Live gigs - Who you've seen were they good, bad etc.

[fred quimby]

12 hours ago, Franco Baresi said:

That's good news, I'm seeing them in Bath on Monday, can't wait now!

I'll be there too and looking forward to it. Mrs Q the big fan mind

[mario man]

I’m at a Great Escape opening night party - only found out about it this afternoon so decided to sack off the housing conference I was at for this, much more enjoyable! Modern Woman about to come on, some great bands already. Porchlight & Maximilian the picks so far…

 

[Gnomicide]

Been to a little flurry of gigs recently. 

Friday: Mik Artistik at Music Room in Liverpool. Usual stuff from Mik, which is damned entertaining. Always knocks me just how good a guitarist Johnny is, particularly noticable at their own gigs when he can stretch a bit. Mik seemed buoyed by the Glastonbury confirmation the day before.

Sunday: James with orchestra and choir at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Absolutely phenomenal, for some reason I was more excited about this gig than any others I've been to in a long time and it exceeded my expectations.  

 

Monday: The Coral at Birkenhead Future Yard. Such a great live act and so good to see them in such an intimate venue. Only got about an hour 10 mins but for only £11 each, you can't really complain.

Tuesday: The Lightning Seeds at The Cavern. Good set, not mind blowing but another big act in a little venue for £11. What's not to like?

Support at both Mik and The Coral was Roy. Spoken word/stories so did really well to hold a music crowd's attention, very funny stuff and nice to see something a little different going down so well with both crowds.

Support for The Lightning Seeds was Casino. Local, young act with an old school soul twang. Extraordinary voice on the singer, will definitely be keeping an eye out for them.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Gnomicide

[august1]

@Gnomicide

We've been spoilt for choice this week, Sophie Ellis Bextor is playing the Kitchen Section of John Lewis tomorrow.

I keep meaning to catch Roy, seen he's supported in some rowdy settings!

[Gnomicide]

Just now, august1 said:

@Gnomicide

 Sophie Ellis Bextor is playing the Kitchen Section of John Lewis tomorrow.

That's brilliant 👏 

[pilton digger]

Just back from Otoboke Beaver supported by Drinking Boys and Girls Choir. Both great, huge fun.

[august1]

I see the Views comeback is going well

https://twitter.com/TheRockRevival_/status/1656418773979602944

[-TLR-]

Bruce Springsteen - RDS Dublin last Friday, Sunday, Tuesday

 

i have very mixed emotions about this, i have to say.

the gig on Tuesday marked my 50th Bruce show, but i am so conflicted about Bruce these days.

Friday - never really got going, at least i never felt like i got into it, it just felt flat and there was certainly no magic to it. crowd seemed absolutely dead, but maybe that was because the show never really got going.

Sunday - much better, loads more energy, more of a spark in the air. very very good.

Tuesday - definitely the best of the three. it really felt special and the magic that only Bruce can bring felt like it was there - and in all honesty i think it was one of the best versions of Thunder Road i've ever seen.

i love the venue, RDS is a great place and it was good that we had the old school European pit queue not the "gold circle".

the cost of these shows was absolutely sickening.

the cost of merch was sickening.

it felt like it had been oversold - Friday especially felt like there were WAY too many people in there.

the setlists were dreadful - three song changes over the course of the run. usually there would be a core of songs and then everything else would change around it - over the course of a three night stand by day three he would be digging deep into the back catalogue.

Kittys Back into Nightshift pretty much killed the show stone dead every night.

i hate Bruce playing covers - don't get me wrong i love Bruce' version of Trapped but there is an infinite number of Bruce songs i'd rather hear. (also dont want to hear Nightshift or Pay Me My Money down).

 

i love Bruce - and i even though i have spent this whole time moaning i DID love the shows.

but i cant help thinking that a) Bruce has got to the point were he's just phoning it in, or b) he is actually just taking the piss and having a laugh at our very great expense.

 

"theres a joke here somewhere and its on me" - indeed.

 

 

[zahidf]

9 hours ago, august1 said:

I see the Views comeback is going well

https://twitter.com/TheRockRevival_/status/1656418773979602944

He just had the same jeans on for far too long

 

Kyle also has a theatre show at the fringe this year

 

https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/no-love-songs-festival-23

[NorthernSoul52]

14 minutes ago, -TLR- said:

Bruce Springsteen - RDS Dublin last Friday, Sunday, Tuesday

 

i have very mixed emotions about this, i have to say.

the gig on Tuesday marked my 50th Bruce show, but i am so conflicted about Bruce these days.

Friday - never really got going, at least i never felt like i got into it, it just felt flat and there was certainly no magic to it. crowd seemed absolutely dead, but maybe that was because the show never really got going.

Sunday - much better, loads more energy, more of a spark in the air. very very good.

Tuesday - definitely the best of the three. it really felt special and the magic that only Bruce can bring felt like it was there - and in all honesty i think it was one of the best versions of Thunder Road i've ever seen.

i love the venue, RDS is a great place and it was good that we had the old school European pit queue not the "gold circle".

the cost of these shows was absolutely sickening.

the cost of merch was sickening.

it felt like it had been oversold - Friday especially felt like there were WAY too many people in there.

the setlists were dreadful - three song changes over the course of the run. usually there would be a core of songs and then everything else would change around it - over the course of a three night stand by day three he would be digging deep into the back catalogue.

Kittys Back into Nightshift pretty much killed the show stone dead every night.

i hate Bruce playing covers - don't get me wrong i love Bruce' version of Trapped but there is an infinite number of Bruce songs i'd rather hear. (also dont want to hear Nightshift or Pay Me My Money down).

 

i love Bruce - and i even though i have spent this whole time moaning i DID love the shows.

but i cant help thinking that a) Bruce has got to the point were he's just phoning it in, or b) he is actually just taking the piss and having a laugh at our very great expense.

 

"theres a joke here somewhere and its on me" - indeed.

 

 

I've got the E Street Band in Sweden next month, and will be fascinated to see how it all handles.

Think the modern reunion incarnation reached their live zenith over the closing legs of the Wrecking Ball World Tour, when everything seemed to spin on a dime.

Conversely, if you're among the majority who may only do one show on a tour - and I know there's a lot of Springsteen fans who will trek to plenty of shows - that setlist may not necessarily be an issue. Think its static nature very much is meant to craft a narrative of sorts, though quite what that is beyond a sense of retrospect and rage-against-the-light turned to the acceptance of time remains... elusive.

Pay Me My Money Down can get in the bin though, bang on the money.

[-TLR-]

1 minute ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

I've got the E Street Band in Sweden next month, and will be fascinated to see how it all handles.

 

fantastic - wish i was going!

saw him in Stockholm at Friends Arena a few years back.

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, -TLR- said:

fantastic - wish i was going!

saw him in Stockholm at Friends Arena a few years back.

Very excited. First time I've done any gig outside Blighty.

[Badlands]

Maybe the band haven’t got it in them to have 50-60 songs that they can nail like they used to? It’s likely to upset those chasing date after date than people only going to one show per tour.

I’ve found his pricing strategy and his comments around wanting to make this tour more expensive to be far more offensive than his set lists. Gone right down in my estimation he has. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Kitty's Back being a lock at every show is a bit unexpected.

[NorthernSoul52]

46 minutes ago, Badlands said:

Maybe the band haven’t got it in them to have 50-60 songs that they can nail like they used to? It’s likely to upset those chasing date after date than people only going to one show per tour.

Think this is very much an informed attribute of the show too. The fellow is seventy-four this year, it's still mad he's trotting out 165-minute gigs, to be frank.

47 minutes ago, Badlands said:

I’ve found his pricing strategy and his comments around wanting to make this tour more expensive to be far more offensive than his set lists. Gone right down in my estimation he has. 

It's mercenary, but understood his gripes too. Imagine those going to just the one show will walk away mostly satisfied. (Except those who got Pay Me My Money Down. They have my full sympathy.

44 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Kitty's Back being a lock at every show is a bit unexpected.

Kitty's Back sticking around when Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) has been kicked at the start of Europe is even more unexpected, to be fair. 

[jamesrfisher]

Sunday saw Jay Wobble in Brighton. In excellent form as usual, would love to see him at Glastonbury again.

[Badlands]

2 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

.

Kitty's Back sticking around when Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) has been kicked at the start of Europe is even more unexpected, to be fair. 

Drop both for Incident!

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, Badlands said:

Drop both for Incident!

[-TLR-]

i actually dont mind the Kittys Back > Nightshift (i dont like either song, and i could happily do without the Shuffle too) segment as it makes for a perfect toilet and beer break.

the thing i really dont get is - why play Backstreets three nights in a row?

i LOVE Backstreets, its wonderful and live its incredible - but why not swap it out for Jungleland, at least for one night?

 

(to be honest save for a handful of tracks - lost in the flood, incident, NYC serenade - i could do without anything from the first two albums...)

 

[NorthernSoul52]

27 minutes ago, -TLR- said:

i actually dont mind the Kittys Back > Nightshift (i dont like either song, and i could happily do without the Shuffle too) segment as it makes for a perfect toilet and beer break.

the thing i really dont get is - why play Backstreets three nights in a row?

i LOVE Backstreets, its wonderful and live its incredible - but why not swap it out for Jungleland, at least for one night?

 

(to be honest save for a handful of tracks - lost in the flood, incident, NYC serenade - i could do without anything from the first two albums...)

 

I think the static choices reflect the narrative of the night, something that wasn't quite as obviously prevalent on the runs with Wrecking Ball/High Hopes/The River. Assume it is something of a hangover from Broadway - he wants to let the music tell a story of sorts.

In that sense, I'm kind of surprised Candy's Room has started to go AWOL. Kind of felt it was meant to represent a segue through listening to the old radio under the pillow into the music of his youth - ergo, Kitty's Back and Nightshift representing that portion of the show. Then it is a little bit of potluck before Last Man Standing begins the run through the touchstones of Springsteen's life to the end of the main set.

Might just be reading too much into it. 

[-TLR-]

6 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

I think the static choices reflect the narrative of the night, something that wasn't quite as obviously prevalent on the runs with Wrecking Ball/High Hopes/The River. Assume it is something of a hangover from Broadway - he wants to let the music tell a story of sorts.

In that sense, I'm kind of surprised Candy's Room has started to go AWOL. Kind of felt it was meant to represent a segue through listening to the old radio under the pillow into the music of his youth - ergo, Kitty's Back and Nightshift representing that portion of the show. Then it is a little bit of potluck before Last Man Standing begins the run through the touchstones of Springsteen's life to the end of the main set.

Might just be reading too much into it. 

i can totally see where your coming from.

i totally agree about the hangover from Broadway - everything is scripted now.. just like a stadium version of Broadway.

there was a moment on Tuesday where he had trouble putting on his jacket and had a laugh and made a joke about it - why on earth am i telling you about something so unbelievably boring and unimportant? well, because it was the only time he diverted from the script and really seemed like Bruce!

i saw the Broadway show - and to be honest i came away from the theatre feeling confused.. i was totally unsure as to whether i had just paid a stupid amount of money to watch Bruce tell us he's just a fraud - i loved the show and at the same time felt like i'd been mugged off... very confusing emotions to have at the same time!

[NorthernSoul52]

1 hour ago, -TLR- said:

i can totally see where your coming from.

i totally agree about the hangover from Broadway - everything is scripted now.. just like a stadium version of Broadway.

there was a moment on Tuesday where he had trouble putting on his jacket and had a laugh and made a joke about it - why on earth am i telling you about something so unbelievably boring and unimportant? well, because it was the only time he diverted from the script and really seemed like Bruce!

i saw the Broadway show - and to be honest i came away from the theatre feeling confused.. i was totally unsure as to whether i had just paid a stupid amount of money to watch Bruce tell us he's just a fraud - i loved the show and at the same time felt like i'd been mugged off... very confusing emotions to have at the same time!

I'd have loved to do Broadway. Just couldn't snag tickets for it, alas.

[-TLR-]

5 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

I'd have loved to do Broadway. Just couldn't snag tickets for it, alas.

we just got lucky - we were in town for Light of Day and we just thought what the hell we can only ask... just walked up to the box office and said please don't laugh but do you have any tickets - and to our immense surprise the answer was yup, we have some for tomorrow.

 

was it worth what it cost?

 

still haven't decided.

[WestCountryGirl]

Thanks for your thoughts on the Dublin shows over the weekend @-TLR-. Reflections on the Sunday show have been niggling at me all week, and you tapped into right where I'm at with them I think. As I said the other day, I'm glad I'm seeing him again next month - because it might be the last time, but also maybe because I'm kind of hoping that show on Sunday wouldn't be my last live impression of him? The band were tight. He is a septuagenarian. It's incredible how he can still put on the show that he does. But some of the choices in the setlist were not the one, for me. It wasn't helped by the crowd around me very much only being there for the encore hits, but that energy could have been better distributed throughout the show in place of - as noted, Nightshift, or Kitty's Back (and I say this as someone who loves the first two albums, and NYC Serenade is my #1 Bruce tune. What I wouldn't give to hear that...)

I was very aware that it had been seven years(!) since I last saw him, having seen him four times over the preceding four years, but I guess I wasn't prepared for it to feel so different than it had back then. I dunno. My adoration of Bruce is intensely personal, and I tend to try not to talk about him to anyone because I just can't do it without sounding like a dick. 

[NorthernSoul52]

9 minutes ago, WestCountryGirl said:

Thanks for your thoughts on the Dublin shows over the weekend @-TLR-. Reflections on the Sunday show have been niggling at me all week, and you tapped into right where I'm at with them I think. As I said the other day, I'm glad I'm seeing him again next month - because it might be the last time, but also maybe because I'm kind of hoping that show on Sunday wouldn't be my last live impression of him? The band were tight. He is a septuagenarian. It's incredible how he can still put on the show that he does. But some of the choices in the setlist were not the one, for me. It wasn't helped by the crowd around me very much only being there for the encore hits, but that energy could have been better distributed throughout the show in place of - as noted, Nightshift, or Kitty's Back (and I say this as someone who loves the first two albums, and NYC Serenade is my #1 Bruce tune. What I wouldn't give to hear that...)

I was very aware that it had been seven years(!) since I last saw him, having seen him four times over the preceding four years, but I guess I wasn't prepared for it to feel so different than it had back then. I dunno. My adoration of Bruce is intensely personal, and I tend to try not to talk about him to anyone because I just can't do it without sounding like a dick. 

Can echo that. Don't think there's an artist I identify musically with more than Springsteen, which just speaks to the power of music in general.

Do we have a Springsteen thread on here? We'll be doing everyone else's nut in with all the chat. 😁