TD in concert...a satifactory format, or a time for changes?

exit81
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TD in concert...a satifactory format, or a time for changes?

Post by exit81 »

Having seen most of TD's shows over the last 5 years, does anyone agree that it might just be time to alter the way they perform live? I'm beginning to long for the days when we had a synth three-piece, in semi darkness with no dedicated guitaist, no pecussion and no sax.

Personnel - It's been great having Iris in the live band, but does anyone else think the freshness of her contribution might have worn off? As for Linda, the sax can be great live, but the vast majority of TD tracks have no sax, and does anyone really think she's playing anything on the keyboard back there? A guitarist....often brilliant, but I feel there's too much meandering playing over tracks that had no guitar in the first place. I'd far prefer to see Edgar picking up his axe for a track or two.

Also, the lightning.....these days, the stage is lit far too well and too much. Let's have some design in the lightning, some shadows and contrast, as this would make the stage a lot more visually dynamic. It worked brilliantly at SBE 2005. The sense of drama it created was quite intense. When shows are being filmed for DVD, the producer likes lots of light....BUT....modern cameras cope perfectly well in low light, the results can look fantastic. Besides, the lights should be designed to create a good show for the live audience, not just so it looks good on DVD in 6 months' time.

The re-introduction of lasers has added something to the visual aspect of the shows, a welcome addition, especially when they work!

Projections....I feel these should be a lot more cutting edge and impressionistic, instead of cliched views of fantasy stars and planets, and trucks driving down motorways. TD's backdrop was always at its best when it was more abstract and striking , like Laserium in 77, or the Logos tour 82.

And of cousre, the set list...for me, yet again, Loreley had too many tracks that have been played VERY often over the last decade or so. For a band with over a hundred albums to choose from, it's confusing and disappointing. Warsaw In The Sun, Girl On The Stairs and Stratosfear AGAIN??? zzzzzz

Don't get me wrong, TD still present a damn good live show, I wouldn't have been so often if they didn't. These are all just my feelings of course, but does anyone agree? Anyone care to discuss this? Are we satisfied with what TD do on stage these days, or do some of us want something different?
24db
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Post by 24db »

ugh...I can't discuss this in two places at once :)

good points Chris, can't rubber stamp all of them, but that's what opinions are made of.

Visually I tend to agree that a darker concert adds 'something', I'm begining into miss the back projections, beams and the like, which strangely enough were beginning to bore me a little the last time I saw TD use them. TD videos, although nice find it hard to compete with all the lights, so I ofen find I'm not aware of them until I buy the DVD later in the year.

Regarding TD and guitarists, for the record I think Bernhard has been the star of the show on more than one ocassion, he certainly made the gig for me in Frankfurt. IMHO 'the' best guitarist ever to appear in TD, apart from 'the Viking' himself.

Iris is Iris, if she goes I'm going to sign up as a Klaus Schulze fan or worse.

ps. TD Visuals? very cheeky mate
Last edited by 24db on Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:12 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by cantosis »

I agree withwhat you say about the tracklist but not so much about the live band, I enjoy how they peform but then I have never seen them in the old format so don`t really know what I am missing.

Even if Linda isn`t doing much(whichI have no idea if she is or isn`t) it is still nice to have some eye candy for those boring TD moments(yes sometimes I do get bored) :oops: :arrow:

Its the same with Iris as well, I very much enjoy her in the band, she adds music appeal and she does her damn hardest to get the crowds going even if most of the time we are just standing still like Mannequins. And she is a damn good percussionist.
Last edited by cantosis on Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by 24db »

Obviously if you look at all your points Chris (as a wish list), if you got your way and TD did all those things you do realise you'd get TD in circa 1977-1982...is that what you want? ;) TD circa 1982...been there done that, so no thanks

Okay, thinking about the visual side of things again, I have thought for some time (25 years :D) it's a pity that some visual artist can't produce something radically different for TD's live gigs, either lighting or some computer generated stuff that interacts with the music, beyond pretty colours and Sci-Fi/Space images, which I don't see going with EM of any sort. Just my opinion though. For the record I rather liked the abstract images that Jerome's friend did as a backdrop for his Big Chill and WaterRats gigs.

if you could get Edgar's or Bianca paintings onto Cells and project them or animate them, then that would be something I'd really be interested in. Either that or some photos from the eastgate library to go with or against the music, might be very poignant indeed to see them and contrast them with the long musical journey we've all been on over the last (mumble) years.
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Post by krismopompas »

at alte oper it was too much : light + videos + laser+ an eye on the band = data overflow ;) ............. tempodrom without lasers and loreley without videos were ok.

maybe it would be nice to see td in totaly darkness or behind a curtain like in the 70s again, because that was before my time.......... a church-concert would be nice too........... kölner dom??? :idea: :D

but all in all i´m totaly satisfied if i could see td and hear magic music :) .......... hope td is back in germany asap :!: :!: :!: .......... your country needs you, edgar ;)
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Post by 24db »

krismopompas wrote:at alte oper it was too much : light + videos + laser+ an eye on the band = data overflow ;) ............. tempodrom without lasers and loreley without videos were ok.

maybe it would be nice to see td in totaly darkness or behind a curtain like in the 70s again, because that was before my time.......... a church-concert would be nice too........... kölner dom??? :idea: :D

but all in all i´m totaly satisfied if i could see td and hear magic music :) .......... hope td is back in germany asap :!: :!: :!: .......... your country needs you, edgar ;)
Curtain? 70's? did I miss something. 1981 was good though, even though OMD did exactly the same thing a few weeks later at the same venue (well, for one song anyway).

Perhaps TD could play some unsual places in Germany? the Hub bub station in Berlin? outside the Pergamon? remotely from the TV tower, with the audience in Alexander Platz munching on Curry Wurst and drinking Berlin beer? ;)
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Post by krismopompas »

for the videoprojection:
maybe it´s possible to bring the live-action on the screens.......... it would be nice to see, who plays what and what and so on.
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la sagesse du destin
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Post by la sagesse du destin »

About the tracklist of the loreley show, Chris,I am not totally agree with you.
Green and Modesty,Tangram 2008 ,Hyperborea 2008,Lily on the Beach,Boat to China,Fire on the mountain. More thanthe half on the show were tracks that we didn't hear in the precedents shows.
We are big fans, but for the slow fans it's important to hear tracks as Girls on the stairs. Don't forget it was a big success in Germany in 1982.
Don't forget too that in Eindhoven ,fast all was inedit in live.

About Linda I think it could be better if she going in front for some tracks with saxo.I must add that she was specially lovely this night in whight.It's just an opinion.
I think too that two or three tracks (as in London 2005) with only keyboards with Edgar and Thorsten could be nice.
But I couldn't imagine the future shows without Linda Iris and Bernhard.
I 'm sure that in London we will have a fantastic show.

Charles
Infinite thanks to all the peoples from Eastgate and TD for the Japan Raffle.
www.tangram-dream.fr
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Post by 24db »

krismopompas wrote:for the videoprojection:
maybe it´s possible to bring the live-action on the screens.......... it would be nice to see, who plays what and what and so on.
well they've done it before (both East Berlin gigs for instance), personally I don't think it would add much, plus you'd get a lot of defocused, blurred panning as camera's change angles, unless you have a locked off camera and that would get boring pretty quickly. Can you comment on this Chris as you're a cameraman?
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Post by krismopompas »

24db wrote: Curtain? 70's? did I miss something.
yes, somewhere i read something like this........ it is not???
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Post by 24db »

krismopompas wrote:
24db wrote: Curtain? 70's? did I miss something.
yes, somewhere i read something like this........ it is not???
a curtain? across the stage??? hmm not in 74, 75, 76, or 77 I think (I could be wrong as I didn't see TD at this time. They defintely used the curtain in 1980 and 81 and for part of the 2005 SBE gig though). Obviously they had the stage effect of curtains or cloth stretched across the stage to make sand dunes or wave shapes during their Royal Albert Hall concert in 1976, but I guess you;re not referring to that. I can't remember about 1978, I'm not 100%, as I haven't seen that many shots from the gigs. Can you remember anything mate?
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Post by 24db »

Btw, this is a guess, but it might be that TD's present visual presentation might be they want to be more 'open', by which I mean emotionally, you can see them...and they can see you... and they want to open it out to more than their core die-hard fans. Perhaps the femmine touch of Bianca is a influence on Edgar?. Generally they are more light-hearted on stage these days...no more 'peanuts in the pockets for synth spotters'...some would say it was a good thing.

Andy (a synth anorak) ;)
Last edited by 24db on Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by bigmoog »

bm will consider the above and respond...bet you cant wait to hear his thoughts



1.11.08 will be interesting :D
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Post by epsilon75 »

"The music speaks for itself" :wink:
RIP Edgar. I am going to miss you.
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Post by 24db »

epsilon75 wrote:"The music speaks for itself" :wink:
Only music, but oh...what music! ;)
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