Heartland

This just added today:

Portland at the Crystal Ballroom on 24 March 2006. Presale currently available. Tickets ar $29.50.

just got tickets for this one
i never had a chance to see them so i'm pretty excited about it

how much smoke was there? i hope less then in san francisco and somebody was able to see and grab the setlist...

lachert wrote:how much smoke was there? i hope less then in san francisco and somebody was able to see and grab the setlist...

They couldn't find the stage to begin with. Far too much smoke.

from dominion:

I just got back for the Sisters show at the Crystal Ballroom.

Imo, pretty f**king amazing. I started out at the balcony getting drunk. I
found the stage smoke pretty cool visually. I crept throuhgout the hall
slowly over the first three songs. It made the viewers' heads look like
hundreds of vibrating little eggs from an Alien movie.

By the third song, things were pretty obscured by smoke, but with the ever
changing lights and the moving in and out of figures on the stage, it looked
like one of the most visually interesing shows I've seen. At this show, at
least, it worked very well. We went downstairs to join people on the floor.


Here's where maybe it's just my taste, or maybe the fact the I'm smashed.
But I found the crowd on the floor pathetic. I'm not saying it was a goth
thing, but a bunch of people were closely but not compactly just standing
there watching the show. A few people were dancing but not many. All these
f**king eighteen year old clad in black types were just standing there. So
my girlfriend and I got in the middle of it and got our groove thing on. We
danced are asses off. She danced like she knew how to. I danced like an
ostrich on qualudes. It seemed to upset people. I think they're too easily
upset.

I have to take issue with what the guy from SF said the other night. I saw
Mr. Eldritch plenty. From where I was, he didn't look balding. To me, it
looks like he's got a high and tight. He kind of looked like a scary sort
of updated version of the guy from Taxi Driver. Or maybe like someone from
Desert Storm who didn't adjust well to civilian life. All things being
equal, I liked the look.

Everybody I talked to, both Goth and not, was cool. The mood was great.
The band sounded fantastic. As in acoustics and the band sounded pretty
pristine. Don't ask me for a set list, I'm not that specific, but they
played Giving Ground, Ribbons, Something Fast, Dominion and Temple of Love
as an encore.

If I have any complaint about them at all - it's that they seem to do really
short, truncated versions of the songs. More than once, I was still singing
the song after he stopped. It seemed like no song lasted more than three
minutes. I wanted to hear more. The show seemed much too short too.
Bastards.

As this is my first experinece live, I'd have to say I'd see these guys
again in a second.

Good show.

Take care,
James

dtsom wrote:from dominion:

It made the viewers' heads look like
hundreds of vibrating little eggs from an Alien movie.

I have to take issue with what the guy from SF said the other night. I saw
Mr. Eldritch plenty. From where I was, he didn't look balding. To me, it
looks like he's got a high and tight. He kind of looked like a scary sort
of updated version of the guy from Taxi Driver. Or maybe like someone from Desert Storm who didn't adjust well to civilian life. All things being
equal, I liked the look.

Travis Eldritch - what an image.
One day a real rain will come....

dtsom wrote: Here's where maybe it's just my taste, or maybe the fact the I'm smashed.
But I found the crowd on the floor pathetic. I'm not saying it was a goth
thing, but a bunch of people were closely but not compactly just standing
there watching the show. A few people were dancing but not many. All these
f**king eighteen year old clad in black types were just standing there. So
my girlfriend and I got in the middle of it and got our groove thing on. We
danced are asses off. She danced like she knew how to. I danced like an
ostrich on qualudes. It seemed to upset people. I think they're too easily
upset.

Some things just never change.
Interesting review overall.

Good to hear of someone just going there and enjoying it!!

...and his lass!!

Nice review!
Thanks for adding dtsom!

dtsom wrote:from dominion:

I have to take issue with what the guy from SF said the other night. I saw
Mr. Eldritch plenty. From where I was, he didn't look balding. To me, it
looks like he's got a high and tight. He kind of looked like a scary sort
of updated version of the guy from Taxi Driver. Or maybe like someone from
Desert Storm who didn't adjust well to civilian life. All things being
equal, I liked the look.

from previous pix that have been posted, i had the impression that he was now bald. not true. i could see him fine in SF and he diffinately has fuzz on top; it looked more like a mohawk with a #1 attachment to me... btw, Does he really like FC Barcelona?

great review dtsom!!! good to see you got the point and not the usually crap about the dry ice. good to see you have an open mind. sisters fans thank you!!!!

ok, show was really fantastic ...
the sound was pretty good too and i enjoyed it very much ......
altough i'm more 81-85 era fan, didn't mind the setlist at all, i was just plain happy to see them playing live...
highlights, IMO were susanne, alice and temple of love, of course
somebody already said that the songs were pretty short and that would be my only complaint (he sung just the first verse of 'burn')

anyway, a night to remember ...
cheers

Looks like The Oregonian have their ***t together...a pre-gig article/interview followed by a review. And a good one. How thoughtful.

http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment ... xml&coll=7

Music review - Sisters of Mercy revive '80s goth from its coffin
Monday, March 27, 2006
LEE WILLIAMS
The Oregonian
In the early '80s, the Sisters of Mercy launched a dark revolution. Until they came along, gothic and industrial music -- those twin subgenres of rock known as much for their creepy sounds as their legions of black-garbed followers --were confined to smaller live venues and underground dance clubs.

Then along came Sisters co-founder Andrew Eldritch, possessing a baritone as gritty as that of goth-king Peter Murphy (of Bauhaus) and backed by two guitarists, with no drummer or bassist. Rhythm came courtesy of a Boss DR-55 drum machine christened "Doktor Avalanche."

With the release of such dance-friendly tracks as "Temple of Love," (1982) and "This Corrosion" (1987), goth gained mainstream rock airplay and crossed over into Top 40 nightclubs.

Friday night, the band brought its "Silver Bullet Tour," its first North American trek in seven years, to the Crystal Ballroom for an all-ages performance. And though Eldritch put on a brave voice, musically this show belonged to the Doktor.

Eldritch emerged from a steam bath of blue- and purple-lit smoke, sporting a newly shaved head and mirrored sunglasses. He promptly dived into a rapid string of three newer tracks, topped by "Crash and Burn." His growl pulled the lyrics along at a nice haunting crawl, but his signature roar -- which once pushed Sisters past the bounds of all that '80s metal mayhem -- was noticeably diminished.

In his defense, Eldritch's lessened delivery may have been due to a recently cracked rib. Intensely air-conditioned U.S. hotels brought on a cold that led to harsh coughing for the Leeds, England, native. But the 49-year-old's moves weren't slowed; his swaggers and struts garnered cheers from the goth-teen folks up front.

The night became a showcase then for the fiery strumming of Ben Christo and new Sisters-brethren Chris Catalyst. And of course, for the raging pulses of the Doktor, which sent those boys and girls in black bouncing in delight, especially during oldies "Dominion/Mother Russia" and "Temple of Love," which was offered at the second encore.

With two encores, the Doktor and gang still wrapped things up well before midnight. A good call: Even this new generation of underworldly beings wouldn't want to be caught dead breaking curfew on the first night of spring break.



©2006 The Oregonian

So was the USA A/C-induced cold so bad he cracked a rib coughing. Goodness...walking bone collection, is he? This nearing-50 man is risking life and limb for us, the few dedicated...

Electrochrome wrote:This nearing-50 man is risking life and limb for us, the few dedicated...

...we are few, and far between...

Just got a mail from someone who attended this show, and he loved it

He thought the gig was bit short though, as he could have listened to them all night - while apparently most concerts get him a little bored

So apart from the fogginess (nothing but silhouettes) and the fact it didn't last too long, it appears to be one of the better shows he's seen in a long time