Brad Mehldau and Chris Tile

As with most of Brad Mehldau's performances, he again succeeds to easily meet high expectations here. His duet with Chris Tile is one of its kind and hard to match.


Buddies: Täubchen, Birgit and Jakob
Rating: 5/5
Merch: none
Again: we already have tickets for the trio in spring 2018


This is not the entire setlist, their encores were too many and too various, but gives you a glimpse:
1. The Old Shade Tree
2. Tallahassee Junction
3. Fast As You Can
4. Independence Day
5. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
6. Scarlet Town
7. Dark Turn Of Mind

So even a duet of a piano and a mandolin, along with Chris Tile's vocals, works out, and the auditorium was amazed. For sure, this duet is on the more silent side, but Chris has his moments of (relative) loudness. Of course this can only work out with proper amplification, which I mostly liked. Only the mandoline scrubbing sounded sometimes a bit harsh to me, but that's probably just personal and just fine that way. It was music just made for mid-November, a bit melancholic, but never depressive, and powerful enough to warm your heart. After the fulminant Bach performance another very surprising highlight. It seems to me that Brad Mehldau has an extremely productive and inspired phase as a songwriter.

Laibach VI (Also Sprach Zarathustra Tour)

In its sixth reincarnation on stage, with its rather difficult new album Also Sprach Zarathustra with them, it is the expected difficult performance. My deteriorating health did not help.


Buddy: David
Rating: 3/5
Merch: none
Again? my NSK passport needs more entires ;-)






Setlist:
1. Von den drei Verwandlungen
2. Ein Untergang
3. Ein Verkündiger
4. Von Gipfel zu Gipfel
5. Das Glück
6. Die Unschuld II
7. Das Nachtlied I
9. Als Geist
10. Vor Sonnen-Aufgang
11. Parnassus
12. Cold Song
13. Anti-Semitism
14. Brat Moj
15. Hell: Symmetry
16. Le Privilege Des Morts
17. Ti, ki izzivas
18. Wirtschaft ist tot
19. Bossanova
20. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Sounds like a long gig, but it wasn't with approx 90 minutes.

My second entry into the NSK passport - geeky :)

Mogwai IV

Mogwai at its best: with a very good new album and with all the important songs in the setlist, including (finally) Haunted By A Freak


Rating: 5/5
Buddy: David
Merch: the new CD
Again: yes and yes and yes





Setlist:
Crossing the Road Material
Friend of the Night
Brain Sweeties
Haunted by a Freak
Rano Pano
Auto Rock
2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
Battered at a Scramble
Don't Beliefe the Fife
Remurdered
We're No Here
Old Poisons
Party in the Dark
Mogwai Fear Satan

I still remember when during a FaceBook Q&A of Mogwai, I did the one thing that you should never ask a band: I asked them whether they would finally play 'Haunted By A Freak' live during their new tour - and without much surprise, the question remained unanswered. I admit that this is a stupid question that every artist will hate. Just like a DJ will hate if somebody asks this DJ to play this one song that you do not plan to play (for whatever reasons). But I could not help. 'Haunted By A Freak' is one of the greatest gems that Mogwai has to offer - and the live versions I listened to on YouTube and their live CD are all very pleasing.

The even bigger surprise was that they had the song on their setlist, and it just completed this setlist as probably the single best setlist of my attended gigs. It reached through a very broad range of their impressive repertoire. As a second surprise, Mogwai had two new young band members on the drums and on the second guitar. Despite their young age, they acted like having played in that band for ages, still with much passion and dedication. And also like always, when the set reaches an end with the monumental 'Mogwai Fear Satan', you beg for ear tips. The moment, where three heavily distorted guitars, amongst them single coil equiped ones, head for full distortion at inhuman volumes. This is when Arena seems to hover some meters above ground and just finds this perfect pitch. Still the song is far longer than 10 minutes, and despite the low-volume sections, it makes your ears begging for help at the end. But the ringing in my ears was over some short term later, and even after some weeks I remember this gig very well as one of the absolute highlights and probably the best Mogwai gig I have seen so far. See you again mates, you are just perfect - and so many thanks for this one song!

Kadavar (Mantar)

One of the most credible incarnations of the Black Sabbath legacy. I had missed Kadavar twice, now finally.  (FIRST DRAFT, WILL BE EDITED FURTHER)

Buddies: Stolli and Simon

Rating: 4/5

Merch: a very credible Kadavar Patch

Again: yes \m/

For me young bands playing old style music became credible with Wolfmother. Their first years as a trio was pure retro, and very good. Kadavar are heading for similar aims, but with a slightly different twist. Finally at flex after quite some years, and it's the place as always to feel at home.

Mantar first. A band of two, playing to each other side-ways. It is for sure quite unique, but also really convincing.

 

The guitarist/shouter is some hell of a guy, very tough and energy driven. The drummer could be his father, but is by no means less tight. The guitar goes through a long effects route, which makes sense in such a band constellation.

Despite being only two of them, there is a hell lot going on here. 

Kudos to you guys, you were great!

Kadavar rocks the crowd from the very first moment. Though they apparently did not take the sound check that seriously, resulting in a very low volume that cranked up just some two songs later. Also their appearance is peculiar: The drummer takes the front of the stage, the guitarist/singer (the combination I adore most) on the left and the bassisst on the right side.

Oh my god, this drummer. I cannot help, but he seems to be also the human incarnation of The Animal (Muppets). The looks, of course the hair, ventilated by a fan all the time into the air, and the looks - his eyes staring into the crowd. 

So hilarious, still completely credible as a drummer. Means that he plays in the center for a reason. Rock on, Animal!

Kadavar's music is pure Seventies. The guitar riffs, while no mock-up of something heard for a thousand times, are spot on from that area. I mean that in a very positive sense - like with Wolfmother, their interpretation of Seventies Hard Rock feels just right. 

(to be continued)

Artillery and Onslaught

Thrash Metal revisited, at its best

Buddy: Stolli

Rating: 4/5

Merch: Fear of Tomorrow Tee and Badge

Again? Anytime

Back in the Eighties, the famous Metal Hammer magazine wrote a stellar review of Artillery's debut 'Fear Of Tomorrow', and I went for it. Compared to the heroes of that time, such as Metallica, it turned out to be one of the more sinister albums. It definitely had an impact on me but remained quite unknown in my small Metal community.

When Stolli asked me to join this gig, there was no need to think about it. Of course I took the vinyl from that time with me, hoping to get somebody sign it. Escape Met

Tori Amos (Bell X1]

Konzerthaus Wien sees a support act from Dublin and fog machines along with a brilliant Tori Amos. Enthousiastic fans contributed to a very nice evening.

Bell X1 present very good songwriting and a crystal clear sound that a venue such as Konzerthaus Wien is capable of.

During the encores, Tori‘s fans no longer cared and were at the stage

Wacken 2017 - Introduction of a New Apprentice

Yes, Wacken again - quite unbelievable. Bust just as last year, a rather last-minute approach bought me into that thing once again. This time with Lorenz as a truely new apprentice, and it was a blast, again. 

Rating: 5/5 - for the mood, for the fun, and for all the music, whether we liked it or not

Buddy: Lorenz, a true metalhead, because he was never really into metal (besides Halloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys), but did not hesitate to join

We met there: Richard and Rudi (again in a tent under quite unbelievable conditions)

Merch: the unavoidable Wacken T-Shirt

Again?  In the very first week of the new sale, we bought three tickets for 2018 - Stolli, Lorenz and myself. Wacken will continue - and the setlist is already a feast.

Deep Purple - The Long Goodbye (Monster Truck)

So it is another farewell gig. I joined my friend Herb with a bit of mixed feelings, but it turned out to be a fabulous night.



Score: 5/5
Buddy: Herb
Merch: three signed Bass picks
Again? It's their farewell.



PS - another farewell: As it turned out, Chris Cornell died this night. He will never be forgotten. "Say Hello To Heaven" - he wrote it for his friend from Mother Love Bone, became reality for him. A very sad end of the day.

Brad Mehldau - Three Pieces after Bach

Turns out to be his most interesting and intense performance so far.


Score: 5/5
Buddy: Jakob
Merch: nope
Again? Anytime, anyplace

Jazz and Classical performances are hardest to review. First there is always a lot of history behind this music to embrace Second the level of Classical performances, in particular in Konzerthaus Wien, rather leaves it to the experts than to the occasional listener to express an opinion. Bearing that in mind and not having that much knowledge of musical history, it's typically very hard for me to judge. A subjective moment.

Not in this case - at least to a significantly lesser degree. When Brad Mehldau plays Bach, this is fundamentally different.

As I learnt from the  Konzerthaus Wien website, Brad Mehldau is originally trained as a classical musician. His initial approach to Bach seems classical first. I admire his strict and precise Legato, which is so important in Bach (compared to the masters of Bach, he plays more Legato, which I really like). Some seconds later, there is this groove that changes everything. Far away from any metronomesqhe precision, his interpretations imply rhythmical flexibility I have never heard before - in Bach. 

Brad Mehldau goes further by introducing his improvisation after every piece - and this is where the sun starts to shine. Yes, the sun because now very impressionistic themes erase the remaining heavy touch that Bach so often can have. Much lighter and far more enjoyable, at the same time fascinating.

His programme on this evening:

Johann Sebastian Bach

Präludium 3 Cis-Dur BWV 848 (Das wohltemperierte Klavier, Band I) (1722)

Brad Mehldau

After Bach 1: Rondo (Three Pieces After Bach) (2015) (EA)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Präludium C-Dur BWV 870 (Das wohltemperierte Klavier, Band II) (1738-1742)

Fuge 16 g-moll BWV 885 (Das wohltemperierte Klavier, Band II) (1738-1742)

Brad Mehldau

After Bach 2: Ostinato (Three Pieces After Bach) (2015) (EA)

***

Johann Sebastian Bach

Präludium 6 d-moll BWV 851 (Das wohltemperierte Klavier, Band I) (1722)

Brad Mehldau

After Bach 3: Toccata (Three Pieces After Bach) (2015) (EA)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Allemande (aus Partita Nr. 4 D-Dur BWV 828) (1726-1731)

Brad Mehldau

Improvisation on Bach I

Johann Sebastian Bach

Präludium und Fuge 12 f-moll BWV 857 (Das wohltemperierte Klavier, Band I) (1722)

Brad Mehldau

Improvisation on Bach II

-----------------------------------------

Encore:

Radiohead

Little By Little

George Gershwin

How Long Has This Been Going On (Rosalie) (1927)

Frank Loesser

The Inch Worm