I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: September 8, 2025] Sparks

Back in 2022, I dragged myself all the way to New York City (which seems to get harder and harder to get to every time I try) to see Sparks at Town Hall.  I had never seen them and I was convinced they’d never play anywhere closer.  It was worth the grief because the show was wonderful.  Imagine my surprise when one year later they announced a show at the Keswick Theatre.  But I had tickets for another show that night, so I missed them.

And now a year later they are back at the Keswick! to tour their new album Mad!

Sparks is, without question, a weird band–they have a song about a Jansport backpack after all.  I got into them back in 1997 when they released an album of re-recorded versions of their best songs and called it Plagiarism.  Despite the occasional hit, they remain largely unknown in the States.  They are from the States even though many people assume they are from Europe.  Sparks are Russel Mael (vocals, aged 76) and Ron Mael (everything else, aged 80).

Before the New York show they hadn’t toured the U.S since 2013.  So I guess seeing them is a rare opportunity.  Perhaps I should have gone last year.  But at least I went this year and, amazingly the setlist was almost entirely different!

I walked into Keswick and the place looked like a fire had just been put out.  There was SO MUCH FOG!  There was an amusing sign that said “tonight’s show special effects FOG.”  And all the employees were joking how they couldn’t see anything.

I sat in the middle of an aisle and waited for the band.  The backing musicians came out first: Evan Weiss – guitar ; Eli Pearl – guitar ; Max Whipple – bass ; Darren Weiss – drums.

Then Ron sat in front of a keyboard, the letters of Roland rearranged to spell Ronald.  And Russel came out in a floral print suit.  And they began, as they should, with the song “So May We Start” from Annette.

They started that way last time too, so I assumed the show would be much the same.  But it wasn’t!

The lighting was interesting (although I felt like they were too bathed in red or blue for most of the show) with floating LED squares that lit up.

Since this tour was for their new album, they played 5 songs from MAD! (there are 12 in total).

They played a bunch of songs that I didn’t recognize and I assumed they were all new.  But “Reinforcements” (which was great) is from 1974. And “Goofing Off” which I really liked is from 1977.

They also played three songs from the No. 1 in Heaven album. Last time they only played the title song from that album, but this time it was Academy Award Performance and Beat the Clock (which I was sure they played last time, but no).

Russel said that Ron wrote the next song in 2020, but they found it was far more relevant (sadly) now: Please Don’t Fuck Up My World.

Earlier in the show, a lot of people were standing.  Then after the first song most people sat down, but not everyone.  The people in the front of the middle (in front of me) were still standing until someone shouted SIT DOWN! and everyone sat.  Except for a group of people off to my left.  They stood the whole time, until this song and then for some reason, they all seemed to leave.  Did the get kicked out?  Were they offended at Don’t Fuck Up My World?  I’ll never know.

Ron came out from behind his keyboard (always a treat) and recited the lyrics to Suburban Homeboy (a song I forget how much I like) and then we all sang along.  Last time that was an encore, so it was fu to see this mid-set.

Then back to 1983 for All You Ever Think About is Sex and then two more brand new songs (including Jansport Backpack).

Then came four in a row of crowd pleasing favorites.  First came “Music that You Can Dance To,” followed by one of my favorites “When Do I Get to Sing “My Way”” came in (and he can still hit the high notes!).  They kept the fun going with “The Number One Song in Heaven” (another of my favorites).  Like last time, there was a musical interlude and Ron came up to center stage and did a shuffle dance.  Hilarious.

Up next was my favorite Sparks song “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us,” (a song that my daughter now really likes too).  It’s audacious musically and vocally.  And amazingly, the 76 year old Russell could hit those high notes like he was still in his twenties.  It was spectacular.

They played two more songs that I didn’t really know.  1972’s Whippings and Apologies was followed by the brand new Lord Have Mercy.  It must be very hard to come up with a set list when you have some 25 albums out.

The guys came up for a bow and a few minutes later were back for an encore.

They opened the encore with 2023’s title song (and one of their bigger more recent hits) The Girl is Crying in Her Latte.  And then like last time, they ended with an anthemic song from 2020’s A Steady Drip Drip Drip.  This song could be huge and could be used in just about any kind of sweeping, we love you all, kind of moment in a movie or otherwise:

All that we’ve done
We’ve lost, we’ve won
All that, all that and more
All that we’ve seen
We’ve heard, we’ve dreamed
All that, all that and more.

It was a suitable ending for a lovely night of an audience appreciating a band that’s been around for over fifty years and their appreciation that anybody still wants to come to their shows after all this time.  The guy next to me looked to be pretty young but he knew the words to all of the songs.

They had some very kind words for everyone at the end of the show, and they seem very grateful that we were all so receptive.  It was really fun.  And it was finished by 10PM!

2025 Keswick Theater	2022 Town Hall New York City
So May We Start ∇	So May We Start ∇
Do Things My Own Way ¡	Angst in My Pants Π
Reinforcements ¶	Tips for Teens ϖ
Academy Award Performance #	Under the Table With Her ‰
Goofing Off  ∈	Get in the Swing ‰
Beat the Clock #	I Married Myself ≡
Please Don’t Fuck Up My World §	I Predict Π
Running Up a Tab at the Hotel for the Fab ¡	Wonder Girl ⊄
Suburban Homeboy ≡	Stravinsky’s Only Hit §
All You Ever Think About Is Sex ♠	Shopping Mall of Love ø
Drowned in a Sea of Tears ¡	Johnny Delusional ƒƒ
JanSport Backpack ¡	We Love Each Other So Much ∇
Music That You Can Dance To ø	Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) ∑
When Do I Get to Sing “My Way” ¥	Lawnmower §
The Number One Song in Heaven #	Music That You Can Dance To ø
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us λ	The Rhythm Thief ≡
Whippings and Apologies µ	Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth ¶
Lord Have Mercy ¡	When Do I Get to Sing “My Way” ¥
encore	My Baby’s Taking Me Home ≡
The Girl is Crying in Her Latte ð	The Number One Song in Heaven #
All That §	This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us λ
	encore
	Suburban Homeboy ≡
	All That §

¡ MAD! (2025)
ð The Girl is Crying in Her Latte (2023)
∇ Annette (Cannes Edition – Selections From the Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)
§ A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020)
∑ Hippopotamus (2017)
ƒƒ FFS (Franz Ferdinand & Sparks) (2015)
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009)
Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008)
Hello Young Lovers (2006)
≡ Lil’ Beethoven (2002)
Ø Balls (2000)
Plagiarism (1997)
¥ Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (1994)
Δ Interior Design (1988)
ø Music That You Can Dance To (1986)
Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984)
♠ In Outer Space (1983)
Π Angst in My Pants (1982)
ϖ Whomp That Sucker (1981)
⊗ Terminal Jive (1980)
# No. 1 in Heaven (1979)
∈ Introducing Sparks (1977)
Big Beat (1976)
‰ Indiscreet (1975)
¶ Propaganda (1974)
λ Kimono My House (1974)
µ A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing (1972)
⊄ Halfnelson (1971)