From ilsa@cris.com Mon Oct 28 10:36:08 1996 Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996 13:26:53 -0500 To: app@roadkill.com From: ilsa@cris.com (Bridget Magnus) Subject: Detroit Review and Misc. Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Length: 2798 What a night! Let me start by saying that the State Theater is NOT the greatest venue (In AP's words, "This is a far cry from Pine Knob, isn't it?") Although the band was clearly disapointed by the turnout, we made up for it with enthusiasm. The place was kind of set up like Dinner Theater, with tables and waitresses bringing drinks. The good news, it meant opportunity to talk to other fans. The bad news, the waitresses wandering through the crowd while the band played on... My seat was close enough that I could tell Neil Lockwood was wearing a wedding ring! Best points: Can't take it with you, Higher Ground, and several other songs were BETTER than on the albums, especially Ian's solo in Don't Answer Me and Prime Time (the only good thing about no Sax player). Ian really owns that show. Alan was certainly laid back, and even jammed a bit on EitS (which I would sure be tired of if I were him). Peter Beckett did great on the old Woolfson solos. Worst points: If Alan had been sitting where I was, he would have slapped the guy running the sound board -- then fired him! The mix on Bass and Drums was way too high. The Traveller just didn't sound right to me, and there was a serious sync problem on Cloudbreak, so it sounded sluggish as just about everything Alan and Ian played was a microsecond behind the beat. I could have really done without the discourteous souls (you know who you are) who lit up the cigar or made up thier own background vocals. Also, discovered that going to a loud rock concert while 7 mo. pregnant is not really a good idea.... Interesting and merely funny points: At least some of the percussion is MIDI and/or prerecorded, and for whoever was curious, Ian was using a tremolo "whammy" bar. The folks at my table follow and/or subscribe to this list, and to my amazement, actually recognised my name. Do I really write that interesting a post? :-D One person noticed Wesley (Wes - I think your T-shirt gave it away!) and was awestruck. Thought about introducing them... Funniest part, during EitS someone got an eye-beachball into the crowd. I suspect the road warriors. Even Ian got into the act, dropping a few notes to retrieve the ball from behind the speakers. Good luck to the List band folks. How are you going to sync vocal and guitar .wav files with the other MIDI tracks? My name suggestions are: "Various Artists", and WereWoolfson (Halloween is at the end of the week, y'know). Kind of a shame that EitS will be in the gambler. I was hoping an eventual Woolfson musical might finally lay to rest all the theories about what it means. Bridget Magnus ilsa@cris.com AP could really confuse us by making an album about Eastern Mysticism called "Tao". We'd always wonder if we were talking about TAO or Tao... From SChisnell@aol.com Wed Oct 30 16:43:43 1996 From: SChisnell@aol.com Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 19:29:25 -0500 To: app@roadkill.com Subject: Re: Detroit Review and Further Reflections Content-Length: 2841 In a message dated 96-10-28 13:35:27 EST, Bridget writes: << What a night! Let me start by saying that the State Theater is NOT the greatest venue (In AP's words, "This is a far cry from Pine Knob, isn't it?") Although the band was clearly disapointed by the turnout, we made up for it with enthusiasm. >> Yes, an extraordinary concert. I really felt like it was a kind of "personal concert" for the AP family--like, intimate, you know? Maybe 400 people? The band was disappointed at first, but they livened up real fast when we made the noise we did (ears still throbbing from one woman's foot stomping--across the table from you, Bridget, so you may not have felt the full tremors). Maybe Steve M. can let Alan know again the pleasure he gave his Detroit fans. I do not believe for a moment that the State Theater show was the limit of AP fandom here. Plain and simple: there was ZERO advertising in our area; word of mouth only. I doubt many AP fans were at the Rush concert that night as AP suggested (really, Alan, is there much contest between the two?). Where were the friendly radio stations that are partners with the label? Where were one or two newspaper listings (even in the FREE community ad lists)? Time to find another PR agent....? I gave my backstages passes away (I know I know--but forgive, I was feeling really philanthropic that night). A friend of mine who teaches HS choir stages a "pops" concert every year--really quite good, with brass, orchestra, electric rock band, etc. as needed. He spoke to Alan after the Detroit show (BOY does he owe ME!) and had a GREAT time (then, of course, I told him about the list--conversion conversion conversion) and Alan suggested that he perform "Breakdown" with his group. My school year is complete--our high school in little Royal Oak will be doing it! Ian, by the by, stole the show, in my opinion. In Bob Dole fashion, I could talk about the three guys at the stage who literally bowed to him as a god, but I won't do that. Peter Beckett is feeling more and more at home with AP; what a change from last year--very comfortable and potent. Neil Lockwood is still feeling for center some. I think the show missed the stoicism of Powell. His stage presence helped remind us that Alan Parsons and his band are musicians, not a "rock show" like Kansas or Rush. With Parsons, I feel that we listen to a creative, artistic act, and I find myself marveling at the sounds, the engineering, the synthesis of the work, much as I would any symphony. Some people in the audience who were at both shows actually said that this year's show was better (and that's saying something!) than last; or perhaps they enjoyed it more than last. Not profitable for Parsons, perhaps, but a close encounter with the music that won't soon be forgotten! SChisnell From treged@cris.com Fri Nov 1 21:22:51 1996 Date: Sat, 02 Nov 1996 00:17:04 -0400 From: Daryl Treger To: app@roadkill.com Subject: Detroit review - better late than never? Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Length: 5114 Yep, I know it's November 1st. Yep, I know the concert was October 25th at the State Theater in Detroit. Well, all I can say is: I'm a busy guy!! In fact, if my flight wasn't delayed fron Washington DC back to Detroit, I'm not sure WHEN I'd find the time to do this... I have a five week old son at home, and he takes up lots of time.... PLUS, if I don't get those tapes of Pilot out to Sheldon pretty soon, he'll probably send me a letter bomb.... (just kidding Sheldon!!). Bridget alsready reviewed the concert, so I'll just expand on her comments. This was my first concert at the State, and it was cool the way they had it set up, as a kind of dinner-theatre, with tables & chairs, instead of the typical arena atmosphere. It was touch and go as to whether I'd go to the concert, but my loving wife said she'd stay with the baby, and so I went solo. My first concern happened when I bought my ticket to the show only 1 and a half hours prior to the show, and I got KILLER seats. Hmmm, must not be a lot of folks coming, I thought. When the Ticketbastard gal handed me my ticket, it said Alan Parsons Project on it... great, I thought, they're clueless. And yep, when I got there, the crowd was only 400-500 people. Great for me now, but does that mean that AP won't be back here for the next concert tour??? That remains to be seen... Anyhow, here's my main thoughts about the show: 1.Ian rocks. Stole the show! 2.Best song was Psychobabble. Sorry to those who missed this song earlier in the tour. It was just awesome during the middle section of sound effects. Got a standing ovation. 3.Ian rocks. His solo on Don't Answer Me was especially good. 4.Loved the way the show went song-wise: having essentially two chunks of APP at the begining and the end, with the new stuff in the middle. Having all the new stuff together made for a good way to sample the whole feel of On Air. I like the new material from On Air and TAO, but...(putting my flame retardant suit on now...) sorry Projectiles, I just keep listening to those 2 newest albums thinking "Hey, this song does (or does not) sound like APP"... which to me is NOT a good thing, because I'm dissappointed if it doesn't sound like APP. Hey, I buy a Parsons album, and I want it to sound like the old stuff. So sue me! I guess if I want to hear music that sounds like APP, I should listen to APP, huh???!!! Anyway, the new material is good, but just not APP. That's another reason I'm glad they broke up the concert into pieces. Like I said before, the new material is good, just not APP. 5.Ian ROCKS!!! He really got into the show, and as Bridget point out, was retrieving the "eye" beach ball, and kicking it back into the audience. 6.Alan almost dissappointed several fans for the rest of the tour when, after second curtain call, tripped over a mike-stand, and nearly broke his ***!!! He sheepishly got up, smiled, waved, and went off stage. 7.Ian really rocks!! 8.Alan made some fun comments about the small size of the crowd. In addition to the Pine Knob comment that Bridget mentioned... (Pine Knob is an outdoor ampatheatre (spelling?) type place that's gorgeous... Alan played there last year) : a.Mentioned that even though the crowd was small in numbers, we made up for that in enthusiasm (rah team, etc.) b.He mentioned that "I guess all the other fans were at the Rush concert tonight". For those that don't know, this is Rush's supposed last tour, and I'm sure there are lots of fans of Rush's concept-type music that are also Rush fans... for me though (being 35 years old), I'm just not up to getting deaf and smelling pot all night long at a Rush concert (but do count me in line to buy each of their albums!!). c.Later, Alan mentioned that we should "go home and tell the folks that went to the Rush concert what they missed!!". 9.Ian truely rocks!!!! 10.Got the white tee shirt. It's pretty cool, even if it's a bit pricey at $23. What ever happened to the $5 tee's you could buy from street hawkers outside the concert hall??!! 11.Ian rocks big time! 12.If you're at the concert and want any of the promo posters they paste on the walls, grab one as soon as you can! They had tons of them up at the concert. I went to the bathroom at the intermission, and they were all GONE!!! Live and learn people! 13.Ian rocks the house down!! 14.There is no number 14. 15.Ian rocks for ages, honestly!! (With humble apologies to the fans of Monty Python and the Rutles. BTW, the Rutles have a "new" CD out, called Archeology... a take off on Anthology. Just thought you might like to know!) For the next concert: -MORE APP instrumentals (not just Sirius!!) -A song from Freudiana (is that legally possible though?????) -The entire Turn of a Friendly Card tale (Part One, Snake Eyes, etc., thru ToaFC Pt II). -Stereotomy (I love this song!) -Day After Day (the Show Must go On)... I love this one too! -Damned If I Do (come on... need this one played, as it was a hit single!) Well, time to go catch a plane. Oh yeah, one last thing: Ian's a pretty good guitar player... Daryl