Smoke gets in your eyes

THE place for your Sisters-related comments, questions and snippets of Sisters information. For those who do not know, The Sisters of Mercy are a rock'n'roll band. And a pop band. And an industrial groove machine. Or so they say. They make records. Lots of records, apparently. But not in your galaxy. They play concerts. Lots of concerts, actually. But you still cannot see them. So what's it all about, Alfie? This is one of the few tightly-moderated forums on Heartland, so please keep on-topic. All off-topic posts will either be moved or deleted. Chairman Bux is the editor and the editor's decision is final. Danke.
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Black Shuck
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:( I know some of you probably think I'm just some miseryguts who'll whinge about anything, but the Sisters gig in Leeds (Sat 26th) really p**sed me off.

For 20 quid I expect to be able to see Andrew Eldritch. The entire gig was like one of those magic eye pictures- if you stared long enough at the smoke you could, for half a second, glimpse his sillhouette.

Or was it James Ray? or Patricia Morrison? or Ghandi? I couldn't tell.

I could have saved myself the £20 by instead sticking Floodland on my walkman and then burning down my house.

And where was the witty stage banter? I would have thought a homecoming gig would have warranted more than "good evening".

This reeked of a band simply going through the motions- they simply came on, played their greatest hits then f**ked off.

Oh, and as for adding the lines "This war is wrong" to Vision Thing, thanks Von for ruining a song I'd been dying to hear all night. I came to hear the sisters songs, not be preached at.

really wanted a People's R.O.W.Y. t-shirt, too, but I'm not being fleeced (£17 was outrageous).

And, and, AND when I was dancing after, some nob kept hitting me as he flailed his arms about like a lunatic. I hold Von personally responsible.

This gig has really made me evaluate how I feel about the sisters.

The sad thing is, I know I won't be able to resist seeing thier next tour, and their next... but I really do think Von should give his fans, who've stuck with him these long years, more respect.
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Zuma
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Hiya

Can really understand how you feel, however I thought it was a great night....had a few really bad experiences of Sisters gigs and came out with the same conclusion...however Leeds to me was the best ever for the vibe, the music....(sound was the best so far,not perfect but good!)...and the crowd were fantasticl.

Yup there was a lot of smoke, I just found it amusing rather than a problem......watched a few people leaving early as they, I presume did not get the eighties revival act they were expecting.... :D

Thought Vision Thing with the extras was great myself.....maybe time to stop putting people a pedestal as they obviously do want to stand on it :?:

Cheers (and well meant).

Dave
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Quiff Boy
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thought saturday was well below average, but sunday was very cool indeed.

sunday had a more exciting setlist, better sound and vision (less smoke!), more pleasant crowd. :)

which is just as well as i was pretty gutted about saturday.
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allfear
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Eldritch has nothing but comtempt for his fans, apart from the skinheads that is, and he likes bikers.,

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Jim
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Dammit! Sunday was better? I knew I'd choose the wrong day.

Bugger.

Serves me right for not going to both.
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Black Shuck
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It wasn't a poor performance exactly, just very mediocre- I was chatting to a mate after who'se been to five sisters gigs, and he said this was definately their worst performance.

I'm such a Von obsessive that I'd pay 20 quid to watch him stand still and silent for an hour, but that's not the point.

In my opinion, if you're gonna be half-hearted, don't bother.

Glad they played Giving Ground, though.
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Scardwel
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Yep. I thought the Saturday Leeds gig was appalling - a real shame considering it was a hometown show and at the end of a tour. The venue was a big letdown for me - stage was too low and too narrow, there was way too much smoke and at any time about 12 or so of the "In Crowd" were doing the on-the-shoulders thing which meant that you couldn't see f*ck all unless you were in the first 4 or so rows. Don't get me wrong, building pyramids etc is all part of the Sisters gig experience but can't you people take it in turns or something? After the first 3 songs I thought to myself "this is sh*t" before retreating to the bar for the rest of the gig. And the whole thing wasn't loud enough! Many people I spoke to were underwelmed also. I enjoyed the aftershow disco far more than the actual gig - I think that says alot!

The gig on Sunday was better, mainly because we got Marian and Valentine in the setlist. There was less smoke this time and the band's performance was generally tighter as well.
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Ed Rhombus
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Scardy, will you be incharge of the 'shoulder rota' for next tour?

Strict, one up - one down rules?

Scardy patrolling the pit with an AK47? Yes please!!!!!!!!
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Scardwel
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Ok Ed I think you've made your point! :wink:
Normally I don't mind the on-the-shoulders thing at all (f*ck I've been known to do it myself on occasion!) but this time it was just too much. :roll:
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[quote="Black ShukFor 20 quid I expect to be able to see Andrew Eldritch. The entire gig was like one of those magic eye pictures- if you stared long enough at the smoke you could, for half a second, glimpse his sillhouette.

And where was the witty stage banter? I would have thought a homecoming gig would have warranted more than "good evening".


really wanted a People's R.O.W.Y. t-shirt, too, but I'm not being fleeced (£17 was outrageous).

And, and, AND when I was dancing after, some nob kept hitting me as he flailed his arms about like a lunatic. I hold Von personally responsible.

[/quote]

Was speaking to Gaz about smoke....and there were times in the eighties when you really did doubt whether there was a band there or not...so were they not keeping in the spirit. I know I failed dismally to attend any of the gigs this time but I know I was HEARTILY disappointed NAY SHOCKED when I saw them at Rock City and I could see him!!!! FFS That was NOT what I expected! LOL He looks beeter in a half light in fact no light :wink:

Whitty stage banter...again talking to the oracle wot is Gt....miserable bugger who never said a word was the order of the day.

And tee shirts...when was the last time you bought a band tee shirt Shuk? Usually the merchandise is where the band make the money. I'd be interested to know how much money individuals were paid..probably not as much as you might expect given the ticket price. Be that as it may....tee shirts ones that are less than a tenner you buy OUTSIDE the gig and your 'one size fits all' either shrinks to 'one sizes fits no-one' or your medium suddenly will fit the man mountain that is Gt!

Tum ti tum ti tum.....

Sorry to have missed you all on Wed and Sat. Despite what seems to have been a lack lustre performance, when push comes to shove...it was still the Sisters wasn't it?

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Black Shuck
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:? The last gig t-shirt I bought was on the previous Sisters tour (Uttely Bastard Groovy), it cost 12 pounds. that's pretty harsh inflation!

And yeah, the smoke thing can be cool, but not for an entire gig, maybe the smoke should have stopped about halfway thru. Von also spent 90% of the gig at the rear of the stage- Why? Adam Pearson managed to stick near the front.

maybe Im being too harsh on them, though- I love Von too much to stay mad at him.
The fact is, though, me and whorenumber25 (who I went with) were pretty darn annoyed.
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RicheyJames
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Black Shuk wrote:For 20 quid I expect to be able to see Andrew Eldritch. The entire gig was like one of those magic eye pictures- if you stared long enough at the smoke you could, for half a second, glimpse his sillhouette.
maybe i'm missing something here but i kinda thought that that was the point? i never realised that anyone went to see the sisters to actually see the sisters. i thought it was more about enjoying the atmosphere than standing around gazing adoringly at your heroes. can't we leave that for the westlife crowd?
And where was the witty stage banter? I would have thought a homecoming gig would have warranted more than "good evening".
i'll give you that one. von did seem a little restrained on saturday. was he anymore talkative on sunday? or indeed any other night of the tour?
This reeked of a band simply going through the motions- they simply came on, played their greatest hits then f**ked off.
christ no. you wanna see a band going through the motions there's plenty of second-rate indie s**t with not even a microscopic fraction of the sisters' stage presence. oh the hours of my life i've wasted.... don't worry - i'm feeling much better now that i've learnt to stay in the bar until the support act have packed-up and gone home
Oh, and as for adding the lines "This war is wrong" to Vision Thing, thanks Von for ruining a song I'd been dying to hear all night. I came to hear the sisters songs, not be preached at.
jeez - one minute you're moaning at the lack of interaction then you complain about being preached about. he just can't bloody win with you can he?
really wanted a People's R.O.W.Y. t-shirt, too, but I'm not being fleeced (£17 was outrageous).
i thought £17 was quite reasonable actually. i really wanted a "motorcycle emptiness" tee when i went to see the manics (yeah, yeah - you got your music, i've got mine) last year but they were charging something closer to thirty quid so i kept my hand firmly in my pocket. but hey, that's capitalism - if you wanted it that badly you'd have bought it.
And, and, AND when I was dancing after, some nob kept hitting me as he flailed his arms about like a lunatic. I hold Von personally responsible.
you're being ironic now aren't you? please, god, tell me you are... :wink:
This gig has really made me evaluate how I feel about the sisters.

The sad thing is, I know I won't be able to resist seeing thier next tour, and their next... but I really do think Von should give his fans, who've stuck with him these long years, more respect.
hmmm.... if you're gonna keep on turning-up regardless why the hell should he give you any respect? i actually appreciate the fact that von maintains a distance from his fans particularly in this era of access-all-areas-hello-and-heat-fly-on-the-wall-celebrity-ubiquity. heroes only remain heroes if they preserve at least a degree of mystique.... :von:

overall, it seems to me that some people are just getting too old and would be better off booking tickets for the next "here and now" tour at the local enormo-dome :roll:
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Black Shuck
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RicheyJames wrote:
overall, it seems to me that some people are just getting too old and would be better off booking tickets for the next "here and now" tour at the local enormo-dome :roll:
Hey you cheeky Devil! I'm two years younger than you!
Black Shuk wrote:Oh, and as for adding the lines "This war is wrong" to Vision Thing, thanks Von for ruining a song I'd been dying to hear all night. I came to hear the sisters songs, not be preached at.
RicheyJames wrote:jeez - one minute you're moaning at the lack of interaction then you complain about being preached about. he just can't bloody win with you can he?
By 'interaction' I meant talking to the crowd, making a couple of jokes, taking the p*ss out of the people stood on shoulders, that sort or thing. I don't think butchering a song qualifies.

There's definately an 'emporers new clothes' situation among some sisters fans, Von can clearly do no wrong with some of you guys, who stand gawping like monkeys at every little thing he does- the fact is, he just aint tryin' anymore
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RicheyJames
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Black Shuk wrote:Hey you cheeky Devil! I'm two years younger than you!
well that just makes it worse! what the hell is wrong with kids today? :roll:
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Big Si
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It's a pity you guys missed the barrowlands gig in glasgow. "Smokey the Bear" at full strength lasted about 20 mins/five songs. :von: was handing out cigarettes, and i'm sure I can remember some banter (and he did announce the celtic v boavista result which really made my night! :D ) I remember one poor chap climbed the barrier and tried to jump up on to the stage, the bouncers got him and dropped him into the press pit (head first?) and :von: even went to check that the guy was ok, I nearly got hold of :von:'s mike stand when he held it out over our heads, and he gave a long bow at the end of the encores and I'm sure his face looked just like this :D .

Adam was quite visible and I don't remember seeing that much of chris.

Maybe "Glasgow does it better" ?

:D :wink: :D
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X
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I thought it was a bit dodgy as gigs go, But I still had fun!
I kinda think all the smoke was an attempt to disguise the fact that the guy looks really, REALLY ill , Did you see him close up after when he did the autographs? Jeez ... That aint a well guy!
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Mrs RicheyJames
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Oi! I was there on Sat Quiff you arse! It was ace!
I had fun on Sat, but I agree with X, really does look ill, i think he thinks he's Michael Jackson
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Sexygoth wrote:Oi! I was there on Sat Quiff you arse! It was ace!
I had fun on Sat, but I agree with X, really does look ill, i think he thinks he's Michael Jackson
ooops! :urff: ;D
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I still have a news clipping (more about those later)from the floodland era that it a "spot the difference" with Eldritch & Michael Jackson . The baby oil did him no favours .
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Andy TG
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The "smoke screen" also happened at Bristol - I was most annoyed not to be able to "see" the band (read Singer!) I wanted to see!

The sound was great as were the lights - but that was die to them being projected through the smoke !!!!!!!!

As for the T Shirts - the least priced was £16! - way too much for a bloody top. The bootlegs outside were great for a fiver and the Hoodie was only a tenner. Its just a shame that I cant order more of the bootlegs on line "SOMEWHERE" (any ideas Kiddies?)
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Andy TG
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[quote=

There's definately an 'emporers new clothes' situation among some sisters fans, Von can clearly do no wrong with some of you guys, who stand gawping like monkeys at every little thing he does- the fact is, he just aint tryin' anymore[/quote]

Von / Andrew Eldritch/ Spiggy etc is a B****** and a **** - but that is WHY we love/adore/cherish/hate him!

I know thats how I feel about it! :wink:
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