Traders Comments:
Geetarz Comments:
A special thanks to the Coolest Person In the World (my girlfriend) for turning me onto Lindsey's music. I had always held post-Peter Green Fleetwood Mac at arm's length with my purist streak taking over my better judgment.
My girlfriend not only insisted that I go to at least one show, but that I go to TWO shows, and bought me great tickets for both (and you were asking yourself "why does he think she's the Coolest Person in the World?").
I went out of my way not to listen to his solo work before the first show so I could go in "cold" and listen to it objectively, and at the Atlantic City show, I was hooked by the end of the first song.
I'm not so sure if I will like the Mac arena shows as much (needless to say, I will be going to several of the shows next year) but as Lindsey himself points out during the show, it's a great opportunity for an artist to have both an outlet for more popular oriented music as well as the more introspective work.
The vibe at the shows was different each time. The Atlantic City show started off slow as the front area of the venue was clearly more for High Rollers who had been comp'd tickets, but by mid-set the real fans took over down front and the band put on an incredible show.
This show at Nokia was the last of the tour, and it was clearly bittersweet. I must say the Nokia is an amazing venue, it's more of a "studio audience" setting than a typical performance hall, with monitors spaced every 20 feet or so on the ceiling angled at the guests. I'd have to say that the sound in the seats is likely better quality than what most people have at home listening to their stereos!
The security was very tight, and whereas at the Atlantic City gig we were able to take photos (and even shoot some video), the staff were ushering dancers back to their seats and not even allowing folks to take crappy cell phone photos.
Knowing the setlist in advance we were able to slip from our seats, dodge the most zealous security, and end up at the stage for the last third of the set. I think security sort of gave up trying to keep fans from being down front but they did still really hammer on the people trying to take cell phone photos.
Yes, it's true, you can see us down in front ... but as to which ones we are, it's our secret (but here's a hint, you can hear the Coolest Person In the World on the recording, and she's NOT the woman with the crazy rebel yell!).
As usual the "NYC Bitch Committee" added commercially released tracks to the menus, and a Cheech and Chong clip at the end, to prevent this material from being torrented (due in large part to the somewhat stupid rules of some sites - "irony" is a term lost on certain moderators, as it would require a certain amount of intellectual honesty to comprehend).
So I went through several hours of work to remove about 60 seconds of material. Go figure.
At any rate, the picture quality here is great, particularly in the closeups, and the sound is phenomenal as well given the acoustics and sound system in the venue (although I must say that the taper of the PotFA show from this tour did an amazing job as did the always wonderful Jerseyboy).
I liked this one so much that I even ripped the audio (horrors! lossy! run for your lives! eeeeek!) to play in the car on CD.
It's a great performance, and while some of the songs might have been a bit more subdued because the crowd was kept more restrained, it really comes loose at the end.
The pacing of the show, set-list-wise, is excellent with a nice blend of uptempo rockers and more quiet acoustic pieces. Some of the reworked Mac pieces like "Big Love" really work well in this setting (what a tour de force!) but for us the highlight of the evening was an incredible "Time Precious Time" which after the intensity of the show was just an amazing finale.
Maybe it's one of those things where "you had to be there". I have a total compulsion to record things to preserve them but as we walked out I said "I don't need a recording of that song, it will be burned into my soul for the rest of my life".
So, it's nice not only to have the memory, but a nice surprise a really good recording as well!
I can only hope that you all enjoy this even a little bit as much as we did.
Enjoy it in good health, and happy holidays from Geetarz and Park!
~G, December '08
P.S. And as always, support the artist, if (like me) you enjoyed this and want more, pick up Lindsey's solo albums. We need to get those sales figures up so we'll get another solo tour. Plus, Lindsey needs a new jacket (I think he wore this one on every night of the tour!) |
