On April 22, the Pet Shop Boys musical Closer to Heaven is performed in London for the first time in fourteen years, in a sold-out month-long run at The Union Theatre. (It will return for a further five weeks beginning on October 21.). For this revival, at the Pet Shop Boys’ request, the musical’s original final number, “Positive role model”, is replaced by “Vocal”.
On August 15, the final date of the much-extended Electric tour – which began in March, 2013 – takes place at the Flow Festival in Helsinki. The tour has visited over forty countries.
On December 2, the Pet Shop Boys appear at MAMA – the Mnet Asian Music Awards – in Hong Kong. They are given the Worldwide Inspiration award and play a lengthy live medley, joined for their final two songs, “What have I done to deserve this?” and “Vocal”, by the K‑Pop artist f(x). At the organisers’ request, they wear the Electric tour straw jackets for, possibly, the final time.
The Pet Shop Boys perform in concert in Tampa, Florida—an area that just a week earlier had experienced a close brush with Hurricane Irene. Chris mildly complains to an interviewer about the lingering bad weather.
They perform in Austin, Texas.
Chris and Neil discuss packaging art for their next album with Mark Farrow. Later Sam Taylor-Wood and the Boys throw a party at London’s White Cube gallery to celebrate the pending release of their collaborative cover of ‘I’m in Love with a German Film Star.’ Various celebrities attend, including David Walliams of Little Britain.
The Pet Shop Boys receive the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ award at this year’s Q Magazine awards show in London. Robbie Williams presents them with the award.
Having recovered from his bout of food poisoning, Neil travels with Chris by car from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where they perform this evening their first U.S. date on the Super Tour.