Well exactly a week since the Lowry and I am still thinking about.
I reckon TD would be playing Calumet, with Cycle of Eternity up next and Darkness Veiling the Night still to come ...........and then the whole second half.
Cost muchos dosh for me to attend this, but I would gladly pay double to be sitting there right now with all that still to happen.
Overall a great concert imo. Thought the 'New' old stuff excellent stuff good too. Thought also the keyboards/guitar a little louder than average! Hopefully there will still be a CD/ download release of this gig as I think it was a great concert. Had my first meet & greet as well. Thought everyone was very friendly and down to earth especially after just having performed three hours. Got all five signatures on both the Gate Of Saturn ticket as well as the Zeit Geist ticket which will be a nice additon to the 3CD set. Thanks to everyone I met for a great night.
har wrote:Thought it was an excellent set and I'm sure any wee sound gremlins can be sorted.
The gremlins were not "wee" by any means. In fact, it was probably the worst sounding gig I've heard in over 30 years of attending concerts.
Someone recently text'd me to say that TD's usual "soundman" was ill and the Lowry's own sound engineer was used. I am suspicious of this however, and unsure of the source. Anyone else heard this?
Patchlead wrote: In fact, it was probably the worst sounding gig I've heard in over 30 years of attending concerts.
There seem to be quite varying views on the sound. Perhaps it was worse in some parts of the venue. Certainly as far as I heard it was nothing like as poor as you seem to have experienced.
Still feel it was an excellent set and hopefully any BIG gremlins can be sorted out if there is to be a CD/download.
The word for the sound quality for the first half is appalling, I was sitting near the middle seven rows from the front; anyone would have had to have been far away or hard of hearing to think it wasn't appalling sound quality.
“There are powers at work in this country about which we have no knowledge.”
I did not experience too bad sound at all, but I sit just beside the mixing desk. Just in front of Bianca A. and B. May! You can experience the sound from my place by viewing my videoes of the concert: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... lowry&aq=f
I too was sitting only a few rows in front of Bianca and Brian May and the sound was pretty good, except for the bit where Bernhard's guitar went a bit wacky, other than that it sounded fine to me. I think it seems to be people nearer the front that experienced the problems.
As mentioned earlier in this thread , first half the violin and perscussion were way to low in the mix. There was a low frequency resonance distortion problem going on occasionally. All of this improved 2nd half, obviously thanks to Conrads advice. Second half the bass problem was still present but not as bad. Certainly did not think the sound was appalling. Obviously considerably worse down the stairs then.
In no way did this spoil my enjoyment of the gig and I thought the set and choice of tracks was excellent.
Here's to the next one
PS my ears are fully operational and reasonably highly tuned
ant wrote: I too was sitting only a few rows in front of Bianca and Brian May and the sound was pretty good, except for the bit where Bernhard's guitar went a bit wacky, other than that it sounded fine to me. I think it seems to be people nearer the front that experienced the problems.
I was in the second row near the centre and apart from the occasional sound problem the gig sounded fine. Certainly it wasn't exceptionally bad, I've experienced way worse and it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the show at all.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that's why they call it the present". - Kung Fu Panda
ant wrote: I too was sitting only a few rows in front of Bianca and Brian May and the sound was pretty good, except for the bit where Bernhard's guitar went a bit wacky, other than that it sounded fine to me. I think it seems to be people nearer the front that experienced the problems.
I was in the second row near the centre and apart from the occasional sound problem the gig sounded fine. Certainly it wasn't exceptionally bad, I've experienced way worse and it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the show at all.
We were in the 3rd row, near the centre so must have been just behind you
There were some problems with bass rumble for a short spell, but wasn't too bad. It does seem that further back the problems were less noticeable.
ant wrote: I too was sitting only a few rows in front of Bianca and Brian May and the sound was pretty good, except for the bit where Bernhard's guitar went a bit wacky, other than that it sounded fine to me. I think it seems to be people nearer the front that experienced the problems.
I was in the second row near the centre and apart from the occasional sound problem the gig sounded fine. Certainly it wasn't exceptionally bad, I've experienced way worse and it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the show at all.
We were in the 3rd row, near the centre so must have been just behind you
There were some problems with bass rumble for a short spell, but wasn't too bad. It does seem that further back the problems were less noticeable.
Yep. There was certainly a few problems with bass rumble at the start of Long Island Sunset which was sorted fairly rapidly but did reappear for a brief period later on in the track. Apart from that I didn't notice too many issues.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that's why they call it the present". - Kung Fu Panda
Why is it that the journey to any TD concert is always fraught? This one was no exception. I’ll spare you the details but it wasn’t a smooth ride.
I finally get to The Lowry at about 6:30pm, briefly stopping to take a few photos of the exterior before trying to find out when the doors will open. I’m amazed, the doors are already open. I walk in and see that the merch stand is also already open. Even more bizarre is that I can walk up to the stand and immediately get served. I seem to have entered an alternate reality.
I buy 3CDs, 2 t-shirts and a poster; you can tell that my wife hasn’t made the trip up to Manchester. The lady who serves me is very helpful and we have a laugh about the shirts. It’s all a far cry from The SBE/Astoria/Forum/RAH (delete where applicable).
I leave the merch stand and suddenly realise I have a mountain of TD goodies and nothing to hold them in. I leave The Lowry and head to the nearby shopping centre. There’s a Thornton’s chocolate shop open, cunningly I kill two birds with one stone. I buy an enormous box of guilt chocolates, to placate my wife, and they give me a large bag. Not such a good idea as I now have a very large bag of TD goodies and a huge box of chocolates. Doh!!!
I return to The Lowry, get a pint in the bar and play a quick game of text tennis with my wife. Soon it is time for the show so I make my way to my seat. That’s when I discover that I’m actually in the second row, the ticket says row C but there is no row A. Yippee.
Someone has carefully left a flyer on my chair. It details a set list for the show. I jam the flyer into my bag. Not sure I want to know what the set is going to be.
There’s a certain amount of commotion. The name Brian May is being used indiscriminately around the hall. I can’t help but turn around and there, at the back of the hall sitting with Bianca, is Brian May. Cool.
The show starts with Marmontel Riding On A Clef but the curtain doesn’t go up. May be there’s a problem. No. The curtain goes up and the timing is perfect as the band get into full swing.
I won’t bore you with a description of the full set-list, it’s elsewhere on the net, but the band are on fine form. We were promised a sequencer-fest and TD deliver in spades. Most of the set is recent music with a sprinkling of old classics. Some of it I’ve not heard before, which is fine with me.
Edgar and Thorsten are centre stage holding the show together and appearing very busy. Linda Spa, stage left, at the back, is adding keyboards, sax and flute. Iris Camaa, stage right, also at the back, is her usual dynamic self, full of fun and energy. Bernhard Beibl is at the front, stage left, playing some incredible guitar. He’s playing behind a music stand which is a little strange but who cares when he’s playing some serious shred.
Stage right is a new addition, Hoshiko Yamane, she is a slight figure on stage but her playing is anything but slight. Surprisingly for a new addition she plays a fairly major role in the set, playing many of the lead lines and melodies. She is a great foil for Bernie’s testosterone fuelled guitar, adding an injection of feminine tones.
Sound wise the show is a little muddy in parts with bass notes dominating. To be honest though this is a fairly minor problem and only becomes significant for a short time at the start of Long Island Sunset.
For this show TD have ditched the laser show and back projection. The lighting is also subdued and atmospheric. Overall the effect is to make the show a more intimate affair, with nothing to take the attention away from the music.
Mid-way through the set there is an intermission. I, along with one or two others, sprint for the loos. Maybe a beer before the show wasn’t such a great idea.
The second set starts pretty much like the first, the music starts but the curtain fails to go up. Is there another problem? No. Once again it’s timed to perfection. The curtain rises as the band hits its stride.
Time seems to fly by. No sooner has the set started than it seems to be coming to an end. We’re into the encores. Cool At Heart is up first and beautifully played. Edgar dedicates the track to Marilyn, who passed-away last year. Can’t have been many dry eyes in the house.
Next is The Gate Of Saturn followed by The Blue Bridge with Edgar playing a fabulous guitar solo. Fay Bewitching The Moon follows this and the final encore is Dolphin Dance. A person favourite of mine and this is a rousing version. Then it’s all over. Where does the time go?
For once I don’t have to rush off so I decide to stay for the after-show meeting. Except no one seems to know where it is. Luckily I find the lady who served me at the merch stall and she tells me its general location. I join the back of a fairly large crowd.
After a short while we are ushered to the back-stage area. It’s a small, fairly enclosed space and I can feel a certain amount of claustrophobia. Eventually I get to file passed Iris; I steal a kiss and thank her for her efforts during the show.
Next up is Thorsten. I babble something fan-boyish and he takes it well. Bless him; he actually seems touched by my inane comments.
Same is true of Hoshiko and Bernie when I stammer out some similar nonsense. Still it’s all genuinely meant and I think that they sense that.
Sadly I miss out on Linda. She leaves just before I get to her. Some might say she had a lucky escape.
It’s now getting late and there’s no sign of Edgar. Maybe it’s time to leave. I’m making my way out and, as I pass a door with a sign saying “Edgar Froese”, it slowly opens to reveal Edgar and Bianca. Wow. I’m stood almost directly in front of my all-time hero.
I wait patiently for a few minutes and eventually I manage to push my copy of The Gates Of Saturn into his hands for him to sign. Whilst I have his undivided attention for a few brief seconds I, once again, mumble something about really enjoying the show. Edgar thanks me and moves on to the next fan.
I’m immediately struck by a feeling of futility. I suspect it’s a feeling many fans get. How do you convey your gratitude for many decades of music in a simple sentence? It just isn’t possible.
Still, I’m one happy bunny so I make my way out of The Lowry and brace myself for the long journey home.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that's why they call it the present". - Kung Fu Panda
gremlins can be sorted out if there is to be a CD/download.
I too was sitting only a few rows in front of Bianca and Brian May and the sound was pretty good, except for the bit where Bernhard's guitar went a bit wacky, other than that it sounded fine to me. I think it seems to be people nearer the front that experienced the problems.
