Blondie: Rock of Ages
Ross Hunter
Debbie Harry’s career has been all success, excess, and redress. In red dress, shed of hat and heels, she got into the groove at Moscow’s B1 on Wednesday, July 9. Thirty years since Parallel Lines is hard to believe, and I had not been to a live gig since Ms. Harry was the age she is supposed to be. Our eponymous iconic star crept onto the stage wearing a party conference suit in scarlet and undersized usherette’s hat, looking worryingly like Mrs. Clinton at an alien airport, unsure whether to flash a smile at the blinking cameras or grimace and duck the flak. But Ms. Harry’s stage presence is still compelling, the eyes and cheekbones still hypnotic, even if the hips and knees are not as well oiled as the rest. Vitally, her voice is as seductive as ever, and her timing, range, and variety are exquisite; her ability to run and caress a phrase round a lyrical track puts many a rapper in the shade. “Call Me” had everyone fingering phones, “Atomic” raised the tempo, and “I’m Gonna Be Your Number One” summed it up. Rock of ages — passed!
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Photo Ross Hunter
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