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mefisto: Hahaha! And still you would beat me if you counted yours.
Tomcat and Wulf, both of you must surely have been to 100s of gigs by now?
Nerding alert! (At least it's not politics)
TAF, I share your sentiments. Matrixes can be fine sometimes, but I too would like to have the raw files if possible. This is not to be unthankful to anyone, and this is not how I read you either.
I recorded maybe a 100 shows when I did full tours between 1999 and 2002. My last recording effort before I picked up "duties" again in 2019, was a handfull of gigs in 2006. However flawed, these recordings stand stronger every time I go back and listen.
Today I regret my recording break, but at the time I just wanted to be able to enjoy the concert and not worry about recording. I know how much effort and care that goes into it. For me it starts hours prior to the show, trying not to drink too much – not alcohol in particular, but everything, I don't want to have to go to the restroom in the middle of a 3h 21m set – worries about getting checked at the door, telling my friends that I will be recording, so please, don't talk to me during the concert, worries about talkers and unruly audiences, and obsession about batteries running out or the recorder turning itself off for no apparent reason.
That being said, the positive outweighs the negative every time I listen to the recordings.
These days I am using a Zoom Q3. According to the reviews, it's supposed to be the best hand recorder out there. I use mic gain "low", as it is my experience that "high" will overpower, and "auto", while not owerpowering, will still compress the loud parts. "Low" captures the dynamics which are so important to the live experience. I keep it in my chest pocket with the internal mics above the pocket edge, so that they are out in free air. Then I place myself with as unobstructed view as possible, sometimes up front to catch the backline sound (Lausanne 2019), sometimes in sound center (Copenhagen 2022).
Some have opiniated that there is too much bass on these last four recordings (Lausanne 2019, Odense 2019, Malmö 2022 and Copenhagen 2022), although I disagree. The sound I get is very clear and detailed, although heavier in the low end than in the high end. I dig the result because I am finally able to catch the bass that is missing from the first 100 recordings I made.
To your point: Maybe we should make it a custom in our little community here to release a raw file version as well as the tweaked versions?
Juergen, are you a moderator of the site? I registered some days ago, but never received my password. When I try to register again, my username (The Other Anders) is taken.
@pj: My guess is "Huge Hopper", first played in Münich and a play of words / tip of the hat to Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine fame. But I wasn't there, so someone please confirm.
Bring on the seated venues, two sets (pee break!), and let's do this every night! I would pay triple of the current ticket price for it.
@Rune: Great news! We're also missing recordings from Amsterdam 2019 and 2017, in case you know somebody.
Wow, wow. And I could have said the same for the last many setlists. Many special nights on this tour! Maybe all of them. Glad you all have fun out there!
@Rune: Any recording? :wink:
@grindove: Cool pictures and nice to meet you! I was the guy who took a picture of your setlist.
I agree with most of what you write both here and in the Copenhagen thread. The Malmö recording sounds better than the feeling I had in the room at the time, though. I think it was a combination of acoustics, setlist and mood in the room, as well as the band not firing on all cylinders yet. The contrast between the two nights makes them both very special.
The perfect mini tour!
Well, actually I would need ONE more gig including Mountain, Starhammer, H-Mac, Sun Ship, Tower, Step Inside, Magpie, IMS, Lady May, Sunchild, Babylon and The Wheel to make it really perfect. But apart from that…
They certainly do sound different from night to night, maybe more than before. Or maybe it's just so long since we had the full tour experience that we have forgotten…
Again a great, great set! 10 songs I didn't get in Malmö/Copenhagen, among them my absolute favourites Starhammer and Mountain. If only I had been there too… 8O
Now, who is going be the lucky ones to have Sun Ship, Step Inside, H-Mac and The Wheel? Hannover?
Copenhagen was INCREDIBLE!
Malmö and Copenhagen were like night and day. While Malmö was maybe a 4/10, Copenhagen was 9/10. A whole new setlist, only one repetition from the night before.
Seriously groovy Bonny Lee. Jammed out psychodelic set, and I got Noxed!
Superstooge played instead of Up/down because of problem with the tuning of Bent's guitar.
Snah and Tomas jammed around the chords and melody before Bent gave up, changed to bass, and suggested Superstooge because it's in the same tuning. Snah tore right into it, and what an eruption of a version!
Have a great tour all you lucky ones out there! Remember to report and record, thanks.
Yesterday was at times a bit rough around the edges, with moments of magic here and there. I can't shake the feeling that they were not up in gear yet, although the reports from Norway indicate otherwise. Last night they continued the trend of tour debuting 2-3 songs each night. We got STG, Feel and Hogwash.
STG saw the return of the original outro, which they used to jam on back in the 90's before the never-ending-bang-bang-ending took over in 2002. This return to former glory flowed seamlessly into a wonderful Lacuna, which took us to the quiet realm of outer space before flowing into Running With Scissors. Easily the highlight to me!
Honorable mentions: United Debased, Pacific Sonata and Cosmoctopus.
Cloudwalker turned out to be a fine addition to the set. I think they do something else to it in the instrumental part, although I will have to compare before I conclude. And Plan #1 was another fine addition. It's an undisputable classic.
@Punj: Hehe, I know it is a matter of English, but "victim" might be to stretch it. Then I guess I can also consider myself "lucky" for Fool's Gold planned, but not played, which I don't.
I had a look at the last song of the last 43 concerts I attended, back to and including 2009:
6 The Golden Core
6 The Tower
5 Gullible's Travails
5 Fool's Gold
4 Vortex Surfer
3 Here Be Monsters
2 Hogwash
2 Plan #1
1 Come On In
1 Nothing To Say
1 Into The Sun
1 Burn
1 Starhammer
1 Into The Mystic
1 Feel
1 Taifun
1 Lux Aeterna
1 no encore
In fact the 2009 tour had The Golden Core played 6 out of 7 times, 2010 tour had Gullible's Travails played 5 out of 6, 2016 Here Be Monsters 3/3, while Fool's Gold and Plan #1 have been spread over several tours. Turns out I have nothing to complain about.
Needless to say I am very psyched for Copenhagen tonight. I feel incredibly lucky having two concerts on this tour within an hour of travel's reach.
As long as we don't end up with Plan #1 and Fools Gold becoming the last song(s) of every concert again. Here is two thoughts: Open with them, or ditch them for new stuff. Especially glad to see Lacuna/Sunrise in these sets, but why bring back Cloudwalker on an almost regular basis? It's far from their best.
Great work Bernie, and happy to be able to contribute to the video archive. Unfortunately I don't remember who where so kind as to send me these VHS tapes. At one point the DVD took over, and all I did was putting the video tapes in a box and forgetting all about them. So if you are still part of the community, you who filmed it or provided the tape in the first place, please speak up and get your rightful credits!
