Reading/Leeds Festivals 2012

Tweet from BBC Three: "Hi @gaslightanthem! How's your @OfficialRandL festival been so far? We're looking forward to your acoustic session on Three from 8pm ish!"

Don't think many bands have been asked to do anything acoustic so that's pretty nifty.

Recorded the set from Reading on DVD, hopefully will get any acoustic songs later too

Just seen 45 from Reading on BBC3 - struggling to keep up with their preferred guitars though!

Is there a definitive site for their equipment?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/events/efmhzc/acts/avjc6q

They're sounding so good

Damn. No BBC videos of Keepsake or Mae

Christophe wrote:

Damn. No BBC videos of Keepsake or Mae

I was waiting for that too ...

Something I've noticed with a lot of Gaslight Anthem live stuff is that their guitars are constantly out of tune. Don't get me wrong, I love them, and yeah there's something very rock and roll about not caring, but listening to 45 and Here Comes My Man on the iplayer of the Reading set there are parts where it really stands out quite badly. I've noticed on the Asbury Hall recordings and a live in Boston one I got off here too.
I play regularly at gigs in Belfast to far less people and I wouldn't start a song if I thought I was even a fraction out. I just don't get how they can't tune up inbetween songs, these days it takes literally 10 seconds.
Maybe I'm just being picky, but for something so simple to so often be out with a pro band of Gaslight's reputation it just doesn't add up.
Vocals and backing vocals seem much improved and Ian on 3rd guitar adds lots to the sound over all, really great set!

danny4690 wrote:

Something I've noticed with a lot of Gaslight Anthem live stuff is that their guitars are constantly out of tune. Don't get me wrong, I love them, and yeah there's something very rock and roll about not caring, but listening to 45 and Here Comes My Man on the iplayer of the Reading set there are parts where it really stands out quite badly. I've noticed on the Asbury Hall recordings and a live in Boston one I got off here too.
I play regularly at gigs in Belfast to far less people and I wouldn't start a song if I thought I was even a fraction out. I just don't get how they can't tune up inbetween songs, these days it takes literally 10 seconds.
Maybe I'm just being picky, but for something so simple to so often be out with a pro band of Gaslight's reputation it just doesn't add up.
Vocals and backing vocals seem much improved and Ian on 3rd guitar adds lots to the sound over all, really great set!

I have noticed the out of tune thing too. One of the issues may be that Alex R plays high a lot of the time so maybe the intonation is out sometimes. I have also seen Brian put a capo on his guitar and then not retune it, which more often than not puts it out of tune with the rest of the guitars e.g. Here Comes My Man. Maybe with festivals they want to really cram all of the songs in so it doesn't leave much time in between songs.

If nobody else has already posted this, Brian's random lyric generator landed on Florence and the Machine - Only if for the Night in Old White Lincoln this time.

danny4690 wrote:

Something I've noticed with a lot of Gaslight Anthem live stuff is that their guitars are constantly out of tune. Don't get me wrong, I love them, and yeah there's something very rock and roll about not caring, but listening to 45 and Here Comes My Man on the iplayer of the Reading set there are parts where it really stands out quite badly. I've noticed on the Asbury Hall recordings and a live in Boston one I got off here too.
I play regularly at gigs in Belfast to far less people and I wouldn't start a song if I thought I was even a fraction out. I just don't get how they can't tune up inbetween songs, these days it takes literally 10 seconds.
Maybe I'm just being picky, but for something so simple to so often be out with a pro band of Gaslight's reputation it just doesn't add up.
Vocals and backing vocals seem much improved and Ian on 3rd guitar adds lots to the sound over all, really great set!

I recently saw a performer who tuned in between every song. He took much longer than 10 seconds and it was kind of a drag after awhile because it interrupted the flow of the show.

Depends to what degree he's tuning. Gaslight are pretty much in standard tuning, maybe flattened a semitone across each string, but reasonably simple. Blue jeans and white t shirts has one odd string tuned different but he doesn't do that live. Performers like the tallest man on earth and a few other acoustic based ones I've seen have tuning all over the place and I completely agree that it can be disruptive. Also as mentioned, Gaslight prefer to keep gaps between songs to a minimum at festivals so talking etc to cover tuning isn't as appropriate.
That said, it's simple. Most guitarists worth their salt can do it by ear, one pluck of each string and a off note will stand out like a sore thumb and can be easily rectified. Failing that tuners are stupidly simple to operate.
It's a small criticism but I'd say it about any band I see who seem to be consistently out of tune. For example right now I'm watching the Foo Fighter's set and I saw them in Belfast this week too and not once has there been an out of tune gutiar. They're beating the hell out of the strings just as much as Gaslight do. It's no less excusable.
I've also seen bands tune in order to drag out a set that might be falling short, or where they aren't very good at filling the space between songs with banter so that could explain really dragged out tuning.

Holland wrote:

danny4690 wrote:

Something I've noticed with a lot of Gaslight Anthem live stuff is that their guitars are constantly out of tune. Don't get me wrong, I love them, and yeah there's something very rock and roll about not caring, but listening to 45 and Here Comes My Man on the iplayer of the Reading set there are parts where it really stands out quite badly. I've noticed on the Asbury Hall recordings and a live in Boston one I got off here too.
I play regularly at gigs in Belfast to far less people and I wouldn't start a song if I thought I was even a fraction out. I just don't get how they can't tune up inbetween songs, these days it takes literally 10 seconds.
Maybe I'm just being picky, but for something so simple to so often be out with a pro band of Gaslight's reputation it just doesn't add up.
Vocals and backing vocals seem much improved and Ian on 3rd guitar adds lots to the sound over all, really great set!

I have noticed the out of tune thing too. One of the issues may be that Alex R plays high a lot of the time so maybe the intonation is out sometimes. I have also seen Brian put a capo on his guitar and then not retune it, which more often than not puts it out of tune with the rest of the guitars e.g. Here Comes My Man. Maybe with festivals they want to really cram all of the songs in so it doesn't leave much time in between songs.

Yeah I think the intonation on Alex's is what I'm hearing because it's usually in the lead stuff and when hes running 5ths up and down over the chords. That's still something he should be aware of and should maybe over compensate for by tuning a bit more often. Brian's usually isn't too bad, but the capo can be a bitch on strings. Simply playing outside can drag strings out of tune, but again these are things performers should be aware of and should be prepared to compensate for. Loved the set anyway, gonna watch it again!

danny4690 wrote:

Depends to what degree he's tuning. Gaslight are pretty much in standard tuning, maybe flattened a semitone across each string, but reasonably simple. Blue jeans and white t shirts has one odd string tuned different but he doesn't do that live. Performers like the tallest man on earth and a few other acoustic based ones I've seen have tuning all over the place and I completely agree that it can be disruptive. Also as mentioned, Gaslight prefer to keep gaps between songs to a minimum at festivals so talking etc to cover tuning isn't as appropriate.
That said, it's simple. Most guitarists worth their salt can do it by ear, one pluck of each string and a off note will stand out like a sore thumb and can be easily rectified. Failing that tuners are stupidly simple to operate.
It's a small criticism but I'd say it about any band I see who seem to be consistently out of tune. For example right now I'm watching the Foo Fighter's set and I saw them in Belfast this week too and not once has there been an out of tune gutiar. They're beating the hell out of the strings just as much as Gaslight do. It's no less excusable.
I've also seen bands tune in order to drag out a set that might be falling short, or where they aren't very good at filling the space between songs with banter so that could explain really dragged out tuning.

I think they're all tuned down a full note (so starting at D rather than E). I know if I do this with my guitar, it doesn't stay in tune very long - probably something to do with the fact that the strings aren't as tight.

They just need 2 guitars in rotation so there's always a tuned one ready off-stage.

Anyone know if the performance was broadcast in HD anywhere?

After watching the rendition of mulholland you can truly see how amazing these new songs are. I am really blown away by the talent of these guys (just as I was when I first heard sink or swim). Falling in love all over again

markbarlow wrote:

danny4690 wrote:

Depends to what degree he's tuning. Gaslight are pretty much in standard tuning, maybe flattened a semitone across each string, but reasonably simple. Blue jeans and white t shirts has one odd string tuned different but he doesn't do that live. Performers like the tallest man on earth and a few other acoustic based ones I've seen have tuning all over the place and I completely agree that it can be disruptive. Also as mentioned, Gaslight prefer to keep gaps between songs to a minimum at festivals so talking etc to cover tuning isn't as appropriate.
That said, it's simple. Most guitarists worth their salt can do it by ear, one pluck of each string and a off note will stand out like a sore thumb and can be easily rectified. Failing that tuners are stupidly simple to operate.
It's a small criticism but I'd say it about any band I see who seem to be consistently out of tune. For example right now I'm watching the Foo Fighter's set and I saw them in Belfast this week too and not once has there been an out of tune gutiar. They're beating the hell out of the strings just as much as Gaslight do. It's no less excusable.
I've also seen bands tune in order to drag out a set that might be falling short, or where they aren't very good at filling the space between songs with banter so that could explain really dragged out tuning.

I think they're all tuned down a full note (so starting at D rather than E). I know if I do this with my guitar, it doesn't stay in tune very long - probably something to do with the fact that the strings aren't as tight.

They just need 2 guitars in rotation so there's always a tuned one ready off-stage.

Anyone know if the performance was broadcast in HD anywhere?

I believe you're right about them being tuned down a full step on the majority of their music. They've said in the past that they do that. And yeah, my guitar is the same way. It's a bit harder to keep it in tune when it's like that.

And while tuning can go quickly, it does disrupt the flow. I mean if you go from energetic song to energetic song, I feel like stopping to tune is a buzz-kill for you and the crowd. Maybe having Alex switch guitars periodically is a good solution. I feel like I always see Alex tuning though. But even 10 second pauses, those are longer than you think if nothing else is going on. I mean I love Brian's banter but not between EVERY song, haha.

I don't notice the tuning as a problem very often though, can someone cite an example?

Great set! Just like their 2010. This band should be the fucking headliner all stupid people of the world . Maybe 2014. But they should propably learn to tune their guitars before. Even Dave Grohl does that and talk shit at the same time. Or at least Brian.
Is he normally in a festival that quiet as you said, because this summer in Finland he talked very much inbetween songs. Everything from Christopher Walker having a tail to Rocky (then they played Eye Of The Tiger intro). And somebody throw a wig and a scarf and Brian made a Steven Tyler impression which made me laugh so much that I came out of my body and watch the half set as a ghost...

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

I believe you're right about them being tuned down a full step on the majority of their music. They've said in the past that they do that. And yeah, my guitar is the same way. It's a bit harder to keep it in tune when it's like that.

And while tuning can go quickly, it does disrupt the flow. I mean if you go from energetic song to energetic song, I feel like stopping to tune is a buzz-kill for you and the crowd. Maybe having Alex switch guitars periodically is a good solution. I feel like I always see Alex tuning though. But even 10 second pauses, those are longer than you think if nothing else is going on. I mean I love Brian's banter but not between EVERY song, haha.

I don't notice the tuning as a problem very often though, can someone cite an example?

You play? What kinda guitar you got?

I've never noticed a problem with their tuning when watching them live (haven't got round to watching the Reading broadcast yet).

markbarlow wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

I believe you're right about them being tuned down a full step on the majority of their music. They've said in the past that they do that. And yeah, my guitar is the same way. It's a bit harder to keep it in tune when it's like that.

And while tuning can go quickly, it does disrupt the flow. I mean if you go from energetic song to energetic song, I feel like stopping to tune is a buzz-kill for you and the crowd. Maybe having Alex switch guitars periodically is a good solution. I feel like I always see Alex tuning though. But even 10 second pauses, those are longer than you think if nothing else is going on. I mean I love Brian's banter but not between EVERY song, haha.

I don't notice the tuning as a problem very often though, can someone cite an example?

You play? What kinda guitar you got?

I've never noticed a problem with their tuning when watching them live (haven't got round to watching the Reading broadcast yet).

If you call what I do "playing" then yes I play. Haha, I'm very much a beginner because I'm extremely horrible about practicing. I'm working on it but I couldn't bring my guitar to Cali so that'll be a 4 month setback. I have a Washburn acoustic guitar. I got it pretty cheap but it's got a really nice sound, when I'm not butchering the notes/chords.

I just watched the Reading broadcast. I thought it sounded amazing. I think they're getting better and better live. And it's the first time I've heard them do "Handwritten" live and really liked it. If that show is what sparked all this "out of tune" talk, then I'm very confused. I don't have the best ear for tuning but it sounded all right to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmkii3TgtA&playnext=1&list=PLE681CF640156F1D5&feature=results_video

One example. Couldn think of another right now, but theres plenty of them. Its Brian mostly.

Sami wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmkii3TgtA&playnext=1&list=PLE681CF640156F1D5&feature=results_video

One example. Couldn think of another right now, but theres plenty of them. Its Brian mostly.

That's 4 years ago!

markbarlow wrote:

Sami wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmkii3TgtA&playnext=1&list=PLE681CF640156F1D5&feature=results_video

One example. Couldn think of another right now, but theres plenty of them. Its Brian mostly.

That's 4 years ago!

1. So what. Was it more acceptable to play out of tune in 2008 than in 2012?
2. Theres is more recent videos also, just couldnt think right at the moment.

Sami wrote:

markbarlow wrote:

Sami wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmkii3TgtA&playnext=1&list=PLE681CF640156F1D5&feature=results_video

One example. Couldn think of another right now, but theres plenty of them. Its Brian mostly.

That's 4 years ago!

1. So what. Was it more acceptable to play out of tune in 2008 than in 2012?
2. Theres is more recent videos also, just couldnt think right at the moment.

Maybe not more acceptable but they hadn't anywhere near the level of experience they have now so I'd say it was more understandable/forgivable. Do you expect someone who's just starting out in a job to be as good as someone who's been doing it for 4 years?

Plus a 4 year old video doesn't really back up a claim that they play out of tune a lot now.

markbarlow wrote:

Sami wrote:

markbarlow wrote:

Sami wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNmkii3TgtA&playnext=1&list=PLE681CF640156F1D5&feature=results_video

One example. Couldn think of another right now, but theres plenty of them. Its Brian mostly.

That's 4 years ago!

1. So what. Was it more acceptable to play out of tune in 2008 than in 2012?
2. Theres is more recent videos also, just couldnt think right at the moment.

Maybe not more acceptable but they hadn't anywhere near the level of experience they have now so I'd say it was more understandable/forgivable. Do you expect someone who's just starting out in a job to be as good as someone who's been doing it for 4 years?

Plus a 4 year old video doesn't really back up a claim that they play out of tune a lot now.

Well I didnt know we were talking about at the moment, because you said " If that show is what sparked all this "out of tune" talk, then I'm very confused." so I assumed that you havent heard them play out of tune ever. And I think they were quite experienced musicians even in 2008. Maybe TGA was only 2-3 years old band, but those guys had been playing for years even then.

Sami wrote:

Well I didnt know we were talking about at the moment, because you said " If that show is what sparked all this "out of tune" talk, then I'm very confused." so I assumed that you havent heard them play out of tune ever. And I think they were quite experienced musicians even in 2008. Maybe TGA was only 2-3 years old band, but those guys had been playing for years even then.

I didn't say that at all. Go back and read the thread properly. A few people raised the possibility of them being out of tune at Reading which lead to wider criticism about their tuning generally. Other people asked for examples. All I was saying is that I don't think a 4 year old example is a good indication that its a problem for them - something from 2011/12 might be.

Yea they were reasonably experienced musicians back then so perhaps it was no less acceptable but I'd personally cut them a lot more slack than I would a band who'd toured extensively for an additional 4 years.