Heartland

Meh.

Well, to be fair, at least Von seems to be trying to sing, even if half the time he apparently doesn't make any noise, gets the words wrong, and/or winds up gurning majestically. (He reminds me increasingly of Mark E. Smith, which is rather worrying.)

Lead vocals aside, the sound was good, notwithstanding the fact that Ben really needs to be given a quiet speaking to, or at least have his mic turned way the hell down.

I do think that gigs have an awful lot to do with the audience, and this was an awful lot. It was a little alarming, actually, to be able to move around freely in the front; this was almost like a gig at a pub; no doubt in a year or two we'll be seeing the boys play at the corner tavern up the road. Almost everyone seemed bewildered by the 'new' tracks, which is understandable enough, I suppose, but it really doesn't help that material when everyone is standing around scratching their heads; the new stuff didn't sound particularly great, either, with Crash and Burn lacking power, Summer being halfway decent, and Still being, well, pretty dull. Of the "new old stock," Marian wasn't particularly exciting. Really, looking back, there were only a very few moments that reached any kind of power, and even then it wasn't much - FALAA, perhaps. I could have slept through Train, at least until Boulevard kicked in. And I'd have to say that Never Land's not worth playing live, but if you're going to do so then you might as well throw in some of the new lyrics. Oh, Giving Ground was played, and it was good.

So, overall, I'm clearly underenthused. The vocals really need sorting out, and overall the volume in general needed to come way up. There was a bit of a back-and-forth early on between Eldritch and someone in the crowd, who was, I think, telling him that they couldn't hear him. If I heard things right, his response was basically "well, it sounds all right to the sound guy in the back, and it sounds all right to me, so p*ss off". Which is fine, except that it's not the band or the sound man who're paying for the gigs.

If things had been louder, and more energetic, with an audience that actually gave a f**k, it could have been a good show. As it was, Maya asked me, as we were leaving, whether we could "stop going to Sisters shows now before they're completely ruined for us as a band." I'm not sure it's not already too late.

Colours!!!

Methedrome wrote:Colours!!!

Seconded. Oh my, I'm envious. Dammit.

While the Sisters seemed to have started the tour well, it's becoming painfully obvious that something is wrong, but I am not sure at what level.

After reading all the reviews beginning somewhere with DC (I had the pleasure of being there), it would appear that Andrew's microphone is way too quiet. Whether it's by design, as in he can't do this night in and night out at his age, or due to a poor sound system, I am not sure. Opening the mouth and not actually singing seems to be a recurring theme as well. Given that this has happened at several venues, I tend to think that it's not due to some crappy sound system.

I still had a blast at the DC show, but I just don't see them being able to tour for much longer if this keeps up. The attendance seems lower than in prior tours too. Hope they straighten it all out!

SINsister wrote:

Methedrome wrote:Colours!!!

Seconded. Oh my, I'm envious. Dammit.

Thirded!

colours. right...

Sorry - I'm a muppet! Giving Ground, not Colours...

kafka wrote:Sorry - I'm a muppet! Giving Ground, not Colours...

Wow, George, you really *are* a Muppet!

YAAAAAY! It turns out I missed nussink! W0000T!

colours good one

I thought it was a great gig with the only thing lacking was attendance.
Sure,it is not the band that it was 20 plus years ago,however,I personally think it is a brave man who updates old crowd favorites.
The only thing is,I cannot see them again touring with the same setlist.....we really need something new released and they certainly have the songs to do this.
We have to realise that not every fan was there in 84 at York or Reading 91 etc. so to a lot of people this is still an exciting band.

the tour is becoming the silver bullet part 2

i hope it improves

Well, I brought a complete Sisters virgin to the show with me and, other than the fact that you could RARELY hear Von, she absolutely loved it!!

I made the horrible mistake of wanting to see the entire stage so, we started in the balcony, won't do that again. We finally moved down to the floor and were able to see what was going on but, I concur, the crowd really su*ked!!!

But, I'm a longtime fan and am happy to get the chance to experience the wonder that is the Sisters when I can.

kafka wrote:Sorry - I'm a muppet! Giving Ground, not Colours...

kafka wrote:Meh.

Well, to be fair, at least Von seems to be trying to sing, even if half the time he apparently doesn't make any noise, gets the words wrong, and/or winds up gurning majestically. (He reminds me increasingly of Mark E. Smith, which is rather worrying.)

Lead vocals aside, the sound was good, notwithstanding the fact that Ben really needs to be given a quiet speaking to, or at least have his mic turned way the hell down.

I do think that gigs have an awful lot to do with the audience, and this was an awful lot. It was a little alarming, actually, to be able to move around freely in the front; this was almost like a gig at a pub; no doubt in a year or two we'll be seeing the boys play at the corner tavern up the road. Almost everyone seemed bewildered by the 'new' tracks, which is understandable enough, I suppose, but it really doesn't help that material when everyone is standing around scratching their heads; the new stuff didn't sound particularly great, either, with Crash and Burn lacking power, Summer being halfway decent, and Still being, well, pretty dull. Of the "new old stock," Marian wasn't particularly exciting. Really, looking back, there were only a very few moments that reached any kind of power, and even then it wasn't much - FALAA, perhaps. I could have slept through Train, at least until Boulevard kicked in. And I'd have to say that Never Land's not worth playing live, but if you're going to do so then you might as well throw in some of the new lyrics. Oh, Giving Ground was played, and it was good.

So, overall, I'm clearly underenthused. The vocals really need sorting out, and overall the volume in general needed to come way up. There was a bit of a back-and-forth early on between Eldritch and someone in the crowd, who was, I think, telling him that they couldn't hear him. If I heard things right, his response was basically "well, it sounds all right to the sound guy in the back, and it sounds all right to me, so p*ss off". Which is fine, except that it's not the band or the sound man who're paying for the gigs.

If things had been louder, and more energetic, with an audience that actually gave a f**k, it could have been a good show. As it was, Maya asked me, as we were leaving, whether we could "stop going to Sisters shows now before they're completely ruined for us as a band." I'm not sure it's not already too late.

great read, great review. maximus kudos

Hey y'all!

Firstoff: want to thank Garbageman, Undead Cowboy, 8.5, and all you other Heartlanders that made it to the show. You definitely enhanced the experience and made for a fun night now for me and my sister.

Now, onto the show: I loved the setlist. It had all my favorites and much more. Ben and Chris had a lot of energy and Von was looking fine.

However, I agree with much of what Kafka said. The sound (especially the vocals) were inconsistent and the volume should've been louder (even though I was still able to ***RAWK*** hard to Vision Thing, Temple of Love, Summer, and Dominion I/Mother Russia).

The crowd also SUCKED. I mean, I saw a lot of my friends from the local scene, and there were definitely those that were getting into it, but soooo much of the crowd acted so under-enthused and the attendance was incredibly lacking. Then there was that thing that kept poking and prodding across the front and second rows and just being a full-blown disruption across the show (later, someone told me she claimed to be Patricia Morrison and she was trying to speak to Andrew from the crowd). I'm sure all of you saw her/had to deal with her.

Nevertheless, it was the Sisters, and all of the problems could not ruin the night for me. Still, I think that they are going to need to pull themselves together for the rest of this tour, or else things will get bad.

ALSO: Hypernova kicked ass. Great sound, great flow, and so creative. I highly recommend to all!

Also, for those who didn't get the setlist, here it is:

Crash and Burn
Ribbons
Train
Detonation Boulevard
Flood I
Marian
Alice
Giving Ground
This Corrosion
Anaconda
Susanne
Dominion/Mother Russia
Summer
Still
First & Last & Always
Neverland
Flood II

ENCORE I:
Something Fast
Vision Thing

ENCORE II:
Lucretia My Reflection
Top Night Out
Temple of Love

Andrei wrote: The crowd also SUCKED.

Says enough! Next gig!

I liked it. I stole a set list. It was way too quiet though. After the gig I saw the bassist from Hypernova leaving with this incredibly annoying 30+ girl and I was very saddened. Also, throughout the entirety of the show, an extremely drunk or insane woman rubbed my friend's back and reached out to the stage, cooing "Andrew" as if they were the best of friends. Also, she took out packets of jelly (the kind you get with biscuits or something) that were covered in...ichor, I guess.

And I wonder if Andrew heard me when I said "Play 'You Could Be The One'!" during the intro to Alice?

Also, nice to finally meet some of you.

ugh. these reviews are bumming me out to the point i'm considering not even going to the cleveland show. i've seen the sisters a few times in the past and sound quality (and vocal volume) has always been an issue so I was really excited after reading reviews of the first few stops on the tour. I just don't know about spending $50 on ticket and gas for a show where you can't even hear the vocals.

greenhorn1 wrote:ugh. these reviews are bumming me out to the point i'm considering not even going to the cleveland show. i've seen the sisters a few times in the past and sound quality (and vocal volume) has always been an issue so I was really excited after reading reviews of the first few stops on the tour. I just don't know about spending $50 on ticket and gas for a show where you can't even hear the vocals.

Know what... i saw them twice and thought: jesus, this is wannabe-metalpop karaoke with a bad soundmix system. How can a crazy japanese guy in Tokyo sing Nikita by Elton John louder and more clear than Von doing his own parts??? IT's a shame for the term 'rock n roll', i don't believe they'll raise new fans...

I saw them thrice and thought: jesus, this is no-nonsense 8bit rock n roll. It is fun and future wrapped in chrome. It is drugs with a cruel taste. It is an ideal crash in a rented car from Panama. His voice is sexy. The guitars are loud.

It's the same story, every year: sometimes sisters suck hard, sometimes they ejaculate the right kind of energy.

And come on, if you hear Ribbons everytime in a shady sea of great light, it's the moment you realize it's not wrong to have that favourite single drink you order everytime when you're hanging at the bar.

I don't feel a single breeze if i check the latest sensational bands from the UK in a venue. But I do feel a warm 'welcome aboard' when Intro sets in. I guess some of us are doomed to be the leathered skins and obese sisterheads who gather around in 2020 to be at Vons funeral on Mars.

Sisters bite the rotten bullet without teeth: i stop to care. in the end it's just machines. And i love it.

8.5 wrote:After the gig I saw the bassist from Hypernova leaving with this incredibly annoying 30+ girl and I was very saddened.

Why?

dinky daisy wrote: Know what... i saw them twice and thought: jesus, this is wannabe-metalpop karaoke with a bad soundmix system. How can a crazy japanese guy in Tokyo sing Nikita by Elton John louder and more clear than Von doing his own parts??? IT's a shame for the term 'rock n roll', i don't believe they'll raise new fans...

I saw them thrice and thought: jesus, this is no-nonsense 8bit rock n roll. It is fun and future wrapped in chrome. It is drugs with a cruel taste. It is an ideal crash in a rented car from Panama. His voice is sexy. The guitars are loud.

It's the same story, every year: sometimes sisters suck hard, sometimes they ejaculate the right kind of energy.

And come on, if you hear Ribbons everytime in a shady sea of great light, it's the moment you realize it's not wrong to have that favourite single drink you order everytime when you're hanging at the bar.

I don't feel a single breeze if i check the latest sensational bands from the UK in a venue. But I do feel a warm 'welcome aboard' when Intro sets in. I guess some of us are doomed to be the leathered skins and obese sisterheads who gather around in 2020 to be at Vons funeral on Mars.

Sisters bite the rotten bullet without teeth: i stop to care. in the end it's just machines. And i love it.

Well said!!!

dinky daisy wrote:
And come on, if you hear Ribbons everytime in a shady sea of great light, it's the moment you realize it's not wrong to have that favourite single drink you order everytime when you're hanging at the bar.

right on..

sometimes they have an off-day.. like everyone has.. but completely agree.. when that intro sets in.. and than C&B followed by Ribbons.. i just feel at home.. i feel satisfied..

i have yet to see a set from them which will disappoint me... and with the energy that Ben and Chris put into it nowadays, i don't think that it'll happen soon..

however.. with the current setlist of new and old songs.. i do believe new fans will be won over.. every now and than they produce a pure magic gig as in Tienen..

Nothing's changed. i still hate people and their attitude towards life.

itnAklipse wrote:Nothing's changed. i still hate people and their attitude towards life.

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