Glorious Noise, May 14, 2007: Difference between revisions
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On with the show. As was expected, this was a case of he and the band going out and slamming the 2:40ish singles of yore. Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang. One after the other. Sometimes a slight pause between songs in order for him to get another guitar. Sometimes a final note segued right into the opening note of another. Serious music-making. No idle chatter. They came to play, and play they did. If only they were better. Full marks must go to drummer Pete Thomas, who did as solid a job as he probably did 30 years ago. Let's face it: When you pump it up, there is a whole lot of exercise involved. There was no slack on his part. | On with the show. As was expected, this was a case of he and the band going out and slamming the 2:40ish singles of yore. Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang. One after the other. Sometimes a slight pause between songs in order for him to get another guitar. Sometimes a final note segued right into the opening note of another. Serious music-making. No idle chatter. They came to play, and play they did. If only they were better. Full marks must go to drummer Pete Thomas, who did as solid a job as he probably did 30 years ago. Let's face it: When you pump it up, there is a whole lot of exercise involved. There was no slack on his part. | ||
The same can't be said for Costello. To be sure, some of it probably had to do with it being a less-than-acoustically astounding venue, as there was a pervasive muddiness involved, and one suspects that this was not some sort of tribute to The River In Reverse. A few years ago, he seemed as though he wanted to emphasize his guitar playing prowess, taking extended leads and choking the feedback out till not only the guitar was screaming. While they generally played the songs as captured on vinyl (yes, it is the 30th anniversary), which didn't open opportunities for virtuosity, even when he made departures, it was really rather underwhelming, almost vague. | The same can't be said for Costello. To be sure, some of it probably had to do with it being a less-than-acoustically astounding venue, as there was a pervasive muddiness involved, and one suspects that this was not some sort of tribute to ''The River In Reverse''. A few years ago, he seemed as though he wanted to emphasize his guitar playing prowess, taking extended leads and choking the feedback out till not only the guitar was screaming. While they generally played the songs as captured on vinyl (yes, it is the 30th anniversary), which didn't open opportunities for virtuosity, even when he made departures, it was really rather underwhelming, almost vague. | ||
One of the things that must vex bands when they go out in support of a new recording is that most of the people in the audience are familiar with the older work and are inclined to want to hear that rather than the new material, which the band has an interest in gaining some attention among those who are partisans. But in this case, it was pretty much all about the music from days gone by, which makes it a somewhat odd situation, sort of like those bands from the 70s and 80s who go out on the summer tours (think state fairs and civic festivals) to play the two or three songs for which they are known, except that Costello and Nieve and Thomas have been putting out new music consistently, so this is not some sort of nostalgia act. Yet that, in large part, is what this tour is. And it is all the sadder that the execution was so poor. | One of the things that must vex bands when they go out in support of a new recording is that most of the people in the audience are familiar with the older work and are inclined to want to hear that rather than the new material, which the band has an interest in gaining some attention among those who are partisans. But in this case, it was pretty much all about the music from days gone by, which makes it a somewhat odd situation, sort of like those bands from the 70s and 80s who go out on the summer tours (think state fairs and civic festivals) to play the two or three songs for which they are known, except that Costello and Nieve and Thomas have been putting out new music consistently, so this is not some sort of nostalgia act. Yet that, in large part, is what this tour is. And it is all the sadder that the execution was so poor. |
Revision as of 21:09, 16 April 2019
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