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History

March 2011

On March 14 a double-CD of the music from the ballet The Most Incredible Thing is released under the name Tennant/Lowe. It contains the full performance score of the ballet with orchestrations by Sven Helbig.

2011 March

On March 17 the ballet The Most Incredible Thing has its first public performance at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Its genesis can be traced back to a week in where, by chance, two initially unrelated events took place. Ivan Putrov, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet whom the Pet Shop Boys had got to know through Sam Taylor-Wood, called Neil to ask whether they would write a piece for him to dance to. Two days later, before Neil had even had a chance to ask Chris, Chris called to say that he’d just read a story in a new translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales that he thought would make a great ballet: “The Most Incredible Thing”. This eventually led to the Sadler’s Wells production, choreographed by Javier de Frutos and starring Ivan Putrov, Clemmie Sveaas and Aaron Sillis. All ten performances sell out.

May 2011

On May 27 the Pet Shop Boys appear at the Sunderland Stadium of Light, joining Take That at their invitation as “special guests” on their first reunion concerts as a five-piece on what will be the biggest British tour ever – 29 British stadium shows – followed by a short European leg. “45 minutes of intensity,” says Chris.

December 2011

On December 31 the Pet Shop Boys appear at a New Year’s Eve concert on an island in Sydney Harbour.

On this day

1999

The Pet Shop Boys perform in Irvine, California.

2003

They perform ‘Miracles’ at a live televised ‘AIDS Gala’ in Berlin.

2004

They kick off a Latin American ‘mini-tour’ at the Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic.

2006

Neil gets a haircut at Bill’s Downtown Barbers in Denver. That evening they perform at Denver’s Paramount Theatre. Meanwhile, an exhibition of portraits of the Pet Shop Boys opens at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

2007

Chris and Neil attend a Rufus Wainwright concert at Hammersmith Apollo. Backstage after the show, Rufus presents Neil with a gold record for Rufus’s album Release the Stars, which had been executive-produced by Neil.

2010

The Boys are guests on Graham Norton’s BBC2 radio show. Along the way, Chris chooses to play Eric Carmen’s ‘All by Myself,’ Neil chooses The Church’s ‘Under the Milky Way’ and says that a revival of Closer to Heaven is under consideration, and they state that they’re not planning to retire but that Chris would like to take a bit of a break. Of course, their brand new single ‘Together’ is also played.