Thanks for all the background and setlist and links....
I enjoyed the concert very much. It was the first time I could see the band perform while I've been listening to them since 1981.
I was initially disppointed to hear there wouldn't be the promised laser show (other stupid refused authorisations) but in the end, the light show was really nice, especially after the first few tracks... The set list contained a lot of new tracks and even some new rare tracks like Mombasa. I was glad to hear some tracks from the 80's and also the 70's in the beginning, even though not with the initial vintage sounds, most of the time. That's something I don't agree with Edgar Froese... like so many. Why not using mainly the samples of old sounds from the 70's on the tracks or on some others, after all ? Edgar uses some textures and rhythmic sounds which they used in the 80's very much lately.. why not the 70's ?
Anyway... matter of tastes. The famous Rubycon theme in part 1 had a bit of mellotron, I'm glad !
I enjoyed hearing Cloudburst Flight too.. always liked that one very much.
I noticed that Edgar seems to be very proud of the "Five Atomic Seasons" albums as they played several (long) excerpts.
I loved the One night in Space version. So catchy.
Only one regret : that they didn't stop between pieces a little bit more.. They played continuously until the encore.... except for the "entracte".. More than 1h20 each time...
I was happy to see Edgar play some great guitar, and with Bernhard Beibl too. Bernhard Beibl might be very technical and I love great guitar players but Edgar has got something extra, like David Gilmour for instance, that makes me prefer him to many of the "shredders" whose albums I've bought over the years.
I was lucky that some friends helped with organising the concert. I managed to see the band after the show...
I must say Edgar's very thin silhouette seemed odd to me. He looked pretty tired but was nice and polite. I talked a bit with Linda Spa and Iris, also with Thorsten Quaeshning who are all really friendly. That was a big pleasure.. They seemed to enjoy this concert and meeting people very much. Such a pity that this wasn't organised better. They have places with seats in the Olympia where they could have set that little meeting, which didn't last very long anyway.
I was really feeling sad for those people with the TDOC card not being allowed to meet the band... I think some were, in the end, arrived afterwards (?). I witnessed what some of you said and that didn't surprise me, in the end... I was appalled that the security guys wouldn't at least ASK.... So Stupid.
I think some people managed to tell Bianca about what was happening and that a few persons would finally enter...
I can't understand how this mess can have happened if Bianca and the tour manager (who wasn't french) informed everybody about this card for members of the TD fanclub and what it is supposed to bring.... I'm not part of it but I am aware of it...
There was also a confusion with the flyers for a concert played by some other "electronic music" artists nearby in another small club after the TD concerts, that the organisers (who're fans) called ALSO the "aftershow" !
I think that was a problem of organisation. The staff of the Olympia wasn't very friendly, it seems. But my friends who helped to promote the show are very professional (although they don't earn any profit from this). I do think it was out of their control as well.
I think the big mistake was to choose the Olympia, which is SO expensive to rent - and that was the choice of the tour manager/promoter... Like cancelling the first show in September.... I think it didn't help at all.
It wasn't so funny either for me who had booked my seat in July last year and wasn't so close to the stage to see people who paid less than me being allowed to seat in some good seats eithers.... because of course as the tickets were so expensive, many people didn't care to buy some...
That was nice to make them come closer to the stage anyway, I don't know whose decision it was, yet.
I'm currently finalizing an article about TD's recent albums and this show in the fanzine that I'm involved with, now.
I hope it will help to spread the word a bit.
Marc
PS : About Paris, I'm French and not really offended. France isn't French anymore anyway... But some French people aren't very friendly there that's true... and it's not because you're a tourist that this happens, believe me... SOme of the waiter in cafés and restaurants were driving me mad already 25 uyears ago there !
We've got a lot to learn from other as what "service" means, definitely !
But I'm sick of Paris and its suburbs (where I live) and sick of big towns in general anyway ... I'm even quite ashamed of my country very often now. Just the constant strikes of the most privileged public employees in this country are absolutely scandalous.
And yet there are so many places in the countryside, on the coasts that I love.
