Howard Jones at Soiled Dove in Denver

It’s so nice for this kid of the 80’s who loved new wave from England to have all her favorite musicians come through Denver, now, when I can have a beer at the show.

Howard Jones was probably the person I saw most in concert back in Maryland as a teen; I remember several distinct shows at Merriweather Post Pavilion and I won’t lie – I got a little weepy every time he played “No One Is To Blame.”

In 2015, HoJo was alone with his keyboard at Denver’s Soiled Dove but he definitely brought his sense of humor. Yes, it was great to hear all his hits in a small setting, but moreover, I enjoyed hearing all the stories behind them. (Example: going through “Life In One Day” line by line and making fun of the lyrics.)

My favorite was the description of when “Like To Get You Know You Well” was translated into Japanese…”I would like to force myself upon you.” OOPS.

He also talked a bit about the evolution of electronic music, and how in the beginning he and his peers had been made fun of constantly. “We do actually need to show up and play the machines, guys.” Truly, if you have not listened to Howard Jones, go back through his catalog. Such a rich songwriting and an immense contribution to many artists today.

Photo pass provided by Howard Jones.
All words and photos by me. © Aimee Giese.