A Word

***Wacken 2018 - view from the Jägermeister Deer

Live gigs are essential. Remembering them is sometimes even more fun (but writing tedious ;-). Short stories about great gigs - and the others as well. This is strictly non-commercial and just my humble taste/opinion.

10 December 2012

Frittenbude (Bratze)

Location: Arena Wien, Franzosengraben/Arena, Industriegebiet Erdberg, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Another gig that easily surpasses my expectations. This popular electro punk band simply kicks ass - with a Panda on stage. Probably my worthy final in this year 2012.

A brief Tour De Force through an electrifying gig




Buddy: Michael
Score: 4,5 out of 5
Merchandise: none
Another Gig: never say never

Michael and me significantly raise the average age of a young audience. One of them even suspects me to be an undercover policeman (however, with a huge smile on his face ;-).

19 November 2012

MUSE (Everything Everything)

Location: Wiener Stadthalle, 1150 Wien, Österreich
To my relief, Wiener Stadthalle on the seated second floor can make sense. Allegedly 16.000 are there ...


I captured some moments from the jaw-dropping intro and other songs in this short movie. Unfortunately, the smartphone camera is too weak for capturing those great laser beams...

Buddies: Sybille, Michael
Score: 4 out of 5
Merchandise: Cute Muse Guitar Picks, T-Shirt
Another Gig: Probably one is just right  

Support: So Everything Everything is not only one of the better Underworld releases, but also a band from the UK. They play in a (literally) cool atmosphere, their best moments are when they sound a bit like Coldplay - but maybe with a bit too much falsetto. All in all, the difference to Muse could not be much bigger. They could do well in e.g. Arena. 

Muse genuinely impress me from the very first moment. It is music for venues like this. A band of three fills the huge stage, everything fits perfectly, the dramatic and bombastic harmonies, the show, the lights, the stunning visuals, the live cameras, the frenetic crowd that is with the band from the very first second. Our view from far up behind is not bad at all, but you need binoculars to actually recognise the band. And yes, it is a band of three, although there is another guy behind the keyboards - but this one stands in the dark most of the time - that gives me a rather strange impression. 

Well, while their entire performance is just stunning, the sound in Wiener Stadthalle isn't. But very creative visuals, all possible sound effects you can imagine, three songs with a piano, a strange all-metal guitar amp (I was not sure whether it actually worked). My major complaint (besides the hefty price tag) is that Matthew Bellamy's innovative guitar play has gotten less and less important through the years. The real question (similar to The Killers) is, whether Muse really goes more and more into electro. The evil-sounding bariton guitar lets me hope that this is not the case. But all in all, it is a great party. And when Muse closes with "Knights Of Cydonia", everything is just fine.

Here's the setlist, thanks to the Internet:
1. The 2nd Law - Unsustainable
2. Bliss
3. Panic Station
4. Resistance 

5. Supermassive Black Hole 
6. Animals
7. Monty Jam
8. Explorers
9. Sunburn
10. Time Is Running Out
11. Liquid State
12. Madness
13. Follow Me
14. Undisclosed Desires
15. Plug In Baby
16. Stockholm Syndrome

Encore:
17. The 2nd Law: Isolated System
18. Uprising
19. Survival

Encore 2:
20. Starlight
21. Knights of Cydonia



Yeah - and here is Knights of Cydonia :-)

Some nice photos are available here.

05 November 2012

Guest Review by Frantischek: Therapy? II and MLE

Location: Szene Wien, Hauffgasse 26, 1110 Vienna, Austria
It is another gig I missed due to sickness. My buddy Frantischek wrote a splendid review that must be preserved in German. In short: If you are in need of a therapy, that is the place to be :-). And we all get older in dignity - at 120 db :-)

Buddy: Frantischek
Score: 5 out of 5
Another Gig? Anytime




"5.11.2012, 20 Uhr, Szene Wien. Der Abend beginnt grandios, denn unmittelbar vor der Szene ist ein Parkplatz frei (sonst suche ich dort im Durchschnitt 10 Minuten). Ich treffe den Toni, der Stefan liegt leider krank im Bett. Die Vorband soll um 20:30 beginnen, Therapy um 21:30. Vorerst mal ein Bierchen. Pünktlich beginnt die Vorband, sie nennen sich MLE, das man ausspricht wie die Dame, für die Simon und Garfunkel ein Liedchen geschrieben haben. MLE spielen ähnlich wie Placebo, wenn sie wie Therapy? klingen wollen, dies mit einen Zusatzgitarristen. Die Burschen (stammend aus Wien und NÖ) sind insofern originell, als sie dem Publikum mitteilen, dass man auf http://www.mle-music.com/ einen Song gratis downloaden kann. Ein Hinweis, dass man auch die draußen aufliegenden CDs oder LPs kaufen kann (darf, muss) kommt nicht – oder ich überhöre ihn, weil ich mir nur 4 Songs gebe.

Pünktlich um 21:30 beginnen Therapy? In den folgenden 90 Minuten bleibt kein Wunsch offen. Man ist mit sich und der Welt im Reinen, im Innersten erfreut, einfach glücklich. Der Rock ‘n‘ Roll soll vor allem auch unterhalten, und das können die Burschen auf der Bühne sehr gut. Dabei sind sie stets darauf bedacht, dass das Publikum mitmacht und auch deren Stimmbänder und Hände in regelmäßigen Abständen zum Einsatz kommen. Die gute Laune wird buchstäblich zwischen Künstlern und Konsumenten hin- und her gespiegelt. Auch das ist eine Besonderheit dieses Abends. Die Musik ist hart, schnell und laut, doch die Harmonien und Gesangsmelodien wurzeln in der hohen keltischen Liedkultur 1). Die Setlist weist alte und neue Songs auf. Ich selbst bin eher im Schaffen der Band aus den 1990er Jahren zu Hause. Gern erinnere ich mich an ihr erstes Wien-Konzert Anfang 1993 im WUK. Bald sind das 20 Jahre! Von der damaligen Zeit spielen sie aus dem Album „Nurse“ das grandiose „Nausea“ und „Teethgrinder“. Aus dem genialen Album „Troublegum“ wird das Publikum mit den „Hits“ wie etwa „Screamager“ und natürlich „Nowhere“ verwöhnt. Aus „Infernal Love“ kommt „Diane“ in einer guten harten Version daher, keine Spur mehr von den Cello-Impressionen, welche die Band dem Publikum im Gefolge dieses 1995 erschienen Albums verordnete.

Ende der 1990er Jahre habe ich die Band ein wenig „verloren“, wobei ich mir die „guten alten Songs“ immer wieder gern anhöre. Vom neuen Schaffen der Band kannte ich nichts, ein paar Juwelen, denen ich nachspüren möchte, waren aber gestern dabei. Im Ergebnis war dies mein feinstes Therapy?-Konzert, was insofern schön ist, als das dem gestrigen an Intensität und Freude am nächsten stehende Konzert jenes vor rund 20 Jahren war. Wir altern also allesamt würdig. Die Freude der Burschen auf der Bühne wurde also auf mich nachhaltig übertragen. Wobei: ein wenig Irrsinn blitzt aus den Augen des Sängers – neben der Fröhlichkeit – schon auch heraus. Das macht nichts: Aufklärung (im Sinne Kants) ist der Ausgang des Menschen aus seiner selbstverschuldeten Unmündigkeit – bezogen auf das achtzehnte und beginnende neunzehnte Jahrhundert. Der Irrsinn ist vielleicht der Ausgang des Menschen aus der Unmündigkeit der aktuellen Konsumgesellschaft. Hat das nicht schon mal wer gesagt?



1) What your're telling us is that Punk originates from the Celts?!? *ggg* - so how many beers did you have at that night?!?



13 October 2012

Andreas Böhlen Quartett

Location: Birdland, Gärtnerstraße 122, 20253 Hamburg, Deutschland
A very young jazz quartett plays modern jazz that is still dedicated to its roots. I captured some short impressions in this video that tells about everything:



Score: 4 out of 5
Buddy: Täubchen
Another Gig? Sure!

It has been a rather cold and rainy day in Hamburg and we are late. Fortunately, Birdland is heated well. It is a small jazz venue, but we manage to find a decent place. The quartett offers everything for a very nice evening of modern jazz (plus one part of contemporary music). With us being late, the gig is eventually rather short, but it still feels right. Kudos to a very young team of highly gifted musicians.

11 September 2012

Superpunk (FM4 Surprise Gig)

Location: Stadtsaal, Mariahilfer Straße 81, 1060 Vienna, Austria
I was not aware that Vienna has its own 'Stadtsaal' on Mariahilfer Straße. FM4 organised a surprise gig of Superpunk, a Hamburg alternative/rockabily band. But even more significantly, this should have been the last concert of their career (if it's true ;-).

No tickets at FM4 Surprise Gigs :).

Buddy: Michael M-W (thanks a lot for taking me with you!)
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Merchandize: no purchase
Another gig? Well, it was their last concert

10 September 2012

Laibach III

Location: Arena, Industriegebiet Erdberg, Vienna, Austria
Monumental Retro-Avant-Garde - you cannot say it better.




Buddy: Michael M-W
Score: 4,5 out of 5
Merchandize: a very cool Laibach belt
Another gig? Yeah, even a fourth one!



This is my third Laibach gig and the band still surprises me. Without doubt, this one is the best gig I've seen of them. I saw Laibach in the old Gasometer and they were great (they should open a Type O Negative gig but the main act cancelled) and then in Szene Wien (see review below), when they were more trendy than these days. So I did not expect much.

I had not listened to anything from their OST for 'Iron Sky' (I do not care that much about soundtracks these days). But the live contributions of 'Under The Iron Sky' and 'America' were impressive. Melodic, but still strong and with that special Laibach industrial flavour. Great analogue synths paired with latest high-end tones. Impressive vocal contributions. Add some stunning visuals (including Iron Sky excerpts) and a good-as-usual sound in Arena, and you have the perfect industrial concert. The Arena floor has been shrunk, which was actually a good idea (especially if I remember the industrial gig before that gig in half-empty Szene Wien...).

Highlights besides the new songs from 'Iron Sky' were (of course) 'One Vision', 'Tanz Mit Laibach' and a fantastic version of 'Alle Gegen Alle'. The second encore, to my big surprise, was 'God Is God' from Jesus Christ Superstar, IMHO one of their most powerful songs (here I missed the guitars from the CD recording quite a bit).

Just half a point deduction for a missing support band - but nothing else was to be expected from this band :-). Thank you Laibach, it was a great evening. And I will honor that belt - must do so for that price *ggg*

PS: If you wanna get an idea about how Laibach sounds live in 2012, I can recommend you the official double-CD recording of the Tate Modern Gig available here: http://abbeyroadlive.sandbag.uk.com/Store/DisplayArtist.html?CatID=236

30 June 2012

Fernwärme Wien Jazz (Count Basic, Till Brönner, Jazzkantine)

Location: Fernwärme Wien Ges.mbH, Spittelauer Lände 45, 1090 Wien, Österreich


At 36 Celsius, Smooth Jazz is probably the only thing you can bear for some time. The gig was more or less for free (see ticket price), the mood relaxed. The video speaks for itself.


Buddy: Täubchen
Score: 3 out of 5
Another gig? Yes, at lower temperatures