Peter Hook, the legendary former bassist of the hugely influential bands Joy Division and New Order, took to the stage with his band The Light this past Friday to play an epic 27 song set of classics spanning the brief Joy Division years (tragically cut short in 1980 by the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis) through the 80’s new wave mega-hits from the surviving lineup, renamed as New Order. Hook, or Hooky as he’s known to fans, looked remarkably fit and trim (for a man of his, ahem, experience) with his signature bass guitar slung low in his trademark style. Playing a double set covering the two compilation albums titled Substance released for each band, the show was a study in contrasts between the dark, raw, guitar-driven post-punk sound of Joy Division and the synthesized, driving dance beats of the international sensation, New Order.

The evolution of Joy Division and New Order was defined by the push and pull between the creative instincts of bass player Hook and Bernard Sumner, the guitarist and keyboardist who assumed lead singing duties following Curtis’s death. Hook, firmly rooted in guitar heavy, punk influenced rock and roll was often at odds with Sumner’s ever growing interest in electronic dance music. Yet they found a formula that produced some of the best music of the 80’s and 90’s. Hook, with his distinctive bass playing, infused Sumner’s electro-pop with a brooding rock edge that came to define the band’s style and turned them into one of the most popular and influential alternative bands of their era. Over time however, the conflict and near constant battling between Hook and Sumner took its toll ultimately leading to Hook’s departure in 2007.

Still, the catalog of music created by these two bands has stood the test of time and can pack venues today. Friday night at Metro was no exception with a sold out crowd of enthusiastic, largely middle aged fans dancing and singing along with Hook and company’s masterful renditions of Joy Division and New Order classics. Hook was joined by his son, Jack, also pulling bass duty (playing just as well as his old man by the way) along with former bandmates from his earlier side projects Monaco and Revenge. This collection of veterans and pedigreed musicians was able to deliver a performance that in many ways was tighter and better executed than the original band’s often hit or miss efforts. But it was the dual set format separating the New Order songs and the Joy Division songs that highlighted a distinctive difference in Hook’s approach to the two bands.

The first “act” covered New Order’s Substance album, including classics such as Blue Monday, Temptation, Bizarre Love Triangle and True Faith. Hook, whose voice is largely absent from the original recordings, ably handled most of the singing duties which is impressive considering his deeper vocal range as compared to Sumner’s consistently higher notes. He did hand off some vocals to his lead guitarist when the range was just too high for him, but the effect was still good and true to the original. While the music sounded fantastic and got the crowd jumping, it became apparent that there was more music coming from the pre-recorded backing tracks than the musicians themselves, as one might expect from songs by a synth-heavy band like New Order. The drummer essentially sat out a few songs while the recorded synth-drums pounded away and even appeared to “air-drum” at one point seemingly out of boredom. Hook’s demeanor was also somewhat subdued, not engaging with the crowd much and even letting a yawn slip out mid-way through set. Not a good sign.

After completing the New Order set and taking a brief break, the band returned to the stage with an energy and passion largely missing from the first set. Simply put, Peter Hook playing Joy Division songs is his sweet spot. Not only do the songs better match his rock style, Hook’s vocals are impressively close to Ian Curtis’ deep and melodic tones. More importantly, the songs being played have been dormant far too long. New Order’s live performances over the years would always include one or two Joy Division songs, but the rest of the songs on Joy Division Substance needed to see the light of day again. These are brilliant tracks that set the stage for generations of bands that followed. Seeing an original band member perform them, while accepting the fact that the surviving Joy Division members will probably never re-unite to play them, made the moment truly special. Peter Hook honored Ian Curtis’s legacy better than anyone else ever could have and delivered a very memorable experience for fans.

In the end, the performance by Peter Hook and the Light was gift for long time fans of both Joy Division and New Order. It was a refreshing take on timeless songs without becoming nostalgic or derivative. It was hard to not be reminded of Hook’s acrimonious split from New Order and imagining what could have been, but Hooky seems to relish his role as a front man and guardian of a great musical legacy. After more than 40 years in the music business, Peter Hook is still able to deliver and showing no signs of slowing down.