Spring 2019 tour – what were your highlights?

[Punj Lizard]

The tour is over – we head towards the summer with anticipation of what the HÃ¥kon GullvÃ¥g-inspired "and friends" shows might bring. Will an album release follow the two shows? It seems likely, given the band's comments in interviews. And given that the band will again be in the studio some time in August/Sptember to record the next studio album, how will that affect the autumn setlists? These are questions to be answered later … But for now, with the recent tour still fresh, let's hear about your highlights. Whether songs, feelings, meetings, recordings, whatever – what were the moments that really stand out for you?

[Juergen]

It is great that the whole new album was played on most of the shows (Lux Aeterna was skipped on some shows but only on very few). Master Builder and 577 were another highlights for me and I was delighted to have heard both live.

Personal highlight of recordings: Please have a listen to 577 of Oslo 2019-05-11 and especially the final part with the guitar jam!

[Deadnautpsychohead]

I have only been to Hamburg with my highlights Ãœberpilgrim (great Pilgrim cover!) and B2C (my first one, very energetic). And I love the chillout suggestions from The Other Fool, great idea!

[Bartok]

As I missed the tour and had to experience it through the forum I think reading the Avellino setlist gave me the most goosebumps. What a perfectly composed set list. Old and new, long and short, mellow and heavy, and Coventry Boy, mmm. The Wheel. I’d love to see MP in a theater-setting. I’d also love to see them in London, saw them in a pub in Camden in 00 or 01, it was really special in such a small intimate space. Though I think bigger spaces gives the sound more room, more air. Anyway, seems like a special tour, happy for you guys who got to witness this. MP is such a gift that keeps giving, thank you Bent, Snah, Thomas and Reine. Will dive into Motorpsychodelic Clips in the upcoming days, thanks Bernie✊

Edit: And the 2019 iteration of Fools Gold – mindblowing, the gentleness, the tides of sound 🧡

[grindove]

Just witnessing them again was the highlight of this spring for me! Reine is my favorite bonus member. Good setlist where I attended (Copenhagen, May 15). Only two covers, compared to Hannover a week later where 5 out of the 15 songs were covers. I would have been disappointed. Mind you, I think they do them well, but I really want as many percent Motorpsycho as possible when I see them (preferably 100).

Usually – regardless which artist – I'm not a fan of the complete new (or any) album being performed live, but in this case it's brilliant! All three songs work remarkably well (read: I think they are great), plus there's still plenty of time for lots of old/older favorites/surprises during the shows

[Punj Lizard]

Like everyone, I expect, I had a number of highlights.

Across the gigs I saw, I'd have to say Triggerman and A Pacific Sonata were the main highlghts. But out of the specific performances I'd say Year Zero, Triggerman, Master Builder and A Pacific Sonata in London, Hogwash in Groningen (as it was my first), and Lacuna/Sunrise and Fool's Gold in Leuven. Whether these were onjectively better than any other tracks or versions, I don't know, but these were the ones that really hit me emotionally and sonically, transporting me onto a higher plane.

Other highlights included the whole London acoustic show, meeting Jero in Groningen, and Tomcat, Thomas, Alli and Ingo in Leuven. And finally getting through a whole MP concert with earplugs in and it proving to be a very positive experience!

Disappointments, if I dare, were (1) 577 being played at a number of gigs either side of the ones I attended, but not when I was present (2) not meeting Nicoot for my own foolish fault of just losing track and not making a fixed plan before the gig :roll: and (3) being not The Other Fool, but just another fool :oops: when I tried to speak to Bent and Snah, who were both extremely gracious and friendly.

[Johnny_Heartfield]

As I only attended the Wiesbaden show I can compare only from DIME recordings – there were a number of excellent and almost faultlessly recorded gigs – Copenhagen, Hamburg, Leuven and Avellino being the highlights for me. Thanks to all those tapers and distributors!

Wiesbaden hat a brilliant start and several highlights, but it was especially the combination of great venue, good atmosphere (minus the obligatory drunk psychotzar loudly sieg-heiling during the quiet start of Lux Aeterna…), spirited performance and witty band (Bent) comments that made it for me.

I even think of skipping the Cologne gig in autumn in order not to spoil the good memory – less is more! "What do you mean, less is more? More is more!" says Bent – so I'll probably reconsider the matter in the time between…

[JERO]

Highlights? More like a warm glowing sun in my life! the 2 gigs in the Netherlands were both great nights to remember, for so many reasons, and I guess I've already mentioned those in previous posts. This time around what made it special was that I enjoyed Tivoli side by side with my brother, who after years me feeding him MP cd's has now totally given in to acknowledging the genius of MP, especially when playing live, and shaking hands with some other addicts I'd up until now only knew from sight, and of course Vera for undergoing the sonic storms standing next to the Lizard of Punj, and having a chat afterwards. So I'd say these were social highlights this time for me.

Musically, the songs from The Crucible worked out sensationally I think, already classics within the vast MP songbook!

And yet, there's always that one magical (personal) moment of a specific MP gig that remains so dear above all (so far); for me that was Maastricht 08-2018. the beautiful summer evening of that festival night, and a concert crowned by the amazing performance of The Wheel (a first for me), the total trance, power, moodiness, unforgettable experience, which I can still relive through Bernies motorpsychedelic clip.

Now, back from Crete and after 2 weeks of abstinence, I'm so happy to find all the reports about the tour, and of course the fantastic Even More Bernie material. Have I already stated elsewhere that this band is still getting better all the time? (including Reine's contributions, which I've come to appreciate very much). :MPD:

[supernaut]

Only seen the Lausanne show, and listening to the recording it's gotta be Fool's Gold. It's even more spine tingling now than right then and there.

[the visitant]

I was there for the Leuven show and absolutely loved it. So many highlights but definitely the 30 minutes of Lacuna/Spacerise, a spun out Pacific Sonata and exhilarating Fool's Gold. The whole show was golden to me.

Thanks to finally figuring out Dime, the 2019 spring tour was the first tour I could follow as it happened through the recordings, and that was a revelation for me. It's been an obsession for the last two months. 18 shows that I can play endlessly, hearing all the musical adventures of a Motorpsycho-tour. How songs evolve over different shows, one-off magical moments and so on.

A big thank you to all the tapers en uploaders who make this possible. I didn't realize what it all meant till now.

And from the recordings, my highlights of the tour:

1. Go to California (0404, 13'40")

Right at the first show Motorpsycho deliver a couple of knock-out jams. This one starts out quite ordinary. The first Reine solo is polite and doesn't really go anywhere. But then Snah steps forward. You can almost hear him think, 'right, this tour starts NOW.' He lays down some heavy, smeared tones that rip open the performance. This song's never sounded like that before. Everyone clicks behind him and they're off on a wild adventure.

2. Starhammer (0404, 13'24")

Played only once on the tour, I think, but what a performance. A free jam for the ages.

3. The Tower (0404, 12'11")

The Tower went through many permutations during the tour: a medley with Hell pt 7/Victim of Rock, 7 minute versions without improvisations… But my favorite was this first performance, before Victim of Rock came along. Just a long, abstract jam. Jagged and dissonant, far out.

4. Ship of fools (0411, 14'20”)

There were more great versions (see also 0515 in Copenhagen, 0522 in Leuven) and there's not much between them, but this one has a slight edge for me. The energy is really high. A regular highlight of the tour.

5. Nature's way (0412, 3'00”)

The first acoustic set! And what a lovely surprise this one is. They played it equally well on 0503 in Trondheim and 0523 in Hannover, but this first appearance is the one I keep going back to.

6. Ãœberpilgrim (everywhere, ca. 10')

Can't pick one performance. I never tire of hearing this great dancetune, and Motorpsycho didn't either. They played it nearly every night. So much fun.

7. Neverland (0510, 6'16”)

Not the version from a week earlier (0503 in Trondheim) which was a straight acoustic rendition of the recorded version. One week later it's become a rambling freeform acoustic monologue. A totally different perspective. A shame it disappeared right after.

8. In every dream home (0510, 19'26”)

In every dream home… grew and grew into this 19 minute monster, the longest version. And the longer it got, the better I liked it.

A close second is the version from 0523 in Hannover, a couple minutes shorter at 15' but also very exploratory.

9. 577 (0511, 13'03 or 0523, 14'01” or 0601, 18'17”)

Three favourite performances of the Trust Us classic. The main jams are the best on 0511 in Oslo and on 0523 in Hannover, but on 0601 in Genova they add a chilled final improvisation that lasts several blissfull minutes and I just can't resist.

10. You lied > Hogwash > Black to Comm (0511, 23'30”)

Rock energy. This stretch makes the hair on my arms stand up. From the second of silence right at the start of You Lied to the missed breaks in Black to Comm (covered up in a great way). Wow.

11. The other fool > Master builder > The alchemyst (0515, 25'17”)

The Other Fool was another (almost) nightly highlight. It's never rocked as hard as now. But it's only the start of a great suite in Copenhagen. 7 atmospheric minutes of chasing after Gong's Master Builder riff and then almost 13 minutes of The Alchemyst (great version).

The same suite appeared on 0517 in London and on 0523 in Hannover. Always great.

12. A Pacific sonata (0515, 17'22” or 0522, 22'44”)

Two wonderful versions of The Tower's epic ballad. The 0522 version adds several more minutes of suspense and release.

13. Pills, powders and passionplays (0516, 11'21”)

A one-off, but what a great, searching, psychedelic ballad. Made me see the song in a whole new light.

14. Triggerman (0517, 14'18”)

The improvisations in Triggerman and In Every dream Home on this tour seem cut from the same cloth, that sweet and clear, Grateful Dead meandering. Always a joy, the London performance has everything I love about its 2019 incarnation.

15. Lacuna/Sunrise (0522, 30'36”)

The longest performance of a single song of the tour, and the most far out space improvisation as well. The opening song from the Leuven show surpasses the Roadwork 5 version easily – and not only for the additional 6 minutes, it's what they do with those minutes. Not a moment is wasted. May well be the best performance of the tour.

16. Blueberry daydream (0522, 6'10")

Takes you all the way back. Never sung sweeter.

17. Heartattack Mac (0523, 13'54)

Threw me for a loop when this suddenly burst out of the speakers on the Hannover show. Epic, twisted, severe and crushing. The 0601 version in Genova is just as good.

18. Coventry boy (0530, 3'19”)

You have to turn the sound all the way up to hear this delicate version of the Velvet Underground-style ballad, but it's worth it.

19. Lacuna > Wheel > Sunrise (0530, 34'20”)

From a great, great show in Avellino, this is the highlight. A psychedelic, slow Lacuna morphs gently into a menacing, bad vibe The Wheel and back again.

20. Fool's gold (0602, 19'04” or 0522, 18'01)

In truth the Leuven version's the one for me, simply cause I experienced it then and there. But all of the real long versions are worth it. Still, the Reutlingen version has the symbolic edge, the last song from the last night of the tour. What can you play after this? Silence.

[The Other Anders]

Great post! There are 19 shows from this tour circulating.

[the visitant]

19? So I'm missing one. I've got:

0404 Bodo, 0410, Haugesund, 0411 Bergen, 0412 Bergen, 0413 Stavangen

0503 Trondheim, 0510 Gregers, 0511 Oslo, 0515 Copenhagen, 0516 Hamburg, 0517 London

0522 Leuven, 0523, Hannover, 0524 Wiesbaden, 0525 Lausanne

0530 Avellino, 0601 Genova, 0602 Reutlingen

Can't find any others on Dime.

[Punj Lizard]

@ the visitant – Give me your email address and I'll send you the London acoustic show.

[crossskip]

More than half of the Utrecht show can be found on Motorpsychedelic clips as well

[suntripper]

OK, Punj Lizard, you've finally flushed me out. I had to register after reading your post. I was at that memorable London acoustic show. I literally begged both Bent and Snah to keep coming over to England-land. They assured me they would. They make a loss coming over here and do it for love. They've had problems with promoters. I guess you probably know all this already, but it might be interesting for someone to read. John Murphy, who posted the Flashback interview, told me after the gig that he would upload the show he had filmed, once he got back from his holiday, assuming it had 'come out alright'. Four weeks on and I am losing hope that we will get to see it now. I read your act of kindness towards the visitant. I would so love to have a copy of your recording as a souvenir. I don't know about the etiquette or protocol here, so forgive me if I'm blundering in like an oaf.

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