Peter Hook and the Light at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Aug 2022)

For those who arrived early, you were treated to a DJ set from Jake Rudh, who named his radio program and dance night, Transmission in honor of Joy Division, so it’s only fitting that he’s at the show. It’s typical 70s/80s British bands, from post-punk to alternative rock, on the video screen.

At 8pm exactly, Peter Hook & the Light took the stage. They are on a tight schedule, as playing both Joy Division albums will clock in over two hours… and to make it worth your time, Hook and company played a selection of early New Order songs to help the audience (like “Age of Consent”, “Blue Monday” and “Temptation”) get excited about what’s to come.

The New Order set was about 40 minutes before a brief intermission. The band returned to play Unknown Pleasures. As expected, the band is very tight in play every song, in its original track listing order. Fans who knew and love the album from start to finish, eagerly anticipate the next song. There were no surprises, but that’s not what the fans came for.



Favorite songs were immediately cheered and sung to, and the whole thing felt like two plus hours of a double album listening party… and it’s amazing to see that everybody is on the same page.

It seemed Peter Hook is the only person interested in playing these Joy Division or early New Order songs, so if you want to experience these songs live, especially if you want to share your love with other fans, these Peter Hook shows are the only option. The band is really good, having to play the same set every night (with the exception of the random New Order songs that preceded the main Joy Division show).

So yeah, it’s a lovely celebration of all-things Joy Division. If you love Joy Division, go see Peter Hook on this 2022 tour.
Remaining tour dates: