Heartland

I posted this in the wrong thread so I'm re-posting this in a new one, My apologies!

This is probably the earliest post gig review ever. I'll make this short and give my impressions. I know many people thought this was the greatest thing since sliced bread so I'll make the disclaimer that is MY OPINION ONLY!

A. Saw the first band and their sound was pretty clear. Not my cup of tea but I was impressed anyways.

B. Based on their sound I had high hopes for the Sisters. Same thing I've been hearing about other shows. Low vocals, the sound didn't have that pop. By the time they got the sound halfway right they were already into the encores.

C. Same basic list as I've seen posted on the list.

D. Merch was pretty nice. I bought some pins. Liked the t-shirts but couldn't justify spending any more money on them.

E. Most of the songs were the metal chug-a-chug versions. didn't recognize half of them until half way through the song and I've been listening to them since 1983,

F. The crowd really didn't seem that into it until Lucrecia which was 3/4 of the way through the set.


G. I left during the first encore. Sorry Voodoo, I was planning on making it to the after-party tonight but my mood was soured.

H. The venue was half the capacity of the originally scheduled venue and was MAYBE 3/4 full. $150,000 sound system and you'd never know it... that's it from me. I'm going to have a few pints and chill. Sorry if this was so negative, but like I said this was my opinion only. I know others had a great time and I'm glad they did.

Thanks for the quick review. Shame it did not work out the way it could have. Opinion respected!

Leaving before the end of a Girls' gig, no matter how bad, is never an option for me.

I'll refrain from arguing with what you said. For now, I'll just share my own quickie review in the right place:

Chaotican wrote:Just got home and thought I'd share the playlist. I'll write more of a review soon. In short, it was absolutely fabulous. I didn't get there insanely early this time, but I was still the first one in line. I heard a lot of the sound check and I got to meet the bassist from Hypernova, who was extremely friendly and gracious, and boy did they rock. I was quite impressed.

The performance was magical. The sound was good, though there did seem to be an unruly light. My only complaint, if I had to have one, was that the crowd sometimes seemed a little out of sorts. They sometimes didn't seem to respond to everything from songs to questions to little jokes. (It is hard for me to say for sure because I wasn't terribly aware of the crowd most of the time.)

Here is me holding the playlist. (Yes, I had been rained on...) I really, really want to go to the Vegas and S Ca shows. If I can just figure out a way to do it without abandoning the babies...

Thankee Chaotican! Floorshow again....awesome!

Nice you enjoyed it that much and hope you'll make it to the next
ones!

No need to argue! We can differ on opinion!

That's why I'm refraining from arguing. Honestly, my first instinct was to defend the show, but I know that isn't necessary and I really should go to bed!

'..didn't recognize half of them until half way through the song and I've been listening to them since 1983,'

Which is exactly the point of these more or less 'complainers', with all respect for your comments though.

There's a younger generation of fans who only know the chug-a-chug metal liveshows and never witnessed the druides 'n' cloaks of the 80s and felt fear of cold war and so on.

For them (us...?), Sisters are merely an electronic rock machine - which sure lacks power now and then - but still is a honest alternative in a musical era where it's normal to face annoying 12-in-a-dozen emo bands or s**t modsters from the UK. And it that light they're more timeless than ever. Fog, low vocal and hot metal is in the end more close to the heart than one should expect.

Jesus, i'm in the mood for stupid essayism, lately...

everything fine but suzanne is gone and forgotten

lachert wrote:everything fine but suzanne is gone and forgotten

Not only Susanne...just look at the setlist: No more Romeo Down, no more Slept, no more Still (and obviously no more War on drugs or Come together, but they seem to be gone forever).

I can live without them all, but I think they should really keep Susanne in the setlist. I even think C&B has lost something on this tour, maybe time to get rid of that one as well?

Are we indeed in for a surprise soon? Too much open space in the setlist now!

setlist will be shorter and shorter untill 3 hours gig in moscow
anyway first and last and always is back in style

euphoria wrote:

lachert wrote:everything fine but suzanne is gone and forgotten

Not only Susanne...just look at the setlist: No more Romeo Down, no more Slept, no more Still (and obviously no more War on drugs or Come together, but they seem to be gone forever).

I can live without them all, but I think they should really keep Susanne in the setlist. I even think C&B has lost something on this tour, maybe time to get rid of that one as well?

Are we indeed in for a surprise soon? Too much open space in the setlist now!

that's why "Come Together" should back as nice opener and "Ribbons" after that fit perfectly.
"Romeo Down", " Susann" and "War on Drugs" are really good songs i like all on them- even howling on "Rome" and "War".

Bartek wrote:

euphoria wrote:

lachert wrote:everything fine but suzanne is gone and forgotten

Not only Susanne...just look at the setlist: No more Romeo Down, no more Slept, no more Still (and obviously no more War on drugs or Come together, but they seem to be gone forever).

I can live without them all, but I think they should really keep Susanne in the setlist. I even think C&B has lost something on this tour, maybe time to get rid of that one as well?

Are we indeed in for a surprise soon? Too much open space in the setlist now!

that's why "Come Together" should back as nice opener and "Ribbons" after that fit perfectly.
"Romeo Down", " Susann" and "War on Drugs" are really good songs i like all on them- even howling on "Rome" and "War".

Damn, i Rly like Slept , Will i Dream, War on Drugs, Suzanne, and a lot of the new songs...

Don't we all think any new album will disappoint us because these songs are so nice the way they are performed 'live'?

dinky daisy wrote:
Jesus, i'm in the mood for stupid essayism, lately...

So I noticed. Me like!

lachert wrote:everything fine but suzanne is gone and forgotten

Don't be so fussy, therefor the next lady came in: Marian!

euphoria wrote:Not only Susanne...just look at the setlist: No more Romeo Down, no more Slept, no more Still (and obviously no more War on drugs or Come together, but they seem to be gone forever).

It's greatest hits setlist. The only reason 'More' and 'UTG' aren't there is lack of girly backup vocalists.

Buelbringer wrote:

lachert wrote:everything fine but suzanne is gone and forgotten

Don't be so fussy, therefor the next lady came in: Marian!

yeah, alice must have someone for girltalks

It was an amazing evening and, beyond a doubt, the best Sisters gig I've seen in a decade. I was thinking to myself how the shows have evolved. It is true that seeing The Sisters of Mercy today is not at all like seeing them in 1991, but why should it be? God knows that GOING to a show is probably not the same for any of us. Things change. (This time around, I strapped on my 20 year-old skull boots while nursing a baby and trying to decipher what my mother-in-law was saying to my two year old in German. I think she said that Mommy should look sluttier for a concert.) First, the positives that struck me as very, very positive. Andrew looks great!! He looks like he's had a meal in the last month and his general vibe is just less pained. I no longer felt the need to offer him a kidney or a piece of liver to get him through the next few years. He looks like he might be happy. That put an unexpected, warm spin on the whole thing for me. (I get a bit sycophantic after a show. It will fade.) The energy onstage is always there. I didn't feel it reflected in the audience to a great degree, but that was not a fault of the performance. I thought the vocals sounded loud and clear.

The experience started for me around five pm. I always go to shows alone so that I don't have to worry about whether anyone else is having a good time or appreciating what they are seeing or becoming alienated by my single-focus. I was really excited and chatty, though, so I talked to anyone who seemed receptive. This included a man who was telling a security guard that he planned to stay for the show this time. I chatted with him about his experience growing up in Germany, listening to Bauhaus and TSOM. Turns out that he was in charge of sound for the place, and we talked about the problems with vocals. He was well aware of it and said that he was determined to overcome sound issues. Jam from Hypernova came out for a smoke and told me that this whole tour has been a wonderful experience. He said that Andrew and Chris and everyone he's dealt with have just been incredibly nice and gracious. I told him that the feedback had been overwhelmingly positive and I was looking forward to hearing them play. I asked him if he felt like this was their big break and he did and just seemed really grateful. I caught up with him on the way out and told him that they had nailed their performance and he was just such a nice guy. It is impossible not to be very happy for that band! And they play in Huston after the end of the US shows, so anyone out that way should check them out. And then move to Austin because Huston is no place to raise yourself.

I also saw Ben and Chris come out for a cigarette a few times. They were goofing around a little, acting kind of silly for the few people who were lined up without actually acknowledging us. I smiled at them but didn't get a really welcoming vibe so I just looked the other way and gave them privacy.

Once the doors finally opened, I was freezing and so ready for it. I was the first one in, so I planted myself front and center. Special thanks to the people on either side who held my space while I went to the bathroom. (Big inconvenience of going alone is that no one holds your place while you pee.) When Hypernova came on, they really did put on a hell of a show. They went all out and really had a great sound. The people behind me were complaining that they were the wrong genre, but screw the people behind me. After their amazing set, there was just the anticipation of what came next. My heart was pounding, which was cool because, since I missed the 2006 tour, this was the first show that I've gone to without doing a line first and I was afraid that it would alter the experience, lol. It didn't, though I did almost bum my first cigarette in three years out of nostalgia. Still, I didn't feel a huge sense of anticipation from the crowd. Is it because we're so old?

Crash and Burn was good, but I do think that they were still adjusting the vocals. There is no doubt that Ribbons and really all the songs are just very different from how they used to be. The transitions are fast, the delivery and the pace is more pounding then they were way-back-when, and the songs are short. Still, it was fabulous. Otherworldly. The pounding was exhilarating, especially during Anaconda, which was an unexpected highlight. During Summer, Andrew declared that the light was wrong and set about fixing it. I found that oddly charming, but again, see sycophantic disclaimer. I swear I'm not a groupie. Before Dominion, we were asked about our old and new presidents. I was hoping for a glimpse of the elation of election night in New Haven (Jam confirmed that that one was an amazing show), but no one much seemed to respond.

There was a bit of Phantom before Floorshow and that was thrilling. We only got a verse or so of Floorshow, though. Is that typical? I was hoping for Romeo Down and On the Wire to follow, but it was not to be. (I kept thinking I heard On the Wire during the sound checks, but it was hard to tell with the doors opening and closing.) Vision Thing was nice because the crowd was enthusiastic, and people really did come alive for Lucretia. At one point, unless I'm misinterpreting, Andrew gestured toward Ben and then Chris for applause for each, and then toward Dr. Avalanche for his own applause. Temple of Love was over too fast because it meant the end of the show. The very cute woman in the black corset got one playlist and I got the other. Then I headed over to the merch table and bought an obscene amount of clothing for an obscene amount of money. (Btw, the large shirt is too big, so if anyone wants to trade because their shirt is too small, email me.) Just fyi, contrary to what I've read here, Dean was not working the merch table and the person who was said that Dean hadn't been around in ages. Too bad because he was very fun to talk to, drunk and sober.

I wanted to stick around, but I needed to see how the kids had held up without me. Besides, I've avoided trying to meet Andrew for the last 20 years because I'm pretty sure that I'd just say something idiotic and then spend the rest of my life slapping myself on the forehead every time I heard Sisters music. Too risky.

The verdict is that while my ten month old was fine without me, the two year old is clingy and vocal about wanting me to stick around. (My priorities: kids, cat, The Sisters of Mercy.) So, no Vegas this time. Hopefully, there will be another tour and I will try my best to see as many shows as I can! And now I must bake a pumpkin cake. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

A very nice review of the evening. It's clear how much this meant to you. I'm hoping to have the same experience at the Vegas show.

Chaotican wrote:Andrew looks great!! He looks like he's had a meal in the last month and his general vibe is just less pained. I no longer felt the need to offer him a kidney or a piece of liver to get him through the next few years.

So true, though - I was highly amused at the 2006 show by a young lady who was obviously in maternal instinct overdrive. There are those who want to open a vein for him, and then there are those who want to take him home and feed him soup...

I get a bit sycophantic after a show. It will fade.

You've got plenty of company...

I always go to shows alone so that I don't have to worry about whether anyone else is having a good time or appreciating what they are seeing or becoming alienated by my single-focus...I was the first one in, so I planted myself front and center.

You and I share the same MO. Brilliant thinking, my girl

Still, I didn't feel a huge sense of anticipation from the crowd. Is it because we're so old?

Gods, I hope that's not it Specially since that would make me dead already...

We only got a verse or so of Floorshow, though. Is that typical?

Best I've been able to determine from repeated listening and extrapolation is that he's splicing the first half of the first verse to the second half of the second verse and maybe throwing in a chorus. Better than nothing, but...well, it being one of my favourites, I want it all.

I was hoping for Romeo Down and On the Wire to follow, but it was not to be.

Comparison of setlists reveals that, along with certain numbers just going away, they are just generally getting shorter. I won't go into detailed speculation, but would posit a) limits of endurance/stamina as regards the voice and b) boredom threshold for repetition.

I've avoided trying to meet Andrew for the last 20 years because I'm pretty sure that I'd just say something idiotic and then spend the rest of my life slapping myself on the forehead every time I heard Sisters music. Too risky.

I have so been there...although I get less there as time goes by. Eventually I'll just say WTF, I'm beyond embarrassment - I've made a fool of myself onstage in front of hundreds of people, I can handle it. Hopefully that will be before he and I are both in wheelchairs

Sounds as if you and I'd have got on famously - too bad we didn't get acquainted when I was still living in Berkeley!

I went to this show with reservations, based on my 2006 experience and reviews of from this tour. I happy to say that I shouldn’t have worried about it.

I don't do set lists, but it seems pretty consistent with recent show. Plus there's one here already. It would be nice to hear More or Comfortably Numb, but definitely a solid selection. As others have noted the near total absence of "new' songs is interesting .


The sound was OK. it could have been louder overall and Andrew was mixed a tad too low, but for the most part I could hear him well enough to follow the lyrics (if one doesn’t already know them YMMV). At many times the crowd singing along was louder than Andrew (and he seemed to know this and would hold back and let us carry the song) I started the show about 1/3 of the way back from the stage, and worked my way up to 3rd person from the barrier and didn’t notice any changes in the sound. Biggest complaint was that Andrews banter (and there was a fair amount, he seemed in high spirits) was largely unintelligible. (but the fault probably lies with the man as much as with the sound system)

The fog was goldilocks. With the lights truly the 4th (5th? Does Dok A count?) member of he band. It provided a backdrop that capture the lights, and which Andrew and the boys could slip in and out of when they wanted to but it never obscured the entire stage.

The stage setup new to me in that the monitors, foot lights and mic stands were not set at the edge of the stage, they were 3-4 meters back from it leaving an empty space which Andrew came out to form time tot time.

Andrew as animated and engaging and indulged in a bit of what appeared dangerously similar to Gothic hand sign dancing.

Chris and Ben were in their usual guitar hero mode, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Im pretty comfortable with the metallization of the songs. My only complaint is the truncation of Lucretia. Its one "on once a railroad".

Our after show party was a smash. It was in full swing when the entire band showed up. While I was spinning Chris came up to request some old glam - Sweet and Slade, which I was happy to play. I had a nice conversation with him and Ben at the bar later and spoke briefly to Andrew, who was in incognito mode, wearing a knit cap, and hoodie with the hood up, and shades, and seemed to want to scurry away whenever he was recognized.

All in all a top nite out and Im looking forward to Vegas and Anahiem

So true, though - I was highly amused at the 2006 show by a young lady who was obviously in maternal instinct overdrive. There are those who want to open a vein for him, and then there are those who want to take him home and feed him soup...

I heard that he had a cracked rib last time around? I don't blame that young lady! I'm not sure if I could have stood to see that without trying to do some mothering myself!

I've avoided trying to meet Andrew for the last 20 years because I'm pretty sure that I'd just say something idiotic and then spend the rest of my life slapping myself on the forehead every time I heard Sisters music. Too risky.

I have so been there...although I get less there as time goes by. Eventually I'll just say WTF, I'm beyond embarrassment - I've made a fool of myself onstage in front of hundreds of people, I can handle it. Hopefully that will be before he and I are both in wheelchairs

I actually managed to pass him a note this time around. (Yeah, I'm that kind of dork, or at least I am now!) I'm already kicking myself over the content, thinking I should have at least wished him well and not been so self-centered, as if it is ever even likely to be read. Sigh, this is why neurotic people shouldn't communicate with others! I'm sure I could handle a meeting at this point, too.

"God knows that GOING to a show is probably not the same for any of us."

You're true. 'older' fans say 'Back then, the sound was heavier', but all they mean is: 'We were thinner in 91, so the band sounded heavier'.

dinky daisy wrote:...all they mean is: 'We were thinner in 91, so the band sounded heavier'.

There you go making me laugh again...

dinky daisy wrote: There's a younger generation of fans who only know the chug-a-chug metal liveshows and never witnessed the druides 'n' cloaks of the 80s and felt fear of cold war and so on.

For them (us...?), Sisters are merely an electronic rock machine - which sure lacks power now and then - but still is a honest alternative in a musical era where it's normal to face annoying 12-in-a-dozen emo bands or s**t modsters from the UK. And it that light they're more timeless than ever. Fog, low vocal and hot metal is in the end more close to the heart than one should expect.

Jesus, i'm in the mood for stupid essayism, lately...

I suppose I'd be part of this younger generation of fans - though I may not have witnessed the 80s make of the Sisters in person I've experienced it through the wonder that is YouTube. I know, it's not quite the same. I love looking up old live footage and videos - haven't been able to track down an actual copy of Wake so it will do for now. And though the only version I've personally experienced live is the current "chug a chug" one (in 2006 and 2008) I really like it all to tell you truth - I found a great live video from '83 of them doing "Body Electric" that I just loved - and the Wake footage - and the Vision Thing era, up to the current version, and I love it all just the same. I understand many of the songs sound different live these days but I don't think they're unrecognizable at all. I may not have felt the fear of cold war (being a child even as the 80s ended) but I'd say there is still a great deal of fear and uncertainty in the world today that would be comparable. I wouldn't say the Sisters are "merely" and electronic rock machine - can be at times for sure, but that's not all they are to me.

Nothing wrong with a little essay-ism every once in a while. I enjoy reading it.