Trip the Light Fantastic

Erstwhile New Order member Peter Hook let his Light show shine in San Diego for the first time. It must have been a bitter pill when the band he cofounded reformed without him or his consent. Ever since, Hook has toured the world with a point to prove.

Hook turned the sold-out House of Blues into a three-story set that built on a foundation of Joy Division songs, including “New Dawn Fades” and “Shadowplay.”

Captain Hook directed the band throughout; though nearing 60, he stalked the stage with a presence missing in most young pretenders.

Hook’s son Jack (playing with a broken finger!) rode shotgun for Dad, as a pair of aces with dueling basses. With his former Monaco cohort Pottsy on guitar, the Light are as tight as newlyweds.

New Order’s “Brotherhood” and “Low Life” were performed in their entirety. And “Elegia” and “Bizarre Love Triangle” were two notable highlights of many.

The quote of the night belonged to the man himself: “And THAT is how you play ‘Perfect Kiss’.”

With the quality of Hook’s voice, you have to wonder why Bernard Sumner ever got the gig as lead singer after Ian Curtis’s death.

The brief gaps between sets never interrupted the momentum. The final story of the night covered New Order classics “Thieves Like Us,” “Ceremony,” “Temptation,” and “Blue Monday.”

The ovation left no doubt that Hooky’s point was proved. All members of New Order were equal, but some were more equal than others.

• Concert: Peter Hook and the Light
• Venue: House of Blues
• Date: November 26, 2014
• Seats: Up close and personal
• Photographs by Laura Duffy