinks met up with Alison, Jesse, and Amie. Tyson and I got grilled cheese from a food truck while the others got Indian food. We stood at a table and ate, and then went into the "pit" to find a spot to stand. We stood toward the back of the pit where there where it wasn't crowded.
After an opening set by Hamilton Leithauser, there was around a 10 minute Pulp video which was shown, and then Pulp took the stage. The sound quality was fantastic, as was the light show. And the band was on fire. Jarvis Cocker was endearing and, as I said, I was familiar with most of the songs.
During "Common People", the skies opened up and it started to pour just as the song soared. Everyone was so into it despite the rain, it was amazing. They didn't do an intermission or encore break due to the rain; Jarvis said to pretend that they had gone offstage and come back on. They proceeded to play five additional songs.
It was a fantastic show, and I am a Pulp fan for life now!
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Set list, courtesy of Setlist.fm
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