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CLOSES OUT TEN CROWNS TOUR
Live at Fonda Theatre
December 14, 2025 Review by Shane Pase
There’s something magical about the Fonda Theatre that never gets old. It’s intimate without feeling cramped, historic without being stuffy, and on Saturday night for the final show of Andy Bell’s Ten Crowns tour, it became exactly what it needed to be: a time machine back to the glory days of new wave, with all the joy and none of the cynicism.
This was the second sold-out night at the Fonda, and from the moment doors opened, you could feel something different in the air. I’ve been to nearly 70 shows this year, and I’ve seen plenty of enthusiastic crowds, but this was something else entirely.
This was a love fest in the most literal sense. The predominantly Gen X audience wasn’t just there to see a show—they were there to celebrate, to connect, to remember what it felt like when this music first moved them.
Before Bell even took the stage, the venue’s pre-show playlist turned the floor into an impromptu dance party. When The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me?” came on, the entire crowd erupted in cheers and launched into a full-throated singalong while dancing like nobody was watching.
It was one of those beautiful moments that reminded you why we still pack ourselves into standing-room-only venues instead of just streaming concerts at home. Sometimes you need to be surrounded by your people, singing the soundtrack of your youth at the top of your lungs.
Opening act Savannah Pope set an incredibly high bar for the night. I’ll be honest—I hadn’t heard of the LA artist before, and that’s entirely my loss. Pope took the stage with just a drummer and a guitarist/keyboardist, dressed in what can only be described as Moulin Rouge meets Little Red Riding Hood with glam rock boots. But the theatrical costume was just window dressing for the real show: her voice.
Pope’s operatic vocals combined with a genre-bending style that touched on art rock, glam, and dark pop absolutely blew the roof off the Fonda.
The crowd was immediately captivated, and I found myself dancing and cheering right along with them from the photo pit. She even jumped off stage and serenaded the crowd at the front on the floor. It was awesome. She’s the real deal, and shame on me for not knowing about her sooner.
Then came the man himself. Andy Bell emerged in an iridescent mirrored suit that caught and reflected the light that rivaled the large the disco ball hanging above, setting the perfect tone for what the Fonda had become—a giant dance club where 2,000 people were about to lose themselves in 19 songs and two hours of pure joy.
Bell’s voice was in fine form, maybe sitting a bit lower in register than those Forum shows back in the Circus tour days, but perfect nonetheless.
At times, he seemed slightly more subdued than I remembered from those wild Erasure arena shows of the late ‘80s, but then he’d let loose and you’d see that spark, that manic energy that made him such a compelling frontman when “Chains of Love” was burning up the charts.
The setlist proved Bell knew exactly what we needed—a beautiful mix of his solo work and Erasure classics. The crowd devoured every note, dancing and singing without pause. Between songs, Bell connected with the audience in genuine, touching ways. You could see how moved he was by the tour’s success, by the connection with the fans, and he expressed his gratitude throughout the night without it ever feeling forced or rehearsed.
The solo tracks like “Breaking Thru the Interstellar,” “Don’t Cha Know,” and “For Today” held their own alongside the Erasure monsters. When “Blue Savannah” kicked in early in the set, the collective swoon was almost audible.
“Sometimes” had the entire venue swaying and singing. When “Always” arrived mid-set, it felt like the emotional peak we’d all been building toward—until Bell pulled out a cover of Olivia Newton-John’s “Xanadu” that was absolutely perfect.
Bell brought out some special guests too. Luciana joined him for a beautiful duet on “Heart’s a Liar” (taking Debbie Harry’s role), and Sisely Treasure from Shiny Toy Guns came out for “Put Your Empathy on Ice.” Both performances seamlessly integrated into the flow of the show, enhancing rather than disrupting the energy Bell had built.
The encore brought everyone back for the night’s grand finale: “A Little Respect,” with Savannah Pope joining Bell on stage. Then all the evening’s performers came out together. Bell took a moment to introduce everyone, thank the crowd for making the tour special, express gratitude to his tour family and his husband, and that’s when the night transcended from great to unforgettable.
Bell called out Savannah Pope’s boyfriend, who immediately dropped to one knee and popped the question right there on stage. The crowd absolutely lost it. Pope grabbed a mic and delivered the most perfect answer to summarize the entire night’s vibe: “Fuck yeah!” It was spontaneous, joyful, and completely authentic—everything this show had been from the opening notes.
Walking out of the Fonda that night, I couldn’t stop smiling, and my wife could not stop reminiscing as a massive Erasure fan. There’s something powerful about watching a multicultural community come together in love and song, arms around each other, celebrating the music that’s been the soundtrack to our lives.
It was genuinely one of the best shows I’ve been to all year. Pope absolutely slayed in her opening set, Bell delivered everything you could want from a legacy artist who still has the fire, and somewhere a couple is planning a wedding with one hell of a story about how it started.
Congratulations to the happy couple, and thank you to Andy Bell for reminding us all why we fell in love with this music in the first place.
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Shane Pase Photography
TO FOLLOW
SID 251214 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
