I haven't been able to get to any shows on this tour but looking at youtube, the lack of smoke is very striking. The light show also seems to be more muted. Needless to say, it changes from song to song but taken over all, there looks to be a stylistic shift. It is more obvious where there are full shows rather than clips.
The backlighting still creates an effective atmosphere and there remains traditional beams of light to allow him to pop his head into whenever he wants to grab the spotlight for a photo op(!)
Overall though, the colour pallete seems to favour red and there seems to be a lot less going on. Far fewer explosions of colour and the orgiastic explosion on the home stretch all but gone. Could the smoke, and indeed mirrors, belong to the the past?
Now this could be a consequence of the new material presuming this is how Eldritch wants to stage them, a new lighting designer or another opportunity to save another few quid, but apart from the early days or a particularly windy festival stage, I don't think I've ever seen the band so exposed as on this tour.
"I'd like to think it was the songs that made this band. I know it wasn't. We used a lot of smoke, very few lights, stepped right back and just made a space where you could lose yourself (but more probably find yourself) in a tide of colour and noise." [Sleeve note SGWBM and still the best ever description of The Sisters live experience]
Has the fog - metaphorically and literally - gone?? Or am I reading more into it but hey, that's only to be expected....
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 29 Apr 2022, 10:34
by iesus
First reported show that smoke was off the menu, i remember was few years back in Denmark were concert stopped, people went outside the venue and returned back with fog machines off
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 29 Apr 2022, 12:09
by mh
badge wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 10:27
"I'd like to think it was the songs that made this band. I know it wasn't. We used a lot of smoke, very few lights, stepped right back and just made a space where you could lose yourself (but more probably find yourself) in a tide of colour and noise." [Sleeve note SGWBM and still the best ever description of The Sisters live experience]
Funny enough, this is a misremembering on Von's part, because the band didn't start using smoke until towards the back end of 1984 - well after the SGWBM era.
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 29 Apr 2022, 12:29
by badge
iesus wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 10:34
First reported show that smoke was off the menu, i remember was few years back in Denmark were concert stopped, people went outside the venue and returned back with fog machines off
Certainly over the years, more than one venue's smoke alarm has been summoned into action in the name of atmosphere! Could it be simply a Health and Safety issue?? That would be funny. And if so, could the UK continue to get the full fog benefits because of Brexit!
badge wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 10:27
"I'd like to think it was the songs that made this band. I know it wasn't. We used a lot of smoke, very few lights, stepped right back and just made a space where you could lose yourself (but more probably find yourself) in a tide of colour and noise." [Sleeve note SGWBM and still the best ever description of The Sisters live experience]
Funny enough, this is a misremembering on Von's part, because the band didn't start using smoke until towards the back end of 1984 - well after the SGWBM era.
Yeah, that always confused me - unless he was referring to his nonstop ciggies!
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 29 Apr 2022, 14:29
by paint it black
They got rid of the fog because of Covid. The virus sits on the dry ice and travels freely into the crowd wiping out the season ticket holders. Thereby halving the audience at the next venue
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 29 Apr 2022, 15:02
by Being645
paint it black wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 14:29
They got rid of the fog because of Covid. The virus sits on the dry ice and travels freely into the crowd wiping out the season ticket holders. Thereby halving the audience at the next venue
... ... well, after all we're still talking about a series of concerts all over Europe, and not about your regional football league... ...
badge wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 10:27
"I'd like to think it was the songs that made this band. I know it wasn't. We used a lot of smoke, very few lights, stepped right back and just made a space where you could lose yourself (but more probably find yourself) in a tide of colour and noise." [Sleeve note SGWBM and still the best ever description of The Sisters live experience]
Funny enough, this is a misremembering on Von's part, because the band didn't start using smoke until towards the back end of 1984 - well after the SGWBM era.
innit.
paint it black wrote: ↑29 Apr 2022, 14:29
They got rid of the fog because of Covid. The virus sits on the dry ice and travels freely into the crowd wiping out the season ticket holders. Thereby halving the audience at the next venue
i didnt know that Ez, makes sense. before i read that -although could /should still be a consideration- i was thinking that maybe the decision to cut out the smoke might be part of his concerted, tactically brilliant and well-executed efforts to restore his live vocal performances to something of their previous worth -e.g writing and performing songs within his vocal range which therefore he can deliver with the power and feeling they deserve. smoke from smoke-machines is an incredibly bad thing to be breathing all the time and will definitely have a long-term ill effect on vocal chords.
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 29 Apr 2022, 16:31
by ruffers
My guess re the fog was for his voice, it does tickle a bit in the throat.
Re the lights the lighting engineer changed between the last of the four dates pre covid, a guy called Lee and the first of the Roundhouse triple header. I always used to chat to Lee but somehow he fell out with AE and was only at the Roundhouse to tell me about it as he happens to be Jesus Jones lighting engineer. Watching Lee was always entertaining as he worked the console. Maybe the new guy is slightly less proactive?
I always liked the odd mini rave we used to have...
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 14 May 2022, 19:59
by jim-bob
I'm hoping the new approach looks better live, but recordings of it are remarkably uninspiring. A static web of beams and an occasional flash from upstage really doesn't give the dynamics that Nige consistently wrung out of his rigs. I assume it's by band request, but the current visual approach really does nothing for me. Oh well!
Re: Has the fog cleared
Posted: 14 May 2022, 20:03
by Being645
jim-bob wrote: ↑14 May 2022, 19:59
I'm hoping the new approach looks better live, but recordings of it are remarkably uninspiring. A static web of beams and an occasional flash from upstage really doesn't give the dynamics that Nige consistently wrung out of his rigs. I assume it's by band request, but the current visual approach really does nothing for me. Oh well!
Well, you can recognize what song is played from the colour .... ...
jim-bob wrote: ↑14 May 2022, 19:59
I'm hoping the new approach looks better live, but recordings of it are remarkably uninspiring. A static web of beams and an occasional flash from upstage really doesn't give the dynamics that Nige consistently wrung out of his rigs. I assume it's by band request, but the current visual approach really does nothing for me. Oh well!
Well, you can recognize what song is played from the colour .... ...
But that was true back when the lighting was good, too! Purple pulsing from the towers? Oh, it's Ribbons..
jim-bob wrote: ↑14 May 2022, 19:59
I'm hoping the new approach looks better live, but recordings of it are remarkably uninspiring. A static web of beams and an occasional flash from upstage really doesn't give the dynamics that Nige consistently wrung out of his rigs. I assume it's by band request, but the current visual approach really does nothing for me. Oh well!
Well, you can recognize what song is played from the colour .... ...
But that was true back when the lighting was good, too! Purple pulsing from the towers? Oh, it's Ribbons..
Just joking ... Temple of Love is emerald green ... and Here now is a light more olive like green. I like that colour there ... ...
In 1998, at Stahlwerk in Dusseldorf the light was so sharp it hurt my eyes even miles away from the front row ... laser rays I guess...
Often enough, I think of wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes ... but then again ... I prefer to hide when the light comes down too straight ...
...