Concerts

[triffid]

Originally Posted by Quokka

DOH! I knew I was tempting fate by posting early......Two tickets have turned into one for Powderfinger/Silverchair, its wait and see at the moment but I could well be passing my ticket on to my little sister

On the bright side I ended up going to see The War of the Worlds stage show on the weekend. It's a great show as long as you know what to expect. It isn't so much a musical/stage show as it is a live performance of Jeff Wayne's original release. Jeff Wayne was conducting the whole thing which I didn't realise going in and the longer it went on the better the CGI for Richard Burton seemed.

It was the first time I've been at the venue for years and I have to say it still sucks in the worst possible way, the accoustics inside are shocking and it literally took us longer to park the car then it did to drive the 75km to the venue. Then we had to be bused back to the venue because we had to park so far away and at the end of the show, for a few thousand people lining up for the buses back to the carpark there was 1 staff member directing people! He seemed to just give up and walk away as people starting fighting over jumping the queue. Luckily we got on one of the earlier buses.

Still a good night out

Got the special edition DVD of WotW musical at Christmas, what a cracking show! Really want to get tickets, maybe I'll see if there's any going for the O2.

Saw 30 seconds to Mars at the Brixton academy last friday, even though I only know a few of their tracks I thought it was a great performance. Jared Leto really knows how to engage the audience, even to the point of him crowd surfing . I will definatley be going to see these guys again!

[Quokka]

Wohoo!!! after having to wait until the last minute its official I'm going to the PowderChair concert in about 5 hours!

[Majimaune]

Damn you Quokka!!! The Sydney one was on the 9th and I couldn't go (mainly because I didn't have tickets) Your so damn lucky.

[Quokka]

Well, like I said above I did end up getting to the Across the Great Divide concert by Silverchair and Powderfinger on Saturday night and putting it simply it's probably the best concert I'll ever see. With two absolutely great Australian rock acts and both promoting new albums after a few years off.

I was definitely there to see Powderfinger but it was Silverchair who opened the night (after the support band) and to be fair that was a brilliant performance, Daniel Johns seemed to be really having fun and interacted with the crowd all through the set. I've been a fan for years but this was the first time I've seen Powderfinger live and loved hearing the new songs, of course singing along like a maniac to My Happiness with a few thousand other people was fun too.

(You know how alot of bands have that one, wave-your-lighter-in-the-air type song that they'd get mobbed if they didn't play? Well My Happiness is theirs.)

And congrats to the organisers, it was a sell out concert held outdoors (under a big top) and it took us about 5 minutes to get in, maybe 10 to get our first drink (and never more than a few minutes after that) with the longest wait of the night about 10-15 minutes in the toilet line which is hardly shocking. There was a nice mix of ages/people at the concert and I didn't notice any agro all night. The only downer was there was no PowderChair encore as has happened at other gigs but still a really, really great night .






Next up The Cat Empire at Freo Metropolis on the 25th of October

[Majimaune]

From what you have said it doesn't sound like they played much together. It sounds pretty awesome though. Wish I had gotten tickets.

Cat Empire should be good.

[Allegra]

Right now at London Barbican Hall, Evgeny Kissin has finished playing Beethoven’s 3rd Concerto (this Mozartian style concerto is one of my all time favourites) with London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis; Symphony ‘Eroica’ is on now. Yet here I am, sitting in front of my computer - it’s the first time I miss a Kissin concert at Barbican in three years. The all Beethoven concert tonight is also a celebration of Colin Davis 80’s birthday.

The bright side is that I have Kissin’s live recording of this concerto with Berliner Philharmoniker / Claudio Abbado, and the Berliner is peerless! Glenn Gould’s biographer Kevin Bazzana wrote in Wondrous Strange:"...they (Gould’s recordings) make us do with our ears what we do with our eyes when we stare." And that’s what I’m doing now, staring with my ears at Kissin’s Beethoven Concerto No.3.

For anyone who'd be interested, there's another good performance of the 3rd by Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman with Leonard Bernstein conducting Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - the 2nd best:

YouTube - Beethoven - concerto n°3 - 1st mvt (Zimerman)

[woodsman]

Most memorable - My first gig at school. It was immense playing to about 50-60 kids I was 12 at the time and intensley nervous but possibly one of the best times I've ever played so.........

Hoping to hit reading next year. Made it this year that was pretty awesome. Also sar Hed Hot Chilli Pepper in hyde park, hmmm what 4 years ago now - they were amazing one of the best live acts I've seen. Also School proms -last night as our school jazz band is playing I might head up to show some support/practise!

Want to go and see Swan Lake and would love to go to a vivaldi Concert/thingy.

[Quokka]

The Cat Empire - 25th October at the Fremantle Metropolis

I love this band and we had an absolute ball at the concert. They play live a bit like Billy Connolly tells a joke, they start in one place, get distracted, move all around and 20 minutes later you realise they're back to finish what they started. There's certainly never any quesion of lip syncing with them.

Congrats to the support band Symbiosis, for a bunch of aussie surfers they do some nice reggae inspired music

For those that haven't heard of The Cat Empire, there's a core band but they're also always bringing in guest musicians, there's two lead vocalists Felix who does vocals and percussion and Harry (who always looks like you've just woken him up) who does more the rap/skat vocals and is amazing on the trumpet.

There are better live videos out there but here's kinda what they're like:

YouTube - The Cat Empire - The Chariot Video

[Majimaune]

Its awesome that they were awesome. I would love to see them live.

[Allegra]

Went to Rome to see Evgeny Kissin playing Prokofiev, unfortunately he's ill and replaced by Nicolai Demidenko - good technique, right tempo, excellent conductor Charles Dutoit and the best orchestra in Italy - Santa Cecilia. However, the prokofiev's thrilling 3rd concerto did not thrill. It shows the difference between a good pianist and a great pianist.

Thankfully Dutoit's Ravel was as brilliant as you can get. Both Pavane pour une infante défunte and Daphnis et Chloé were breathtakingly beautiful. Much credit to the orchestra and the choir too.

[Adasunshine]

I haven't been to a concert in ages but I am off to see Queens of the Stone Age in February which I'm really looking forward to and being a big Madonna fan, seeing her "live" was a highlight for me!

xx

[Allegra]

Good news for Mahler lovers. The passionate, dramatic and brilliant LSO principal conductor Valery Gergiev will be conducting his orchestra in a complete cycle of Mahler's symphonies next year. Details of the concerts between Jan - June 08:

Barbican - Gergiev's Mahler

[Tillane]

Maximo Park, or "Tillane whinges on like an old fogey".

As some of you may know, months and months ago - so long, in fact that I'd almost forgotten about it - I bought a ticket to Maximo Park's gig at Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena as a kind of birthday present to myself. And tonight, in seriously cold conditions (it was something like -1C outdoors) I made my way to the Arena to watch the concert, full of anticipation at the prospect of seeing some great live music. It's now an hour or so since I got back, and I'm here to tell you I was sorely disappointed.

This was my first visit to the Arena, but I know a couple of people who've been before and they've both said that - while they enjoyed the gigs they went to see - they had found the sound system at the venue to be indifferent at best. Having now experienced it, I have to say they were right.

I got to the Arena earlyish - 7pm. Half an hour later the first support band came on, and it was at this point that I realised I was in for a disappointing night.

The band - a fairly indifferent indie-style four-piece - kicked off the event...and the sound system was so distorted I couldn't make out a word of the lyrics. Or really make out the tunes, either. And it was loud. Really loud. Eardrum-splittingly loud - and I was stood right at the back of the venue. It got so bad that I had to wander out into the foyer after half an hour to allow my ears (and head generally) to recover. The second band - a heavy metal group, I think, though I wouldn't like to guarantee it due to the fact that all I heard was a wall of noise - took to the stage at 8:30pm. After ten minutes I made my way back to the foyer to check that my ears weren't actually bleeding.

I returned at 9:30pm, when the Park actually started their set. This, I told myself, would be better. It had to be. And it was: Paul and the boys were excellent, and they played all the tunes I wanted to hear - but again the damn sound system let them down, and I left the gig glad that I'd seen them, but really p****d off at the venue for screwing things up so badly. Surely to god it isn't all that difficult to set up a sound system that works, one that actually allows you to hear the songs without a ton of distortion? One that doesn't leave you half-deaf and with a severe headache? Other venues manage it, so why not the Arena?

Sigh. I'll stop now. I've whinged enough. But I will not be returning to the Arena. I value my hearing too much.

[Majimaune]

Going To Foo Fighters!!

[Allegra]

Originally Posted by Tillane

Maximo Park, or "Tillane whinges on like an old fogey".

As some of you may know, months and months ago - so long, in fact that I'd almost forgotten about it - I bought a ticket to Maximo Park's gig at Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena as a kind of birthday present to myself. And tonight, in seriously cold conditions (it was something like -1C outdoors) I made my way to the Arena to watch the concert, full of anticipation at the prospect of seeing some great live music. It's now an hour or so since I got back, and I'm here to tell you I was sorely disappointed.

Sorry to hear your ordeal, Till. Hope you ears recovered fully. Will knowing that you are not the only one make you feel better? Well, as per my previous post re the Roma concert, that, was on my B'day too. At least you didn't have to fly to Metro Radio Arena to get disappointed! Kissin plays in Rome every year and it's not the 1st time he scheduled to play there on (not for) my B'day. But it's the 1st time for me to go for his concert on this special day. And, having the least cancellation rate among the world class soloists, he had to be placed due to illness – it must have been pretty serious. Thank goodness he'll bounce back on stage later this month in Paris.

Nicolai Demidenko wasn't bad as I said before, but the Steinway just sounded tinny and even out of the tune occasionally! The technician was tuning the piano almost till the last minute before the concert started - so typical Italian! I also can not praise the acoustic of St Cecilia's Auditorium, the sound seemed diluted. Not to mention the piano playing, instead of rivaling with the orchestra, it was overwhelmed by the orchestra at some most crucial passages. And yes, the audiences, I've never, ever, experienced such a noisy bunch! Consistent loud coughs from every corner, I tried counting to 10 to see if it’d stop for 10 seconds, nope, no luck.

Well, the Prokofiev 3rd concert was kaput, hopefully I'll compensate myself next month to see Kissin playing the 2nd, which I love even more than the 3rd. This time in London with Philharmonia and Ashkenazi. Wish me good luck.