Industrial music has always been a personal favorite of mine. Though I do tend to have my specific tastes in bands that I like, and don’t branch too far outside of them usually. This tends to be more on the industrial metal side of things, as heavy guitars just sound like angels to my ears. I know I need to invest more time into the history of industrial music and give more chances to the people that pioneered the genre. So, when I heard that Gary Numan was coming to the Observatory in Santa Ana, I knew this would be a great opportunity to take in the music of a legend in the genre. He just got off a tour with Ministry as a support act, and this night was for him to headline and give us everything he has to offer.

The only opener for this show was an artist known as I Speak Machine. Vocalist and music programmer Tara Busch has brought an avant garde show to the unsuspecting people of Orange County. While Busch was dressed in a Russian-esque military attire, she was projecting propaganda onto a backdrop behind her. Though this may not have been the type of music that people may have been expecting, Busch was there to command the stage. Performing with confidence, vigor, and a passion for the art she was creating. Whether this was your cup of tea of not, Busch was putting herself on the line for the crowd and she wasn’t holding anything back. There were times that Busch was singing with such power, that you could hear her raw vocals overpowering the speakers, and she had a beautiful operatic sound to it. But it was channeled through a synthesizer and effects to modulate the voice and create a more electronic experience. I Speak Machine is definitely not commercial or for everyone, but if you are looking for an artist that takes chances and prioritizes emotion and feelings over traditional music structure, I would recommend checking them out.

Finally, it was time to experience an artist that I have heard people talk so highly about. He’s been mentioned to me as someone who steals every show he’s on, no matter if he’s headlining or a support artist. That’s a lot to live up to, but within the first moments of “Everything Comes Down to This,” I could already see why people praise this man. Gary Numan is an enigma on stage filled with charisma. The way he moves and undulates on stage captivates any onlooker. He rarely removes the microphone from its stand, instead choosing to use the entire microphone stand as an extension of his body and part of the performance. The mic stand becomes his dance partner for the night as they waltz across the stage. Though Numan would step out from behind the mic from time to time, and that’s when the crowd would bath him in cheers and admiration. As Gary Numan has been creating music for multiple decades, you could hear the evolution and difference between the songs as they were influenced by the decade they were written in. With songs like “Halo,” “The Chosen,” “Metal,” “Films,” “Pure,” “Love Hurt Bleed,” “Is The World Not Enough,” “Down in the Park,” “The Gift,” “Cars,” “Haunted,” “Pray for the Pain You Serve,” My Name is Ruin,” “A Prayer for the Unborn,” and coming back for an encore with “Here in the Black” and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” It was a career spanning night of industrial heritage.

I have been listening to Gary Numan quite a bit on Spotify leading up to this show so I could be more familiar with the music. Bottom line, he is an artist that must be experienced live. If you’re a new listener like me, just taking in the music through some headphones, you won’t be disappointed. The man knows how to create musical pleasure. But if you want to truly experience the artistry and emotions in the music, it must be experienced live. The songs take on a whole new life for themselves this way. This was the last stop of his latest tour, but he is no where near being done. I know I will be at this next show, and I recommend you do yourself a favor and be there too.