On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, Blondie finished off the last leg of their “Against the Odds” tour at The Paramount in Huntington Village, New York.
Fans of all ages attended the sold out concerts to experience a spectacular show riddled in bold and colorful set designs, Debbie Harry’s unforgettable voice and pizzaz and a remarkable show of talent through the band who had the audience in awe of their solos.
Formed in 1974, Blondie is no short of legendary. With explorations within the genres of avant-garde, reggae, hip-hop, punk rock, disco and into the new wave sound inspired by the 1970s-1980s, it’s safe to say the band has been pushing the envelope for decades.
Beginning with original members — vocalist Debbie Harry, guitarist Chris Stein, drummer Clem Burke, bassist Gary Valentine, keyboardist Jimmy Destri — and later members bassist Nigel Harrison and guitarist Frank Infante, the band found their sound and image in New York City.
Known for their bold and eclectic style, the band is notable for their eccentric stage looks, pop art style and overall reminiscence of 1970s and 1980s New York City. Amongst their numerous accolades, Blondie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 in the performers category and is a popular icon in many different genres of music, having sold over 40 million copies worldwide.
The show transported fans into CBGB in the mid 70s when the band appeared at 8 p.m. with a pop art background and a neon sign displaying “A hot, dark night in New York…” The show started off with their 1976 single “X Offender.” Through renditions of hits like “Fade Away and Radiate,” “Maria” and “Atomic,” the crowd was electrified with Harry’s powerhouse vocals and the band’s spotlighted performance highlighting each member for a guitar, drum, bass or keyboard solo.
Other must-haves on the set included “Shayla,” “Union City Blue” and “Dreaming,” all from the 1979 album “Eat to the Beat.” Throughout the night the audience was dazzled not only by the musical performance, but the creative and edgy backgrounds which displayed their own film of the band and their previous art projects along with provocative images that fit within the band’s eccentric image.
Ending the set with appreciative remarks and acknowledgment of the end of another tour, Blondie graced the audience with some of their most famous hits — like “Heart of Glass,” which was mixed with snippets from Donna Summers’s “I Feel Love” and “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols — culminating into the perfect artifact from the pop and punk era of the 80s. And there is no Blondie concert without an encore of the beloved songs “Call Me” and “One Way or Another,” which have appeared in numerous forms of media throughout the years as well as earning the band a Grammy nomination.
It’s unclear when or if Blondie will be on the road again, but as the band’s official website notes, it is hinted that Debbie Harry is in the works of a memoir. Fans will see more of Blondie, one way or another.
- X Offender
- Hanging on the Telephone
- Fade Away and Radiate
- The Tide Is High (The Paragons cover)
- Atomic
- Shayla
- Union City Blue
- Long Time
- Rapture
- Maria
- Dreaming
- Heart of Glass (with snippets of Donna Summers “I Feel Love” and of The Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen”)
Encore:
- Call Me
- One Way or Another
