#b stage was encore this time but worth it

[lynsburner]

Hi bestie 🖤

Hey uhhh Andrew, what are we?

[polybplumbing]

Poly B Pipe Replacement - Case Study #23

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The Science Behind Poly B Replacement - A Deep Dive into Case Study #23

The Unsung Heroines and Heroes of Your Home: Navigating the Maze of Poly B Pipes

When our trusty pipes provide us a service day in and day out, we hardly give them a second thought, much like the understated yet vital role of a screenwriter to a blockbuster hit. It's only when the credits stop rolling and the dreaded 'Poly B' makes a cameo appearance do we take notice. And boy, do we take notice! At Urban Piping, we're rolling out the red carpet for the silent champions of your home's plumbing system with our unrivaled expertise in Poly B replacement – your plumbing deserves nothing less than a star-studded cast of experienced pros.

The Plot Thickens: Unveiling Poly B's True Character

If you've recently tuned into our insightful Case Study #23, you've caught a glimpse of the plot twists that Poly B pipes can inject into the narrative of a home. These pipes, once a favored protagonist in the Canadian home construction saga of the 1970s to the 90s, are now a ticking time bomb due to their penchant for suddenly bursting onto the scene - and causing devastating water damage in their wake.

Behind the Scenes with Urban Piping

Determined to give your plumbing the blockbuster ending it deserves, we at Urban Piping have taken center stage. Our team, armed with decades of experience, mastery of the latest plumbing technologies, and an impeccable reputation, expertly navigates the intricate network of Poly B to ensure your home gets the happy ever after it deserves. Whether you're in Calgary, Edmonton, or Vancouver, our fortitude, and precision-dedicated plumbing maestros are at your service.

A Standing Ovation for Innovation

I know what you're thinking. Poly B replacement sounds like an epic saga fraught with chaos. But fear not! Urban Piping orchestrates this feat with the precision of a maestro, ensuring minimal disruption to your everyday symphony. Transitioning from the fragile Poly B to the robust, reliable options of today is a performance you don't want to miss - and we've got the front-row seats reserved for you.

A Show Worth Financing

We understand that not everyone is ready for an impromptu intermission in their budget. That's why our show-stopping service comes with an encore — the chance to finance your Poly B pipe replacement, starting from only $150/mo. Why wait for the final curtain call when you can preemptively cast Poly B out of your home's narrative?

Visit Poly B Piping Case Studies for more thrilling accounts, plot twists, and happy endings delivered by Urban Piping. Take control of your home's plumbing story today and let us direct the ultimate Poly B replacement scene.

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[marasmusicnotes]

Simply Red

July 8, 2023 - Zitadelle Spandau (Berlin)

Ah, finally seeing Simply Red again after 20 YEARS! Goodness, I’m an old fart. Well, not as old as the usual Simply Red audience, it seems, as everyone around us was either a pensioner or getting there soon.

To backtrack a bit, the s.o. and I had a relaxed summer afternoon at Spandau and then headed towards the beautiful Zitadelle around 6pm. The show was supposed to start earlier than usual for concerts. It was packed already, but we managed to get to the front section.

I was super excited and reminiscent of the first time I saw Simply Red. There’s just something special about summer pop concerts out in the open.

The support act was some German artist whose name I forgot. He was okay. We must have been next to his mom or some other family member because that person knew every single song and danced to the point where some old farts (not us!) got annoyed and left. I thought she was great. I want to be like her in 20 years.

And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited some more. At least the sun started setting and will not burn our foreheads anymore. (Should've brought a hat.)

Then FINALLY, Mick appeared on stage with a loud “HELLOOO SCHATZIEEEES!!” and a large grin on his face. Everyone instantly relaxed and bursted laughing, although the main act started with a non-typical delay for pünktliches Germany.

Simply Red covered all their hits, starting with the latest one Better With You, and continuing with Thrill Me, Fake, Holding Back the Years... Stars and Sunshine were, of course, a perfect combo a bit later, and Fairground was played before the encore. So much happiness!

The band was great, a mix of new and old faces, but there were no backup singers this time. 

Instead, Mick covered those beautiful parts in Sunrise in his own voice, and it was the most amazing thing. His voice is still as bright, strong, and clear as ever, and he’s still a damn good showman, joking at every turn.

We danced our way through to the bar during encore’s Money's Too Tight to Mention, and then proceeded to pull back and run home as soon as the show ended because L&B were visiting us. A bit rushy end, but still an awesome time!

Rating: 12/10, worth the sunburns

[kyotakumrau]

2021.06.05 DIR EN GREY SOGAI at Tokyo Garden Theater

01 DOZING GREEN - acoustic version

-Intro-

02 絶縁体・Zetsuentai

03 空谷の跫音・Kuukoku no kyouon

.

04 人間の被る・Ningen wo kaburu

05 Devote My Life

06 CLEVER SLEAZOID

07 DIFFERENT SENSE

.

08 赫・Aka

09 Ranunculus

-inward scream-

10 谿壑の欲・Keigaku no yoku

11 The World of Mercy

12 朧・Oboro

13 かすみ・kasumi

ENCORE

en14 Followers

en15 OBSCURE

en16 落ちた事のある空・Ochita koto

en17 Sustain The Untruth

en18 激しさと・Hageshisa

my report under the cut ↓

Today felt so weird at first. Getting ready it felt like I was going to another screening event, it took some time for it to sink in that today it's going to be different, that it's going to be an actual live concert. That they will be playing on the stage.

Even already waiting in my seat it still didn't feel real.

The venue, Garden Theater, is amazing. I was on the 2nd floor balcony B, so quite on the left (shimote), but the view was amazing. I mean it was not close to the stage, but the round shaped audience and steep steps between rows were designed really well. And I was lucky to be at the end of the row so I had a higher barrier to grab when headbanging. I made a proper use of it!!!! 😆

Around 4:45ish many of the venue staff came to hold the black curtain hiding the stage firmly, not leaving any chances we could have a peek?😅 Anyway, the walls, ceiling and curtain were all black with white 疎外 projected on it.

People were still coming in a bit past 5,

The PA table was ready but still relaxed. I had a quick look at the leaflets left for us at our seats. We were all sat separated with an empty seat even if you got 2 tickets together.

Finally at 5:13 the lights went off and the curtained opened. We were greeted by the sound of acoustic guitar first... three band members sat on chairs, Kaoru, Toshiya on the left and Die on the right, Kyo was standing, Shinya in the back on drums. The lights were quite dim with gentle spotlights on the members.

Acoustic DOZING GREEN. It was sush a magical start! It set the mood for 'no singing or shouting' policy. I loved this take so much🖤

And it finally felt real. A real live performance😭❤️

Btw there were so many cameras they definitely have plans to release the footage from tonight's show somehow, we should all just pray they will include all songs🙏

...and speaking of cameras, Shinya had a small camera riding around his drum set, from afar it looked like a model train set😂

After the acoustic song the staff quickly picked up the chairs to take them off the stage and the band members changed the instruments for the rest of the set.

In the background the intro for SOGAI was playing. I can remember a figure with their arms raised towards the sun or sky like in a prayer (the figure appeared later in one more video but I can't remember which song) and that DIR EN GREY 疎外 appeared as letters made of ice.

Kaoru had his hair slicked back, wearing dark/black clothes. Toshiya had the jacket with gold elements. Shinya white shirt and pink hair. Die had a long red jacket with a black spiraly pattern.

Kyo had very light blond hair and wore make up including two larger dots on his forehead, and a gold chain. He wore a jacket in the beginning, with a white shirt underneath. At first I thought he had a scarf but later on the front of his shirt and his chest was all red with (fake) blood so I think it was blood from the start.

We clapped when 疎外・SOGAI appeared on the screen and as they were to start. There was movement in the audience from Zetsuentai, we could wave our hands, headbang and so on, but it was so different not being able to sing and shout... but Toshiya definitely was doing great with all the back vocals and shouts that were usually done by us...I don't remember hearing him so clearly until today😆

Kuukoku followed and we listened.

After a short break when the four standing band members waited turned came Ningen wo Kaburu and a change of mood. We did great staying quiet but still staying active during the song.

The clapping between songs was fierce and often!

And OMFG the start of Devote! I gasped when the screen showed a gold Tokyo Olympics logo! But then the footage started to show the logo melting, multitude of gold coins, running in a race giant gold babies (like a disturbing image of a baby that seems like an adult made of gold) who then started to march like an army and held firearms, fighting, terrorizing, and then coins again and the gold Olympics logo again and it kept changing. And "価値が欲しい/ 生きる価値が欲しい / 残酷なお前が・I want to have a worth / for my life to have a worth / cruel you" had us all raising our fists. It was a very powerful performance. And then they followed that with CLEVER SLEAZOID. The setlist tonight was 💯👌

One of the videos had various scenes of war and fighting, even the dates 1941, 42, 43 and 44 with some descriptions under them, but they showed so many conflicts it was more as if to show that humans just keep fighting same wars over and over again...

Starting from Aka the mood changed again, they continued on the route to grab, tear and stab our hearts... was it all this time without hearing Kyo live or was it all this time for Kyo not singing live with dir... the raw emotions delivered cut really deep. The inward scream was just crying at first, gasping for breath, then Kyo stood up holding the mics wire, the mic bumped loudly against the stage and the crate, then Kyo returned to the crate and crouched on the top while he continued to cry. Keigaku tonight was one of the darkest performances of the song I've heard. And Kyo changed the lyrics at least partially in the beginning, at first was something about a birth? (I want the footage from tonight so bad)

The World of Mercy was just... so miserable. So unhappy. And by this time I had no doubts about the red on Kyo's shirt.

For Oboro they used the footage from the pv in the back and red lasers on the stage as well. In the beginning there was only one set on Kyo, who stood with his arms raised as in wanting to grab the red lines. Two more red laser sets were added to the sides, one on Die and other on Kaoru and Toshiya. They looked like lava or fire at times, especially when catching on things. Oboro was amazing live, it's such a strong song to pull us from where the World of Mercy has left us a moment before.

Also, Kyo's stand was updated with Oboro theme: the stand itself is quite plain but there's a big bloody pregnant belly with legs bend at its sides under the crate... it looks quite grotesque, like being tucked under a staircase or ...under the tatami.

They closed the main set with Kasumi. It was so wonderful to have Oboro and Kasumi back to back.

And then we clapped and clapped and clapped until they came back.

We got very powerful encore as well. To me Followers was to help us pick up the heart pieces and put it back together. And then the other 4 songs were to pump us with the energy. The headbanging, the ...hand-scream-pumps! And they all kept asking for more! All four of them started to walk to the other sides of the stage, coming to the edge of the stage. Ochita is a mighty song, we can respond so much now, I can only imagine what it will become in the future!!

The energy got so overwhelming, the energy we couldn't shout out, I couldn't help but start crying as we were still headbanging and raising and waving our hands.

Before Hageshisa Kyo kept shouting 'last song! Last song!! LAST one' and hitting the mic on his chest. We went mad.

They couldn't throw anything like they used to, but I think they stayed a bit longer on the stage because of that. They all had a good look at the audience before they left, Kyo first, waving us goodbye as he jumped down from his stand. I kept clapping and the rest of band members left one by one, Shinya, Toshiya, Die and then Kaoru last. Kaoru took a pick from his stand and saluted us as he was leaving. But I was crying too much at this point to notice more.

It was incredible.

It was like noticing what was missing when your life gradually started to grow dull but it happened so slowly you haven't realized it was happening. That energy, just, woah.

And then they announced the autumn tour! The video showed a dirty, polluted river and a boat with people in safety suits on it. And then the title came up and dates.

Desperate. So accurate.

[theirloveisgross]

KiwiKiwiKiwi live: a religious experience. (A long-ass post about my experience that I wanted to keep somewhere forever.)

If someone had told me 9 months ago I'd be at Harry Styles' last show of his tour, I would have scoffed at them and say why would I be there if I wasn't even a fan of the man. Cool guy, but that was it.

If they had told me the same thing 6 months ago, I would have said that I would much rather see him in a smaller venue sometime in the future, who-knows-when, massive arenas weren't appealing to me.

If they had told me that 3 months ago, I would be happy and ready to watch as many livestreams of the shows as I could. But please, give me a break, I'd been processing the husband's free festival.

Well- After having watched around a month's worth of livestreams I would already be considering going to the show closest to me.

And yes, I did end up going to Tacoma. I was on the second row in the lower bowl, eye-level to one of the B stages, and saw him quite close when he came to sing Cherry. Whenever he pranced anywhere else, it was hard to see him, so I had to resort to the screens most of the time. However, I had a great time, I sang and danced my heart out and it was a pleasure to be angry with him during Kiwi. Not even being the last person to leave the arena over 3 hours after the show ended, shivering in the cold, due to a lack of ride-sharing services and public transit, could have dampened the night.

Two days before that show, I made the unhinged decision to try to get tickets for his last show on November 28 in NYC. My boss even encouraged me, bless her. I managed to snag one (at a ridiculous price. Ticketmaster: 🖕).

I checked flight prices everyday. I live on the West Coast, and they didn't seem to go down. The thought of maybe re-selling the ticket crossed my mind a couple of times but I immediately pushed it away because I knew I wouldn't forgive myself if I did.

Fast-forward, whirrrr (yes, that's the sound of tape fast-forwarding): got flights, got a stay, got a ride, and then I was sitting on the upper-bowl of the new UBS Arena in Long Island, NY and got a pretty great view of the whole stage. Could see where he was and what he was doing at all times, and if I needed close-ups of his facial expressions the screens were right on my face.

I had the time of my life. This was by far the best concert I have ever been to in my entire life. Again, I sang and danced my heart out, as Harry kindly asked us to do, and my brain could not fully handle what happened after the encore.

The probability of him singing Medicine was quite high, with it being his last show, New York and people asking for it... And yet, I was not ready to witness it and rock to it in the same room as Harry!

Good to note, I was surrounded by casual fans, so only a couple of them knew about Medicine. And there was me, just completely ELATED to see him sing the blowjob anthem and I could have sworn he sung it more aggressively and passionately, or maybe it feels like that live? Mind you, I haven't been able to check ALL the videos from the night, so can't confirm if that was the case, BUT it felt like that. His innuendos were on point and he was just living it!

And that was it! I was so so happy, not really thinking that it could get any better than that. While he introduced the band and sang Watermelon Sugar, my mind couldn't stop thinking that we had Kiwi left. My absolute favorite performance of his. He just goes off, and I can feel his anger every time, from a livestream, from a recorded video, from seeing him live for the first time. My mind was reeling in anticipation...

But oh boy... Was I NOT prepared for what happened.

"Stopstopstopstop", he said after we all sang the first verse. And I just- screaaamed. He was daring us, edging us. "You don't realize this is the last song of the tour, do you? I'm gonna need a little bit more than that". It started again... and he stopped us yet again.

Now, let me tell you something... The edging is way worse when you're in the same room.

I remember watching Harryween and even though I screamed at him and couldn't believe him, I did not feel the desperation. Well, being metres away from it...... The desperation is fucking real.

I had lost it. I just needed him to get on with it. My heart and brain couldn't take more of it, "much better... 20% more and we'll be good to go", he said while I screamed "do it three times then!". Yup, I did. Reminder that I had casual fans around me and they wouldn't have known what I was talking about, but the three consecutive Kiwi performances from his last show of Live On Tour live in my mind rent-free and they get food and amenities delivered at no cost, and they actually get paid to be there because my mind doesn't want to ever let them go.

I understood that that night of July 14 2018 was a one-off, something that happened only once to very lucky people and it would only remain a dream to ever experience.

EVEN THEN, I could have never DREAMED that that was going to happen in front of my very own eyes with a Harry wearing only a shiny bronze-ish vest with most of his tattoos on full display.

He started it again, and I saw him giving the thumbs up to someone, as in "I won't stop it this time", I assumed. I rocked out hard to it, yelled with him, punched the air with him, felt his rage, our rage, all of it.

The thought "maybe because of Covid he will just leave after it's finished. A few extra waves, maybe, and he'll go home" crossed my mind.

The song's ending... He makes to go to the catwalk, stops at the step, then he brings a finger up to his mouth with a pondering expression and goes back to the mic...

"She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes...", breathlessly, and I just yelled the lyrics AGAIN with even more rage, if that's even possible? Didn't know I was so mad!

Harry baptizes some more people for the second time, and after "she sits beside me like a silhouette", I scream, I punch the air, I jump, I stomp my feet, I bang my head, I just let it all out, and Harry does the same. I am slightly aware the people around me are just enjoying it but I was just so fucking angry.

It ends for the second time. He thanks New York. Then, this time, he just goes to the mic stand again, visibly spent and "she worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes". I couldn't contain the shriek that came out from the depths of my soul. It felt like the release of the pent-up anger I kept inside, I guess mostly caused by all the injustice I've had to witness throughout my life, and more specifically about everything I've learned in the last few months. To say it was cathartic is an understatement.

He yelled something into the mic that I couldn't quite understand, because well, my state was a bit deranged. A couple of hours later I would see a video of the moment, him saying "they're gonna have to kill me to get me off here" with such anger and pointing aggressively at himself. I knew he was also mad but getting that glimpse so clearly is just- holy fuck.

"I'm having your baby, it's none of your business". How I managed to yell-sing this song a third time will remain a mystery, I just kept on going with Harry, breathlessly... And we stomped our feet, punched the air, banged our heads, screamed our hearts out, because... WHAT THE FUCK, you know?

And then... he did the whale for real, he hugged and bowed with his band, he waved and waved, and blew kisses at everyone, and it honestly looked like he did not want to get off that stage.

Harry, thank you for an unforgettable night. Thank you for the best concert of my life. Thank you for leaving it all out there. Thank you for the 40+ shows (of which I probably watched 35) and making the effort to make so many people happy, I hope we made you happy as well and that you felt all of the right love. Thank you for being you, there's so many of us that see YOU, never forget that. I can't wait to see you again, and be angry at all the bullshit in the same room with you again.

Love, J.

[ragingpancake]

Ancients bless you for writing McShep. ♥️ I would LOVE to read something about John finding out Rodney plays piano o.o ... And maybe Rodney finds out John plays guitar O.O ... And m a y b e they start playing together 🥺🥺🥺 Or really anything involving them and their respective instruments; it can go wherever you want. ♥️

A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay on this! Thank you so very much for sending me this prompt! I hope you enjoy it! There are a lot of things he thinks he’d rather be doing at two am. Sleep, for one thing, because it’s been a long few days and while the bed the SGC had offered him at Cheyenne Mountain wasn’t as comfortable as the child sized bed he’d grown used to in Atlantis, it served the purpose well enough. But it’s not just the Pegasus Galaxy that hates them and so here he is, driving down the familiar streets of Fort Carson on his way back to the rundown bar he’d left most of his people at about four hours earlier. He’s annoyed, but he also understands: the memorial service for Carson had been rough, his loss felt more acutely somehow here on Earth than it had been on Atlantis and so despite the fact that the bartender had to call him to round up his group of misfits and herd them back to the base, he won’t be too hard on them. Pulling into the bar parking lot, he parks the borrowed car and climbs out, and even from here, he can hear the noise coming from inside and there are a lot of things he expects to find, but as he pulls the door open and steps inside, this is… one hundred percent not one of those things. “Sing us a song you're the piano man

Sing us a song tonight

Well we're all in the mood for a melody

And you've got us feelin' alright

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine—" Rodney spots him now and from his place at the piano, he falters, hitting the wrong keys in his haste to stand and wave, grinning broadly. “Hey! My buddy John! John! Hey! Come here!” John can tell, even from the doorway, that Rodney is completely wasted. His cheeks are flushed, eyes glazed, and Evan Lorne behind him isn’t in any better shape. The only one who appears to not be completely obliterated is Ronon, who’s leaning against the bar with an amused look on his face. John nods in his direction and walks over, never pulling his eyes from Rodney as he sinks back down onto the piano bench, resuming his rousingrendition of Piano Man while the left over stragglers in the bar hoot and holler, clearly enjoying the performance. “How long’s it been like this?” He asks Ronon. “Since ‘bout an hour after you left.” “Why didn’t you call me?” John asks and the look he gives the Satedan isn’t the most charitable. Ronon is not phased, merely shrugging one shoulder. “I dunno. Seems like he probably needed it. He’s had a hard time of it.” John can’t argue that. Out of everyone on Atlantis, he thinks Rodney was probably the closest to Carson. For all the ways they bickered and fought, there was a true friendship there, probably one of the most genuine friendships that Rodney’s ever had. Losing Carson was hard. He leans against the bar beside Ronon, arms crossed over his chest as he just watches, letting Rodney finish up and for the first time since the memorial, John really looks at him; he kind of wants to kick his own ass for not seeing it before, the weight of Rodney’s grief and guilt. Shit. “Yeah,” John sighs finally, making his way up to the bar stage before Rodney can be coerced into an encore performance. He supposes Rodney did need this. “Alright, buddy. C’mon. Time to go.” “But, but, but! John—” “Bar’s closing, pal. C’mon.” For a second, John thinks he’s going to have to enlist Ronon’s help in getting Rodney out, but it’s easy enough to manhandle him on his own, leaving Ronon to Lorne. --- The ride back to Cheyenne Mountain is mostly uneventful. Lorne passes out in the back seat, drooling on Ronon’s shoulder, while Rodney rambles incessantly about putting in an official request to bring a piano back to Atlantis, waxing poetic about all of the benefitsof music in regards to mental health. John placates him, promising he’ll make the request for the next Dedalus run and it seems to be good enough for Rodney who gives him a brilliant crooked smile. John hadn’t realized, until this moment, how long it’s actually seen since the last time he saw Rodney smile a real, genuine smile. Even though he knows it won’t last for much longer.

--- By the time they make it back to the mountain, it’s nearing 4am. Once again, Ronon takes Lorne, leaving John with Rodney and it’s easy enough to usher him back to John’s own quarters so he can keep an eye on him. Rodney’s gone quiet now and John imagines that the alcohol is starting to wear off, the feelings that Rodney had been trying so hard to suppress, creeping back in. “This isn’ my room,” Rodney slurs, and John shrugs. “I can take you there if you want. Just figured it’d be easier to keep an eye on you here.” “Oh,” Rodney says and not for the first time that night, John finds himself surprised by the scientist. He’d been gearing up for a fight, truthfully. Instead, Rodney trudges over to the bed and sits down, nearly pitching forward before John grips his shoulder, keeping him from toppling over. “Easy. I got ya.” And something shifts on Rodney’s face then. Here it comes, John thinks. “I should’a had Carson,” he says, voice strangely tight. “Fishing. We were supposed to go fishing. He wouldn’t have been in the city if I hadn’t—” “—Rodney,” John says, voice gentle. “You cannot go down this road, buddy. You know that. What happened to Carson is not your fault. You’re smart enough to know that.” “Maybe,” he says and he lets John guide him back down against the mattress. “But I should have gone. He was, he was a good friend, you know? So are you. Better than I deserve. So much better.” “That’s not true either,” and it’s these moments that the little cracks in Rodney are visible, the self-loathing thickening the air until it’s almost hard to breathe. “You’re a good guy, Rodney. A pain in the ass, sure, but you’re good. That’s why Carson liked you so much. He knew that. Even if you’re always trying to make sure no one actually sees you.” But they do. John does. He always has. “You gotta get some sleep, alright? We’re heading back tomorrow.” “Yeah,” Rodney agrees. “Yeah. ‘m tired. You should, you should sleep too.” “Don’t worry about me, buddy. Just get some sleep, alright? I’ll be here when you wake up.” And that’s all Rodney needs to close his eyes, the alcohol making it easier to drift into much needed sleep, leaving John to his own thoughts. There’s no point in sleeping now, he thinks. They’re due to Gate out in a few hours, so rather than even try, he reaches for the guitar he’d brought back with him, settling back into the chair across from the bed. He plucks the strings slowly, some long forgotten melody filling the quiet of the room as he watches Rodney sleep. They’ve lost a lot of people. Ford. Griffin. Abrams. Gall. Carson. Each of them have left their mark on all of them, carved into their hearts, their minds. John has spent so much time not letting himself feel, but tonight, it hits him all at once and for a moment, he can’t even breathe. They’ve lost. They keep losing and one day, he has no delusions about losing Rodney too, whether out in the field or to someone better than him, someone like Katie Brown. They have a finite amount of time, and it’s never been as clear to him before as it is now. Rodney is going to spend the rest of his life regretting not going on that damn fishing trip; John will regret not ordering Carson to stand down. It adds to the laundry list of all his other regrets, and he doesn’t think he has room for anymore. He knows what he must do. He settles back, strumming again against the strings, eyes never leaving Rodney’s face. Tomorrow, he decides. Tomorrow, when Rodney’s sobered up, when they’re back home on Atlantis, John will tell him. Maybe they can help each other navigate through the hurt, the loss, and for once… for once, they can deal with what they’re feeling together instead of alone. It’s at least worth a try.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Prince & The Revolution Reissue Review: Prince & The Revolution: Live [Remastered]

(Legacy)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Syracuse, New York, March 30th, 1985. Jim Boeheim would go on to coach many great Syracuse Orange men’s basketball teams in the Carrier Dome, but the best thing to ever appear there was on that night. Mere months after releasing Purple Rain, Prince decided to cut that album’s tour short so he could keep working on material. (If you’ve ever heard Sign O’ the Times, you know it was the right decision, not to mention Around the World in a Day and Parade.) But what a swan song he and The Revolution gave the Purple Rain tour. The remastered version of Prince & The Revolution: Live, released last month, shows the perfected live show of one of the greatest albums of all time.

“Hello, Syracuse, my name is Prince, and I’ve come to play with you,” he says to introduce “Let’s Go Crazy”. The key word here is not play--and play his guitar and piano, he does--but with. As much as Prince put on a show for people, he invited them to play along with him. When he passed away in 2016, Neko Case wrote on Twitter: “I remember in the 80's people thought so many women loved Prince cause he wore a G-string. We loved him cause he wanted to know us.” I think about that statement often when listening to this concert. As he delivers the soul blues of “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore”, a B-side to “1999″, his falsetto whimpers and creaks. At one point, he asks, “Does your man have an ass like mine?” Was he bragging? Probably. But he also wanted to make sure the folks in the crowd were getting what they wanted, in more ways than one. He lets out similar screams on the slow-burning Purple Rain B-side “God”; when he sings, “Did it matter who ate the apple first?” he’s explicit about his desire to elevate female sexuality to the forefront. In this sense, his infamous stage antics--humping the stage, adlibbing orgasms--aren’t just antics. They’re an invitation to express yourself, sexually or otherwise.

Of course, the reissue is worth it alone for the showmanship. The supercharged introduction of “Let’s Go Crazy” has everything you want in a Prince performance: Bobby Z.’s mammoth drum fills, Eric Leeds’ skronking saxophone, that, “Is this the best guitar solo I’ve ever heard?” feeling more than once in the same song, whether from Prince himself or Wendy Melvoin. The band inflects jazz into the barroom piano trills of “Delirious” as Prince channels James Brown, screaming, “Somebody call me a doctor!” His scream--gravelly as ever--elevates “1999″ into full-on raw territory. Believe it or not, Prince is a master of space, too, using the stop-start and moments of silence to his advantage, pumping up the crowd in anticipation during moments of “Take Me With U” and “Possessed”.

It’s clear Prince knows he could have milked Purple Rain for as long as he wanted. It was an instant classic. He ends the concert (including multiple encores) with 7 of its 9 songs, from the taut, zigzagging funk of “Computer Blue” to extended versions of “When Doves Cry”, “Baby I’m A Star”, and the title track. The performance of the title track is the best I’ve ever heard it, including the live version from Utretch from 2020′s Sign o’ the Times reissue, even the greatest Super Bowl half time show performance ever. Codas galore, 18 minutes could have lasted 18 hours. You could say the same thing about the reissue itself.

[tiesandtea]

Suede @ the El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, USA, May 21-22, 1997

A brilliant fan review by Terry Jordan (x)

They say crime doesn't pay, and we all assume it to be true. But tell that to the 800 or so fans who caught Suede the evenings of May 21 and 22 in Los Angeles for two terrific, sold-out performances that, oddly enough, owe a certain debt to a crime.

A few nights before, the group's equipment was stolen between shows in Boston. This resulted in Suede quickly putting together an acoustic set for the second night there - which, from various accounts, went over great. Arriving in Los Angeles with the acoustic set fresh on their minds, they also had a pretty good idea that most of us in L.A. would be attending both shows. "We've always liked L.A., and we wanted to give you all a treat," drummer Simon Gilbert said as he signed autographs in the back of the hall May 22. The result: a "regular" electric set the first night and an incredible acoustic set the second night. How fortunate we all were!

Those of us Suede fans who follow the trade papers and the Web sites were probably not surprised by much that happened the first night. After all, by the time the tour arrived in L.A., the boys had been on the road - playing generally the same set - for more than six months. We figured they would open with "She" (which they did), close with "Beautiful Ones" (ditto), and inbetween perform most of "Coming Up" and a few songs from each of the first two albums (yes again). Still, to those of us seeing the band live for the first time, there were two particularly striking features:

*The contrast between the exuberance of Brett and Richard on the right side of the stage and the posed, icy demeanor of Neil on the left side is amazing - something you can't take your eyes off all night. Brett looks remarkably like a young Bryan Ferry, and his stage movements on this tour (twirling the mike cord, jumping up and down), recall Mick Jagger in the mid-1960s. Richard is similarly enthusiastic on stage, reminding us of Bernard on the 1993 tour. What, then, are we to make of Neil, who spends most of his time looking bored, impassive, or even angry? On songs that he didn't play on originally (i.e., "The Wild Ones"), he folds his arms and stares out into space, looking annoyed that the band is performing them, or he smokes a cigarette. On "New Generation," he turned around on his organ bench and, with his back to the audience, rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor. It's obvious that he knows he's being watched, and he poses for us. Is he really upset that the band is performing pre-"Coming Up" material, or is this just an act? Who knows? Regardless, it's intriguing to watch.

*Also providing an alluring contrast is the set list. A wild "Animal Nitrate" is followed by a soft "By the Sea." A gentle "Saturday Night" precedes a powerful "New Generation." An achingly beautiful "Picnic by the Motorway" is followed by a buoyant "Beautiful Ones." Suede brings you up, then lets you down gently. Then brings you up again. For me, one of the real highlights of this night was hearing live renditions of songs that didn't move me the first time around, but these bolder versions make you look at things in a different light. "Picnic by the Motorway" is a good example. It's easy to listen to "Coming Up" and be bowled over by "Trash," "Lazy" and "Beautiful Ones," while overlooking "Picnic." But in L.A., Neil's keyboard was wandering all over the place and Richard was working magic on his guitar. The result was mesmerizing. I thought, "Gee, that's 'Picnic'? Wow!"

The only down side to the concert concerned some technical problems that bothered Brett and ultimately proved distracting to the audience. Time after time, Brett yanked out his in-ear monitor and thew it to the ground, only to pick it up again on the next song for another try -- which inevitably failed as well. A couple of times he stalked off stage. It was annoying to see him so annoyed. After awhile, you just wanted him to leave it alone and sing. Did Elvis need an earpiece in 1956? Did Jagger wear one in 1969? How about Bowie on his "Heroes" tour? So why does Brett need one now? Ah, modern technology . . .

Fortunately, modern technology took a back seat to pure, raw talent the next night. The boys came out for the May 22 show carrying stools and acoustic guitars (well, Richard and Neil did - Mat was still electric). They strummed into "Europe Is Our Playground" - yes, without keyboards; yes, with Neil on guitar. Such a different version, but such a nice one. "Trash" was like a sing-along around a campfire, and so was "Lazy." Gee, can you really play these songs this way and make them sound good? Suede did.

The real key this night was the song selection. It was almost like a fan club gig, featuring several B-sides. Brett received huge ovations when he announced "My Dark Star" and "Sound of the Streets" (hey, these are real fans here!) and the ringing guitars and haunting vocals took your breath away. Other songs that most fans along the "Coming Up" tour didn't hear, but that we fortunate ones were privvy to: "My Insatiable One," "Another No-One," "This Time" and "The Power." Neil took to the electric piano (not the synthesizer, mind you) for "By the Sea" and "Picnic by the Motorway," turning gentle songs even gentler.

But oh, dad, this band really drove us mad on the encore. Brett came back out and asked for requests, and as a result they played (get this) "Metal Mickey." Unplugged! Neil turned sideways on his stool - he didn't play on this one - and buried his face in his hands, laughing. The rest of us marveled. We knew the band was really letting down their guard to play THIS song in THIS manner, and I, for one, felt flattered that they would unmask themselves in this way. None of us wanted this intimate night to end. But we knew it had to.

So here I am, in my 40s, an old drummer from garage bands in the 1960s, flying from St. Louis to Los Angeles to see these guys, hanging out with fans young enough to be my children. Was it worth it? Before I left the Midwest, I thought, 'Well, if the concerts are duds I still have the palm trees to admire and the ocean to walk along." But I needn't have worried. Even if Suede had come out that second night and played their first night's set again, note for note, it would have been worth it. As it was, I and 800 others were treated to two tremendous concerts, as different as night and day, that we won't forget for a long time.

Suede. The best band in the world? I dare you to name a better one.

[yukiwrites]

Libra, Taking Charge

Thanks for the support as always, @xpegasusuniverse! This couple is actually one of the first ones I did in my awakening files, so it was super satisfying to write for them! ;v;)b

Summary: Libra and Cherche were more than used to their lives as the heads of the orphanage they built at the outskirts of Ylisse. The children were well loved and gave young Gerome much needed companionship. Winter was approaching and it was time to plan for the yearly fundraiser...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

The spring flowers were just about to give their last bloom to the world, welcoming the warm summer yet again. By the window of a recently built orphanage, Libra smiled softly as he watched some of the children play around the garden, guarded by a very unlikely pair of eyes.

The wyvern Minerva was a highly intelligent animal -- she could understand words and commands, and, although she couldn't speak per se, she was also able to communicate with her knight, Cherche and Headmaster Libra, Cherche's husband.

Libra chuckled heartily, turning his attention back to the cloth doll he was making. The sound of a door opening in the distance preceded the delicious smell of his wife's cooking, making Libra's smile widen.

"My, you're getting ready for it quite early this year." Cherche's voice had an amused tone, followed by a graceful laugh inherent only to her.

The monk raised his attention from his work only to receive Cherche's kiss on his cheek before turning back to finishing the doll's smile. "Indeed. I fear that this year's winter will be harsher than usual." He said in a preoccupied tone. "All the more reason for the fall fundraiser to succeed."

Cherche slid her hands on her husband's shoulders, leaning on the cool window. Her gaze also fell onto the children playing outside, which only made her smile widen. "Should I come up with a new recipe for this year, then? Hearsay is that the pumpkin crop is going to be bountiful -- surely the usual farmers will donate more than usual to help with the event."

Libra's hands stopped moving as he lifted the doll close to his face so as to properly examine it. Then, he leaned his head on his wife's arm, closing his eyes to enjoy the last of the pleasant sunlight before summer began. "That would be wonderful, my love. I have a few ideas involving the children as well -- they expressed their interest in joining the organization last year, so I've been wondering since then what we could have them do."

"Oh?" Cherche asked quizzically, never taking her eyes off of the playing kids right outside. Their guard, Minerva, was flapping her wings humorously, clearly having her fun as well.

"It would be wonderful if they could sing a carol, don't you think? The church usually has the village children sing during mass, but this one group would be composed solely of our children."

It wasn't unusual for Libra and Cherche to refer to the orphans they took care of as their own children -- young Gerome was also being raised amongst them, so they all might as well be the couple's kids, no problem. 

"Oh, that sounds positively wonderful!" Cherche hummed happily, scratching her husband's neck to forewarn him she was moving her hand away lest he bonked his head on the window. "What shall we have them sing? Oh, perhaps I could even sew some adorable uniforms for them all to wear -- our Gerome included! He will look dashing with the blonde hair and heavenly voice he got from you!"

"Er-" Libra flinched, more than quickly putting himself on his feet to look at his wife. "Perhaps I should design the uniforms, my dear?" He asked with a hint of desperation. He knew his wife's sense of fashion quite well. "We can sew it together," he added before she protested, "however I'm sure you- yes, you will be rather busy coming up with the new pumpkin recipe, won't you?"

Cherche placed one hand over her cheek, almost pouting. "Why, that would be no trouble at all -- I need but confirm which crops we will receive as a donation to combine with the ones we already grow here..." She sighed, visibly unhappy. "Aren't you the one who will have much on his hands, dear husband? To give the children singing lessons, craft unique dolls to sell during the event and meet with the people from the church surely will have most of your attention."

"Gh-" Libra gulped. She was right and both of them knew it. However! He could not let her take the reins of the uniforms.

It... It was for public safety. Yes. Indeed, for public safety.

"Nonsense, Cherche." He let out a nervous laugh as he carefully placed the doll and his sewing tools on a nearby table. "It will be a simple drawing -- after that I promise I'll share the workload with you."

Cherche didn't move from her I-am-visibly-showing-how-upset-I-am pose, though her expression held a simple pout and a cocked eyebrow. Libra felt cold sweating itching down his back -- if she started fighting for the position of designer, he would need the blessings of all gods to withstand and counter her sound arguments and perfect execution of any task assigned to her. Cherche's heart was in the right place, but the things she regarded as 'cute' were... not. What was appalling was that even the children were starting to absorb her, well, unique beauty standard, making Libra even wonder what was true beauty in the first place.

Of course, as a monk, he was of one mind to accept any and all who would come to him, no matter their tastes. He actually found that side of hers to be rather endearing, but that wasn't the point at the moment: The entire point of hosting a fundraiser was to attract people into donating, which meant appealing to the masses.

Cherche's tastes were far too... Advanced to be understood and accepted by the people around them, though Libra could actually see the entire village charmed by his wife in a few years' time, just like with the children.

However, that time was not now. He had to stand his ground.

"Oh, very well." Cherche sighed in defeat, walking from behind the chair towards her husband. She placed her index over his chest, a smirk brewing at the corners of her lips. "You'll leave the new dish to me as agreed, yes? I'll make sure to go over it with the nuns at the church so I can sell them beside their booth."

Partly relieved for taking the uniforms away from Cherche, Libra smiled with uncertainty, now worried about whatever it was that his wife was cooking -- quite literally! -- this time.

Nevertheless, Cherche simply reached in for a quick kiss before winking to her husband. "Come; lunch's ready! I'll ask Minerva to round up the children so we can all eat together."

Libra's shoulders sagged minimally, huffing a smile. "Thank you. I'll help set the table."

The fundraiser for the orphanage happened yearly at the end of autumn, just as the last of the leaves were falling and all the delicious crops have been harvested -- it served to help raise funds for the upcoming winter, so they could have more blankets, reinforced walls, proper roof management, warm clothes and such.

As predicted, the harvest had been bountiful -- so were the donations. The event consisted in most of the nearby farmers donating their surplus to the church so it could hold the festivities which ranged from caroling (debuting this year!), racing games and the selling of baked and handmade goods. Since the couple’s arrival, there was also the amusing and somewhat nerve-wracking wyvern-riding event as well, but that was for children older than 13 and adults, of course.

Libra, Cherche and the nuns were the ones who organized everything as well as set up their booths during the entirety of the event -- it was a tiring business, to be sure; but it was all worth their while and labor if it meant to see the children smiling and having their fun.

The scheduled carols were a huge hit -- the kids were more than lacking in the vocal department, but their charisma was off the charts, especially with the adorable uniforms they wore. They captivated their audience every time they were on stage, being called to encores more than once during their presentations. 

Cherche never did find an especially, er, adorable dish she could make with the leftover pumpkins, so she simply presented a pumpkin purée inside a cup that very much looked like a cracked skull, to Libra’s despair. She also had ‘dragon eggs’ in her repertoire, not to mention a spider shaped bread with sausages… Surprisingly, they were all hits with the children, though the adults would need a bit getting used to to their… unique designs.

Despite the bolts of cold sweat springing up here and there during the day, Libra was delighted to reach the end of the event with a full sold-out house -- earning promises from his wife to bring the ‘adorable’ dishes back the next year, alongside a few new additions.

“Oh, well,” he chuckled as they packed everything back into the church. “As long as she and the children are content, it was all worth it. Perhaps next year I’ll see her designs for the uniforms…”

“Oh, what great news!” Cherche giggled from inside the dark room, making Libra flinch out of his skin. “I’ll hold you onto that, my dear husband!” She snuck a peppy kiss while Libra carried a crate, unable to even tear away from her to speak.

“Mhm!” Libra widened his eyes with the sudden kiss, though sagged his shoulders in defeat. Oh, well. He meant what he said, so now he should own up to it. May the next year be good to him!

[krispyweiss]

Brian Wilson at Rose Music Center at the Heights, Huber Heights, Ohio, Aug. 13, 2019

Brian Wilson needed a walker and assistance from his bandmates to get to his on-stage position Tuesday night at the Rose Music Center.

But once he was seated behind his white piano at center stage and with stupendous support from his multi-talented, 10-piece band of multi-instrumentalists - including fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin - Wilson was able to wipe away decades worth of calendars and make it seem not so odd that a man of 77 was singing songs about Daddy taking T-birds away; goin' to a dance and lookin' for romance; and not leavin’ his best girl home on a Saturday Night.

“Fun, Fun, Fun," "Barbara Ann" and "I Get Around" were just a few of the humongous hits - along with deeper cuts such as "Add Some Music to Your Day" and "Friends" - Wilson and company used to surround the evening's showcase - the (almost) full-album performance of 1966's seminal Pet Sounds LP, the record said to have inspired the Beatles to make Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and considered among the greatest works of the rock era.

Wilson's presence was essential, even if his contributions were minimal. When he sang, he mostly sounded like himself but occasionally mumbled or strayed off key. His piano faced the audience directly, was mostly inaudible and a black sheet hid his legs and the foot pedals, so it was likely a prop. But his supportive bandmates, who occasionally walked over to whisper something in his ear or place a loving hand on his shoulder, did heavy lifting and recreated Pet Sounds, an album that was once thought to be unplayable live, with incredible accuracy.

Here are some of the tools needed to do it: voices - many finely tuned voices - theremin, bass, flute, baritone and alto saxophones, trumpet, flute, bass harmonica, drums, various percussion, guitars, banjo, keys, cornet, xylophone, French horn and, possibly, piano. With these implements in place - and the musicians often playing more than one in a single track - numbers such as "Wouldn't it Be Nice," "Sloop John B," "God Only Knows," "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" and "Caroline, No" filled the air and elicited many hard-earned standing ovations.

Only the instrumental title track went unplayed out of deference to guitarist Nick Walusko, who died unexpectedly last week and to whom Wilson dedicated the show. Walusko's instrument sat untouched on stage and a bouquet of flowers stood on the riser where he had helped recreate his favorite album so many times before, including a previous Ohio stop in 2017. It was a delightful touch in an evening that was one delight after another over the course of the 95-minute show, which differed from the one of two years ago.

Bookended by "California Girls" and the aforementioned "Fun, Fun, Fun," the concert put Wilson's ear for melody and harmony on full display. And when Chaplin emerged - he was the only player not on stage the entire time - for a triptych of tunes that concluded with "Sail on, Sailor," he proved the Boys also knew how to rock as he prowled the lip of the stage playing solos, made sure Wilson (who occasionally yawned or stared blankly into space) remained engaged and faced off with his bandmates in good-natured, mock one-upmanship.

During the final run, which included must-plays such as "Good Vibrations," "Help Me, Rhonda" and "Surfin' U.S.A." Chaplin, in maroon pants and a white denim jacket with a red carnation peeking from the pocket, was ringleader for band and audience, banging a tambourine and bounding about the stage as Wilson and Jardine took charge.

There was no encore, as getting Wilson on and off stage was a chore.

But it didn't matter.

Delayed two months as Wilson battled recurring mental illness, that the show happened at all was a gift. It was a victory lap for one of pop music's most creative songwriters and his masterpiece and a victory dance for his fans.

It wasn’t perfect, yet it was sheer perfection. The concert humanized a musical god; it celebrated of the soundtrack of a generation; and it demonstrated the healing power of music, for both Wilson and his followers.

Andrea McGee opened with a 35-minute set that included two bass solos, three drum solos and a revved-up rendition of "Down to the River to Pray" among a handful of original numbers.

Grade card: Brian Wilson at Rose Music Center at the Heights - 8/13/19 - A+

See more photos from the show here.

8/14/19

[mashitandsmashit]

America’s Got Talent: The Champions - Finals

12: Kechi. I need to be open and honest...when I agree with Mel B. I know Kechi can be a really good singer when she picks the right song...This one was just too safe! It was a nice performance and all, but it was about as good as what we've seen from her in the past...Contrary to what Simon said, I don't think Kechi needed to be in the Finals...She might have sang good enough in the last round, but I really would have preferred other acts in this round...

11: Angelica Hale. When she hits the big notes, she hits them great...But really, the longer they insist on hyping her up, the more backlash I have to feel against her...Also, big problem with enunciation here! Honestly, I forgot about her pretty quickly, despite how close to the end of the show she was...(Of course, this tends to happen when there are so many singers in one show!)

10: Brian Justin Crum. As much as I'm sick of these “Greatest Showman” covers...I will admit that this song was a good fit for him...I think Brian works well with musical theatre songs, hence why he fits the Broadway scene...

9: Preacher Lawson. As usual, the personality outshines the jokes...But the jokes were JUST funny enough to support said personality...And regardless of the final results, I'm sure ripping his shirt off (and being quite ripped himself) will win him a lot of votes from the lady Superfans...

8: Paul Potts. Of COURSE he sings “Nessun Dorma”! Since half the singers this season are just reprising their classic hit performances, it seemed inevitable...Regardless, this is easily one of the best renditions of the song I've heard...Even if he still constantly looks like his head is about to explode “Scanners” style!

7: Susan Boyle. I guess it's up for debate how this compares with her original BGT audition...Her voice has given out a little bit from her age...But this was about as close to “moving” as any of the other singers...

6: Jon Dorenbos. Unlike the OTHER magician in this episode, this trick is liable for dissection...Although maybe I just feel that way because when I first watched it, I could have sworn Howie picked Nebraska...But no, Nebraska was just hanging on top of Oklakoma...Anyway, while not the slickest trick ever, I do like how he incorporated previous performances with each of the judges...He may be done with football, but he can still manage one more touchdown on AGT...

5: Deadly Games. So, who did THEY have to have a threesome with to get enough time to practically do two performances in one!? The pacing was very slick, they got plenty of tricks in there (even if they probably did most of them already), and for a moment I got to imagine all the judges getting kebabbed on an arrow! ...Oh yeah, and the balloon thing was cool too...

4: Cristina Ramos. I don't care if she already performed this song on SGT, I still couldn't get enough of her and her reflective cape!

3: Kseniya Simonova. While not quite as tear-jerking as her previous performance, the story was still solid, the imagery was much less sloppy, and the transitions were oh-so slick!

2: Darci Lynne. So not only did this serve as an apology for her getting eliminated before, but it seems she is also avenging Jackie Evancho's unceremonious elimination by performing the same song that made Jackie an AGT star in the first place! And she did it with her mouth closed! I knew she could sing without moving her lips, but OPERA!? That's a new one! (Though Terry Fator probably did this too, didn't he?) The only flaw is that I would have loved a little more banter between her and Petunia leading up to the song...But I guess the echo effect and “Oh, my carrots!” will do...

1: Shin Lim. I'm kinda lost for words, to be honest! I feel like we've reached the peak of close-up magic now (as well as the peak of crazy hair!) While the tricks started off kind of simple, things picked up around the point when he showed off his butt again...(Now don't get the wrong idea, okay?) The tricks just kept coming, getting harder and harder to wrap one's head around! And finally, as a final mic drop if you will, he put the cards in Howie's cup without even leaving the stage! (And now Howie doesn't just need hand sanitizer, he needs a new cup!) I don't think there's any topping this! I guess we can still expect one more encore from him next week, and he will surely be a special guest during Season 14...But otherwise, I'd say he's done everything he needed to do and more! To the King of Close-Up!

This was another relatively solid show, even if not everyone was at their absolute best...But I think my Top 3 made it all worth it...And I'm very glad that they all...Ahem...I better stop myself there and wait for next week's results...

While I may already know the final results, I can still guess how the early portion of the eliminations will be laid out...

Group 1: DG and Kseniya

Group 2: Angelica, Brian and Kechi

Group 3: Darci and Preacher (Rematch!)

Group 4: Cristina, Paul and Susan

Group 5: Jon and Shin (I mean, duh, right?)

Let's see how close my guess is...Next week!

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update #67: I Don’t Want the World to See Me (10/19/18)

I say “they’re back, they’re really back” every week, but I only say it because it’s true. Our band kicked off the first tour of the Trench Era with gusto this week, and that’s only just scratching the surface.

This Week’s TØPics:

The Bandito Tour Begins

Additional Tour Dates Announced

Jim Dun

More Interviews with the Band

And MORE!

Major News and Announcements:

Again, there’s not an awful lot of “news”, mostly just developments happening in real time. That said, there is one notable piece of intel, as the band added another three dates to the second North American leg of their tour: namely, a second show in Toronto, a concert in Newark to further serve that densely-populated metropolitan area, and a show in San Antonio to show Texas some love. You can register for those tickets now, so get to it!

The Shows:

The Bandito Tour kicked off in Nashville last Tuesday, and it was incredible. Of course, not everyone was totally pleased with it: Some people thought there were too few songs from Trench, while others were heartbroken that too many old favorites were knocked off. For that first point: nine out of fourteen of the new songs made their way onto the setlist, one more than the eight songs from Blurryface that landed on the first headlining show in Australia that era. Granted, those shows were significantly shorter than the current arena shows, but those songs also had much less competition for space. Point is, there’s still plenty of time for “Chlorine” to make it on the setlist, clikkies.

As for the second point... listen, I’m gutted for everyone who didn’t get a chance to sing “Migraine” or “Guns for Hands” this week. But if they could play “Taxi Cab” after five years of acting like it didn’t exist, they can- and will- play those songs again. I promise.

The setlist was comprised of:

Jumpsuit

Levitate

Fairly Local- The first full performance of the song since 2015, complete with a reveal of a scissor lift under Josh’s drum kit and a “Hometown”-disappearing act.

Stressed Out- Introduced by a cute video of a flying red beanie to give Tyler a chance to run back to the stage, culminating in it descending from the sky for Tyler to wear.

Heathens

We Don’t Believe What’s On TV- Complete with Nigel introducing Josh with a romantic poem and Tyler’s now-customary first speech to the crowd.

The Judge

Lane Boy- Josh’s flying drum platform gets an extra light display at the end.

Nico and the Niners- A runway out to the b-stage descends from the heavens and hangs over the crowd; Tyler performs the rap there and finishes at b.

Taxi Cab- Tyler Joseph asks the thousands of people in the audience to sit and listen to this nice piano song his dad likes, causing us to drown in our tears.

Neon Gravestones- A transparent curtain imposes giant ghostly images of the band over the b-stage, while a gorgeous moving light display hangs overhead.

Bandito- The debut of this song was accompanied by another incredible light show and displays of soaring vultures. Notably, the first verse was cut, seemingly just to keep up the pace.

Pet Cheetah- Tyler and Josh head back across the runway to finish the sick beats, the pit drops like nobody’s business.

Iris- The band brings out the openers to play this Goo Goo Dolls classic, infusing it with incredible emotion and a killer uke arrangement. So far, Tyler’s been introducing it as the soundtrack for Josh’s childhood “firsts” (first kiss, first Fun Dip, etc).

Hey Jude- The bands perform one of the greatest songs of all time.

Holding On To You- Now with more pretty stars

Ride- Now without a drum island

My Blood- Now with SKELETON HOODIES and holding on to the crowd harmony conducting from The Complete Diversion.

Morph- Tyler does his best rap thing while Josh busts out his most technical drum island yet.

Car Radio

Leave the City- Replacing “Goner” for the encore, Tyler leans in hard for audience participation.

Trees- Now with imagery reflecting Josh’s tree tattoo. The keyboard is also placed above the car, which rises dramatically from the ground in the middle of the song because Tyler’s just extra like that.

Tyler’s Trees Speech in Nashville was a full one. After acknowledging earlier in the show that he and Josh were really nervous about getting this one right, Tyler thanked the opening crowd for giving him the experience of hearing “Leave the City” sung back at him for the first time, lampshaded how ridiculous the production value of the shows has gotten, gave Nashville-native lighting director Shap some grief, and joked about how he only messed up the second verse from “Morph”, so there’s some room for improvement.

Interviews and Other Shenanigans:

The biggest interview from this week was the band’s feature with The New York Times, which did not go too awfully in-depth in terms of revealing information that we didn’t already know but was still one of the more well-written pieces on the band I’ve seen in some time. The article takes their art and artistry seriously, covering their oft-repeated backstory with reverence fitting a band that has proved themselves time and again to be worth that consideration. The descriptions of Tyler and Josh read as totally on-point to their personalities, and there’s a cool revelation that Tyler’s kept an encouraging voicemail from Chris Martin on his phone since 2016. The highlight for me, though, is the absolutely crushing ending where Tyler responds to a question of his mental health by answering “I’m OK today.” It’s a mature and sobering outlook on his future struggles with his mental health; I hope he stays OK for many years to come.

Oh, and Jim Dun’s Instagram page is now public, so you should definitely go splurge through a year’s worth of cute dog photos featuring Josh, cameos from Brendon Urie, and snarky comments from Mark, Brad, Debby, Jenna, Jordan, Abigail, and friends. Josh even gave a little interview with Global K9 Protection Services talking about his relationship with his pup. Jim will be joining the gang on tour, so we’re sure to get plenty more adorable puppy action in the weeks to come.

Chart Performance:

Well, it looks like my suspicions last week were correct: Trench fell just shy of securing a #1 spot in the States, losing out to A Star Is Born’s soundtrack. But that’s no reason to be gloomy- last week was still the band’s biggest sales week ever, selling 135,000 albums and earning an additional 40,000 equivalent units in streams and other avenues of listening. And hey, they were the #1 album in Australia! That’s pretty cool.

As far as individual songs go, things continue to look pretty rosy. The album release boosted “Jumpsuit” and “Nico and the Niners” back to the Hot 100 at #79 and #95, respectively, while “My Blood” was able to debut at #81 off of the music video. Below the Hot 100, “Morph” and “Chlorine” managed to sneak onto the Bubbling Under chart at #6 and #12 respectively.

The songs impressed more individually down on the Rock Charts. Every single track from the album made it onto the Hot Rock Songs chart, which combines every source of music consumption with a similar formula as the Hot 100. Most of this can be attributed to streaming- nine songs from Trench made their way onto the Rock Streaming chart versus only two new arrivals to Rock Sales. “My Blood” is also continuing to gain radio momentum; we’ll see if that’s enough to keep it around next week.

Upcoming Performances:

With the Bandito Tour fully underway, let’s look to the week ahead to see what communities the band will be sharing their music with and try to determine if we might expect any surprises.

Show 3: Enterprise Center, St Louis, Missouri (10/19)

Capacity: 22,000

Tonight, the band returns to St. Louis, a city they’ve visited many times in the past. They played this venue at their last show here in 2016, albeit when it was under the “Scottrade Center” name.

Show 4: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (10/20)

Capacity: 17,500

Twenty One Pilots have never played this venue before, because it didn’t exist the last time they toured; heck, it didn’t even exist when they announced this one! The brand-new Fiserv Forum, built as the new home for the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, opened just last month with a concert from The Killers and has already hosted a number of other artists. It should make for an incredible show, even more so because it will be the band’s first ever arena show in the city. 

Show 5: XCel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota (10/21)

Capacity: 13,000

The band also played this venue in their last visit back in 2016. Not much else to say, so... moving on!

Show 6: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio (10/23)

Capacity: 20,000

Tuesday’s show in Cleveland will be the closest thing to a hometown show the band will play until their two announced concerts in Columbus next June, nearly nine months from now. As a result, expect to see plenty of family members in attendance (and maybe an on-stage cameo from Zach to perform his verse from “Kitchen Sink”). It’ll definitely be a real special night.

Show 7: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, Michigan (10/24)

Capacity: 22,000

Wrapping things up, Twenty One Pilots will be playing their first show in Detroit proper since 2015, and their first ever arena show in the general region. This is another relatively new facility that only opened in September of last year, the harshest season of the hiatus. Hopefully those Ohio boys put on a good show for my Michigan kin.

-

It was another incredible week. I can’t wait to see how these shows continue to grow and evolve in the weeks and months to come. Let me know when you all get the chance to see them. Until then, power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[mharpersmith-blog]

Encore: Reenactment in Contemporary Photography

“The re-staging of past events presents an opportunity for contemporary photographers to highlight underrepresented stories and to critique established narratives. This exhibition brings together works by seven artists—Eileen Cowin, Christina Fernandez, Samuel Fosso, Yasumasa Morimura, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Gillian Wearing, and Qiu Zhijie—all of whom have utilized reenactment in their respective practices. Presented in three topics - personal history, political history, and art history—the works showcase very different approaches to engaging with the past”

 I have long been attracted to the works of photographers and artists who blur the lines between what is real, and what is not. As a born and raised Vancouverite, Jeff Wall’s so-called ‘near documentary’ work has long been a favorite of mine. This exhibit however takes it a step further, with artists that are not only transforming what is in the actual photograph, but themselves as well. 

Preceding the actual contemporary re-enactment exhibit, we have the originator of staged photography, Oscar Rejlander. We got a glimpse into the beginnings of where this fascination with fantasy began in the first place. 

The Two Paths of Life, 1857

Combination albumen print

Rejlander’s prints were so delicate, so pristine for their age. When we speak about the “aura of a photograph”, Rejlander’s prints are exactly that. But what is also so enjoyable is the whimsy like nature of them. Typically, old photographs have this aura of seriousness, but these photographs are all play. While they don't necessarily leave a lasting emotional impact on me because of the fact that they are completely staged, they are light and fun and gorgeous to look at in the flesh.  

From Rejlander’s delicate, little prints, we make quite the jump to the massive, eerie self portraits from artist Gillian Wearing. At first glance, these photos could pass for pictures from their perspective times. But upon closer inspection, the artist herself is revealed through the facades of her family through the generations. 

Gillian Wearing (b. 1963, Birmingham, England) uses masks as a central theme in her photographs. For her 2003 series ‘Album’,she carefully reconstructed old family snapshots, transforming herself into her mother, father, uncle, brother and her own self-portrait as a teenager. 

To make the Album series, Wearing collaborated with a talented team at Madame Tussaud’s who sculpted, cast, painted, and applied hair to create the masks, wigs, and body suits used in these photographs. The elaborate disguises the artist wears, when combined with the snapshot “realism” of the original images on which they are based, create an eerie fascination that serves to reveal aspects of her identity rather than conceal it.

“I was interested in the idea of being genetically connected to someone but being very different. There is something of me, literally, in all those people—we are connected, but we are each very different.”

What is fascinating about these photographs is that they are so contemporary in context, but yet they have this feel of age, and the aura of the photograph we have spoken about. As we look through the generations of her family, we can also see the history of photography and its progression to the modern age. 

  My absolute favorite of the day comes from the one and only Yasumasu Morimura, someone whose work I have always loved, but never had the pleasure to see in person. To finally be able to see one of his pieces up close was well worth the wait. Morimura has a humor in his work that is unmatched, he is truly fearless, and gives zero ‘you know whats’ about the so-called rules in art. Morimura, a Japanese homosexual man, recreates class Art with himself as the star. He has transformed into the Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe, Van Gogh and the list goes on. Morimura makes you feel as if you are looking at the original piece of art. He has literally put himself INSIDE of the paintings, and into their worlds. 

Daughter of Art History, Theatre B

In a take-off of Manet's "Bar at the Folies-Bergere", a woman stands behind a bar, with a large mirror behind her. The unexpected twist is that she is nude, with the lower part of her body much darker than her face, and her arms crossed in front of her chest. The pale arms of the original painting are still resting on the bar, but are clearly mannequin hands, with wires extended.

I would say that the work on Morimura is Deconstruction in nature. He is deconstructing these classic images and ideals in art, beauty, sex, gender, all of it. He is taking what we know, and completely skewing it. In contrast to Rejlander, the epic size of his work feels as if it could hang on the walls of the Louvre. 

[kyotakumrau]

2019.04.06 Matsuyama Multipurpose Community Centre

00 SE video intro

01 赫

02 Downfall

03 人間を被る

.

04 Rubbish Heap

05 Ash

06 Values of Madness

.

07 DOZING GREEN

08 谿壑の欲

09 Celebrate empty howls

.

10 undecided

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11 Ranunculus

12 Devote My Life

13 軽蔑と始まり

14 獣慾

15 詩踏み

.

ENCORE

en16 Followers

en17 鬼眼

en18 Sustain the Untruth

en19 DEEPER VILENESS

en20 冷血なりせば

.

It was such an interesting venue! The multipurpose part felt very confusing first - from outside it felt like a seated venue, but 1F was standing... they had a good system to let people in, staff created a line for each 100 (1~100, 101~200 and so on).

There was no pushing until the band came on stage, but after that fans got very energetic!😁

Shinya wore satin looking (bit shiny) white shirt with long sleeves. Die had leather sleeveless jacket thing? Toshiya had a black shirt and jacket (shirt was sleeveless) with a scarf working as a tie? Kaoru had a jacket with a white striped shirt underneath. His hair looks really fluffy and his sporting a moustache look!

Kyo wore the same grey checked suit (jacket and pants), shite shirt, dark tie with a goldish print with a tie-clip. He had Gucci lion ring on right hand and Madara square and 666 rings on his left hand, earring. Tabi boots? In the beginning his hair stayed sleek and he run his fingers through his hair fixing it, but with some songs it went wild.

And I can't remember if it was the end of main set or encore, but Kyo went back to his spot at the drum set and dumped a bottle worth of water over his head - and then everything went truly wild.

😁

During 'faster' songs like Rubbish Heap Kyo was moving so much and staying close the audience, pointing at fans at 生きたい　生きたい　生きたいでしょ? or waving hands with the music (especially the 'rap' parts) and so on.

During undecided Kyo grabbed the left side of his jacket to 'open it' at 君の言葉が心に深く突き刺さる (both times) as to show us his heart.

undecided was very beautiful, but towards the end of the song a fan in 4~5ish row in the middle had to go out and fans around her were trying to call staff waving and the atmosphere changed, I could see Kyo was worried as well. Fortunately she managed to move back.

After Utafumi ended Kyo stayed on the stand with his hand stretched towards the audience until the lights went off.

During Followers at the それが私、これが私 they used the image from previous tour videos, the image of arms wrapped around te body, from the back. It all created such a lonely feeling with Kyo singing this part softly and the English text coming right after.

Kyo came back for encore in the same outfit sans jacket. But he was wildly tugging on his tie to have it off very soon.

Sustain, DEEPER and Reiketsu are soooo awesome as a closing set. During Sustain Kyo walked to the sides for the bigger part of the song, but then middle got a visit from Toshiya (wearing white t-shirt B) and next Kaoru (wearing black?). And then was headbanging hell during DEEPER and Reiketsu - Kyo joined for all parts when he didn't sing.

Before Reiketsu we got Kyo encouraging us to roar and scream more! We got 'fuckers・クソッタレ', 'can you keep going?are you still alive?・いけてんのか?', 'guys, girls, Matsuyama!!!' but also pointing at the parts of the venue to have fans respond was back. Kyo pointed at shimote and shouts for them 'can you keep going???- audience there screamed back, question to kamite and they screamed back, then the back of 1F and balcony. And then he just pointed at the middle - we went nuts replying. One of best Kyo toriko moments there are.

And I loved how he encouraged us to scream for him more during Reiketsu by moving his arm when standing on the box with his back to the audience.

(one silly thought - this last moment is so Kyo centric for me I actually have no idea what other members might be doing or other fans might be screaming? 😂)

Kyo stood on the stand, drained and full at the same time. He looked at us, started clapping and finally started pointing his heart and I disn't know it was possible but we roared even more. He backed up behind the stand as if he was going to leave, but instead he stepped on the stand one more time with his towel to quickly throw it at the audience. He stood on the stand for one more moment, then he waved to us smiling widely, waved again and walked off the stage.

After that other members were throwing their goodies.

Die did a great job throwing his towel - it flew beautifully to the 2f (balcony)!

The last moment, Die was throwing picks and wandered to the shimote on his way to leave (left side audience pow), but Kaoru was there throwing picks as well. Die kinda hugged Kaoru from behind and there were many laughs there and roar from the audience 😂 Did Die throw Kaoru's pick? It was great to see them standing together laughing 😊

[chibalein]

Kalafina Live Review - 10th Anniversary

Finally it’s available and I watched the whole 10th Anniversary Live (again and again), so I thought I’d give a review on it. Here is my original Live Report -> click. My opinions didn’t really change much, though, so I’ll be repeating myself here and there :p Here we go!

Ring your bell ~ in the silence

I love that intro, especially with those flags opening

other than that, boring entrance -> the 9+ONE intro would have PERFECT for that occasion

Ring your bell

fuck that song

However, I like the performance, surely one of their best, I love their bright smiles and movements

 BUT it gave me reminder of why I don’t like this song: the final “ring your bell”s, Wakana always makes me cringe

Quick opinion: I really came to hate Keiko’s dress. Not the colors or the golden/black pattern, that’s pretty cool: it’s those lace shoulder pads and the leather corsage. They make her chest area look super bulky and the chest part of the dress is not form-fitting at all. She has such a beautiful body but this dress just doesn’t support it.

Mirai

Fuck that sooong and everyone who voted for it

But even I have to say, I have a lot of fun watching them perform, they move around, interact with the audience, it’s lovely and more carefree

Lirica

Definitely one highlight of the night

I realized for the first time that the Strings are actually plucking their instruments lol I thought it was a background sound by the manipulator

I barely hear Hikaru in the chorus, is she singing high or low? xD

Keiko is the best here, so deep and dramatic!

Booooring stage show. No movements by the girls is one thing, but no special light show or anything? They could have been so creative with this dark piece..

Manten

OMG some choreography

Wakana is greeeeeat

Yane no mukou ni

First performance where I almost cried during the actual live, perfect and emotional

Still don’t like Hikaru here, she sounds like she is shouting which kills all emotions she might have had while singing

Cool plucking violins at the end, never noticed they do this

Hikari no senritsu

overplaaaayed

OMG light dude, DO SOMETHING

Best flute solo of all time

Quick opinion: all the performances where I criticise the lack of creativity, movement etc. look actually great on the DVD, because we have the cameras. Changing angles, focus on each girl, their faces, the audience and the band give variety and it makes it look a lot more interesting. But sitting in the actual audience is absolutely tiring, because there is just nothing happening on stage. It’s just like you listen to a CD, especially if you had a seat in the far back and could only rely on the screen. Such a shame and waste.

Storia

oh god no

their steps in the middle part are all over the place XD

fun and good performance

Quick opinion: almost all songs by now have been completely or partly illuminated in blue light. Uncreative? Yes.

Natsu no Ringo

Hikaru again sounds strange and shouting, she definitely was edited

Other than that super beautiful performance, Wakana was in top form that night

Serenato

Another big highlight, one of the best performances Kalafina ever did

Actually a nice, refreshing intro by the accordion, but I personally find it kinda dominant throughout the song, which was a bit distracting and which I didn’t really feel in the actual live

ARIA

Hikaru sings lower and I like it a lot, although they definitely enhanced her voice to sound a bit “prettier”

she did such an emotional and sad performance, you could see that is not struggling as hard as e.g. in Red Day

Sprinter

that Keiko hug

finally some action on stage and interaction with fans!

super fun to watch and OMG Keiko is using the pedestal

Oblivious

still bad place in the setlist

great AMV and surely also a highlight, sadly this is the only special treatment for their debut song, should have been celebrated more

Poor Hikaru gets always ignored during WaKei duet lol

Kizuato

Great performance, I adore that song

Keiko’s voice a bit too cute for me here

Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaeteyuku

Keiko’s stupid cutesy voice

Very emotional and those sad faces at the end kill me every time

I just realized that they have sung all Kara no Kyoukai songs in a row XD

Quick opinion: It’s like they only have red, white and green filters, all while the light technician’s finger is apparently stuck on the blue light button. This is BUDOKAN! This is ALL you can deliver?!

Kantankatan

I honestly wonder why this song made it into the setlist. Hyakka Ryouran sure, being their most recent single, but why this B-side song (and e.g. why not Tombo?). Since fans couldn’t vote for it, it makes me think that the girls just really love this song and wanted it included in their last recorded live performance.

Wakana is simply perfect, Hikaru... well... she’s there. Where has her “neverending” voice gone to?

Where is the second violin dude? Toilet break?

This song becomes so much better when the Strings join in the last part

Symphonia

I still hate Keiko’s dress

omg girls, please move around or something

good and nice performance

Red Moon

finally SOME DARK SONG and finally something for the eye with the video

Hikaru still sounds kinda weak, but during the actual live she was barely audible, so I guess that’s a plus here

Keiko is amazing, you can hear her so clearly! Wakana too! Epic performance

Waaaaay too much blue for a song called Red Moon

Adore

Flashback to After Eden with Red Moon -> Adore xD

Wakana is suuuper!

What the hell is wrong with you Hikaru? What happened after After Eden? She’s sooo shouty, this is definitely her weakest performance of the night

Great violin solo

OMG they use the pedestals FOR THE FIRST TIME and they use it for GODDAMN 12 SECONDS

And I noticed they actually played some video -> good!

To the beginning

finally after way too long, an upbeat song since Sprinter (which is 6 songs ago)

It took me years to realize that they sing “down to zero we go”, however Hikaru sounds suuuper strange singing that line

finally some light action, took you long enough, eh

That Keiko punch at the end xD Not enough of those cool shots

Progressive

YEAH SOME REAL ACTION

also one of the best performances of the night, I love Keiko here, she’s moving so much and having so much fun, it’s infectious

Hikaru killed it and that very last line is awesome

Ongaku

Aaaaw that hug in the beginning

of course, Ongaku is a must, I still think this would have been a better entrance or encore song

look at this power, fantastic

those band solos are the best thing of the whole concert, honestly I love them so hard

however, accordion solo is so out of place and unnecessary beyond belief

Bongo duuuuuuude, LOOK AT HIS FACE I can’t even xD

KONNO HITOSHI VIOLIN EPICNESS!!!!!!! With great justice he got the best reaction from the audience

They edited that Keiko jump/hug, it took her much longer to reach Wakana xD

The interaction between the girls is gorgeous, something we have been missing overall a bit

they included the flute at the end too, very nice (I suppose the accordion too, but fuck that)

that was the best Ongaku performance they ever did

Heavenly Blue

they still should have gone to MC after Ongaku

other than that, good performance I guess

Into the World

well hello there blue filter, it’s been a while

is it just me or has Keiko been made more dominant than she is supposed to be in the beginning?

Nightmare Ballet

come one, at least do that Zaregoto BGM THAT SOME ASSHOLE CUT FROM 9+ONE!

Great intro by accordion though, her duet with Sakurada is so cute

I feel I should take that blue spotlights to a date by now, because I have spent more time with them today than with my boyfriend

Great performance by the band, though too late into the concert in my opinion

Hikari Furu

best performance of this song of all time

Wakana kills it so hard, I feel bad for the others

fantastic mix of normal and acoustic version

that epic pause, THAT EPIC PAUSE

Quick opinion: I am not the biggest fan of those white “wedding” dresses. While their “final” version is pretty cool, I don’t like the veils, simply because they serve no purpose, especially since they’ll be thrown away immediately afterwards.

Hyakka Ryouran

nice flute intro

Red-Blue-Red-Blue-Red-Blue FUCK YOU

Ah, that middle HiKei dance, now you finally can see what I was talking about in my live reports. Wakana would have been better standing on the middle stairs though... #needless nitpicking

the flags are waving, that’s admittedly pretty cool

great performance of everyone, good that this song made it into the setlist

Alleluia

this doesn’t have many live recordings I think, so I am really glad that Alleluia made it as the last and most popular song of the night

definitely a marvellous farewell song for Keiko

look how powerful she sings, she knew this was her last big performance and she delivered

- Why is the manipulator celebrated to heavily? Is he particularly popular or something? XD

- Ehm, Wakana’s dress are actually pants? Do I have that correct? XD

- They should have thrown in “snow falling” as a surprise encore, just for the joke

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

+ the musicians brought in so much variety and creativity even in highly overplayed songs, they made this truly a special concert

+ very good camera work, some great and cute shots and not so many cuts like in 9+ONE for example

- apparently an intern did the lighting here, I can’t explain this amateur work otherwise

- it’s a pity that there wasn’t any extra content included like some kind of Making Of or something on the Commemoration Lives. Sure, they reserved it for the movie, but still, at least something would have been nice

I really love this Live, although I had a lot of criticism. Kalafina delivered and they gave some of their best performances of their career. It was worth it all and it’s simply sad that this is their last concert. They deserved better treatment for this and it should have been even more special, with more effort and creativity by the staff/the agency.

Oops, that became longer than intended, sorry! Thanks for reading!

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

A non fan’s “VIP” experience at the Witness tour

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the biggest Katy fan to say the least.... but my 60 year old mother is, and after being financially unable to attend any of Katy’s past tours, nothing was stopping her from seeing Sydney’s opening night of this one, even if Witness wasn’t her favourite album. Likewise, as this was a mother’s day gift, nothing was stopping me getting her the best sitting tickets in the place. I also want to make a quick note to say that a lot of the negative stuff I have to say is at the start of this post with the positive being down the bottom, so if you’re going to attack me for ‘being a hater’, read the whole thing first.

So we showed up at 6:30, right when the VIPs were being let in. Getting in was no issue. The staff checked our tickets, gave the bumbag full of VIP stuff, reminded us we have $10 worth of food and $10 drink on the VIP vouchers (which tbh is pretty generous, typically it’s $5 each) and directed us in. Once in, the plan was to get food, drink, merchandise and have plenty of time to spare inside considering part of this VIP package was supposed “shortened VIP lines”. Likewise, according to the email I received, non VIP ticket holders were not meant to be let in until 7. None of that went to plan...

We started at the closest food and drinks place... except it wasn’t a proper food place, just a chocolate, chips and drink place. According to security, there was only 2 proper food places; on the very top floor and on the bottom floor on the other side of the arena. Mum and I then modified our plan to get drink there, then the merchandise which was right in front of that place and finally the food. So we hop in the VIP line and some guy comes and tells us that it’s quicker just to get in the normal line, so we do, much to the employee at the counter’s dismay. I don’t know if he was double booked jobs wise for this event or was only meant to set up, but he was adamant that he had somewhere else to be and demanded to know why we were in his line. After a second group was sent to the line, he called over the bloke who directed us there and told him off. He also seemed unaware that VIP ticket holders were told that the $10 drinks voucher could be used on alcohol as my mum tried to get a wine.

So that was all an annoyance, but it was quickly cleared up and we got our drinks and went to the VIP merchandise line. By this point it was 6:45. Like I previously mentioned, non VIP ticket holders were let in a lot earlier than the time indicated on the email I got meaning that the normal line had hundreds of people waiting... and yet it still moved faster than the VIP line which had no more than 10 people. Granted, there was only one guy doing the VIP line which seems silly given how slowly it was going. Anyway, it hit 7 and quite literally only 2 people had been served in the VIP line so I said to mum that I’d grab the food considering that had to be done before the show too. She was reluctant as she hates using the bank card, but she also didn’t want to get the food so that was that.

I decided to go around the arena to the stall on the same floor we were on. While there, I went through a massive line, was held up through a fight because one of the cashiers wouldn’t accept cash when he should have and then had to call over the boss for my order because the cashier thought the vouchers I had were homemade and I was trying to steal the food. All up, it took about 25 minutes from the moment I left the merch line to get the food and come back. None of that really bugged me; I only put it in to put the timing of what I say next and to put something I say later into perspective. My mother was only just reaching the front of the VIP merch line when I got back.

All up, we got to our seats at about 7:35. Zedd was running late and started at 7:45 so we didn’t miss anything. Speaking of Zedd, he was alright. Took me a few songs to realise he wasn’t just playing his own stuff, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Honestly though? Literally nearly every single arena show in Australia has a DJ for the opening act regardless of who the main act is so he was kinda meh for me. I will give him that he had a lot of energy though.

After Zedd, I went to eat my half of the rolls I had brought. From the minute I bit into them, it was clear both through taste and smell that something was off. Literally the small/taste of vomit was all around me and mum could tell. We chucked them out immediately and I prayed that I wouldn’t end up with food poisoning today. And before someone makes a comment about concert food, this is far from the first time buying these rolls there and typically they are fine, though typically I buy them from the upstairs place, so lesson to be learned there. Anyway, I decided to go up, buy more drinks and an ice cream each to get the taste out of my mouth. When getting that, the barrister decided trying to watch the concert for herself was more important than my order. Thankfully her boss was there and made a comment about how I’d probably like to see the show too considering the money I paid, to which she scowled.

Anyway, I got in halfway through Katy’s first song. The first thing I noticed about the show is how little time she spent on the side of the stage we were on which was a little disappointing given how much we had paid for those tickets. I mean, I get it, the walkway was on the other side, but I feel if both sides are paying the same amount of money, there should be equal viewing... then again, I suppose you could argue that because we had the b side stage on our side, that should make up for it.

I’m going to be honest with you, the second half of the concert was far superior to the first to the point it felt like 2 different shows to me. Perhaps this is because I’m not a fan, but the first half felt underwhelming at best and awkward at worst. Watching Katy sing Teenage Dream in what I could only describe as a ‘40 year old business mother’ outfit while girls who looked like they jumped straight out of her California Girls music video danced around her was weird. Even her in the same outfit without the jacket felt younger and probably would have fit the song better. Likewise, her having an extended skit with the superbowl shark felt like a strange attempt to be like “Yeah look at me! I know all the memes and can laugh at myself!”. And her ‘being angry’ at Australian culture really just made me go “... do you really not have enough hits that you have to fill your time with this?”. But once again, maybe I’m just not getting the joke because this is not my fandom. I will however say that I think the effort Katy went to to recognise her band and dancers was great and a trend I hope continues with all artists.

For me the show really started to pick up with Deja Vu. The visuals went from meh to anywhere from cool to gorgeous for the rest of the night. The stage work, including the dancer on the pole felt like they added to the arrangements. Hell, even the parts in between acts felt more engaging and exciting.

My personal favourite moment of the show was watching as she sung Wide Awake sitting on that planet making her way to the b stage. It looked absolutely gorgeous and felt creative to the point where it’s definitely one of the best ways I’ve seen an artist go to their b stage. And while I wished she would have sung Thinking Of You over See Me Into You after hearing that she did for some shows this tour, the moments kept coming. Watching Katy reach out her arm first to hold her fans hands, inviting an 8 year old girl on stage and especially reassuring the girl that she could be a singer if she wanted was heartwarming. Hell even cracking a joke about drugs after hearing that 8 year old say she saw a kangaroo jump on its head felt genuine in a way the first half didn’t. Quite frankly, the only thing I would have changed about the second half of her set is that with it being the final encore song, I wish that she would have sung the majority of Firework on the main stage, only going up the runway at the end rather than doing 90% of the song there.

All up, if I had to compare it to the concerts I typically go to, I’d have to say that the first half felt like Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour; very business minded and very clear that she was trying to prove/achieve something whereas the second half felt more heart filled mixed with energetic, almost reminiscent of the Speak Now tour. In terms of whether I’d go again, if mum wanted to, I’d probably tag along. However, I’d be reluctant to buy VIP tickets again.