Level 42 @ the Regency Ballroom (7/30/10)

Level 42 - Mike Lindup, Mark King, Nathan King, Sean Freeman, Pete Ray Biggin

I'll be honest with you, there are very few artists that I've been a fan of over the years that I haven't had a chance to see live at some point or another. And up until last night, Level 42 had been one of those bands.

Mark King, L42's lead vocalist and bass guitarist, was gracious enough to answer a few questions for the site a few weeks back -- you can find the interview here.  But the real treat was the opportunity to finally see Level 42 live and with original keyboardist and falsetto backing vocalist, Mike Lindup, back in the band after taking a brief hiatus in the mid-late 90's.

For those of you unfamiliar with Level 42, the band was formed in 1980 and found critical and commercial success several years later during the electric brit-pop phase with other bands such as Tears for Fears and the Pet Shop Boys among others. Their biggest hit came with the release of Running in the Family's "Lessons In Love" in 1987 which cemented the band as an international phenom and highlighted the bands pop sensibilities with an electric funk style propelled by Mark King's slap bass technique and vocal harmonies between himself and Mike Lindup.

The show last night was meant to be a seated event, but as soon as the band hit the stage, the crowd roared to their feet at the first sounds of the opening song, "Hot Water." I was only able to catch a short clip before security swept in to have me turn off the video, so enjoy this brief clip:


Through the remaining 90-minute set, Mark and Mike led the audience through their classic hits including World Machine, Running in the Family, Lessons in Love, and Something About You. It was an incredibly fun night, and I was amazed that both Mark and Mike sounded just as good as they did 25 years ago -- and it was just a thrill to watch Mark play his bass guitar! The full set-list is below, so for those of you who don't like spoilers, don't scroll down!

Mike Lindup

And whereas most bands escape to the solitude of their tour bus immediately after a show, both King and Lindup stayed onstage and met with fans, took pictures and signed autographs for nearly an hour after the show.

Mark King

If you have the chance, make sure you catch Level 42 when they play your town!

Because we were on lockdown by security last night, here's "Something About You" from Level 42's show at the Nokia Theater in NYC a week earlier:


And finally, the setlist from the show last night, signed by both Lindup and King:

Level 42 - Regency Ballroom, San Francisco Set-list