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1999-2002 must be the most well-documented period we have, audience recordings-wise. The band reached their all time high in popularity during this period, and they were very active, touring a lot.
I suggest you divide it into smaller, chronological portions for maximum listening pleasure.
1999 can be divided into before and after Baard Slagsvold joins.
Before Baard joins:
The trio pretty much continues the mood of the '98 tours. The core of the set is drawn from RW1, while darker songs not on RW1, like Evernine, Rad. Freq. 38.9 and Heartattack Mac, are exchanged for the new and up-tempo rock songs of Big Surprise, Heartbreaker, High Time, Star Star Star, and Glow. Step Inside from Demon Box gets a remarkable remake, and The Witch (The Rattles) is the new cover song of the spring tour. Towards the end of the summer tour we even get a tasting of Song for a Bro' and Tristano.
Recommended listening:
1999-04-14 Drammen. Has Heartbreaker, High Time, The Witch, Big Surprise, Step Inside, Glow.
1999-05-07 Eindhoven. Has a 45 min Un Chien, the longest documented to date.
1999-06-30 Ãœbach-Palenberg. Has Song for a Bro'-> Hogwash-> Tristano!
Additional listening:
1999-04-25 Braunschweig. Has far-out stand-alone Superstooge, Star Star Star.
1999-05-12 London. The best sounding audience recording from the tour. Safe setlist.
1999-07-03 Roskilde Festival. FM broadcast. 1 hour, rock power!
After Baard joins:
Back to quartet for the first time in four years, the band is heading in a new direction yet again, more pop and jazz and less droning. At least on record, and also live, at least to begin with. Their palette of styles of jamming is broadened with inspiration from early 70's American rock as well as jazz and even African-derived rhythms.
Baard is presented to the Norwegian audiences during five concerts in October (Oslo x2, Trondheim, Bergen x2). The revamped setlists are a ménage à trois of new songs (The Other Fool, Song for a Bro', In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Allman Brothers Band), Tristano), most of the RW1 songs (Un Chien, The Wheel, You Lied, Black to Comm, Vortex Surfer), and a handful of old classics not heard in a while (Plan #1, All is Loneliness, The Nerve Tattoo, Manmower).
Recommended:
1999-10-15 Oslo. Has Song for a Bro', The Other Fool, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Un Chien.
Additional:
1999-10-23 Bergen. Rough sound, but very high jam factor. Psychonaut incl. Jin Go La Ba is unique and worth the price of admission alone. It's also interesting to hear how quickly Baard settles in and puts his mark on the music.
He he! Funny one, TraktorBass.
I don't find the different versions of Neverland different enough to justify such an in-depth treatment, but I could see it done with for instance Go To California, if we're going to stay in the area, as it has gone through a lot of changes and different version through the years, everything from 3 minute versions to over 13. With keys, without keys, with jazz jams, space-outs, rock-outs… as Snah said one night during the Eastern Europe tour: Let's fuck it up!
A Box full of Californias? I'd buy that.
Equally interesting from that area is My Best Friend, this rather low-key, somewhat anonymous 4 minute song on the album, growing in to a jamming masterpiece of many different forms on stage, the longest we have on recording being 25 minutes. Not that length in itself tells if it is good or bad, but it tells you about development. A development that I see as a key factor in the attraction Motorpsycho has on me.
So, if we were to make RWs with only one song on them, I'd have a look at the jamming vehicles:
A Box full of…
Superstooges
Un Chiens
Manmowers
577s
Taifuns
Mountains
Heartattack Macs
STGs
Starhammers
Tristanos
Lacuna/Sunrises
Intrepid Explorers
Hogwashes
Arnie Hs
To mention my favorites among them.
Now, that could be an interesting series.
Based on the circulating recordings from the tour, here is my take on a RW V track list:
A
Intrepid Explorer, Hannover (11:00)
In Every Dream Home, Hannover (11:00)
B
Manmower, Papenburg (09:00)
Heartattack Mac, Berlin (09:00)
C
Un Chien d'Espace part 1, Köln (21:00)
D
Un Chien d'Espace part 2, Köln (21:30)
E
Lacuna/Sunrise, Roncade (20:00)
F
Bartok of the Universe, Berlin (07:00)
The Tower, Köln (13:00)
2018-04-14 NO Oslo, Røverstaden (sold out)
2018-04-17 BE Liege, Reflektor (tickets)
2018-04-18 NL Alkmaar, Victorie (tickets)
2018-04-20 NL Tilburg, Roadburn Festival (tickets)
2018-04-21 LU Esch-sur-Alzette, Out of The Crowd festival (tickets)
–
2018-06-08 NO Moss, Lyse Netter Festival (tickets)
2018-06-30 NO Stokkøya, Stokkøya Festival (tickets)
2018-07-21 NO Molde, Molde Jazz w/Kristoffer Lo and Ola Kvernberg (tickets)
2018-07-22 NL Leeuwarden, Welcome to the Village Festival (tickets)
2018-07-26 DE Düsseldorf, Zakk (tickets)
2018-07-27 DE Breitenbach am Herzberg, Burg Herzberg Festival (tickets)
–
2018-11-09/10 DE Wangels, Rolling Stoned Weekender (sold out)
2018-11-16/17 DE Rost, Rolling Stoned Park
The ones I talked to in Timisoara were new to MP, but they had checked it out when it was announced and brought their friends.. It was a strong local promoter with just the right club and audience. I would say 300-400 people. They were into the kind of music, and they were blown away. People were raving afterwards. "Fantastic", "absurd how good they are", and "I loved it" were among the comments from local people I talked to. They were used to the same stoner bands we know from our part of Europe, but had never seen anything quite like this.
All my tickets have "The Tower tour" or even "The Tower release concert" printed on them, so no big surprise that the setlists mirror that.
In further thoughts: Heartattack Mac in past live versions has been everything between close to the album version and 13-14 minutes. It has included the Back to Source part before, and also other teases, like Waiting for my Man in '98.
Fall '17 it started out fairly close to the original version, but developed into a 10 minute "mini suite", or so I thought of it. How cool would it not be if they gave it a K9 treatment. Which I think is what happens on this tour. Both versions (Vienna and Budapest) were around 14-15 minutes, and with great variety to the improvisations. Easily the core part of the concert for a jam head like me.
Other jamming highlights to these ears: Intrepid Explorer, Manmower, Taifun and The Tower.
Will do my best in Vienna, Budapest, Beograd and Timisoara.
I won't go to Ljubljana. Do we have someone going there?
Thanks for filling in, Tomcat. Just the way it's supposed to work.
I'll be in Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Timisoara, Oslo, Alkmaar and Tilburg, and maybe Düsseldorf.
Tickets still up for sale? I would be interested in one of them. <edited (at) edited>*
*Edit: mail address hidden, as I have bought my ticket from the venue.
2018-04-14 NO Oslo, Røverstaden (sold out)
2018-04-18 NL Alkmaar, Victorie
2018-04-20 NL Tilburg, Roadburn Festival
2018-06-08 NO Moss, Lyse Netter Festival
2018-06-30 NO Stokkøya, Stokkøya Festival
2018-07-XX NL Leeuwarden, Welcome to the Village Festival
2018-07-26 DE Düsseldorf, Zakk
2018-07-27 DE Breitenbach am Herzberg, Burg Herzberg Festival
2018-04-14 NO Oslo, Røverstaden (sold out)
2018-04-18 NL Alkmaar, Victorie (venue website)
2018-04-20 NL Tilburg, Roadburn Festival (official)
2018-06-08 NO Moss, Lyse Netter Festival (official)
2018-06-30 NO Stokkøya, Stokkøya Festival (official)
2018-07-26 DE Düsseldorf, Zakk (venue website)
2018-07-27 DE Breitenbach am Herzberg, Burg Herzberg Festival (festival website)
Not complaining, far from it, but I am not yet done with first round of The Tower and second round of Here Be Monsters. The prospect of yet another album already later this year is still thrilling, of course. This must be how it feels to be in a relationship that continues to give, year after year. I guess "privileged" is the word I am looking for.
It's also about high time for a new Roadwork! The Tower tour deserves that honor.
And I hope Kristoffer is on board for the next album!
Great article, I could not have described it better myself. Polak: "Why do I always return to this place, back to Motorpsycho? Because I feel here. Again and again."
Gurdjieff is new to me, but what you write, JERO, makes so much sense.
I for one have been in that special state of being ever since the last tour, it feels so good to feel again.
At the moment holding two tickets for upcoming MP concerts makes me feel I have everything I need in this world. Except for every Motorpsycho recording ever made, but that I am working on.
Can't wait to share The Experience and the special moments with you all again!
