Birmingham UK show

I just thought this gig was really awesome, compared to the Manchester show earlier in the week it seemed a lot more fun. But I was right near the front so wasn't troubled by anyone talking.

It was basically along the lines of what i have said, good band but not reaching the energy levels of previous shows and just missing that sparkle
Oh well all bands have off days and certainly wont stop me seeing them next time around

Exactly, all bands have off days and cant be judged by them. Its their job and we all have days in our own work which im sure you wouldnt want to catch us on haha(although their job looks a hell of a lot more fun!)
Glad you enjoyed Holland

Rock bus wrote:

Sounds like most of us were in same place as i was also far side at back and thought it was really annoying that we couldnt hear Brian above the chatter.

I know i will probably be slated for this but i was actually a bit dissapointed in the gig. To put this in context this is against the background that they are one of the best live bands i have ever seen (and i have seen literally hundreds)
I wasnt going to post anything but i read a review of London gig in Kerrang which was a bit critical and raised lots of points i agreed with.

I cant quite put my finger on why i was dissapointed and they certainly played some great songs and the band was tight but there was just something missing. In many ways it seemed like they were just going through the motions and it lacked that spark. Brian also seemed a bit off form and didnt have the between song banter that i've seen before (this may be just down to the chattering)

For most bands would still be a great gig but didnt reach GAs normal standard which is a shame as i love the band and was really looking forward to hearing the new songs live

I agree with you entirely - its kind of how I've felt about the whole tour. Like you, I can't quite put my finger on what it is but the shows didn't seem quite as 'magical' as the American Slang tour or Koko (yes, that would be difficult to top and as a one-off, probably not a fair comparison). I kept thinking, this show would take a step up if Brian did something like on the Am. Slang tour when he put down the guitar and picked up the harmonica for Old White Lincoln...

My parents went to the Manchester show, had seated tickets. They're not huge fans but quite like them and have seen them before a couple of times. My dad summed it up quite well (and he's probably a bit more objective than I am) when he said that whilst he thought they were very tight musically and entertaining, they lacked the same raw energy and enthusiasm that made them so fun to watch last time around.

Still the best live band for me so I'll be there next time around!

So Brian hasn't been putting down his guitar at these shows either? I realized right afterwards that he didn't when I saw them in Oakland at the end of September. It was a great show but I was a bit surprised by that.

What you guys are saying sounds very similar to the show I saw. I think I just really didn't notice a lack of spark b/c I was so thrilled that it was a good crowd and that the sound was spot on for once. but reading what you guys said I can see that perspective. although maybe for me it wasn't lack of spark so much as lack of added spontaneity or silliness? Idk I had a good time either way, just thought your guys' comments were interesting.

god, hammersmith 2010 looks like the most amazing show ever

SO strange that this tour seems to have the same reactions as the new album, not all great, lost the spark, lacking the magic etc. most people are like meh about most of the shows with a few that seem to stand out as beeing good. Much like the Album in my opinion.

bringiton_ty wrote:

SO strange that this tour seems to have the same reactions as the new album, not all great, lost the spark, lacking the magic etc. most people are like meh about most of the shows with a few that seem to stand out as beeing good. Much like the Album in my opinion.

I don't know if you can generalize that much, a lot of people really love the album and have enjoyed the shows. But I can see that comparison much like I could see how people could feel like the album didn't have the spark it needed. I think it's only the more recent shows though. I thought over the summer they were pretty great. The one I saw this fall was too, it was just a bit more stiff but still passionate and I'll take that trade off because of how good it sounded.

I only ment it as a jokey comparrison i know cant generalize it based on this much. just found it a bit wierd that the tour to promote the new album has the same reactions as the album had on me, a few people here and all my TGA friends( which isnt many unfortunately) Ive seen this band in its true, peak form live and hardly any will live up to that

bringiton_ty wrote:

I only ment it as a jokey comparrison i know cant generalize it based on this much. just found it a bit wierd that the tour to promote the new album has the same reactions as the album had on me, a few people here and all my TGA friends( which isnt many unfortunately) Ive seen this band in its true, peak form live and hardly any will live up to that

Its not a totally invalid comparison - they're playing 7 or 8 songs each night from Handwritten so your opinion of the show is going to be at least partly driven by your opinion of Handwritten.