Heartland

The reviews of the show differs radically between people who were on the front rows and the others, the major difference between them being, I guess, if they could see or not through the artificial smoke.

Like others have mentioned, what the hell was with all the smoke?!? I mean, the bathrooms, which are located on the furthest wall from the stage, were filled with smoke. You literally could not see a thing on stage.

FYI - the light and smoke is part of the point - It's a show, and not all rock and roll stars are in it to give you the best possible view of their abs.

I just came back from the WORSE show I ever attended in my life. What a rip-off!! Sorry for all the fans out there (and besides I'm one of them) but this was totally HORRIBLE. Now that I aired a bit of my anger, let me tell you why. First of all, we couldn't see anything at all. The stage was rigged with not one or two... but three smoke machines that kept everything hidden. People had to be just beside the stage to see a glimpse of a movement. So basically, it was a smoke show with some lights going back and forth. It was so bad that we we're wondering if it's were really Eldritch singing.

In the first moments, screams were louder than the pre-recorded drums and bass. Lights were ble and there was a LOT of smoke which created a nice ambiance on the stage. Yoans and me were like mad happy in the first row, arms on the barrier, in the middle where we could have the best view.

[…]

Second break came and ended with the two guitarist coming back alone. Ben on the left and Robochrist on the right. They started to play like mad. We were hypnotized and delighted. They played with us; we whistled, we screamd, we danced, we applauded. Robochrist even played a few riffs and was leaning towards the crowd as in “do you know this one ? i know you know it… comme on guys !!!� And a few would sing and they would play and have fun as i never saw guitarists having fun with their crowd. they smiled back at us and showed us they were Really playing. At some point, i even think i saw Rob trow his … that little piece whith which they scratch the guitar cords… to a guy in the audience who cought it, and Rob wen to get another one.

Andrew came back. He now was in a see-through fishnet tank top and girls were quoite happy with that (me the first !!) … They started with Temple of love i think, followed by Lucretia, Vision thing and Alice was in too somewhere. Again, it was fun to be facing Von and singing with him.

For the first 20 minutes, from my usually good place at The Métropolis (at the back of the first floor, to the left of the sound man), I could hardly see the two guitarists! Sometimes Eldritch. People around me got frustrated and were complaining. A lot of people at the bar near me were talking about that.

Just before Sisters came back of the first break, some were booing. I heard boos at the very end too, from the balcony.

For me too, at first, the show was a little disapointing. I couldn't see much and, surprising for the fan I thought I was, I didn't recognized most of the first songs.

But after I accepted the fact that I wouldn't see much and that all that smoke could be an artistic choice, a kind of gothic thing, I began to have a real cool time. Sisters were playin "When You Don't See Me" after all! From this moment, Sisters played more of their classics songs too. And we could see a little more…

If we can't easily find pictures of Eldritch on the Net and if Sister's official site doesn't show much neither, it could be because Eldritch doesn't really want to be seen clearly. Be advised…

"Too much smoke" = "This is my first Sisters gig"

All there is to it

HA!!!

They've always had too much smoke, they wouldn't be the sisters without too much. They got half way through FALAA at the Royal Albert Hall all those years ago before we even realised Mr Marx wasn't on stage.

The venue they're playing in Barcelona has no smoking signs all over the place. Think that applies to the sisters?

I'd wager that there isn't a "No Steaming" sign

I love that f*cking smoke!
It's the Sisters!

I don't really understand the question.

How on earth can you possibly have 'too much smoke'?

If you can see jack all, then ace, pour out some more and see less.

As the brave / stupid HLers who venture into my garage after Leeds will discover, I'd imagine.

'Oops, watch yerself on that rake'.

Atlanta, yes. DC, no.

You literally could not see the stage from the balcony in Atlanta. Might as well have done the show in the dark.

I mentioned this earlier... but after the Philadelphia concert, one girl (who was near me in the front row during the show) made the comment "Andrew's cute, but tell him there's too much smoke--I can barely see him", to which my automatic reaction was "...but that's the point!" And I think Robochrist's only addition to that was an emphatic "exactly".

I've only been to two concerts, all this year, and of course I expect there to be smoke! Isn't that what The Sisters are renowned for? I was actually a bit disappointed with the first "birthday/anniversary" show, partly because there wasn't as much smoke as I expected. Er... I don't need to see Eldritch's armpit hair, thank you very much. Although I noticed he was growing a mohican much earlier than any of the other people I've heard from.
In my opinion it's so much better to see the band weaving in and out of the smoke, and the lightshow looks so much cooler filtered through the haze.

I used to hear that Eldritch "clung" to the microphone stand in addition to using smoke partly because of something like shyness...? In any case, I think he prowls around the stage much more now, but the smoke's still there. If it's not the "shyness" factor, I think it has something to do with teasing/annoying fans, which the band seems to knowingly do quite often (or all the time, depending on how you look at it).

Can you ever have *too* much smoke at a Sisters show?

Ozpat wrote:I love that f*cking smoke!
It's the Sisters!

completely agree!!!

is the sisters identity in the gigs(the mix of the smoke and the lights)

Refuse to vote until there's a 'Never Enough Smoke' option.

Last time they played Leeds I was sure that the gig was being fed via satellite from Andy's basement.

Yes the Sisters are synonymous with dry ice but I was lucky to catch a fleeting glimpse of the band (well the doppelgangers anyway).

It would be nice to connect with those on stage unless of course it’s a security measure designed to thwart coin throwers, audience contact etc

At the Saturday Blank Canvas gig in 2003 the smoke was the star. Second song in (C&B), I was on someone's shoulders about 2 to 3 rows back, couildn't see bugger all. Could more than feel the usual awesome wall of noise.

There's only enough smoke, when it starts seeping out through the doors to the entrance of the venue.

Good grief, here's a band that have been going for 25 years, and people are still going to their gigs and being surprised at the amount of dry ice????

Human Evolution, eh.... it's not as fast as Darwin made out, is it??

I'm beginning to be seriously pissed off by all these comments about the introduction of a drummer and the "annoying" smoke. If you want changes in these matters, I recommend you to support your local folk band.

Muppet wrote:Human Evolution, eh.... it's not as fast as Darwin made out, is it??

Not round here, no (sometimes). But then again there's a lot of people living in a timewarp, not sure how they fit into Darwin's theories. Best ask Doctor Who.

Sorry, Doctor Who? Is he on the NHS?

DGP00666 wrote:I'm beginning to be seriously pissed off by all these comments about the introduction of a drummer and the "annoying" smoke. If you want changes in these matters, I recommend you to support your local folk band.

The sheer delight in having an opinion does not equate with a love of folk music.

I recommend mescaline.....................

i'll also go along the "pro-smoke" ppl ; it's their signature style and it's damn fine with the lights i mean i would have payed my ticket just for the smoke and lights if the sisters would have not existed - of course they're a major bonus in addition to the smoke

and i as i had written it on my space's blog ; when the Warlocks were on stage ; i couldn't see the singer's face - nor any of the guitarists and i wonder how the hell the two drummers would see anything in the smoke that was some serious smoke machine abuse ; but when it came for the sisters, i the amount was fair and even "less" than as i heard from previous comments

long live to the smoke king machine

Muppet wrote:Sorry, Doctor Who? Is he on the NHS?

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Doctor...

(well, it makes my boy laugh til it hurts, so that's good enough for me).

Ditto czuczu.

No one else does what they do. That's part of why I go back to see them.

czuczu wrote:Refuse to vote until there's a 'Never Enough Smoke' option.

agree, or option 'too little'
sisters in the house

Muppet wrote:There's only enough smoke, when it starts seeping out through the doors to the entrance of the venue.

It was almost the case in Montreal. Everyone was peeing on everyone in the man's toilet room.

Muppet wrote:Good grief, here's a band that have been going for 25 years, and people are still going to their gigs and being surprised at the amount of dry ice????

Human Evolution, eh.... it's not as fast as Darwin made out, is it??

Come on! Sisters of Mercy visit your town so often? For me and 90% of the crowd of Montreal, it was the first gig of Sisters they "saw". And I'm sure it's the case in every town of the tour.

As I said, at the beginning, it disturbed me a little bit then I decided to find it cool. The problem is more that it disturbed not-real-fans around me and that people complained. It changes the mood. Having known that, I would have try to be near the stage.

lachert wrote:

czuczu wrote:Refuse to vote until there's a 'Never Enough Smoke' option.

agree, or option 'too little'
sisters in the house

Too late, can't change it now.

By the way, I'm the kind of guy who brings his own smoke at gigs, if you know what I mean.

czuczu wrote:Refuse to vote until there's a 'Never Enough Smoke' option.

I AGREE!!!

GIVE ME FOG,
LOTS & LOTS OF FOG!!!!!!