Brief comments about the Washington gig, in no particular order. They are just thoughts which come to mind as I go.
1. As an opening act, Hypernova kicks. Plenty of guitars and drums and a deep voice. Fairly fast. Certainly a good atmosphere builder. The Warlocks from the last tour were fine, but I think that this bunch are tighter. I am glad that opening acts are getting better. Tube for example was a let down. Think about Mutation also did not enhance the evening. Bravo for better selections lately.
2. The 9:30 Club appears to keep its old tradition of getting midweek shows started at, you guessed it, 9:30. By 11, the place was emptying, much earlier than I expected, but getting some more sleep was nice.
3. Weather, you ask? Overcast, about 10 C (low 50s), and light rain by the end of the gig. None of that matters, as we were all indoors.
4. Heartlanders who were recognized were Eva
, Eggi
, and I. From the reviews thus far, obviously others showed.
5. If anyone lost a drivers license, please see the staff. That make two consecutive gigs where someone lost that. Fortunately I found this one, so someone's evening was not ruined.
6. A highlight was when Andrew and Chris embraced one another.
7. On a related note, as it happened about the time of the hug,, if Andrew is going to offer the stage to Ben and Chris during
Snub Nose, stay out of the way of Chris prancing about the stage.
8. The stage itself is only about a meter high. On top of that, the security barrier between the stage and the audience is less than half that. Close enough to keep drinks or jackets next to the monitors.
9. The mood was generally good, although there was less banter than expected for a post-election gig. It did pick up during the second half, with the aforementioned comments about reclaiming the country. A nice touch was that Andrew actually introduced Ben and Chris this time. The interaction between Ben and Chris appears regularly, but it was nice to see Andrew getting in on the act as well. It makes it seem like a band.
10. If you thought that they were having fun in New York, you would have thought that even more so here. They generally look like that enjoyed being on stage together.
11. Yes, Andrew smiled when he bowed prior to leaving the stage before the first interlude.
12. Andrew's voice seemed too low in the mix, but it was similar to the mix in New York. He did disappear into the fog to blow his nose at least once (after
Marian, I think -- how is that for minutia?). Surely someone in the audience would have loved it had he thrown the used tissue in the opposite direction instead of toward the equipment in the back. I think that he cleared his nose at another time or two, but I really was not that interested in his nasal congestion. At any rate, his voice may be feeling the affects of touring for a week, or he may have caught a slight cold. I really did not think that I would write so much about his nose.
13. He did get out a few howls (again, later in the show) which seemed more common a few years back, during Adam's tenure. They helped elevate the crowd, as they shined through the mix much better than his usual tone.
14. At other times, there were rumblings of "turn it up" or the like.
15. Sadly, there were periods of audience conversations at times during the gig. Had the vocal mix been louder, my gut feeling is that these rumblings would have been reduced.
16. Does Andrew appear to me mouthing things or having lip quivers more than in the past? I just do not recall that from previous tours. I do not mean lip-synching, in case anyone wants to chase that bus, but rather lip movements while not singing. It was not the entire time, either, perhaps mainly during slower tracks.
17. A quote (perhaps paraphrased), "I have not been able to see the keyboard player yet."
18. To be fair, Nurse was nowhere to be seen from where I was.
19. Even worse was "Where is the drummer?" Fortunately someone with this person (I think that it was the same guy with both comments) filled him in on the details.
20. The size of the crowd was fairly sparse during Hypernova, but it did fill up when the Sisters started. As others have noted, it did not look sold out, but it was much better than expected after getting the intimate performance from the opening act.
21. Much black (mainly from leather and t-shirts) in the audience, but not too many darklings. A few scattered about, but more bald heads than huge inflammable mops. I am referring to the audience here.
22. Eldritch tended to head to the right side of the stage more. Perhaps he needed to see some familiar faces, eh Eva?
23. I ran into Chris outside the venue prior to the gig. I just said "hi, Chris", which took him off guard. He took it in stride, though. Really, he is fairly recognizable. If I see him in Richmond I will say "Wow! Robochrist unmasked here in Richmond!" and see what reaction that gets.
24. The setlist appears to be the same as in New York, although I do not have them in front of me. A mix from all albums (heavily from Floodland) and a handful of unreleased one included.
25.
Marian does not have the feel of the album track, which is no surprise, but Ben and Chris have put a good stamp on it. It seems higher pitched. It almost sounds as though it could fit in a suspense/horror film. That sounds worse than I meant it. The song does work with the revision.
26. It was the short version of
Temple of Love.
27. Chris spilled his beer a bit. Better than the guitarist from Hypernova who spat water on the audience.
28. No
Logic, which is a shame. Previously that song played fifth or so in the setlist always worked to get Eldritch up. Any initial fine tuning or jitters evaporated in the song as it build up.
29. No unexpected covers, which is a good thing in my book.
30. The lightshow seemed better than in New York (sorry for so many comparisons to New York, but that is my current reference point). The strobes of
Ribbons, as well as the color scheme of "cobalt red...", and the changes in
Summer were up to speed. I remember more lights previously, but the current setup works well.
31. At the end, Chris flung his pick for a souvenir -- straight at Ben, who was completely unaware of it.
32. The biggest karaoke moments came during tracks from Floodland.
This Corrosion,
Lucretia, and
Dominion got the most.
33. One other notable shout-along came in
Something Fast. Anyone needing a geography lesson, please ask James how lose Baltimore is to Washington.
34. The final half hour did get a bit of a pit going. It was behind me, so I have no idea how big, but the occasional squash at the front lapped in.
35. Similarly I am not sure how active people were behind me, but there did seem to be some bouncing about from my peripheral vision. The bunch in front of Andrew was active. Each song got a fair among of appreciation through applause and cheers.
36. Was the "f**k off" banter directed at someone in the pit? I could not tell what prompted it or to whom it was directed. It did not detract from the evening, though.
37. Ben ventured to the center during
Snub Nose. Other than that he was mainly on his side, either all the way to the edge of the stage, or lingering back in the fog. Chris basically stayed on his side of the stage, although rarely staying still. He did interact with the croud at times. Andrew did go to the side during
Snub Nose, but remained on stage watching the audience. He even took the mic near the end (when Chris banged into him), but no lyrics have been added.
38. The national anthem played was just the opening portion, not the entire hymn. There was no replay of Hendrix. This came at the start of the second (of two) encore.
39. I also am not convinced that starting with an unreleased track like
Crash and Burn is wise. Keep the excitement high as something more recognizable gets things under way.
First and Last and Always worked well in the past. Why have a bunch of people wonder what an opening song?
40. I am astounded that Eva can attend so many gigs and not use ear plugs.
41. I am not sure how roller derby ties in to a Sisters concert, but that was what was on a flyer handed outside the venue.
42. Some Sistersposters for the concert were hung inside the hall, but hot very firmly.
Overall, a very enjoyable show without many glitches. They were in good form and the audience was appreciative. Maybe not one of the all-time classic gigs, but clearly an evening well spent. I would go see them again. Maybe even within two days.
They at least were spelled correctly.
!