Velvet Sessions: The Psychedelic Furs

If there were a secret decoder ring – a sort of Behind the Music ’80s band lexicon translator – then it might be worth traveling through the revolving doors and mirror moves of the Psychedelic Furs’ nearly four decades of sometimes-whispered-sometimes-screamed melodic attacks on “The Ghost in You.” But edgy archaeology of ego and music and context are long-form exercises and pop music is not, really. Richard Butler, with brother Tim in tow (along with some other regulars), still serve up “All That Money Wants” and little slices of “Heaven” for their forever fanbase, as witnessed at last year’s glitterball of emotional angst and arm thrusts at the Plaza Live. This time, the Furs are jumping headfirst into the nostalgia punch bowl of the Hard Rock Hotel’s Velvet Sessions (free drinks!), which means you’ll hear all the hits – maybe even “Pretty in Pink,” if Richard Butler has shaken his Ringwald-Hughes grudge about the 1981 hit’s 1986 smudged teenage repurposing. Certainly, “President Gas” will be there, though, for your “Heartbreak Beat” to play all night long. It feels like love. – Billy Manes