#and continued when the marching band version of the intro started | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kyotakumrau · 3 years

Text

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.

#dir en grey #tokyo garden theater #疎外 #sogai #setlist #attempt at live report

120 notes · View notes

natromanxoff · 2 years

Text

Queen + Paul Rodgers live at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY, USA - March 17, 2006

Photos supplied by: Little_Queenie99

Fan Stories

“I heard the news in December '05, Queen would be touring the USA in early 2006. WOW WAS I EXCITED! I had never seen Queen live before. I got into them a little in 1984, 2 years after their last US tour, and fully into them in 1989. I had gotten my daughter, Tessa into them in 2000 when she was 2 years old. So when I told her about the upcoming concert, she was very excited too! I asked and begged for tickets for Christmas and my birthday (March 10th) and was given them on my birthday. Probably the best present I have ever been given by anyone for any occasion. The day of the show was hell, waiting, waiting, waiting, would the time EVER COME???!!! Finally it was 2pm and time to leave work (early of course, the trip from Rochester to Buffalo is 90 minutes). I picked up my daughter from school (she practically knocked me over when she got to the office) We drove home to eat supper and change into our matching Queen shirts. Then after a few pictures, we were off! On the drive there I played some Queen songs she hadnt learned yet and a few of the Bad Company songs wed be hearing. Surprisingly she liked the song Bad Company best. When we got there it was 630pm. We immediately bought our souvenirs and brought them to the car so we didnt have to worry about them at all. They opened the doors at 7pm and we sat listening to Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival songs as we grew impatient. At 8pm between songs of CCRs, the music failed to continue with another song. Then We Will Rock You from the musical played (My daughter was confused by this, she asked me if it was Freddie singing or Paul) then a bluegrass version of Fat Bottomed Girls (which was strange but pretty good). Then the lights dimmed and the remix of Its a Beautiful Day began, Im getting goose bumps just thinking about it! When Eminem started she got more confused but when Brian riffed along with the song I knew the time was here. Paul came out and sang Reaching Out and I told her to watch the black curtain because it would fall down when Roger started drumming, this she found pretty cool when it happened. When Brian came out and started the riff to Tie Your Mother Down I got tears in my eyes. Here in the same building was Queen, my all time favorite band and I was finally seeing them LIVE. Yeah, I know, Freddie wasnt there, If he was it was the only way the concert could have been better!

When Brian yelled Good Evening Buffalo! I got chills. Then he noodled about a bit (a little sounded like the intro solo in Headlong) and then they sang Fat Bottomed Girls. The first 2 songs are ones my daughter absolutely loves. See, when she was 2 I taught her Queen after she took an interest. I was in the car, We Are The Champions was on the radio, and I was singing along. By the end she was singing too!!! I figured I would teach her songs with easy Choruses. (Ones with only 2-4 sentences at most, better if it repeated the one or two lines and that was it) Quick to follow was We Will Rock You & Another One Bites The Dust. I should point out, to keep her interest I had little motions we did. For Example. During Hey Im Gonna Get You Too I pretended to tickle her. In We Are The Champions during Of The World I would raise both hands in the air. I knew I had something one day on the way to school. We had watched a live show the night before. In the car when WATC was on she only put up one arm and proudly exclaimed Daddy! I did it just like Freddie on TV! Over the next few years I taught her any song with an easy Chorus lyric Put Out The Fire, If You Cant Beat Them, Fat Bottomed Girls, Bicycle Race, Tie Your Mother Down, etc. She knows about 30-40 as of now. Now that weve seen Queen we will definitely be learning some harder songs. I plan on starting at Queen 1 and moving along as time goes on. I had warned her thered be songs played she didnt know and that songs she loved (like Put Out The Fire) wouldnt be played. She got really bored for a few minutes as they did I Want To Break Free (I think the worst song of the night, no surprise it was dropped a few shows later) & Take Love, which I personally loved but she didnt know it and well, you know how kids are! Then she perked up when she recognized Crazy Little Thing Called Love. She knew I had told her we had to yell Ready Freddie at the appropriate time. Sadly not many in my section did. However on the bootleg of the show, the area around the person taping got into it at least! Then out came Brian to do his Acoustic set. I was praying hed do 39 or even Long Away like on last years tour, but all we got was Love Of My Life at which point I cuddled up to my daughter and sang along with the crowd. On the way to the show she had heard for the first time Hammer To Fall. She isnt too into that one yet. Then came Feel Like Making Love and the surprise of the night Under Pressure. She liked it at the show and on her bootleg it is one of the more played cuts now. She really got into the next one as I did as well. Let There Be Drums was next and we both like Rogers solos. The crowd was clapping along to the main beat of the song which was neat too! Tessa was air-drumming along with Roger at one point. I got chills when the crowd was clapping along (clap clap clap. drums, clap clap clap drums) Then came Im In Love With My Car. The guitar solo was next and other than the ass who was complaining for them to just sing already I heard another asking who else was playing with Brian. I proudly turned around and said he is doing it all on his own. I always loved how he could have a base riff (usually a steady beat) and solo over it. People seemed amazed that he could get so many different sounds out of that guitar, from light to heavy to MONSTER like during Chinese Torture. Last Horizon was beautiful as always and you could literally hear the crowd take in their breath at the lights from the disco ball making the ceiling look like a star field. The piano came up from the floor and Bad Company was beginning. That one was one of the better Paul Rodgers tunes of the night. Cant Get Enough was ok I guess. Id have rather heard Ready For Love or Shooting Star.

Then came almost all songs Tessa knew. First, Another One Bites The Dust and then Dragon Attack which was surprisingly played like the album version and not like the old way from 1980-1984 when it was mixed with Now Im Here. We were on our feet dancing for these two! These Are The Days Of Our Lives was next and the chills were plentiful when the crowd applauded at video of John & Freddie. My sadness was kicking in as I knew we were getting to the end. Radio Ga Ga was next and Tessa and I did the clapping along with the crowd. Tessa got so excited at the next song. The Show Must Go On is one of her big favorites. She looks so serious when she sings. I have since told her that one of my favorite Queen lyrics is the lines My soul is painted like the wings on butterflies, Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die I knew it was all over for us next because when Paul pointed to the screen it meant time for Bohemian Rhapsody. I cried and so did Tessa at the view of our hero on the screen singing his most beloved song. I even took her over to the area by one of the screens and have a picture of her standing next to Freddie. We stood by the stage for the rest of the song and I got all choked up again at the end at the duet part. When they went offstage I took her back to our seat and told her about encores and how there would be 3 more songs. When We Will Rock You started she got up on her feet. Apparently while she told me a little while before that she was tired, she apparently wasnt anymore. At the end she was surprised they did All Right Now next. But she told me this is like when they did Friends Will Be Friends between Rock You and Champions. She liked All Right Now so much that on the way home when we heard a Buffalo station playing the Return Of The Champions version, she sang along! Champions was next and we have a nice picture of us swaying our arms back and forth. Sadly it was all over. The dream of seeing Queen had been realized. Now the concert was over and sadness ensued. On the way out I asked Tessa how she liked her first Queen concert and she told me it was the greatest concert ever. She had so much fun and her favorite part was when Freddie sang. I told her it was my favorite part too! Nothing against Paul but the nostalgia of the moment would be something I would never forget. I asked her how she liked Paul Rodgers and she told me he was a good singer and she liked it when he was on the top of the piano (During Bad Company) I have seen many concerts in my lifetime. From Iron Butterfly to Heart, From The Guess Who to Tim McGraw, and from Toby Keith to Cheap Trick. This was by far THE best show I have ever seen. I think if I went to another concert in my lifetime that it would be an automatic letdown as Queen and Paul Rodgers rocked the house! Hopefully I will get another experience seeing Queen so I may do another one of these. May the Queen + Paul Rodgers union last for a very long time! Afterwards my wife got a frame with 4 pictures from the show and our tickets in it and now it hangs on the wall. Tessa sits and stares at it every time she listens to her bootleg CD of the show.” - Michael & Tessa Fox

“We (my mom, dad, and I) arrived at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo on St. Patrick's Day after a long drive, and once they let the people in, we bought programs and such, and found our seats, throughout the pre-concert stage, they were playing a lot of old rock hits over the speakers (Hendrix and such) and about 5 minutes before the concert started, some Queen covers were played until the Beautiful Day mix was played. The energy at that point was almost sufficating. Many people who knew what this song singled were cheering while I tried to explain to my parents that the concert had officially started. Lose Yourself was played next and the lights went down and everyone went nuts. When Reaching Out started Paul appeared at the end of the catwalk near where I was standing and it was just magical. Then Brian went out on stage and started playing the chords to Tie Your Mother Down. It was amazing everyone was going nuts (and people said the crowd was quiet ;-) ) Most of everything after that was a blur. I was sick for the whole day and I would stand up and cheer...sit down and throw up :-P. Memorable moments were probably the energy at the beginning of the concert, Let There Be Drums, Bad Company definitely, Under Pressure, and the encore, just because it is. Ah, the whole concert was a memorable moment that I'll never forget. I also learned a valuable lesson about Queen concerts in general that I will utilize if I ever get to go to another one: Brian's solo is a great time for a bathroom break. :-D This concert is definitely the best I have ever seen, heard, and the only one I've ever experienced. I hope I get to go to another one in the future. Oh, and if anyone gets a chance to get a recording: GET IT!!!” - Smitty

(x)

#queen #queen band #roger taylor #brian may #paul rodgers #queen concerts #queen + paul rodgers concerts

10 notes · View notes

quillsandtypos · 3 years

Text

Ours Stars Collided- Part 2

Summary: As our reader, a musically gifted high school junior, navigates life she realizes not everything goes as planned. She didn't plan on getting close with Julie's band. But not any band, her band is made up of ghosts. But is the afterlife enough to keep her feelings in check towards the main guitarist?

Words: 3.8k

Pairing: luke patterson x reader

Warnings: none

...........................................

“Hey, you ready?” you asked.

“Yeah, just let me grab my stuff,” Julie answered.

She pulled the emoji covered backpack out of her locker and shut it.

“Alright, you ready?” she questioned, as she let you lead the way.

“Yes, and no,” you said, with a nervous smile.

She placed her hand on your shoulder. “You got this, besides, you’re in good hands with Luke,” she reassured you.

“No doubt about that, it’s just a matter of whether I’ll embarrass myself or not.”

She smiled genuinely at you. “You got this, trust me.”

You held the door open for her.

“That car is yours, right?” She pointed across the parking lot.

“Yep, that’s the one.”

You unlocked it and threw your bag in the back, before getting into the drivers side.

“Alright, whatcha wanna listen to?”

Julie paused in thought before hesitantly asking, “You know who Lizzo is right?”

“Oh my god yes! You listen to her too?” you excitedly asked.

“Yes! How could you not listen to Lizzo!”

“Lizzo it is then!”

The first song was Soulmate, followed by Tempo which the two of you practically yelled, and the third song was Like a Girl. When Truth Hurts came on you both gasped and made eye contact through wide eyes.

Soon enough your sound system was blaring through the car and the two of you were belting the lyrics.

“Help you witchya career just a little,” you sang. Then you pointed to Julie to take the next part.

“You supposed to hold me down but you holding me back and that’s the sound of me not calling you back!” Julie was somewhere in between belting and yelling and still managing to sound good.

Then the both of you took the chorus. “Why men great till they gotta be great, don’t text me tell it straight to my face!

You were both animatedly pumping your fists with bright smiles as you finally rolled into her driveway.

Julie opened the studio doors to the boys all sitting there, ready to go. “Well you guys certainly look like you were having fun,” Reggie commented, smiling.

“We did,” you agreed.

“But now it means that break time is over for you guys,” Julie teased them.

Alex had already poofed over to the drums before she said anything.

“Yes ma’am!” Reggie said, getting off the couch.

Luke had a playful smile on his face. “We were the ones working on a new song, so I think that means the break is up for you,” he teased.

You couldn’t help but notice their closeness in that moment, you tried not to; but a small part of you couldn’t help but wish that was you.

Julie just rolled her eyes at him and walked to her piano to put her bag down. And just like that the moment was over.

After you and Julie had settled in and warmed up your voices and practiced a bit with your instruments, you figured you should probably figure out what you were doing.

“So do you guys want me to sing, or play, or listen?” you asked.

They all looked over at you, but Luke was the first to speak. “I can show y/n a couple of the songs with her while you guys run through Bright. Then we can see how she fits into that?” Luke brainstormed.

He held eye contact with you for a few moments before shifting to his other bandmates to gage their reactions.

“Sure! Sounds good to me,” Alex offered.

“Yeah you guys can go sit up in the loft if you want, just so you won’t be distracted by us,” Julie suggested.

“Yeah, sure, come on newbie, let’s see what you got, shall we?” He gestured to the stairs, and allowed you to go first.

“Don’t you already know what I’ve got since you technically already heard me play?” you said, as you ascended the stairs with your guitar.

“Yeah, but that one doesn’t technically count since it wasn’t in here,” he argued.

You paused and turned around, as you desperately tried to fight the smile forming on your lips. “Well technically you shouldn’t break into someone’s room and watch them play without knowing, so,” you trailed off.

“And to think I wanted you to be in the band,” he tutted, with no malice in his voice.

You couldn’t hide the grin on your face now, so you instead choose to plop down on the floor and start on your guitar.

“Alright I’m gonna show you the first couple chords that I have for Bright,” he explained as his fingers effortly slid across his guitar. You watched as he repeated it a couple times before joining him.

He looked up at you as he continued to play. “You’re a fast learner,” he commented.

“Eh, I’m just a visual learner.”

“That must help, I mean with the music school that you and Julie go to. It must be easier to learn things,” he guessed. He continued watching you play.

“Well I mean yes, I go to the same school as Julie but I’m not in the music program,” you admitted.

Luke abruptly stopped playing. “What?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t able to get in.” You were getting somewhat embarrassed.

“Seriously?” he asked in disbelief.

“Seriously,” you confirmed.

“How could they not let you in? I mean you obviously belong there,” he insisted. He sounded slightly upset about the situation.

“There are plenty of people in that school that are much better than me Luke, trust me,” you reassured him.

He leaned forward slightly which forced you to make eye contact with him. He looked quite somber but his eyes seemed to reflect a sort of light; it was as if he was looking through your soul with how intense his gaze was. “I doubt that,” he said.

You nervously swallowed and hoped he didn’t notice. “Thank you,” you uttered quietly, though it did not obstruct the feeling in your voice.

“You’re welcome.” His gaze tore away from yours. You were half relieved and half disappointed.

“So you ready to learn the rest of the song?” He said, breaking the rest of the momentary silence in the loft.

“Whenever you are.”

“Is she show ready?” Julie asked as you walked back down the steps twenty minutes later.

“I think she can manage,” you responded. You sounded more confident than you felt.

“Alright, let’s start Bright from the top. Y/n I want you to sing the chorus, pre-chorus, the second verse and then out to the end of the song, except for the bridge. Luke I’m gonna have you not sing, just for this one. And I will sing the intro, chorus, pre-chorus, the bridge, and verse one. Y/n just sing on this one, we’re not gonna add your guitar yet,” she explained.

You were glad she had a plan, so you at least knew what you were doing. You attempted to shake out your nerves a little bit and Julie gave you a thumbs up from her piano.

She started her intro and of course she sounded amazing. Luckily, you had listened to their song before so you knew when you needed to come in.

“Life is a risk but I will take it

Close my eyes and jump, together I think that we can make it

Come on let’s run”

The guys joined in with their instruments as the two of you reached the chorus. You started to relax through the chorus until you remembered that you would be singing on your own in a couple seconds. Pulling up your previous lesson from Luke in your mind, you tried to remember how high he had you sing it, it wasn’t quite Julie’s level but it was definitely higher than his. You once again made eye contact with Luke who mouthed ‘you got this’ with a determined look on his face. You heard the drums starting to quiet slightly and you knew you were up.

“In times that I doubted myself

I felt like I needed some help

Stuck in my head with nothing left

I feel something around me now

So unclear, lifting me out

I found the ground I’m marching on”

You were once again back with Julie’s voice as she came to stand beside you. You turned to face one another and sang with a harmony you were quite certain you hadn’t heard before. She was practically glowing with happiness and you couldn’t help but reflect that same joy on your own face.

As her individual part finished up again the two of you sung the final parts of the song as you went low on the last bright as she sung her iconic high note. The music faded and you couldn’t help but cheer a little bit.

Julie pulled you into a tight hug. “See I told you you’d be amazing!”

You returned the hug. “Thank you, but you should seriously hear yourself. You are so talented.”

“She’s right y/n you sounded really good,” commented Alex from the back; Reggie nodded in agreement.

“Thanks Alex,” you replied. A small smile was on your face and a certain amount of heat was creeping up to your cheeks from the levels of attention on you.

Luckily, Julie quickly took it off of you. This time she was going to have you play a version of Luke’s part on the guitar but complimented it as he sang; which you were grateful for because it meant you could take a background seat for a minute.

Julie started up on her piano again. This time you were waiting for the chorus to start, and as it did you almost forgot what you were doing when Luke started singing. Sure you had heard him sing this song in full once before. But damn could that boy sing.

It wasn’t until the chorus hit that things started to go wrong for you. You once again couldn’t help but notice their closeness, or the way they looked at each other. You continued on playing but you would be lying if you said it was with the same energy you had minutes ago.

The final chorus hit and your face had fallen all the way from buzzing with joy to mopey. You noticed Reggie creeping up from your right and your spirits were slightly raised as you watched him awkwardly wink at you and walk over to finish the rest of the song with you. For a second he made you forget all about your moment of sadness. As you finished up the last of the chords with each other you ended up back to back towards the end of it, for dramatic effect. Alex laughed as the song ended and he noticed the stance you and Reggie had chosen.

“What?” Reggie grinned.

“That was awesome!” you yelled, high fiving him

“Yeah it was!” he said, mirroring your enthusiasm.

“Ya know I think she’ll fit in quite nicely,” Luke observed. You could’ve sworn you saw him smirk and his eyes move slightly, but it was only for a moment.

Julie smiled in a slightly mischievous way. “I think she will too,” Julie agreed, as if you weren’t in the room listening to their conversation.

“You guys know I’m right here right?” you quipped from the other side of the room.

“Yeah I know, but I have a LOT of homework so we gotta wrap this up.”

“I can do that!” You raced over to the couch to get your stuff.

“Gentleman and Julie, it was lovely playing with you and I will see you all tomorrow,” you said as you waved goodbye. They all waved back as you pulled out of her driveway.

It turned out that heavy homework wednesdays were becoming a thing for Julie because in the following week she was told she wasn’t allowed to have band practice until her homework was done. She said something about her dad not being too happy about her staying up till twelve doing it. Though Julie didn’t sound so happy about it either, for obvious reasons; but she did of course want to have band practice, so she promised all of you she would be done as quick as possible. But she still needed a ride home, and Flynn’s house was on the way to your house, so you offered to drive her too.

Flynn called shotgun which Julie groaned about, but she took the back. You turned on Lizzo before putting the park in reverse to get out of the parking lot and driving off.

“So how is your new spot in the phantoms going?” Flynn asked.

“I would say pretty good, but I’ll let Julie answer that one.”

“She’s doing really well, her and Luke have really figured out how to compliment one another on the guitars, and she gets along great with all of them,” Julie responded.

“Well I think they might, maybe, just maybe, be keeping you,” Flynn told you, sarcastically.

“Thank god they are, I don’t know what I would’ve done if they hadn’t," you worried aloud.

“Probably would’ve still thought you were insane,” Flynn suggested with a shrug.

“Harsh! But, yeah, probably,” you admitted, laughing a little bit, and the other two joined you.

“At least now I can get people off my back about me and Luke,” Julie spoke. Flynn pointed at her in acknowledgement.

Now that peaked your interest. “What?” you asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

Julie casually waved you off. “Oh just people thinking Luke and I are together.”

You thought you were going to jump up and down from excitement, “Wait, you guys aren’t together?” You hoped you didn’t sound as excited as you felt.

Julie had a borderline concerned look on her face. “Ohhhhh definitely not, we are just friends, and neither of us want to be anything more. I mean don’t get me wrong, I see the appeal, but he’s not my type,” she explained.

“Yeah cause her type is Nick,” Flynn sang, snapping her fingers.

Suddenly a lightbulb clicked. “Was that the guy you were talking to by your locker the day Luke saw me?”

Julie facepalmed in embarrassment. “Yes.”

“See she’s not even denying it,” Flynn pointed out.

“That’s true,” you agreed, looking through your rear mirror at your bandmate.

Flynn's face suddenly turned from mischievous evil to somehow even more evil. “Though I mean we could instead talk about how you obviously think Luke is cute.”

Now that took you by surprise. “I do not!” you insisted.

Flynn’s eyes got slightly larger with her raised eyebrows and she pursed her lips. “Okay so we’re lying now?” she teased.

Julie laughed before slamming her hand over her mouth. “Flynn stop, if she says she doesn’t like him then she doesn’t.”

“Thank you Julie.” You specifically enunciated Julie and Flynn stuck her tongue out at you. And just as she did you turned onto Julie’s road.

You waved goodbye to Julie, wishing her luck with her homework. And then went to drop Flynn off before arriving home yourself.

You rummaged through the fridge to find something and you managed to settle on an orange before also finding hummus and pretzels.

You sat down in your empty kitchen and took a bite of a hummus covered pretzel, and realize you forgot to get water. You turned around to come face to face with Luke…. again.

“HOLY SHIT!” you yelled. It wasn’t your first time but it didn’t mean it wasn’t just as scary.

“Sorry didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, not looking very sorry at all.

“You have got to stop doing that.” You walked past him and by that you mean you accidentally walked through him. You turned back to him for a moment to see if he was okay but he seemed to be looking at you curiously so you assumed he was fine.

“No promises, remember? It’s kinda a ghost thing,” he reminded you as he followed you around your kitchen.

“Okay well what do you and your ghost thing want?” you asked, immediately regretting your choice of words. You could practically feel his smirk from behind you.

“Did you just-” he started but you cut him off.

“Nope, no, no I didn’t. What do you want Luke?” You were trying to pivot and luckily, he took the bait.

“Well, can you come to the studio?” he asked.

“Yes, I was already going to be coming there later.” You were getting slightly confused.

“No, I mean like now,” Luke explained.

“Why?” you asked, finally sitting back down with your water.

“We’re bored,” he confessed, slouching on your table.

“You came here to tell me you’re bored?” you giggled.

“Well I guess technically, yes, so can you come?” he impatiently asked. He just looked restless. Though you supposed being in a garage for a large majority of your day and only having two other people to talk to would do that to a person, or ghost in this case. But unfortunately, you still couldn’t come.

“Sorry Luke, I already told my parents I would be leaving later tonight, and I don’t wanna have to switch plans on them,” you apologized.

“Oh come on, your parents aren’t even home,” he pointed out.

“I’m well aware, but I try to keep my promises to them,” you defended. Though he looked so goddamn cute at the moment you could feel your will power breaking.

“It’ll be fun!” he promised. He must’ve known that his smile could get to you because when you looked at him you swore it had grown three sizes.

“Tempting, but I’m gonna have to pass.”

“Please?” he asked. You looked him in the eyes, which was a big mistake because he was giving you a puppy face. I mean it’s not like you already thought he was cute, but this? This was on a whole nother level. His lips were in a slight pout as his head was tilted doward just a smidge, and his blue eyes mocked sadness, in a way that was just unbearable.

“Okay, okay, fine,” you agreed, you tried to sound annoyed but it didn’t work in the slightest.

“Yes!” he shouted.

“Just let me grab my keys, wait, can you even go in a car?” Could he even get in the car? Could he get in the car, and then his physical state or lack thereof, could suddenly go away and he wouldn’t be sitting in the car anymore? But Luke’s voice interrupted your hypotheticals.

“How about I just meet you there?” Luke suggested.

“Good idea,” you agreed.

Ten minutes later you had pulled up to Julie’s house and entered the studio. “Oh hey Reggie,” you greeted, taking a seat on the couch.

“Oh hi y/n! Are you here to practice with us, or? Not that I mind you being here,” he quickly stammered out.

“It’s fine, you’re okay Reggie, I know I’m not usually here unless it’s for practice. But yeah, I’m just here to hang out.”

“Oh, cool!”

“So where’s everybody else?” you asked.

“Well I think Alex is with Willie and I’m actually not sure where Luke is,” he answered.

“I wonder wh-” you started, but you had a feeling that someone had landed beside you.

Which, of course Luke had, and practically right on time too.

“Sorry, I was just checking on Julie and seeing how much homework she has,” Luke explained.

“How’s it looking?” you asked.

“Not so great, she still has a lot left to go,” Luke admitted.

You shrugged. “Well I’ve got nowhere to be.”

And for the next two hours or so the three of you sat there and talked about all sorts of things, from mundane things, to really deep things, to things they missed the most about being alive. Which mostly consisted of food, not that you blamed them.

Soon enough Luke went to go check up on Julie again.

“Are you cold?” Reggie asked you.

“No,” you lied.

“Dude, I can see you, you’re literally shivering.”

“Yeah, I forgot to grab a jacket before I left my house,” you admitted.

“Here-” he threw a jacket at you, “wear this one, it’s nice and warm.”

“Reggie you really don’t have to-” you started, but he insisted; and you were pretty cold so you gave in.

In a couple of minutes Luke returned to the same spot.

“How’s it looking now?” you asked.

“I don’t think she’s gonna,” Luke suddenly stopped mid sentence to glance over at you, “nice jacket y/n.” For whatever reason, he had a very interesting look on his face, to say the least.

“Thanks, Reggie lent it to me.”

“Oh is that so?” he asked, now turning to look at Reggie, who looked slightly frightened.

“Um, yes?” you said, though it was more of a question.

Luke turned to you, “Y/n?”

“Yeah?” you responded.

“You know that’s my jacket right?” he asked.

Now you also turned to stare down Reggie, “What was your intent with this-”

“Wait what’s his full first name?” you asked Luke in a whisper.

“Reginald,” he whispered back.

“What was your intent with this Reginald?” you asked.

“I have no idea what you guys are talking about,” Reggie said, looking up at the ceiling.

Luke took one step towards him and Reggie yelped before poofing out.

“Why does he keep offering up your stuff?” you laughed.

He scoffed, “I wish I knew.” It seemed like he did know but you weren’t going to press him on it.

“Oh, here, you can have your jacket back now.” You awkwardly handed it over to him.

“Oh, thanks. You did look good in it though, by the way,” he casually mentioned.

You were pretty sure your brain just shut down for a couple seconds. “What?” you asked, you were still working to catch up with what just happened.

“I said, you looked good in it,” he repeated, as his voice was becoming soft and slightly deeper.

“Thanks,” you managed to mumble out. But meanwhile you thought your face was on fire.

“Oh also you might wanna head home, Julie said she’s not gonna be able to practice tonight,” he mentioned.

“I probably should, but hey, I’ll see you tomorrow!” you yelled as you left the studio.

“See ya!” he yelled and waved.

By the time you got home there was a note on the kitchen table, ‘Don’t worry I cleared it with Luke this time -signed Reggie’ and next to the note sat the jacket. You laughed quietly to yourself before taking the note and the jacket upstairs with you.

88 notes · View notes

passionate-reply · 3 years

Video

youtube

This week on Great Albums, I finally explain the deal with that record you’ve seen in the background of these videos, with those dudes working in the office. These dudes used to be in the Human League! Oh, and they really hate fascism. Full transcript of the video after the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, I’ll be looking at the debut album of Heaven 17: 1981’s Penthouse & Pavement. While you may not be familiar with Heaven 17, chances are pretty good that if you know your Western pop, you’ve heard of the Human League! Before forming Heaven 17, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware were members of the Human League--and they were also the band’s creative core. But they had a very different artistic vision, and one that doesn’t exactly prefigure the success of hits like “Don’t You Want Me.”

Music: “Being Boiled”

Between its plodding electronics and inscrutable lyricism, “Being Boiled” is pretty far from a pop hit. When Marsh and Ware left the Human League, they were keen to continue pursuing this sort of underground, experimental, quasi-industrial direction. Initially, the two of them formed the British Electronic Foundation, or “B.E.F.” It was chiefly a production company that worked with other artists, though they also released some instrumental music under this name. With the recruitment of vocalist Glenn Gregory, who Marsh and Ware had initially intended to front the Human League in the first place, they were set to get right back into the groove of what they had been up to before.

Music: “Fascist Groove Thang”

“Fascist Groove Thang” is the opening track of Penthouse & Pavement, and was one of its chief singles. While it’s much less ambiguous than “Being Boiled,” and much easier to dance to, it’s still got a lot of that subversive, underground charm--enough to get banned by the BBC, anyway. I know they always say that history rhymes, but it’s one of those songs from this era that really feels like it belongs more in our time than the one it came from. I like to think that its unforgettable chorus sounds more like a chant you might hear at a protest march, as opposed to something that belongs in a proper song. “Fascist Groove Thang” is actually based on an instrumental track by BEF, which was simply called “Groove Thang” before being reworked into this political anthem. Both versions are indeed pretty groovy, thanks in large part to the bass guitar work of session musician John Wilson. Compared to their work with the Human League, Penthouse & Pavement has an overall richer sonic palate, with more of those traditional instruments, as well as backing vocals. You’ll hear a lot of those on the album’s title track:

Music: “Penthouse & Pavement”

Penthouse & Pavement’s title track is the longest track on the album, clocking in at over six minutes. Between that, the lush instrumentation, and the honour of being the title track, it certainly feels like an anti-capitalist epic, dramatizing and dignifying the inner thoughts of a common wage-slave. The first side of the album, dubbed the “Pavement Side,” is where you’ll find both of these tracks, and it seems to deal chiefly with working-class struggles, as well as having a bigger emphasis on that bass-heavy groove, musically. Naturally, then, the flip is the “Penthouse Side,” it’s more melodic, and it seems to focus more on the lives of the rich and famous...though it isn’t quite that straightforward.

Music: “We’re Going To Live For a Very Long Time”

“We’re Going To Live For a Very Long Time” is perhaps the clearest expression of the idea of the upper classes living in their own protected bubble, shielded from plebeian woes. There’s a religious dimension to it, in that the narrator manages to live without worries because of their assuredness that Heaven awaits them when they die...but, as the title reminds us, they’re also confident that Earth will be good to them, as well. In case you were worried this message might not be ironic, the song actually stops abruptly in the middle of its final refrain, providing a sudden end for that narrator--as well as closing out the entire LP with a bang, since this is the final track! The idea of the wealthy actively taunting those beneath them is also central to the most rhythmic track of the Penthouse Side, “The Height of the Fighting.”

Music: “The Height of the Fighting”

In “The Height of the Fighting,” that march-like chanting takes center stage again, but it feels very different here. Rather than embodying a sort of grassroots resistance to the consolidation of power, “The Height of the Fighting” seems to be the voice of authority and power coming downwards, fitting the theme of the Penthouse Side. The song’s assertions, like “if you can’t take it, fake it” and “they sent you to it, do it” could be interpreted as pithy, meaningless sayings--perhaps throwaway lyrics, taking up space on a single aimed squarely at the dance floor. However, if you know the context of the Penthouse Side, it’s hard not to see them as representations of the worthless advice the rich often give the poor. Get a job. Get a side hustle. Work harder. Eat out less. And so on. Much like the implicit messages about class in popular culture, “The Height of the Fighting” might seem disposable, but the thrust of what it’s saying is actually deeply warped. Another complex, and perhaps conflicted, track on the Penthouse Side is “Let’s All Make a Bomb”:

Music: “Let’s All Make a Bomb”

Songs against nuclear war were commonplace in Cold War-era music, but “Let’s All Make a Bomb” isn’t quite a typical example. At first, its slow pace and despondent melody make us think we’re getting the usual fare. But the return of that swelling, chant-like refrain style, as well as a closer inspection of the lyrics, reveal otherwise. As the title might imply, “Let’s All Make a Bomb” asks us what kind of character is actually crazy enough to *want* nuclear war, and the character Heaven 17 have chosen is a hedonistic libertine, who sees the end of the world as one big party. The atomic bomb is not a thing to be feared, but “a brand new toy, to idolize.” As dark as that is, the fact that it’s also part of the Penthouse Side, and ostensibly a representation of what those who hold influence and power believe, adds a whole new level of horror to it.

While I love album art, and my interest in it is the main reason I started collecting vintage vinyl, I think [the cover of Penthouse & Pavement just might be my favourite of all time. Penthouse & Pavement’s cover portrays the three members of Heaven 17 as though they were businessmen, co-opting motives like glass-paneled skyscrapers and the deal-making handshake straight from the 1980s corporate visual lexicon. They've even got cities they're allegedly based out of, one of which is their native Sheffield, England. If you look closely, there are a few hints that they’re actually a music band and not a firm, such as the reel-to-reel tape player in the upper right-hand corner, and the fact that in the lower left-hand corner, Martyn Ware is writing music in front of a keyboard. At the bottom, we also find the logo of B.E.F., which brings this grand “joke” full circle. As the “British Electronic Foundation,” they had also billed themselves as a faceless organisation, adopting a name that sounds more at home on a utility bill than an album cover. Here, the trio have done it again, in a bit of ruthless satire towards the rising “yuppie” culture of the 80s. Incidentally, the cover art is a traditional painting, credited to one Ray Smith. It wasn't unusual to commission paintings for album art at the time, but it does tickle me knowing a human being physically painted Heaven 17 as office workers. If the original ever came up for auction, I'd probably shell out for it. It would look great in my office!

Anyway, it’s also worth mentioning how the title “Penthouse & Pavement” adds to that corporate theme. The X-and-Y format recalls the names of many real-life firms and companies, such as Ernst & Young. A “penthouse” is an apartment located very high up in a tall, urban building. Such apartments are usually expensive, and are hence occupied by well-off tenants. “Pavement,” in this context, probably refers to what Americans call the “sidewalk,” the paved pathways where the less fortunate among us might walk past those penthouses, without ever getting too close. Each side functions as an ideal symbol of the kind of people it represents, and the physical gap between them is a visceral representation of economic inequality. The title is also quite pleasingly alliterative!

While Penthouse & Pavement maintains a certain underground integrity, which is consistent with Marsh and Ware’s track record as part of the Human League, it’s still much more of a pop record than anything they had done before. Heaven 17 never went quite as pop as the Human League did without them, and they certainly never saw the same level of mainstream success, but they did pursue an increasingly pop direction with their next several releases. Their 1983 followup, The Luxury Gap, delivers less of that hard-hitting critique of capital, but did produce some of their best-known singles, namely, “Temptation” and “Let Me Go.”

Music: “Let Me Go”

My favourite track on Penthouse & Pavement is “Geisha Boys & Temple Girls.” I like this track’s overall mysterious, otherworldly vibe--it’s not terribly easy to pin down what it’s really about, or what sort of mood it’s meant to convey. The intro to this song sounds more like Karlheinz Stockhausen than something you would hear in pop, and I love how strident and abrasive it is. Given its place as the opening track of the Penthouse Side, and its opening line, “look ahead, on the screen,” I’m tempted to interpret it as a representation of a fictional romance in television or film. It’s dramatic, unpredictable, exotic, and also completely fake and divorced from how people behave in the real world. The idea that entertainments and diversions are part of what shelters the rich from the consequences of their actions is another one of those things that makes this album continue to feel relevant. That’s all I have for today--thanks for listening!

Music: “Geisha Boys & Temple Girls”

#music #album review #album reviews #great albums #heaven 17

12 notes · View notes

scarletwellyboots · 4 years

Text

a (semi) comprehensive list of the moments i fell in love listening to the horror and the wild

the rockrose and the thistle

LOVE opening with the howling wind

joey’s northern accent slipping in super strong for “trying desperately to sew / and i know the kindest thing”

madeleine’s almost whispered harmony

“may i, i ask, may i”

the switch to madeleine only for the last two lines

the horror and the wild

how loud and immediate it starts

“you’re the words that i promise i don’t mean”

the growls ! this has been covered but “promise” is. important

the silence for “remember me i ask”

madeleine’s beautiful “day by day” in the back of joey’s verse

FRET NOT DEAR HEART LET NOT THEM HEAR

between “welcome to the storm” and “i am thunder” the drums sound like a clap of thunder

idk music terms but their differing harmonies for “wild”

the strings !! especially how they continue under “remember me”

madeleine’s slower “you passed your fingers” on the last repetition

not finishing “i am the wild”??? letting the instrumentation finish the phrase?? the way the song feels unfinished?? incredible

wild blue yonder

it’s so pretty!! it starts so sunny :)

“without...” “YOU”

“i woulda gone so much blonder” lyrical genius

the build of “so one last time love come and rip my clothes off”

i am in fact a slut for counterpoint duets so i’m in love with this band

“flirting” / “wasn’t flirting”

“halt!” and the silence that follows

the accent on “covers”

listen we talk about “dear heart” but “lover” and “darling” and all the pet names they use are so soft and so delightfully like. fey

“every stone you threw i stood on to better see the view”

the silence after “fear of sound”

“i’m lost” / “i’m found” “in you”

the melody of “so tight i’d bruise you” and like. the lilt in “bruise” !!

i love the background vocals kicking in for “build this world”

“or a robot vampire i dunno” like i said. lyrical genius

“hoooooold melover” i love the drawn-out note followed by how quick the next bit is

so many of their songs feel like they finish on a breath in? they feel like unfinished thoughts and i adore it

welly boots

the soft guitar intro i’m !!

“i am above you and i love you”

“i’ll be with you all along as long as you are kind to those who are not strong and cannot find their scarlet welly boots” i’m

the lilt on “hard” is !

the melody of the section from “when you scream it’s not fair” to “if only you could hear my voice”

the instrumental coming in before the end of “i’m not still there”

and GOD the percussion and the marching feel of the beat

“you were supposed to be my light” ok just rip my heart out thanks

the melody of “when you scream ‘i’m not alright’” to “how could you leave me here” is the same as “when you scream it’s not fair” but stronger and more desperate

“leave me here” feels like a scream

“i know you’re strong enough to do this on your own”

madeleine’s offset repetition of “strong enough to do this”

sometimes she says “stronger on your own” and i. LYRICS

the slowing to the original drum beat to the original guitar

“oh jesus christ you’ll miss me”

the breathlessness of “stairs” fuck me up why don’t you.

“a brand new pair of scarlet welly boots” cool i didn’t need a heart

the guitar outro is so soft !

farewell wanderlust

hello piano !

EVERYTHING about madeleine’s voice in the first verse

the contrast of joey’s almost spoken baritone

the way she hits the ends of syllables

“hey darlin’ hey”

the slide on “say”

the quiet almost heartbeat-sounding percussion

“i promise you i’ll be better”

the growl on “rubbing” and “rugs”

“it’s my curse / to try and make it right but by trying make it worse”

“the jesus of wishing to christ he’ll come back” !!

the quieting to “farewell wanderlust” and the lilt of it

she’s down DUN DUN she’s dead DUN DUN

joey’s “you alright?” and how deep his voice is compared to hers

madeleine singing “something more comfortable” and joey speaking “be our guest”

the piano mimics madeleine’s voice for “hoik! of her bra”

joey’s voice is so throaty it sounds almost like he’s been crying we love an emotive king

“i promise you i’m not broken / i promise you there’s more / more to come, more to reach for, more to hurl at the door”

“this here isn’t makeup, it’s a porcelain tomb”

THIS HERE IS NOT SINGING I’M JUST SCREAMING IN TUNE

the lack of instruments for “i’m just screaming in tune” so that he really is

he’s down DUN DUN he’s dead DUN DUN

the quieter “s/he’s down” section at the end

again it finishes like there’s more to be said

fair

the shuffling of the recording noises i !

the breathlessness! how he speaks/whispers “can’t be said”

“today i somehow understand the reason i was born”

“he’s got so much fucking hair” i’m.

“she is stronger than he’s ever been”

“when i’m actually...really fucking...cross at you for something”

“it’s not fair how much i love you” cool okay back to ripping my heart out

“inundated with the fated thought of you” is So pretty

“darling i was born to press my head between your shoulder blades”

“dear heart it’s me” again with the dear heart !!

“just trying to watch the office....with my yoghurt” lyrical genius

the switch of him/her in the second chorus !

the breaks in joey’s voice for unreasonable i’m weeping like ! he talked once about being allowed to feel like his voice doesn’t have to be perfect and it shows here with the breaks lending themselves to the emotion of the song

for him standing next to her people will think he’s alright but people will think she’s cool which really shows characterizations

the whisper of “darling rooftop wreck”

“that’s what she said” i’m.

madeleine only coming in to the song for “where have you been”

“it’s not fair ‘cause you make me ache you bastard”

that unwanted animal

strap in lads

the almost-whisper of some of the lines is !

the actual whisper of “you light the candle”

“bairns” we love two forest spirits

“to love me” is whispered despite “you try so loud” so of course she can’t hear it

joey’s background line !!!

THE SCRATCHING

joey coming into the main melody only for “what.” and then the “dear” being whispered

“throw the plate at the wall” can you tell i really love the whispered lines

THE INSTRUMENTS and the growling background vocals listen it surprised and amazed me so much this is where i smacked my head on the wall

“but fuck all your plans i’m bored” yes characterizations

“i make shipwrecks out of my dress”

joey’s higher harmonization feels so desperate when usually he’s the lower range of the harmony

“you rip my ribcage open / and devour what’s truly yours”

the repeated lyrics from battle cries but in a different melody i’m so serious what a lyrical genius

the melody matching the beat of the guitar for “it can hear you / it wants me to”

(let me out!)

just. the alliterative sounds of “hollow holofernes”

the fucking. “no not i” please sir you can’t do that to me

the final violin note like a final cry

marbles

MARBLES

lowering madeleine’s parts sounds so much softer and more relaxed

love being able to hear the movement of hands along the guitar neck

counterpoint conversation songs are so ! good !

“i chipped my teeth on every joke you cracked”

“you stole the best years of my life” “i’ll give them back”

“sure as hell can’t lie to me/you now”

i LOVE their different melodies for “i will wait and hope”

also i think they switched melody lines from the beechmast version? not sure though

“your eyes aren’t rivers there to weep but a place for crows to rest their feet”

the little pause before “went”

“oh god” and a little laugh

i miss madeleine’s “do you think i’m sexy” but

WORKIN’ SHIFTS TIL WE CRIED listen i LOVE the lyric change

how quick and natural the back and forth is it feels like a quick conversation it’s delightful

“you’re not flawed darling you’re just a little under-rehearsed”

“you, you’d reply with a drink in your hand/glint in your eye”

“i’m all yours/oh dear god dear heart i’m here”

the humming!!

“i’ve loved you for a hundred years” “certainly fucking feels like it”

NOW I GET TO MEET YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME EVERY SINGLE DAY

the build on that line !!

joey’s sustained notes while madeleine sings the chorus

madeleine’s vocalizations !! queen

joey joining in for just one of her little vocalizations

the song finishes before she’s gotten through even the first half of her vocalization line it feels so unfinished but so good that way

battle cries

COUNTERPOINT

with headphones joey is in your left ear and madeleine’s in your right and i wish they did it stronger but even what we have is so good

“who died” “who’ll save you” and the juxtaposition of “who died and made you king of it all” with “who’ll save you when you fall”

“some fictions we took to mean fate believe me i know” and she says “yes” so that they say no and yes at the same time

“tell the truth to me love!”

“look at me as you say this” “you’re home”

the whole “would be proud to have known” especially considering characterization of her speaker and his

dear heart!! it’s just. so soft

“that creaking you hear in my bones is not pain it’s applause”

the little laugh after the chorus!!

“with you i could summon” “come on love”

“watch them dance out the plays that we wrote from the heart” / “sing your notes, play your part” and the various meanings of “play” they use

“we were gods” “we were kids.”

“our devils broke ranks” “oh dear god”

“binge watch a box set, drink wine, reminisce” just sounds So Nice

“this isn’t a breakup dear heart it’s a season finale!”

the vocalizations!! the background vocals!!

the back-and-forth of “it’s not pain” “it’s applause”

the drums that quiet to the guitar for the last verse

the way joey hits consonants when he sings quietly like this

the rise and crash of the rhythm here is like. it almost feels iambic can you tell i’m an english major studying renaissance lit currently

“now at the end” “at the end of all things”

ending the album with “i’m doing fine” !!!!!

even now it feels like a single beat off from being finished which is a really cool feeling ! like it leaves you wanting more feeling like there’s more to be said like the story isn’t done like there’s something missing idk big fan

#the amazing devil #joey batey #madeleine hyland #the horror and the wild #listen. LISTEN. i love counterpoint duets #will i ever shut up about it? fuck no.#when will tumblr put my posts in the tags #we love a functioning website :)

37 notes · View notes

spookyspemilyreid · 4 years

Text

Happy Anniversary “Meteora”! (March 25, 2003)❤️

Meteora is the second studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on March 25, 2003 through Warner Bros. Records, following Reanimation, a collaboration album which featured remixes of songs included on their 2000 debut studio album Hybrid Theory. The album was produced by the band alongside Don Gilmore. The title Meteora is taken from the Greek Orthodox monasteries sharing the same name. Meteora has a similar sound to Hybrid Theory, as described by critics, and the album took almost a year to be recorded. It is the first Linkin Park studio album to feature Dave Farrell after he rejoined the band in 2000.

Meteora debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 810,000 copies in its first week. Linkin Park released singles from Meteora for over a year, including "Somewhere I Belong", "Faint", "Numb", "From the Inside", and "Breaking the Habit". The song "Lying from You" was released as a promotional single. Meteora received generally positive reviews, although critics noted that the album's musical style was similar to its predecessor Hybrid Theory .

Meteora has sold over 27 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. It is certified 7x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was ranked number 36 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. Some songs from the album were remixed with some of Jay-Z's songs for the EP Collision Course (2004). "Session" was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards.

Initial writing for a second album dated back to early 2001, while still touring in support of Hybrid Theory. The band had written around eighty different demos during their Hybrid Theory World Tour and LP Underground Tour, within the span of just eight months. Rough song ideas written then would find its way to the final album; notably the intro for "Somewhere I Belong". Bennington recorded guitar notes for it, but found it too folk rock sounding. However, Shinoda and Joe Hahn reworked it, adding effects to it, and then played it backwards, molding it into something the band was happy with. As explained by Shinoda: "Since I reversed it, it was playing 4-3-2-1. The chord progression was reversed. Then I cut it into four pieces, and I played it 1-2-3-4. And that's why it has that sweeping sound.

In early 2002, after the touring, the writing continued in Mike's home studio, pre-production of the album began there. The band worked in pairs during the writing process, whereas Shinoda was always involved in all the songs. The recording of the songs mainly used Pro Tools, whereas the band used the traditional method of writing, in main studio. In June, pre-production terminated and the band headed for main production. The band finalized Don Gilmore as their producer. When Reanimation was released, the band had started to write the main content. Rob Bourdon spent eight hours a day in the studio for the recording of the album. By August, the band entered NRG Studios as Bennington also began writing songs with the band.

Linkin Park had finished versions of many songs before the actual recording process had begun, but they majorly wrote the finalized songs included in the track list in the studio. By October the drums were finalized and guitar parts were introduced by Brad in the control room of the studio. By the end of October, the bass parts were introduced. Don Gilmore himself being a bass player helped Farrell in his recording. The sampling part by Hahn was introduced just a month before the deadline, thereby Mike finished the recording of "Breaking the Habit" with strings arrangement by David Campbell; the song had been worked on by Shinoda for five or six years. The vocal production started in November. The mixing process as well as the album itself was finished in New York City.

Lyrically the album contains elements including depressing emotions, anger, and recovery. Explaining to MTV, Bennington said: "We don't talk about situations, we talk about the emotions behind the situations. Mike and I are two different people, so we can't sing about the same things, but we both know about frustration and anger and loneliness and love and happiness, and we can relate on that level." In the same interview, Shinoda explained it as: "What we really wanted to do was just push ourselves and push each other to really find new ways to be creative." He continued: "We wanted each sample that was in each song to be something that might perk your ear – something that you might not have ever heard before." In a promotional interview, Rob Bourdon stated: "We wanted a group of songs that would sit well together because we wanted to make a record that you could pop into your CD player and, from beginning to end, there would never be a spot where you start daydreaming." In titling the album, Mike said that "Meteora was a word that caught my attention because it sounded huge." Dave, Joe, and Chester elaborated that just like how Meteora, the rock formations in Greece, is very epic, dramatic, and has great energy, the band wanted the album to have that same feeling.

Genre-wise, the album is categorized as nu metal, rap metal, rap rock, and alternative rock.

The promotion for the album began well ahead before its release, as pictures of the band recording were distributed to the media. To support the album, there were many photo shoots of the band on October 29 at the Ambassador Hotel, where the band took a break from recording the album for two days, for designing the cover art of the album. "The Flem" and "Delta" helped the band for the art works, for the album as well as for the singles spawned by it. A TV commercial for the album was premiered on January 1, 2003. "Somewhere I Belong" was released as the first single, premiering on US radio on March 18, 2003. Being released only nine days before the album release, it influenced the album sales performance worldwide. The second single off the album was "Faint", released before the band started its world tour. The third single "Numb" was released when Linkin Park performed it live in Madrid. "From the Inside" was released as the fourth single off the album before the North American leg of the world tour. "Breaking the Habit" was released while the band was in Indonesia. The album was released with various limited edition content for promotional purposes.

There is a special edition of Meteora, which includes the "Making of Meteora" DVD documentary. The special-edition package was packaged in a blue tinted case with the blue Meteora cover that can be found in some parts of Asia, United States, and more commonly in India. An alternate Indian version contains an alternate DVD and alternative cover that is packaged in a slimline case with the disc in original packaging. The "Tour Edition" of Meteora is packaged in a two disc set. The second disc, which is a Video CD, has the music videos for "Somewhere I Belong", "Faint", "Numb", and "Breaking the Habit". The tour edition is packaged in a standard Compact Disc case, rather than their trademark digipak case. The album was also released on a very limited quantity of vinyl records (spread across two LPs) under Warner Brothers. These are coveted by collectors and fetch high prices at auction. In 2014, Linkin Park released a demo version of Shinoda singing the song, on their 14th annual fan club CD, LPU XIV.

The band promoted the album with their Meteora World Tour and various other supporting tours. The world tour was supported by Hoobastank, P.O.D. and Story of the Year. The band played shows at Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre on the day before the album release and on the release date. The shows were called "'Meteora' Release Show". The European leg was cancelled because Chester was having severe back and abdominal pains. As a result, half of the music video of "Numb" was shot in Los Angeles and the Czech Republic. The album was also promoted by the Projekt Revolution festival. A live album was released in support of the album titled Live in Texas. Linkin Park played various special shows worldwide, including "Reading Ireland", as well as performing during the Kerrang! Awards, "Livid", "X-103's Not So Silent Night", "The End's Deck The Hall Ball" and "KROQ Almost Acoustic X-Mas", in promotion of the album.

Meteora received generally positive reviews, although critics noted that the album's musical style was similar to its predecessor, Hybrid Theory (2000). The overall Metacritic score is 62. E! Online rated it A, and expected it to "shoot straight for the stars". Entertainment Weekly described it as "radio-friendly perfection". Dot Music described it as a "guaranteed source of ubiquitous radio hits". Rolling Stone said the band "squeezed the last remaining life out of this nearly extinct formula". Billboard Magazine described Meteora as "a ready-made crowdpleaser". The New Musical Express said it had "massive commercial appeal" but left the reviewer "underwhelmed".

AllMusic described the album as "nothing more and nothing less than a Hybrid Theory part 2.", but added that the band "has discipline and editing skills, keeping this record at a tight 36 minutes and 41 seconds, a move that makes it considerably more listenable than its peers... since they know where to focus their energy, something that many nu-metal bands simply do not." Sputnikmusic writer Damrod criticized the album as being too similar to Hybrid Theory, but praised the album's production quality and catchiness, stating "the songs just invade your brain".

Blender described it as "harder, denser, uglier", while Q described it as "less an artistic endeavor than an exercise in target marketing." Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+, calling it a "thunderously hooky album that seamlessly blends the group's disparate sonic elements into radio-friendly perfection".

The song "Session" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2004.

In its first week, Meteora debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album sold at least 810,000 copies its first week of release. As of June 2014, the album has sold 6.2 million copies in the US, and over 27 million copies worldwide. The album was ranked number 36 on Billboard's Hot 200 Albums of the Decade.

#linkin park #meteora #march 25 #march 25th #3.25 #3.25.03 #3.25.2003 #march 25 2003 #march 25th 2003 #2003 #mike shinoda #brad delson #rob bourdon #joe hahn #dave phoenix farrell #chester bennington #2000s

10 notes · View notes

dentalrecordsmusic · 4 years

Text

Album Review: The Dreadnoughts - “Into the North”

Words by Cae Rosch

This week, Stan Rogers, defining Canadian folk singer and popularizer of sea shanties, would have turned 70 years old. Also this week, an album by Canadian folk punks the Dreadnoughts consisting entirely of sea shanties miraculously rose to no. 14 on the Billboard World Chart.

When the Dreadnoughts submitted Into the North to the CBC, they heard via their label that Canada’s public broadcasting corporation had zero interest in playing it. Despite its deep roots in Canadian music culture, from its traditional rowing songs to its two-part tribute to Stan Rogers himself, it wasn’t welcome in today’s Canadian media.

In 2019’s pop and hip hop dominated market, the CBC’s dominion over Canadian radio stations has phased out folk music programming. They don’t care about a capella. They especially do not give a shit about “maritime” music. No one’s going to listen to it, the CBC says. Not even coming from a Canadian band, even though the CBC usually creams its pants over CanCon (that’s Canadian Content, for you southern friends). That stuff’s too old. It’s irrelevant. Apparently.

With no radio play, it should be pretty challenging for an album to shoot up the charts so fast. Maybe the Dreadnoughts channeled the ghost of Stan Rogers to make an unholy deal for folk music fame. Maybe it’s just that people already love the Dreadnoughts enough to trust them.

Or maybe the Dreadnoughts are tapping into something here — something people don’t realize they need or want anymore. Something real and physical, something Stan Rogers knew and the Dreadnoughts revive, an unnameable something that sea shanties give us in a way contemporary music never can.

Dental Records has already written about the first single off the album — “Joli Rouge,” a love song to the aggressively powerful ciders brewed by Fred Simard at Cidre Joli Rouge in Chicoutimi, Quebec. The Dreadnoughts love that cider, and Fred Simard loves the Dreadnoughts so much that he’s named one of those ciders after them. And so here’s a song for him. The rough, catchy melody and solid, pounding rhythm in “Joli Rouge” are classic Dreadnoughts: gritty “cider punk” you could just as easily use as a work song on your sailing ship as you could mosh to it.

That dual-purpose sound is the soul of the Dreadnoughts. It’s also the soul of the sea shanty — rough vocals just as at home in a punk rock band or while heaving away on a working ship, an insistent rhythm that drives your whole body into motion. That’s why this works as an album of nothing but sea shanties, original and traditional, and also why it’s so damn compelling that not even a CBC dismissal can stop it.

Into the North starts off with stark, firm vocals shouted into silence. “Rosibella” is a call to jump into the rest of the album like a call to get your ass in gear and work. “Come, let’s join Rosibella / Come, let’s join Rosibella / Come, let’s join, come let’s join / The saucy Rosibella” is a cheerful intro, even in a single hard-edged voice, and it’s immediately joined by a group shout of “Heave away!” that throws you right into the “maritime” sound. As the call and response continues, joined by snappy drums and accordion and smattered with an intermittent, enthusiastic “hup!” from the gang vocal crew, you find yourself hauling forward into the beat. The shanty does its job.

The album continues with the steady 1-2 rhythm “Rosibella” sets, through rousing stomps and heavy marches, traditional and original, English and French. Every song maintains the pace. “Pique la Baleine,” a Francophone whaling song, is a rollicking highlight with a dancing rhythm and bright group vocals, but slow and steady classics like “Fire Marengo” and “Roll Northumbria” are just as compelling, driven forward by the heartbeat of the kick drum.

The whole album is a bodily experience. It animates your limbs to haul the ropes of a ship you’re probably not on, with a crew around you not physically present but echoing the presence of everyone else who has ever sung these songs.

Into the North’s recording process demonstrates that spatially, temporally disjointed union. The gang vocals in this album aren’t just a bunch of the Dreadnoughts’ friends shouting along in a single studio, as on your typical punk rock album. They’re a few singers drawn out of the Dreadnoughts’ online call for sea shanty submissions, recorded separately in studios across the world, from Canada to Poland. But because these songs are so rhythmically rooted in the pounding of the human heart, voices that far away still draw easily into one single crew.

Sea shanties developed as work songs because they’re embodied music — they match up with the rhythm that drives the human body in order to keep you steady and united with your team of co-laborers. The Dreadnoughts have been slamming through that kind of embodied music for their entire career. As “Dear Old Stan,” the first of two tracks in tribute to Stan Rogers, explains, that’s kind of the point of the band.

Slower than most of the record, but just as full of shanty heartbeat, “Dear Old Stan” elaborates the Dreadnoughts’ origin story, and in doing so demonstrates the musical attitude that makes this album work so very well. Stan Rogers, for you non-Canadians, is basically the Woody Guthrie of the Great White North. Yesterday (that’s November 29, 2019) would have been his 70th birthday, and we feel his memory hard on Into the North. Rogers performed a great deal of songs that the Dreadnoughts now play on this album, and a few of their previous hits were popularized by Rogers as well. The most important of those songs — the catalyst for the Dreadnoughts’ creation — is the whaling classic “Old Maui.”

“Dear Old Stan” informs us that a band at an Irish pub in a yuppie Vancouver neighborhood had rewritten “Old Maui” — a Stan Rogers favorite whaling song — rewritten from the perspective of the whale instead of the whalers as a protest of the whaling industry. And that reorientation destroyed everything that mattered about the song. The Dreadnoughts were thus born with a mission of musical vengeance: fix that shitty version of “Old Maui.” Bring out what’s so deeply important in that old, “irrelevant” folk music. Make it human, root it in the body, not in an intellectual consideration of why whaling is bad. Channel that hardworking sea shanty rhythm straight into punk rock.

The following track, a cover of Stan Rogers’ defining classic “Northwest Passage,” reinforces this point. There’s an easy path to reject the song outright based on its description of the land in what is now Canada as “savage” and its nostalgic depiction of early exploration. But just like the whaling songs the Dreadnoughts refuse to invert, we hear “Northwest Passage” not in the isolation of its lyrics but in the way its slow beat and melancholy tune wind through our bodies, the way it physically connects us to the materiality of land, and the long journey of exploring, and, of course, Stan Rogers and every other person who has sung it.

Into the North isn’t charting because it’s marketable. It’s charting because its heart beats with an earnest love of an easily dismissed genre. Fucking right it’s “maritime” music, because maritime music is real and raw and viscerally human, undistorted by pop production or electronic flair.

This album is charting because the Dreadnoughts’ sea shanties draw everyone who sings them into a full-body, timeless rhythm. And people need music in their bodies. That’s where catharsis lives.

Find Into the North on the Dreadnoughts’ website, their Bandcamp, or your streaming service of choice.

The Dreadnoughts will play a release show for the album on December 14 at the Astoria in Vancouver.

Cae Rosch is a salty character who lives four blocks over from that fateful Irish pub. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

Follow DRM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Subscribe to the DRM YouTube channel.

#the dreadnoughts #cae rosch #album review #sea shanty #Sea shanties #rock #punk rock #maritime #maritime history #maritime music

5 notes · View notes

kalluun-patangaroa · 5 years

Photo

Getting inside of their heads about the new CD…

TransAction Magazine, March/April 1999

www.rock-the-world.com

Written by: Karena Bernard

Photos by: Nina & Ariana

What follows is a full transcript of the whole band’s exclusive interview to the now long-defunct US-based online rock magazine Rock-The-World.com and its printed version TransAction Magazine. All Suede members talk here at length about their then just about to be released new album, Head Music. It’s a hilarious interview, well worth checking out, so I’m posting it here to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of this great album that could have been even greater… The above presented ‘artwork’ accompanied the original online article.

Can you tell us a bit about Electricity, the first single from the new album?

Simon - Electricity is our first single.

(Band sing bass riff intro to Electricity)

Simon - That bit came about later, but we had the track around for quite a while before that, didn’t we?

Richard - Yes, we did. It’s just little things to funk it up. The first demo that was done was quite garagey punk with lots of guitars and stuff. It’s an uptempo fiasco. It’s very good.

Brett - Sonically it’s possibly quite consistent with the rest of the album. It’s got a lot of bottom end and a lot of bass hooks and stuff like that. The bottom end of the tracks was something we were working on specifically on the album. We were working the tracks from the bottom upwards rather than from the top downwards, if that makes any sense.

It’s interesting in that it’s the first Anderson / Codling / Oakes co-write. How does that work, who does what exactly?

Richard - We all did little bits and bobs. The verse is very Neil and the chorus is very me and the singing’s very Brett.

Simon - The gap at the end is all mine.

Richard - It’s a shame having credits on a record because everybody works on it and does their own bit and stuff.

Mat - Right, where’s my credit then?

Richard - Mat played the…

Simon - Fool.

Richard - …sleigh bells on it, which are very low in the mix.

Mat - I didn’t play most of the bass on it so I should get a negative credit.

Richard - Coconut shells you played, didn’t you, but they’re mixed very low, it sounds like Adam and the Ants.

Mat - It should have that thing at the end, ‘No thanks to Mat Osman’.

Head Music is the first album you’ve recorded without Ed Buller. Why change producers at this stage?

Brett - We changed producer 'cause we just thought we’d gone as far as we could with Ed really. We just fancied a change, it was just a fresh scene and that. We almost half intended to change producers on the last album, but because we had line-up changes and stuff like that we needed to have a certain continuity and seemlessness about it, and Ed seemed to hold it together. Ed was the right producer for the sort of songs that we were doing on the last album. The way we were working on songwriting on this album we felt as though the sonics needed to change. We tried a few people out, we tried Steve Osborne out, and he just did something really special with one of the tracks, Savoir Faire. He just managed to get hold of an element of it that I knew was there but I knew the band couldn’t get hold of on their own and so he seemed to be the man for the job. So we got him in.

You’ve talked about Savoir Faire being one of, if not THE key track on the album. Why is this?

Richard - There are quite a few tracks that break a lot of ground for us as a musical collective and Savoir Faire is one of them. The first demo of it that Brett did at home in his shed was the strangest thing you’ll ever hear in your life. This spiky odd keyboard sound he’d come up with, covered in reverb and far too loud, and loads and loads of singing, but it was a really exciting thing to hear. We took it to the band and pumped it up and gave it a whole load of testosterone as it were…

Brett - Savoir Faire is one of my favourite songs on the album. If I was going to have a blueprint for the whole album, that’s exactly how it would sound. It’s quite sort of mechanical but quite groovy at the same time. But it still keeps a lot of the dynamics of the music of Suede as well, so Savoir Faire is my fave.

Can you tell us a little about some of your other favourite tracks?

Brett - Another favourite of mine is a song called Can’t Get Enough, which is just looking back at a period of utter hedonism and debauchery and realising that you’ve become this sort of monster and laughing at it really. Take it in your stride. And it’s this punky, edgy song about being a greedy bastard.

Richard - The roots of it and where the song came from was very much a cross-over period from doing stuff like Coming Up to doing stuff like Head Music. Again, when we came to record it, we did something different with it. It wasn’t all full on, stomping, Filmstar or whatever. I think musically it’s got the same sort of slink as something like She, but the good thing about the chorus is it’s so singalong, but it’s not one that opens out, it’s not like Electricity where there’s a change of key and everything. The Can’t Get Enough chorus is much more of a contained animal within a…

Mat - Cage.

Richard - …within a container. It’s a slug in a container. Mat - The rhythm track on the third verse is the five of us jumping up and down on a bridge and loads of pairs of scissors.

Simon - The scissors are all the way through, aren’t they?

Mat - No, the scissors are only on the third verse.

Simon - Are you sure about that?

Mat - Yeah, I fucking hate those scissors.

Simon - I love the scissors.

Mat - All the way through it’s like everyone, 'ooh, I like that scissors sound.’

Richard - A little hint for an edit if it’s released as a single, snip out the third verse.

Mat - The third verse is just stamping and scissors.

Simon - I like the scissors.

Brett - I really like a track on the album called Everything Will Flow, which is quite a traditional sounding Suede song. It’s just a big chorus sort of thing, it’s supposed to be a big karmic sort of thing, just watching the world go by. I think it’s a pretty successful piece of music. We managed to use strings without it sounding like, oh here comes the string section. I didn’t want to use strings on the record as a big padding or used as a signpost to say here comes the important part or something. When we used strings, it was a definite line that we’d written. Every string part we used on it, it was almost like we were using strings as a riff rather than as a padding, and that’s a perfect example. Neil wrote this line on a keyboard which is the intro string riff to Everything Will Flow. We just translated it to a string section and eq’d it strangely so it didn’t sound like Radio 2.

Richard - In the end we all just sat down and played it how we thought it would be without talking or thinking about it too much. And it only took one day to record and it’s got some really nice live strings on it. You know there’s a lot of sampled stuff on the record, but the strings on that are live and it came together really well.

Simon - That happens occasionally. You try and do it loads of different ways and six months down the line you play it how you played it in the rehearsal room.

Richard - The good way that that came about was it was the first one we started with and then it got forgotten about for a few months, so when we came back to it, it was very much just go in there and do it.

Mat - We’d done so much electronic stuff by then.

Simon - It was quite a breeze to actually play real instruments.

Richard - I don’t think there’s a synth on it, it’s just there, the five of us jamming away.

Aside from a trumpet player and string section, did you use any other outside musicians on this album?

Mat - Pretty much all the other instruments one of us or Steve could play.

Simon - Yeah, Steve played quite a lot, like the scissors for example.

Mat - Exactly, no one plays the scissors quite like Steve Osborne.

Mat - We all did a bit of shouting.

Simon - My debut was 'shout’. I shouted 'shout’ on Savoir Faire. And a lot of stomping as well.

Mat - I played some guitar on She’s In Fashion, I don’t know whether we ever used it in the end.

Richard - I think it’s on there.

Simon - I’m sure we did.

Mat - Neil played a bit of bass on Electricity.

Simon - Brett played guitar.

Mat - Brett played a lot of guitar.

Richard - I played just a ride cymbal on its own on Elephant Man, but it wasn’t used in the end.

Simon - It was much tighter than mine.

Mat - It’s a bad sign when you’re playing one cymbal and it’s still not good enough.

Mat - Richard puts his finger in his ear when he’s recording, like a folk singer. I’ve never seen anyone do it before.

Richard - I have to have it turned up really loud to get the vibe and then I have to put my finger in my ear because I can’t hear myself.

Mat - You really should have filmed that.

Simon - That would have been good, yeah.

Mat - A real hey nonny nonny bit.

Richard - You know, it’s embarrassing and I don’t know if I’ll be doing it live.

Mat - Oh yes, you will!

Simon - Oh baby!

Richard - We’re gonna take it right down now.

Simon - You’re great when you do your backing vocals, you do it really rock.

Mat - You can’t stick your finger in your ear if you’re playing the guitar as well.

Richard - I’ll have to get someone else to do it.

Mat, you’ve been quoted as saying that Down is your favourite track on the album, why is that?

Mat - I think it might be the best produced thing on the album. It’s the one thing that sounded fifty times better after Steve got his hands on it.

Richard - Every part on it and everything about it is really subtle, but the effect it has is far from subtle, you know.

Mat - And it’s also Steve Osborne’s favourite track, because in his own words 'I’ve never done a track with the word loonies on it before.’ He’s really happy about that. Strange things turn producers on, they really do.

What about She’s In Fashion, the next single?

Neil - I think She’s In Fashion is one of Suede’s more brazen attempts to be a pop band really.

Simon - A summer smash I reckon, I hope so.

Richard - Probably the most pop song you’ll ever hear in your life and the way it was done. That was one that for a while the thing we wanted to do with it was kind of harsh. We tried a few odd keyboard noises and funny little spiky guitar riffs and at the end it was like going back to how we’d imagined it in the first place and the first band demo we did. The actual first demo at all, it wasn’t a song, it was a piece of music on a tape Neil sent me, was about 15 minutes long and it was the strangest thing I’d ever heard in my life. Strange kind of, you know, 'gloopy strings’ it was called, it was a gloopy string riff over the top and a kind of Hawaiian bass line and nice acoustic guitar over the top.

Mat - We spent fucking months on that track and just couldn’t get it right. We must have tried about eight different versions of it. It’s just really weird listening to it now 'causes it just sounds straight and completely untouched and unforced. It just seems ridiculous to go through six months of three studios, and eighty attempts, to make it sound as un-studio as that. It was hard work that one.

Richard - But it’s one of those songs that will be on the telly.

Mat - Or possibly on the radio.

Simon - On the Clothes Show I think you’ll find, I think it’s guaranteed a six week run.

Neil - I had this string riff and beats and Brett wrote the melody to it. And however we tried to do it, we tried to make it a lot more obscure, and a lot more dancey, but it didn’t really suit it. We tried about ten different versions of it when we did the record and it just didn’t work.

The title track is one of the most singalong things you’ve ever done. Do you think it might become a terrace anthem?

Mat - I don’t know if that’s the sort of thing that football fans usually chant to be honest.

Simon - 'Give me head!’

What did you make of all the media frenzy over the mystery of the album title?

Brett - What happened with the releasing one letter at a time was actually a bit of an accident. It comes across as a bit of a scam, but it was actually just a bit of a joke between me and Saul from Nude. He just asked me for the album title and I just told him I was going to give it to him one letter at a time, and it got kind of leaked out and turned into this thing like we were trying to create this big scam, but it wasn’t supposed to be like that. But it kept people interested and kept people juggling letters for a bit, and they came up with some funny suggestions for the album title. I like Head Case, that was really good. There was some really funny ones, I can’t remember them… Hairy Shirts or something, there was some fucking great ones.

There are several songs that might surprise people, perhaps most obviously Elephant Man. Would you agree?

Mat - That was a really simple one, Neil did most of that on his own.

Richard - It’s an important one to have on the record as well, about the perception of the band. I think when the idea for having Elephant Man on the album came up it was like yeah, you know, it broke a little bit of ground for us and made everything a bit freer about how we work in the future.

Mat - I just thought it was really nice because we’ve done four albums now and there’s almost this unwritten rule that you have to get a bit more mature in your songwriting and the things you write about, and I thought it was quite nice to come up with the least mature song we’ve ever done.

Richard - We’re not a mature band.

Mat - It’s quite funny as well, I know the subject matter’s not particularly funny, but it always makes me laugh.

Neil, have you got any particular favourites from the album?

Neil - Indian Strings is one of the later tracks on the album, but it’s one of the first songs that was written for the album, quite early on. And it’s just one that Brett came up with on his own in the very early stages we hadn’t formulated any ideas about the record yet. But it just kind of stood on its own and I think it’s a really good piece of songwriting, and I think it could be sung by anybody really. It’s quite a simple ballad, very simple idea, quite open and honest, and I think you could imagine it being done by someone like Simon and Garfunkel. It’s quite a timeless song and it’s one of those things that could fit on the record in any shape or form. We started off making this record and we said we won’t have any real strings on it, but it’s one of those songs that warranted it, and I think it’s very much a Suede song, but like most of the songs on the album it’s quite an advancement from Coming Up for instance. I think it’s a great little song and that’s that.

Crack in the Union Jack has caught a lot of people off guard by its brevity, any comments on that?

Mat - It’s just meant to be a very small, very simple, cold little nasty song. A good one to finish on.

Richard - A poke in the eye for anyone who’s enjoyed the album.

After seven years in the public eye, you’ve still managed to come across as being quite a cool, credible band. How?

Brett - I think we just don’t smile in photographs, that’s the only reason.

Nevertheless, you’ve still maintained an incredibly loyal fanbase.

Brett - We’ve got a lot of loyal fans that listen to the heart of the music, and get a lot of comfort out of it and stuff like that, and really feel the music. I dunno really. I don’t think we’ve ever done anything in a cheap way. I don’t think we’ve ever cheapened Suede, but that’s not to say that I want Suede as some sort of pompous thing that thinks it’s some untouchable thing, it’s not like that. I don’t think we’ve done anything that’s been musically dishonest really. I’ve always tried to evolve it rather than do big turnarounds or big changes that don’t mean anything, that are just stylistic changes. I’ve almost tried to make the music speak and for everything to come from the music. If you don’t make records then nothing else follows, if you make good records then everything else follows. And it’s always been the music first and the music’s just informed everything else.

You’ve had an enormous amount of success in Europe, particularly compared to many other British bands of a similar level over here. Why have Suede succeeded where others haven’t?

Brett - I think we get a lot of success in Europe 'cause I think the music’s got a universal appeal. I’ve always liked to think that, I’ve always flattered myself with that thought. I don’t know if it’s always been a hundred per cent true. There’s a lot of cultural references in some of the words and that, but the general feeling of the music is about emotion. I think there’s a lot of British bands that are quite blinkered and I don’t think we’ve ever been that blinkered. The raw sort of feeling of the music is just simple, you don’t need to know about a scene in Britain to get it. It’s just there or it’s not, you either like it or you don’t and that’s it. It doesn’t require that much thought. Places like Scandinavia it went mad on the last record, I don’t really know why that is specifically. I think it’s probably because they’re all depressed sex maniacs and the songs do something for them in that way.

Finally, what are your plans for worldwide domination?

Brett - What are our plans for conquering the world? Dunno, haven’t got any plans really. We’re gonna go and do some dates in Europe soon and some festivals, play the album to people. Every time we start a tour we always say, oh we’re not gonna tour that much, because we want to get on with making the next record. You come out of the studio and you just have a load of ideas for the next one. And we’ve already got a pretty clear idea about how we want to do the next one, so we wanna get on with that really, but we’ll probably end up touring till we’re about 95.

#suede #press #interview #brett anderson #richard oakes #mat osman #simon gilbert #neil codling #head music

10 notes · View notes

bernuviels-inspiration · 5 years

Text

Mike Shinoda's show in Zurich, 17. March 2019

I had the amazing chance to attend one of Mike’s concerts of the last Post Traumatic Tour. And it was absolutely awesome!

You can read all about my little adventure under the cut. It’s pretty long though. xD

I was very surprised when Mike announced a show in Switzerland, since we did pretty bad in the „WeDemand“ campaign and I barely knew any other Swiss fans. But I was so grateful and excited – Zurich is only about 20km from my home! In order to help make the show a success I founded a Facebook group for it. On show day we had 90 members! I had also joined the Linkin Park Street Team a while ago and they sent me some posters to put up. And I printed 1'000 flyers and distributed them around Zurich with some friends from the group. I met so many nice people from all over the world thanks to that group: Finland, Denmark, Brazil, Spain, USA, etc. And even finally some fellow Swiss fans! We planned flash mobs, painted a flag and even had a little meet up the day before the show. It was so much fun! Thank you LP Family, I love you all dearly. <3

Since I'm an LPU member, I tried my luck with the Meet & Greet contest again. And as usual when it comes to random, luck-based things, I had none. But there was another contest by the host of the event. They wanted us to tell them, why we deserve to win a Meet & Greet. Both of my sisters wrote beautiful, heartwarming comments about my commitment with the FB group and advertising, but also how I coped with Chester's death by drawing all those LP artworks and how much this band (and especially Mike) mean to me. Even complete strangers said, that they think I deserve it most. That moved me to tears! At first the tickets were given away to someone else. But one of the winners got ill and asked the host to give the ticket to someone who really wants it. And they chose me! I couldn't believe it! That was so nice of all of them. Thank you so much. <3 And so the most incredible thing happened: I got to meet my hero! The 16 lucky winners were taken into the cool London bus of a local radio station. There we all got to meet Mike one by one. It was awesome, but unfortunately also very brief. Everything happened so fast, that I didn't really have time to realize what was going on. I just remember that the first thought that went through my head when I stood in front of him was: “He is so CUTE!”. I mean, I knew that before, but he's even more adorable in real life and up close. xD I was very nervous and probably talked too much, which is very unlike me. But I could finally give Mike the Post Traumatic artwork I drew for him, which means my biggest dream came true. And he signed the second one for me. In the picture it looks as if he wanted to say something about it, but couldn't because I was blabbering too much – damn! I'm so sorry, Mike. Oh, and the hat was a gift to him from one of my friends from the group. I almost started laughing, when I realized he wore a jacket with the exact same pattern – that's so Mike! And also yay, free fluff. :D

After the Meet & Greet we were even allowed to go into the venue first! That meant front row! I've never been that close to a stage before and was super excited about it. I'm usually not the “front row type”, since I'm quite reluctant and shy. While waiting there, I saw a crew member put our Swiss flag onto Matt's keyboard. I texted the girl, who painted it and she was super happy about it. We succeeded with getting the flag to the crew through the M&G – I was damn proud of us! xD Then the “opening act” started. Well, it was more of a last minute stand in, since the original one (a local rapper) got canceled without any explanation. And so a young “DJ” was hiding behind his laptop, playing one song after another without doing any DJ-ing. They could have just turned the radio on, but it was okay. We weren't there for him anyway. And finally, showtime! Mike, Matt and Dan entered the stage with lots of applause from the crowd. They even started the set with a song that hasn't opened any sets on this tour before: When They Come For Me. I love this song, it's so much fun! I was just hoping that my parents, who I talked into coming to the show too (yes, I did that with everyone I knew xD), didn't catch a certain word. I didn't want them to think badly of Mike. xD Following was the probably most well-known (at least in Switzerland) Fort Minor song Remember The Name, also unusually early in the set. Then Mike took the first little break and welcomed the audience. That was our signal for the first flash mob! It was a very spontaneous one, inspired by a certain video, he has uploaded just a few days prior. The front row was shouting: More cowbell! Mike started laughing and walked over to Dan, who indeed had a cowbell on his drum set. Mike said “Just for you guys.” and played a hilarious cowbell intro to Ghosts, which is a kinda funny song anyway, thanks to the sock puppets. I was so happy: Another success and we even made Mike laugh! :D

Next Mike talked about a tweet from the same day, where someone was analyzing the chances of a song being played in his set. He doesn't like to be predictable, so he decided to screw up the statistics and play some extra rare songs tonight. Thank you, spreadsheet guy! xD The first song that came from this, was the hilariously sarcastic High Road. It's in my Top 3 FM songs and funnily enough, he played it last year in Cologne too – one of only 5 times on the tour! The following song had a high chance of being played and I love it very much: The emotional Roads Untraveled. During the “and if you need a friend, there's a seat here alongside me”, Mike pointed at the crowd again. That's just so nice of him! Then Mike played something super rare again, it was actually even a tour debut: Kenji! I know how much this song about the tragic history of his family means to Mike, so it was a great honor to hear it live. Some fans (including me) even made the peace sign at the end of the song, like he used to. That was really moving. And he continued with songs I love dearly, starting with the PT bonus track Prove You Wrong. Even though the melody sounds kinda sad, there is something so uplifting in those lyrics. Mike also put it into his Instagram stories and you can actually see me singing along. I sang every song as loud as I could, forgetting about my shyness for a while. It was amazing! The next song in the set was the only one that got me emotional in a negative way (but only for a second). I was prepared for In The End and his speech, but I was not prepared for Nobody Can Save Me. For a moment I was back on July 20th, sitting in the darkness of my room and singing along to the One More Light album while crying. Luckily I managed to snap out of that quickly, because I actually love this song. It's one of the best Linkin Park has ever written, in my opinion, because it has such a great message. Nobody can save us – only we ourselves can. And Mike sang so beautifully... What an honor to hear that live! Another OML song followed (luckily not OML itself, I just can't take that one): Sorry For Now. Dan played an amazing drum solo in the bridge and Mike added the demo verse of Lift Off afterwards. He then even rapped the chorus of Step Up, a super rare and old LP song! (I could tell, because barely anybody knew the answer to “Who can rock a rhyme like this?” - I swear I shouted “Like this!” as loud as I could. xD) I love Step Up! Especially in the amazing rock-hip hop medley with Nobody's Listening and It's Going Down, that LP used to play in the Meteora days. Mike then also introduced Dan, who got a lot of applause from the crowd. Later he also introduced Matt, by asking him since when he's even been there. Matt answered: “The entire tour, but sometimes I take bathroom breaks.”, which resulted in Mike laughing about his British accent. These dorks! There was also another crew member, that Mike introduced to us: Photographer Chady. Some Swiss friends of his had invited Mike to eat Raclette (melted cheese that you usually put on potatoes, pickles and pearl onions – it's very tasty!). Mike joked that eating lots of cheese before a show is really good for you. xD The set continued with PTs lead single Crossing A Line, which inspired my artwork. I just love how hopeful it is. During the song, Mike threw some guitar picks into the crowd. I wasn't trying to catch anything, since I already had that awesome signature and thought other fans deserved it more. But I guess Mike had other plans... During the bridge of the song he plays on his drum pads for a moment and then throws the sticks into the crowd blindly. Well, he tried to kill me with it! xD (Luckily I put the phone away, just a moment before the drumstick hit my hand. Damned it Mike, that hurt! xD)

He then played another PT song, which I love dearly: Hold It Together. The lyrics are pretty dark, but there is something very fun about the melody. The first mashup followed: Waiting For The End / Where'd You Go. The crowd's singing sounded amazing, especially in the outro, which is a piano version of WFTEs first verse and chorus. Mike praised us: “You guys have beautiful voices. You should sing more often, it's good for you.” Matt and Dan left the stage and Mike started this calm piano playing and speech. Time for our second flash mob! We held up signs that said: “Music Inspiration Kindness Emotion”. This time there were even more signs than for the first one. (I spent quite some time inviting every fan to join our flash mob before the show and handing out the signs I designed.) Mike noticed them, curiously asking “What are those?” Then he realized it: “That's my name! That's very kind. Thank you guys very much, that's cool.“ He seemed so happy and both of our flash mobs were a success! He then continued with his speech, saying that he doesn't want these shows to be sad, but to celebrate Chester's life instead. The crowd cheered very loudly for Chester for several minutes! And then we all sang the beautiful piano version of In The End together. After that, Mike asked us if we wanted to sing another song. Is that even a question?! xD He started to play Heavy, but stopped before the singing part, because he thought the crowd would want another song more. I already got worried during the show and it really hurt me, when I saw all the hate the Swiss crowd got on social media from people who weren't even there... As if we wouldn't know the words to Heavy... It's the most played LP song on the Swiss radio! We would have loved to sing it! (Me especially, because my father was in the crowd and he really likes that song.) But Mike decided that Numb would be a better fit, maybe even to not make everyone too sad. Numb is my favorite Linkin Park song, because it's the one that made me fall in love with the band in the first place. And it was awesome to sing it with so many people. The Swiss crowd did a great job! Video: In The End & Numb (with Mike's speech & reaction to the second flash mob) They closed the main set with my favorite medley of the tour: About You / Over Again / Papercut. Even though it reminds me a lot of Chester (About You & Over Again are the PT songs that are most about him) and it's really painful to see Mike perform Papercut's bridge alone, I could also enjoy it. Everyone was jumping around and shouting during Papercut. That song is just so great! Mike, Matt and Dan then left the stage for the encore break. The crowd started to sing “lift me up, let me go”, but not as loud as in Italy a few days before. We are just a generally reluctant nation. The hall also wasn't as full as I hoped it would be. There were probably around 2'000 people. Hopefully we did well enough for Mike to want to come back to Switzerland. After a few minutes, Mike, Matt and Dan sneaked back on stage, hiding behind their instruments. As if we wouldn't notice them anyway! Such dorks. xD They played a beautiful instrumental version of Robot Boy, which really let their skills and teamwork shine. It's so sad to think that this is the last Post Traumatic tour. Matt and Dan have really grown on me and it's hard to see them leave. Mike then sang a beautiful PT song I haven't heard live before and that wasn't even originally planned: World's On Fire. I know he wrote it for his wife Anna (and his kids), who is a wonderful person too, but it was as if the crowd was singing it for Mike. It's true, when the world's on fire, all we need is him. I'm so grateful that he shared PT with us! He led us all through the grief and darkness that followed Chester's death. And that night it was obvious, that we are in a much better place now. Following was the beautiful, consoling Castle Of Glass, one of my favorite LP songs. And then they played the second PT single Make It Up As I Go. Such an amazing song and it always reminds me of those hilarious moth memes. xD Mike encouraged us to sing his part of the chorus while directly looking at me. I was singing my heart out! He smiled and shouted “yeah!” That was an awesome moment. I rarely felt so appreciated like on that day, not just by Mike but also by the other fans. The last mashup followed: Good Goodbye / Bleed It Out (including a drunken pirate who wanted to give Mike a kiss xD) and the crowd went wild! For Running From My Shadow, the last song of the set, Mike came down to the crowd as he always does. He stood on the barricade just about two meters away from me. It was great to see him have so much fun up close! Afterwards he high-fived the front row (including me :D) and returned to the stage. He smashed one of Dan's cymbals until the end of the song and then soaked us in water. When Mike left the stage, he stopped at our Swiss flag and blew it a kiss. I loved seeing that, because it gave me hope that we didn't disappoint him and he might come back someday.

I still can't believe all of this actually happened! I made new friends from all over the world. I met my hero and finally got to give him my artwork. I got to spend the entire show in front row, super close to Mike. They played so many amazing songs and had so much fun. The flash mobs worked out and our flag made it on stage. All my hard work payed off. I really enjoyed this concert, it was a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you so much, everyone! I hope I'll see you all again soon. ;)

#mike shinoda #post traumatic tour #fan report #fan review #zurich #switzerland

12 notes · View notes

quillbetweenboots · 5 years

Text

PLEDGE

A sequel to OMINOUS

by Lala J. Thorpe

Pairs: Uruha x Mizuno Rin (OC)

Rating: T

“Fuck! Let me go!!” A hoarse yelp of that male student echoed through the crowd while he was being dragged roughly by the security guard. “I didn’t mean to hurt him!” He kept trying to release himself from the guard’s strong grip.

The whole crowd was too stupefied witnessing the bloodcurdling scene right before their eyes with one of the students was close to commit a murder to a teacher. Several female students kept screaming and crying because of the blood gushing out from Uruha’s upper back who was lying still on the floor attempting so hard to retain his consciousness.

“Uesugi!” The loud painful voice of a girl was overheard from the stairs. All eyes were directed to a tall long-haired girl whose cheeks were tear-stained. She marched towards Uesugi with vast steps and abruptly gave him an angry slap.

“What did you do? Uesugi, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!!” Rin was screaming her heart out right in front of his face and it only made him motionless. Powerful smacks and punches kept directed at him even though the security guard with a HONDA name tag tried to stop her.

“Rin! Rin, stop it!” Another girl broke through the crowd trying to hold back Rin from continuously releasing her rage to Uesugi. “Rin, for God’s sake please stop! I beg you.”

Rin’s lips were trembling so bad and her face was contorted in pain and turmoil. Nacchii’s hands held her face and tried soothing her best friend who slowly sank to the floor. “Rin, look at me. Sensei wouldn’t want to see you like this, okay?” Her soft voice whispered through Rin’s ear whilst hugging her. “No one else must not know about you and Sensei.”

A few seconds later when Rin’s mind began to clear, she was sobbing on Nacchii’s shoulder. “Let me take you home and we’ll go to hospital afterwards,” Nacchii comforted.

Rin shook her head weakly. “No. Just let me go to hospital already.”

The annoying sound produced by the heartbeat detector failed to dissolve the cold atmosphere inside the chamber. Half an hour ago, Uruha had just finished undergoing an emergency surgery. Now he’s already moved to a VIP nursing room. By the time Doctor finished examining and gave permission to visit him, Rin was the first person to sit by Uruha’s bed-side. She was caressing his cold hand. His long brown hair spread upon the white pillow. A few hours ago, her hands were still stained with Uruha’s blood before Nacchii cleaned them out inside the hospital’s lavatory. Nacchii was waiting outside and thanks to her, Rin was able to hold herself from drowning into uncontrolled tantrum.

“Shitsureishimasu.”

Four men in Uruha’s age wearing sunglasses and masks entered the room. Rin nearly jumped and quickly detached her hands from Uruha’s.

“Ah…good evening. Sorry for disturbing. Thank you for staying with him. Are you Uruha-kun’s student?” asked one man in early 30s.

Rin bowed and nodded politely. “Yes, I am.” She answered whilst standing up to let them check on Uruha.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re the girl whom he gave private lessons, aren’t you? Mizuno Rin-san?” asked the shortest man, Ruki, the vocalist of the band.

“That’s right,” Rin replied nervously. It’s the first time they encountered with the other band members even though Nacchii was dating their drummer.

“Kai was outside talking with your friend. She still seemed quite shocked,” said Aoi, Uruha’s fellow guitarist.

“Wait. Aren’t today your graduation ceremony?” asked the man whose face was concealed behind a white mask. “Mizuno-chan, could you tell us how it happened? We weren’t informed the whole event when we got a call from here.”

The four of them fell silent as Rin began her story of her version when Uruha’s body shielded her from being stabbed by one male student. She hadn’t known the exact motive of Uesugi. He was currently under investigation with the police and school staffs. Her voice was still trembling with fears remembering the thick crimson blood flooded out from his lifeless body. A small circle of blood-stain was still visible on Rin’s Prussian green school coat and she tried her best to hold back her tears.

As flabbergasted as it seemed, they were too shocked to utter one or two words. Ruki and Reita sank upon the sofa whilst rubbing their faces. Meanwhile, Aoi and their manager Tanaka was talking quietly to each other.

“What about the Osaka show this weekend?” asked Aoi with a concerned look.

“Don’t worry about it. All that matters now is his recovery. I’ll discuss it with everyone after this,” said Tanaka.

They stayed one more hour later before leaving. Reita decided to stay any longer to accompany Rin. The rest of the blokes agreed and bid them good bye.

“I--I apologise for making your plans messed up, Reita-san,” Rin stammered with her head bowed down. Reita sighed slowly. He stared at the innocent young girl who had stolen the heart of his childhood buddy.

“There’s no need to apologise. You know you’re not at fault here.” Reita rose from the sofa and stood at the other side of the bed. “For actually…I was glad that you’re not the one who was hurt.”

Rin looked up at him in disbelief. The mask had been pulled off his face and his forever concealed nose was able to be witnessed. His usual cheeky voice turned into something full of anxiety and relief at the same time.

“Dou yu koto desu ka?”

Reita thought back to the day Uruha told him that he was about to ask her hand in marriage. The bassist was initially unsure whether it’s a good idea knowing that this girl was far too young to marry a band dude in his 30s. Not to mention their wild fangirls all around the world who were so eager in taking her place.

“Please don’t look so shocked. We’ve been friends since forever and just this once, I began to witness a genuine glint in his eyes whenever he’s talking about a girl and that girl is you. He’s fallen head over heels for you, Mizuno-chan. It might be too risky to date a student but he would take anything to fight for his feeling. He might not look like it but believe me, Uruha loves you more than he could ever love anyone else. He loves your silly attitudes, your sincerity, and most importantly your pure heart.

I don’t know what he would do if you were really stabbed right in front of his eyes. I don’t know and I don’t want to know how violent he’d become if that ever happened. He might’ve killed that guy too. And that definitely would’ve happened.”

Rin was dead silenced listening to his explanation. The man lying before her, twelve years as old as her, nearly lost his life from protecting a stupid innocent girl. And yet his bandmate was still able to thank her. A wave of agony boiled inside her chest recalling how he grabbed her body to his chest. She reached for his chilled hand once again as painful sobs started to release from her lips.

Reita walked towards her and gave an affective pat on her head. “Shinpai suru na. He’ll wake up in time. He won’t die I promise because he’s a stubborn shithead. I’m gonna have an important meeting with the other lads now. Don’t forget to ring us when he opens his eyes, okay? Ja na.”

As the door clicked closed, Rin dropped her head upon Uruha’s arm and let the heart-wrenching sobs escape her mouth. Her beloved paramour was so close to death because of her. Everything seemed too vague. Her five inches dream, their marriage plan had become too fragile to think about. The screams, the wail, the groan kept playing over and over inside her head replaying the torment she tried so hard to suppress.

Flashback five months prior

<Rin’s POV>

“What the hell am I gonna do with him? You know I dislike him as much as I hate numbers,” I blurted out in front of Nacchii.

“C’mon, Rin, just this once. You keep telling me about going to France and there’s no way you would go there if your Math score doesn’t match your other excellent subjects. Trust me he’s not as bad as you think,” assured Nacchii.

I snorted at her. It’s not about the way he taught in our class. I just didn’t like his attitude when he was being conversed by the students. Those cold look and demeanour and he didn’t speak too much outside teaching. Uruha-sensei was too rigid. He might be good looking—yes of course because he happened to be a rock star—but his natural demeanour just couldn’t fit his job as a teacher. Not to mention his androgynous look was actually prettier than me when he wore his make-up on stage. (Jealousy yeah).

Nacchii stirred her iced-cappuccino latte whilst giggling at me. This girl didn’t have any problems with numbers and she also excelled in language and music. I envied her so much. Perhaps because they both had the same passion in music, she suspected that Uruha-sensei was just as normal as the other teachers.

“You’ll be fine, okay? I know you can cope with it. You’re better than you think you are.”

I was tapping my pen on the desk while waiting for Uruha-sensei. The tickling sound of the clock filled the desolate ambience of the classroom. It was half an hour after the last bell rang and I was forced to stay one more hour to have a private lesson with him. Sounds of whistle and yells produced by baseball club members were overheard from outside the window. Oh, how I missed being a club member as a soccer club manager.

“Good afternoon.”

I nearly jumped from my chair.

“Good afternoon, Sensei.” I bowed at him.

“Sorry for making you stay late. Let’s skip this formal intro and directly get into our lesson for today. Mizuno-san, I do hope we can work well for the next four months so that you can enrol in France after graduation. The principal has really high expectation on you.”

“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” I bowed once again.

Numbers were my worst enemy. I didn’t understand how some people were so in love with Math instead of the beauty of language or any other disciplines. Surprisingly, Uruha-sensei was like a different individual between when he taught in class and with me alone. He was so patient and communicative. He’s probably quite sensible that the student he had to deal with bore an immense difficulty.

The lesson had been going for almost three weeks and I still hadn’t found the joy of learning Math. One afternoon, I was weeping on my desk in the middle of his explanation because I couldn’t understand one single thing from the material. It exhausted me out. Even sometimes we were forced to stay until dark as he insisted me that we couldn’t go home before I finished the exercise.

“Let me go home already, Sensei!” I cried in front of him. He clicked his tongue and put his textbook down.

“Fine. Let’s call it a day then. You need to rest anyway. And by the way, I won’t be teaching next two weeks as I’ll be having six shows in Kyoto and Ibaraki,” he said.

“Really???!!!” I jumped up from my chair.

“Yeah. Why do you look so excited? I’ve prepared lots of exercises though. We’re gonna discuss them when I get back,” he sniggered.

My jaw dropped. “Sensei, you’re kidding, right?”

He shrugged while packing his books. “I’ll send them to your email tonight. See ya.”

I sighed loudly.

“Oh, by the way,” he stopped at the door, “We should sometimes have this lesson in my home. Or outside school, I don’t care. This environment really stresses you out. I need you to have some refreshment. Good night.”

~ ~

My whole week was unexpectedly lonely without Uruha-sensei’s presence. A set of instrumental music was attached in the email given a caption 「麗によって構成されて」. Damn. His skill in guitar playing was just in another level. It was so beautiful and heart-warming that I was so close to shed a tear.

I had finished all the exercises surprisingly just in one night. Was it too easy for me or I did progressively better than before? Sensei was quite frequent in texting me even though he’s in the middle of tight schedule asking if I could follow the instruction from the substitution teacher. Well…not as good as him, I guessed? We bid each other good night. And I always had this funny stir in my chest every-time I was thinking about him. Or when I listened to his deep manly voice on the phone.

“You did really good, Rin! I’m surprised you could finish all these complex problems in one night!” Nacchii said excitedly.

“Really? I thought it’s just simple exercise!”

“No, it’s not! It’s the whole different level from national exam! See? You’re really good at it! And I’m sure Sensei has measured your ability and adjusted it with your needs!”

“Sou ka…?” I mumbled in disbelief. Was I really? Then thanks to him I was finally able to learn Math properly.

When he’s back at school, he asked me to have a lesson in his apartment on Saturday. Damn, it was massive! He had a mini studio containing a few electric and acoustic guitars. Framed pictures of The GazettE from their early debut up until now were hung neatly on the wall. I was in complete awe the second I stepped into this room. Nacchii came along but she decided to wait at the living-room.

The lesson went quite more peaceful than it usually was. I was far from having pressure and intimidation from classroom’s ambience.

“Mind if I play some melody?” he asked when I was doing some exercise.

“No.”

He picked up an acoustic guitar and sat crossing his legs in front of me. Jet-black nail polish usually emblazoned Sensei’s nails whilst performing on stage. It was my first time seeing him play without those black nails and hand accessories, bare-faced with just glasses embellishing his eyes. He started playing the intro of PLEDGE, which happened to be my favourite song of The GazettE. His long fingers were magnificently picking one string to another. And oh…his beautiful side profile strangely caused these butterflies tickle inside my belly. My fingers were fidgeting nervously while listening to the melody. Wait…what were you thinking, Rin?! Just finish those damn problems!

I screwed my eyes shut and sighed exhaled loudly.

“Nani?”

Yabai! Did he even detect my internal jittery?!

“I-iie. Nandemo nai desu.”

“Is it too difficult for you?” He shifted himself closer to me that our bodies nearly touched. This masculine fragrance of his tickled my nose and why did my cheeks feel mysteriously hot?

“Oi, Mizuno? Are you not feeling well? Your face is red.”

I was taken aback.

“N-no. I’m fine, Sensei. Let’s continue.”

Nacchii and I were inside an MRT en-route home after the lesson finished. My vision flew far outside the window but my mind was occupied with how Uruha-sensei acted in front of me. Why was I feeling this way? He acted obviously just how he usually was!

“Rin? Rin! Are you okay?” Nacchii shook my body gently.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. What’s wrong?”

“No, you tell me what’s wrong! You’ve been quiet along the way and you’re daydreaming. Is something on your mind?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me, Nacchii.”

“Did Sensei do something to you?”

“…No, he didn’t.”

But this best friend of mine was a stubborn one. She observed my face closely and all of a sudden, this peculiar smirk emerged on her fuchsia lips.

“Masakaa????”

“What?!”

She leant closer to me and whispered. “You like Sensei, hmm?”

Did I? The next thing I realised was I couldn’t act as casually as usual in front of him whenever I encountered with him. The weird jittery kept disturbing my internal organs that it’s so hard to concentrate. I was too afraid to admit it myself but we were getting closer gradually. The LINE conversation was more intense than before and I found myself screaming internally every-time his name popped up in my phone screen.

麗先生

[I’m sorry I have to cancel our lesson today] 03:15 p.m.

[I’m having a sudden meeting with the band tonight] 03:15 p.m.

03:31 p.m. [That’s ok, Sensei. I’ll be studying with Nacchii.]

03:32 p.m. [Ganbatte^^]

[Arigatou 😊] 03:40 p.m.

[Tell Ogawa, Kai is looking forward to meeting her again (笑)] 03:41 p.m.

[Oh and don’t stay up late.

You’ll be having simulation tomorrow.] 03:41 p.m.

03:45 p.m. [はい。分かりました（・∀・）]

[Ne, Mizuno. Can I ask you to have some coffee with me?] 04:00 p.m.

[If that’s ok for you of course] 04:00 p.m.

He offered me to have a coffee and dinner at his apartment which I immediately agreed. Because it’s too risky if we’re caught accidentally by one or two school members. And that was the first time I conversed with him outside school or lesson where we’re able to discuss everything. I opened up about my big dream of having an education in Europe and how I became a laughing stock at middle school because of that. Little did I know that Sensei was also actually a bullying victim back in high school because of his weird ducky face according to his friends. But thanks to an encounter with Reita-san and their passion in music, he’s now able to slap them with his worldly achievement.

“Come to my studio. I want to play you some songs,” he said after finishing the dishes.

We were sitting side by side with him holding his favourite acoustic guitar. He played one instrumental music taken from the repertoire he sent me couple of weeks ago. His leg was touching mine and the last thing I remembered I was drowning so deeply into his melodious instrumental play.

“Mizuno…” His hand reached mine. “Omae no koto ga suki da.”

He brought his face closer and his soft lips found mine which caused my mind went completely blank. It was a gentle kiss which I responded. My body was trembling slightly from his touch but it’s also filled with excitement. Sensei embraced my body tightly to stop its shiver from intensifying. My stomach fluttered from his touch. It was my very first kiss, claimed by a world rock star.

“Watashi mo Sensei ga suki desu,” I said after he pulled away.

“Then I’m glad,” he chuckles. “But let’s keep it to ourselves or else we are doomed if the whole school learn about us.”

“Wakarimashita.”

That’s how we began our romantic relationship when all we should’ve done was merely between teacher and student. Our interaction at school didn’t change much as we must not trigger any suspicion from people. Sensei was a star teacher among female students because of his decent outer appearance. Jealousy sometimes attacked me when he was being engaged in the middle of ‘made-up’ conversation with some female classmates. Those who were sexier, whose skin was fairer, or whose makeup was far more flawless than mine. My head was clouded with nasty scene created by my own anxiety. Sensei was a rock star who taught in his alma mater, of course it’s a rare occasion for students to have such an extraordinary teacher. But he kept reassuring me that those girls wouldn’t have a chance to take over my place.

One afternoon, we were having another lesson inside his studio. He mentioned that Kai was going to visit him after that. Nacchii was again waiting for my lesson to finish in the living-room as she refused to join us because she didn’t want to be a disturbance. My mood was still being bothered with this vague jealousy upon my classmates who flirted with him without any concern. I tried suppressing this ugly feeling by keeping a normal expression but of course Sensei was able to suspect something else.

“What’s bothering your mind?” he enquired while I was packing my books.

“It’s nothing.”

“It can’t be nothing if it upsets you this much.”

I refused to look at him yet my body had been craving for his touch since we entered his studio. There was a sound of two people conversing overheard from the living-room. A male voice was giggling sweetly along with an awkward greeting from Nacchii.

“Ah, I think that’s Kai. Wait a sec.”

Before he could walk further, my hand caught his wrist.

“Eh? Mizuno, doushita no?”

“I-ikanaide…”

“I won’t be long, I promise,” he answered.

But my stubborn hand wouldn’t let go of his hand at once. Instead, I threw myself into his body begging him to stay. I let my face buried on his chest trying to conceal this anxiety.

“Stay here. Don’t go.”

“Mizuno…”

I gave him a pleading look which he returned. His hands were on my waist and then he pulled me closer. He leant closer and our lips met. My arms were circling his neck to deepen the kiss. He was grabbing my shoulder from behind and gave it a light squeeze as if he was suppressing something. We were panting and breathed heavily. Before I knew it, my fingers unbuttoned two top buttons from my school uniforms after I pulled away from his embrace.

“Yamero…”

His long fingers grabbed my wrist swiftly from going any further.

“Sensei…”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to do this when you’re still wrapped in this uniform. We could cause a big scandal and I don’t want us to jeopardise your future. You still have long way to go, Mizuno.”

My clouded mind was able to comprehend his words and I nodded.

“Sumimasen deshita.”

“We could talk about it after your graduation,” he whispered to my ear.

End of flashback

<Author’s POV>

“Will you be able to attend the prom this Saturday?” Nacchii asked anxiously from the other line.

“I can’t I’m sorry. I want to stay here until he wakes up,” Rin answered with low voice. “If you want to come, just come. It’ll be your last night at school so please just enjoy. Send my love to our friends, okay?”

Nacchii exhaled loudly. “Wakatta. Don’t forget to have some meals, ‘kay? Sensei wouldn’t want to see you like this when he wakes up. I’ll be there tomorrow morning. Oyasumi!”

“Oyasumi!”

She went back to her seat beside the bed and glanced through his weak body. She wondered what dream he was having. It had been past 24 hours after surgery yet there was still no indication Uruha regained his consciousness. Rin kept praying from her heart that at least his condition would stay stable.

But then there she saw a movement from his pale fingertips. Slowly, the movement intensified. She nearly freaked out when there was slight flicker from each of his eyelids but quickly called a nurse informing about it. Half a minute later, a doctor came into the room along with two nurses.

“Could you please wait outside, Miss?” asked one of the nurses with nametag Shimura. Rin nodded exited the room.

It was the longest fifteen minutes of Rin’s life before the doctor came out displaying a relieved expression on his face. She stood up and walked to him.

“Sensei, how’s—”

“He’s fine now. But he’s still quite weak and now resting is just the best for him. You can come inside but please don’t force him to stay awake too long.”

She nodded contentedly at him and he walked back to his office. When she returned to the room, Uruha was already properly conscious while staring out the window at the city lights of Tokyo. He turned his gaze to the door when Rin was standing there nervously.

“Shitsureitashimasu.”

Uruha didn’t say anything. He just kept staring at the girl walking slowly to him. Perhaps his mind was still too slow to process after more than 24 hours of unconsciousness. Rin sat beside him catching an indescribable glimpse from Uruha.

“I’m not dead, am I?” he spoke with a weak voice.

Rin shook her head. “No. Why?”

He gave her a gentle smile. “Because a beautiful angel is standing right before me. I thought it’s what heaven looks like.”

All the mixed emotions she had been holding were welled up in her eyes. Her hands reached for his and gave it a light squeeze as he did the same. Uruha gave her a quizzical glance.

“Rin…you’re not hurt, are you?”

Rin

He called her with her first name for the first time. His question caused a twinge to emerge inside her chest that she began to weep in front of him. It was once again thanks to him when she could’ve been the one lying on this cold bed instead of him.

Rin shook her head vigorously. “I’m…fine, Sensei.”

Uruha sighed in complete relief. “Yokatta…”

“But I’m dead worried about you, Sensei!” she almost yelled at him. “You nearly died right there that it happened so fast and I had no idea what’s actually going on.”

The sobs were getting worse. Her face was mixed with sadness and relief. A little guilt appeared inside him yet Uruha was so glad that his beloved girl was perfectly fine. The wound still hurt, yes it did. But it couldn’t compare to the agony he would’ve got if only he had failed to protect Rin.

“Come here.” He spread his arm beckoning her to come into his embrace. Rin buried her face into his shoulder before she knew it. Her hand was clutching on his hospital gown tightly. She let out all the despair erupting inside her for the last two days. Uruha caressed her long black hair gently and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry for making you worried. Everything is fine. The worst part is over now,” he whispered softly.

“How could you do that? How could you endanger your own self to protect this stupid girl?” She was sobbing like a child drenching his aquamarine shirt.

Uruha took a deep breath. A large lump filled his throat. “Because I’d rather die than seeing you hurt.”

“But I did hurt, Sensei!” she pulled away from his embrace. “The last two days were the worst in my life. You don’t understand how it felt when I saw you dying right in front of my eyes with blood flooding out from your back. I was overcome with guilt and badly terrified that I was actually the cause the guitarist of GazettE nearly lost his life! I kept refusing any requests to do interview regarding this case because I don’t want to leave your side. I don’t even care how’s the case going at school. All I care about is you and you alone.” She cried.

Uruha gazed deeply at her. A tear trickled down his temple. The love of his life, his brilliant student, the young lady who had stolen his ‘emotionally unavailable’ heart. He couldn’t detect any regrets inside him for having protected her because his only heart yearned deeply for her.

“Rin, listen.” He took her hand. “You’re my better half. You’re everything that I’m not. I’m not whole without you. Before I met you, I’d be walking through life thinking I was happy…that I was complete. But now I can’t be back to just being me because now I know what it’s like to be whole.”

Rin nodded while tightening her grip on his even though she couldn’t stop the tears from keeping falling. He’s fine, everything’s fine. Her dream, his promise was returning its light after the glint was hardly visible prior to his awakening.

“I had a beautiful dream,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“I was dreaming…we readied ourselves before wedding ceremony. I wore this black kimono and you were dressed beautifully in a pure white gown and veil holding a bouquet of white roses. We were about to made a marriage pledge but then I was awakened by your warmth.”

Rin smiled sadly at him. “Now that you’ve woken up, we should be able to make it come true.”

“Sou da ne.”

She leant forward and caressed his pale face. She gave him a warm kiss on his cheek and buried her head on his chest. “Don’t even try leaving me again.”

He closed his eyes and smiled.

“Aishiteru yo.”

to be continued.

#the gazette #fanfiction #the gazette fanfiction #uruha #uruha the gazette #OC

1 note · View note

kyotakumrau · 3 years

Text

2021.06.11 sukekiyo 奇行少女・kikou syoujo -jet black ceremony- at Nakano SUNPLAZA

SE destrudo intro

01 aftermath

02 focus

03 celeste

04 グニャ結論。そして血眼。・gunya ketsuron

05 襞謳・hidauta

06 死霊のアリアナ・Ariana

07 嬲り・naburi

08 接触・sesshoku

09 首吊り遊具・kubitsuri

10 白濁・hakudaku

~ventilation break・windchime~

~session~

11 夢見ドロ・yumemidoro

12 愛した心臓・aishita shizo

13 Valentina

14 濡羽色・nurebairo

15 鵠・kugui

16 anima

~anima piano session~

17 ただ、まだ、私。・tada, mada, watashi.

report under the cut↓

I arrived at the venue early to make sure I can get the demo tape times two (but they actually had a good number of the cassette tapes, it was other items like the long sleeve tee that got sold out, the tee by ~75th person?).

I arrived at my seat a bit before 6 (start was 6:30), this time I was on the right side of the audience around 10th row. I really liked how the side rows were angled towards the stage, the view was very good and chairs were comfortable😆

There was the usual curtain/seethrough screen in front of the stage, but no back screen. They had usual sukekiyo setting for the members' equipment placement, utA on the left, Mika's drums back left, surrounded by plexiglass screen to block the sound between drums and Kyo's stand. Takumi's kingdom was back right, with all his keyboards and guitars. And then Yuchi front right, with his bass, upright bass and chaos pad etc.

After the announcement with the performance rules, the theater buzzer sounded and they slowly walked on the stage, starting with Yuchi, Takumi, Mika, utA and then Kyo.

Yuchi came on the stage wearing a black coat/jacket but he took it off later on, he had a white shirt with a small black print, fitted black pants and platforms.

Takumi had a ponytail and a jacket.

Mika, I could see him the least, his hair is quite short now, wore black shirt?

utA had a colorful jacket a bit like sukajan? floaty black pants and some silver chains. His hair is between chin and shoulder length now.

Kyo wore I think the same outfit as in January, long, oversized black coat, white shirt, black shorts, pink (red?) tabi boots. Gold accessories like rings, chain and pearl earrings. All MADARA except for the boots.

Takumi was so right in his message on twitter - the feeling like a flashlight of their 7 years of playing - when they started with destrudo/aftermath/focus/celeste I felt like I was suddenly back in 2014~15! But there were some rearranged bits, different guitars, different drum sound here and there etc. And the stage was so bright compared to their early years😂 but it still really brought me back.

The front screen was showing lyrics and various visuals, commenting that Mika is a genius is mandatory each time♡

During Celeste Kyo started to dance a bit and opening his coat more, which continued even more into Gunya Ketsuron, dancing and moving with the lyrics.

Yuchi is always so interesting to watch, drumming the chaos pad or playing wildly on his bass. He's rarely standing still!

For Shiryo no Ariana Kyo turned to his stand and sang while using effectors there, his face was projected on the front screen in black and white, but not real time feed all the time, there was a really nice looping effect used.

I love love love Naburi's madness🖤 every each time I want to start dancing, be it on the train, on the street or at sukekiyo's seated concert. The latter the only one when in the end I endure sitting still...mostly.

Video for sesshoku changed, but the marching sound stayed very strong. A big DOPE appeared on the front screen several times. Kyo had his arm up as in a salute.

And more dancing (on the stage and in my heart) during Kubitsuri Yuugu. Kyo also pointed at the audience when singing.

And hakudaku next! Woah!

it felt like Kyo sang that last 愛してる instead of the usual おやすみ when soon after he turned softly and walked off the stage, followed by the rest of the band.

Not sure how other people felt then, but for a brief moment I froze in panic - I knew it's too early to finish the show, so why were they leaving???

But then the message appeared on the screen

'We will be taking about 5min break to ventilate the venue. The buzzer will sound when the show will be about to restart'.

And I love how the band utilized the ventilation break to create two different parts of the show, I felt the mood following the break was quite different. During the break we could hear soft wind chimes.

Then they came back and started with a session. Holy moly, that session!! Kyo was using the PIPE (a mouth controlled synthesizer), I loved the bass there! Kyo also used the mic at his stand from about halfway through.

夢見ドロ is such a soft song, not a heartbreaking one like some suke songs can be, but softly vulnerable. 'There's no sin in love, please love this me, please love the free/unrestricted me.'

And then the live premiere of 愛した心臓・aishita shinzo (heart that loved). It's a soft sensual song with retro pop elements. 'one finger, two fingers, tongue. One love, two bodies. [cute my babe] Don't let me sleep'. Kyo was singing dancing softly as the lyrics appeared on the screen. '男も愛せる貴方を愛してる罪。愛彩'

Valentina meant more dancing from Kyo, the video on the screen was the retro racing game (if I'm not mixing it up). Nurebairo connected so well with the lyrics, it all was creating a story of longing, grasping. Kugui after was so beautiful, I think it's been a while we got to hear it live🖤

anima was followed by the session of piano and singing, it's something they usually do but you're never quite ready for. Very raw, each time. 'the broken heart, memories become pain, falling into a night hoping you love me'..

tada, mada, watashi at the end was amazing until the last note. The end credits were shown on the left side of the screen. Kyo finished with his hand stretched out then just softly turned and walked off the stage, we could hear his careful footsteps.

We started clapping, the piano version of Zephyr was played then. utA put his fist few times on his heart looking at the audience before leaving. Yuchi put his hands together in thanks. Takumi waved and nodded when leaving. Mika stood up at his set and waved his arms.

When leaving the venue we received picture tickets 🖤

#sukekiyo #奇行少女 #kikou syoujo #setlist #attempt at live report #中野サンプラザ

69 notes · View notes

dradaybyday · 5 years

Text

March 20th

I’ve hit the point in this blog’s evolution where there’s not a lot to write about unless there’s new shows (either actually new or new tapes). 644 posts deep, I’ve covered *close* to the entire recorded history of Ryan Adams.

So, the blog’s been pretty quiet lately, I know. The show lists for January and February were empty, unless I filled them myself, and honestly, I haven’t had the time and inclination to do that lately (some of it’s personal, some of it the recent news - which, short version, hasn’t dimmed my love for the music but had dimmed my energy to write about it a bit).

In this process, I skipped even writing about the fourth anniversary of this very blog, started on a frustrated day at my old job when I decided what I needed to make my days better was an excuse to write about Ryan Adams shows. In those four years, it’s grown into so much more than I could have imagined, mainly thanks to the wonderful tapers who’ve shared shows that otherwise might be collecting dust.

But there it was, sitting on my show list - the fourth and final available tape of the last Cardinals show. 10 years ago to the day.

I’ve written about my experience at the show before. (http://dradaybyday.tumblr.com/post/141368550104/march-20 and http://dradaybyday.tumblr.com/post/158627357524/march-20) It’s still one of the most memorable nights in my life. 10 years later I can still see myself sprinting through the airport to get there, the way the band looked in the theater, meeting Jon Graboff on the street after the show. That I had a piece of something called Coca-Cola cake in a diner down the block from the Fox after the show. That a guy gave me a card for free entry to a strip club, which I did not use but might still be in the side pocket of my travel bag as a memento of that night. Being there that night meant so much to me because that band meant so much to me.

When I think about that night, there’s a lot to the memory besides the show. I liked the show a lot, although from a pure musical sense, it’s not at the top of the Cardinals shows I saw. But it’s really about me taking a journey alone, and that journey was mine. Even the shows that I do remember fondly are mostly because of the way the music effected me that night. And so no matter what I feel about Ryan Adams today (it’s very, very complicated), those memories are mine, and I’ll continue to love them.

https://archive.org/details/ryanadams2009-03-20.dpa4023matrix/

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals 03-20-2009 Fox Theater Atlanta, GA

Source: DPA 4023(ORTF)->Lunatec ACM V3 + SBD(Yamaha M7CL)->Sound Devices 744t (24/48)

Location: 5' ROC at SBD

Transfer: 744t->HDD->Wavelab 5.01b->CD Wave->Flac 16

Recorded and Transferred by: Chris Hall

Set 1/Disc 1

1. Intro 2. Magick 3. Let It Ride 4. Two 5. Everybody Knows 6. Beautiful Sorta 7. Mockingbird-> 8. Dear Chicago 9. Blue Hotel 10. Cold Roses 11. Natural Ghost 12. Easy Plateau> 13. Bartering Lines 14. Band Intros 15. Fix It 16. Magnolia Mountain 17. Please Do Not Let Me Go 18. Peaceful Valley

Set 1/Disc 2

1. Freeway To The Canyon

Set 2/Disc 2

2. Intro 3. When The Stars Go Blue 4. Sink Ships 5. Oh My Sweet Carolina 6. Grand Island 7. Evening Joke 8. I See Monsters 9. Come Pick Me Up 10. Rescue Blues 11. Wonderwall 12. Goodnight Rose

3 notes · View notes

metalshockfinland · 5 years

Text

Live report by David Araneda (words) and Ricardo Santos (images).

Finnish Power Metal pioneers STRATOVARIUS are currently touring their home country for a few special spring shows. Last Friday night was the turn of Helsinki and the place chosen was no other than Nosturi, one of the most beloved concert venues in the Finnish capital, and which is sadly going to be demolished during this year. What originally seemed to be just one more gig in a career that spans over thirty years, ended up bringing a few nice surprises for their loyal fans. Some people were aware before the show that Timo Tolkki, former guitarist and main composer of the band, had announced in social media that he would attend the show and meet them ten years after his departure.

On this occasion there were no opening bands, so people came just in time for STRATOVARIUS’ show. The room was packed with metalheads of all ages, and as soon as the lights went down we knew we were in for a treat. After a short intro, the band came to the stage and kickstarted the show with ‘Eagleheart’, the overly melodic opening track of “Elements Pt. 1”. I must confess that this is not one of my favorite songs of theirs, but it seems to be popular among the fans. The crowd was as “excited” as you can expect from a Finnish audience, but after a few years living in this country I’ve gotten used to that and it doesn’t bother me anymore.

The next in line was the powerful ‘Phoenix’, which was quite a surprise since it hasn’t been part of their regular setlist during the last few years. Frontman Timo Kotipelto used the chance to greet the audience and thank them for coming. It’s amazing how this guy doesn’t seem to age, and although his voice has suffered a bit from all the years on the road, he still delivers some very high notes and manages to captivate the audience. He then introduced one of the new songs included in their latest compilation album “Enigma: Intermission 2”. I’m talking about ‘Oblivion’, a slower yet effective tune which features a more modern sound, and which was received with respect and approval by the crowd.

‘Shine in the Dark’ is one of their most recent hits, with quite good airplay till these days. The great vocal work of Kotipelto supported by Matias Kupiainen and Lauri Porra’s backing vocals, made this of the highlights of the first part of the set. Then they jumped back to 1998 with ‘SOS’, another deep cut that I wasn’t expecting to hear. The catchy melody of recently released ‘Enigma’ was performed for the first time in Helsinki, and with great results. At this point we have to say that although only two of the current members were part of the classic STRATOVARIUS line-up, Kupiainen, Porra and drummer Rolf Pilve have injected some fresh blood into the band.

One of the first special moments of the evening came with ‘4000 Rainy Nights’ preceded by a beautiful guitar intro by Kupiainen and followed by an innovative bass solo by Porra. This song brought me back to my teenage years, when I discover STRATOVARIUS for the first time in the early 2000’s. They continued with more material from “Destiny”, no other than the ten-minute epic title track, full of contrasts and succeeding at creating a mystic atmosphere. Then it was time for maestro Jens Johansson to shine in the keyboards and indulge us with the first cords of ‘Black Diamond’, one of their all-time classics that the crowd sung at the top of their lungs. The band leaves the stage for a little break.

The encore started with the lovely ballad ‘Forever’, which was the only reference to their masterpiece “Episode”, and which always proves to be a special moment of their show. But the greatest surprise of the evening would happen next, when they invited former drummer Jörg Michael to join them onstage and delight us with an unforgettable version of ‘The Kiss of Judas’. Although they didn’t have a lot of time to rehearse, the German powerhouse did not disappoint and seemed very happy with his fellow bandmates after so many years. A historic moment that we we’re lucky to witness. Rolf Pilve came back to the drumkit to perform the infectious ‘Unbreakable’, another of their latest radio hits taken from 2013’s “Nemesis”.

As usual, they closed the concert with ‘Hunting High and Low’, arguably their most successful song, one that features all their trademark elements and allows them to interact with the audience. After one and a half hours of majestic virtuosity, the local heroes left the stage for good with an overwhelming ovation. The band seemed very moved by the reaction of the crowd and later shared some pictures with Timo Tolkki and Jörg Michael backstage. For the first time in over a decade, four fifths of the classic STRATOVARIUS line-up shared the same room, with only bassist Jari Kainulainen missing. Apparently, some scars have slowly started to heal, opening a little hope for a possible reunion in the future.

Setlist: (Intro) Eagleheart Phoenix Oblivion Shine in the Dark SOS Enigma 4000 Rainy Nights Destiny Black Diamond

Encore: Forever The Kiss of Judas (with Jörg Michael) Unbreakable Hunting High and Low

Words by David Araneda, Images by Ricardo Santos.

Stratovarius feat. Jörg Michael – The Kiss of Judas (video credits for Janne Lahti’s YouTube channel)

youtube

Live Report: STRATOVARIUS @ Nosturi, Helsinki – March 22nd, 2019 Live report by David Araneda (words) and Ricardo Santos (images). Finnish Power Metal pioneers STRATOVARIUS are currently touring their home country for a few special spring shows.

#Jörg Michael #Stratovarius #Timo Tolkki

1 note · View note