The resurrection of Bauhaus almost twenty years after its inception should not be regarded as a reunion. A reunion in the world of rock music means that a washed up band is going to try and scam a buck off some nostalgic fans and, perhaps, capture a taste of its former glory. This does not apply to Bauhaus, whose members splintered off into two very influential musical units in and of themselves as Love and Rockets, and Peter Murphy, respectively.

Since the final Bauhaus gig in July of 1983, rumors of the band regrouping have loomed in the background. Individual members said it would never happen, but in July of this year the band decided to do a one-off show in Los Angeles to acknowledge a new compilation of Bauhaus material entitled Crackle. The show set records as one of the fastest sell-outs ever, so the band added another. And another. A full-scale world tour blossomed, and the band is taking it one day at a time- careful not to tarnish or damage its own legacy. This past Monday night Bauhaus took the stage in Atlanta, Georgia at The Tabernacle- a three tiered, converted church with plush, red-velvet carpet and high cathedral ceilings.

Opening with "Double Dare" the first song from their first album in 1980, In The Flat Field, Bauhaus filled the room with an electric air. White lights flickered as a television screen showed Peter Murphy gasping and shrieking his way through the song. Murphy's presence on stage is overwhelming with his slender figure, pointed features, and commanding voice, all of which encapsulate the band's notoriously dark image. The set was sharp and tight and surreal. It seemed so strange to see these songs in person after so many years thinking it could never be. The music was dead on as though the band had been touring for years, and Daniel Ash, one of the most underrated guitarists around, proved that there was very little studio trickery on Bauhaus' records as he could interpret all of the sounds live.

The band tore through some of its finest commitments to tape: "A God In An Alcove", "She's In Parties", "The Passion Of Lovers", and "Dark Entries" plus a cover of "Severance" by Dead Can Dance, which is rumored to have been recorded in a studio in Chicago a few weeks ago, perhaps, signaling that there is more to this resurrection than just a tour. The crowd's ecstatic response was rewarded with four encores, which included the inevitable "Bela Lugosi's Dead", Iggy Pop's "The Passenger", and a brilliant acoustic version of the band's best single, "Spirit." T-Rex's "Telegram Sam" revealed a taste of Bauhaus' Glam side and closed what was truly an historical evening of music. Undead, indeed.