Australia March 2020
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Respect to the NOOLer connection who broke the timing of these gigs five months back!
Interesting venue pick for Melbourne, hope the weather holds out.
depthcharge wrote: Respect to the NOOLer connection who broke the timing of these gigs five months back!
A fine fellow indeed ![[:)]](/emoticons/smile.gif){kind=small}
Front stalls at Melbourne sold out at at least 60 miles an hour. Anyone get lucky?
Wonder if we'll get any more AU shows. Still some space in their schedule.
depthcharge wrote: Front stalls at Melbourne sold out at at least 60 miles an hour. Anyone get lucky? Wonder if we'll get any more AU shows. Still some space in their schedule.
Opted for Sydney. The space in their schedule is probably for sailing on the harbour :)
I can't believe I didn't find out about this earlier. Just got an email 10 minutes ago. For Melbourne all of the tickets are essentially sold out. I'll have to get the furthest, worst view. Oh well, I'm really glad they're coming back to Australia. It's amazing they're playing live with Cut Copy! I love Cut Copy. If you haven't heard of them I'd suggest checking them out.
Edit: I found out there was a presale a few days ago. That would help to explain why the tickets have been all sold. How good is this artwork though?
I've nabbed standing terrace tickets for Melbourne...never had a sniff at the front section tix in the pre or public sale. Hate sitting at any gig let alone NO. Would have opted for Sydney which is all GA but Melbs has Cut Copy - whoo hoo!
Standing tickets here too - I'm taking my son this time, so it'll be an inter-generational NO thing, kinda cool. And yes, the very early hot tipoff was greatly appreciated - the man is well connected, it seems.
I buckled in the end. Doing both shows.
Managed to get nearish the front in Melbourne but the front stalls were nigh on impossible for both pre-sale and public.
Sidney Music Bowl, eh. At this rate we should see them play a stripped down set on the lawn at a Yarra winery in 2025 and it’ll spell doom for us all ;)
CTB wrote: Standing tickets here too - I'm taking my son this time, so it'll be an inter-generational NO thing, kinda cool. And yes, the very early hot tipoff was greatly appreciated - the man is well connected, it seems.
Respect to the young CTC!
The Miami set lists bode well for SYD / MEL.
Roll call if you're going to either. SYD yes for me.
Dennis Remmer wrote: The Miami set lists bode well for SYD / MEL.
Roll call if you're going to either. SYD yes for me.
Hitting up both gigs for old time's sake!
Virus be damned.
dC
depthcharge wrote: Another Melbourne show announced:
The Forum, Sunday 15 March
Two shows in two nights...one big, one more intimate. Sweeeetttt!
Fotz wrote: ^ Krafty is back. Been a while for that one.
Was probably rehearsed to feature on the Japan leg.
Although I’m always glad when the band reintroduce a song not played in a while, Krafty is one of my least favourite NO tracks.
Still, variation is good.
Also, great that Ultraviolence, Disorder and Sub-Culture are still getting an airing.
Andy wrote:
Fotz wrote: ^ Krafty is back. Been a while for that one.
Was probably rehearsed to feature on the Japan leg.
Sure was. He sang the first verse in Japanese again.
I’m not a huge fan of Krafty, mainly due to the lyrics. But it worked well last night and freshened things up a bit.
perspexorange wrote: Although I’m always glad when the band reintroduce a song not played in a while, Krafty is one of my least favourite NO tracks.
Still, variation is good.
Also, great that Ultraviolence, Disorder and Sub-Culture are still getting an airing.
Loved hearing Ultraviolence live, might be a first for me. Subculture still slays it.
Definite highlights were AOC, UltraV, KW1, TPK and 'all the hits' ![[;)]](/emoticons/wink.gif){kind=small}
Great Bernard moment, other than his Krafty intro, was (I think after UltraV - please confirm) "...that's enough Bernard Hendrix for now'... ...together with Phil's excellent Hendrix thrash (again I think at the end of TPK - please confirm). Pre-gig beers + euphoria means the details are fuzzy...
Great night, and thanks to Andy R for taking time out on Tuesday for a beer. It's clear that the decision to come to Oz, particularly after cancelling JPN, was being weighted up right up to the last moment.
D
Melbourne F1 Grand Prix just cancelled here last minute. These gigs must be on shakier ground than ever.
depthcharge wrote: Melbourne F1 Grand Prix just cancelled here last minute. These gigs must be on shakier ground than ever.
A McLaren team member tested positive. The teams had previously agreed that if one team was banned from travel, the races would not take place.
depthcharge wrote: These gigs must be on shakier ground than ever.
It's a tough call to make, and quite possible.
The Pixies just cancelled the rest of their Oz tour - were going to be playing here in Brisbane last night and tonight. ![[ohwell]](/emoticons/ohwell.gif){kind=small}
Looks like they’ll defy most other events in town right now and play – given their most recent tweets.
http://www.neworder.com/newordernow/2020/3/13/melbourne-2020.html
Melbourne 2020 This afternoon, the Australian Government advised that all non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people be suspended from Monday 16 March onward. We have decided to proceed with our Sidney Myer Music Bowl show on Saturday night. However, after long deliberation and with great reluctance, we have decided to cancel our second show in Melbourne. It’s not a decision taken lightly and we do not cancel shows but these are exceptional times. We apologise wholeheartedly to all our loyal fans who rushed out to buy tickets for The Forum show.
take care, people down there.
later -1
Yep. Proceeding with the bigger showpiece gig but canning the far better venue. A bit each way.
Now of course there are punters who’ve paid but angry it’s proceeding. You can’t win this one.
depthcharge wrote: Yep. Proceeding with the bigger showpiece gig but canning the far better venue. A bit each way.
Now of course there are punters who’ve paid but angry it’s proceeding. You can’t win this one.
Disappointed as I had tickets for both but understandable. Feel a bit sheepish about going but we have airline tickets, hotel booked, the kids are going to the big Harry Potter show Sunday...hopefully we're making the right decision :/
Times Change intro
Regret Age of Consent Restless Krafty Your Silent Face Tutti Frutti World Subculture Bizarre Love Triangle Vanishing Point Fine Time Guilt Is A Useless Emotion Plastic True Faith Blue Monday Temptation
Transmission Love Will Tear Us Apart
depthcharge wrote:
World ... Fine Time
Ooh!
When is someone going to tell Bernard that Guilt Is A Useless Tune shouldn't be anywhere near the setlist? There are so many great tunes that could fill that space. My experience of it is that everyone just waits for it to be over.
Well, this may be the last gig NO play for quite some time now. Perfect excuse to get in the studio and stay busy (!).
Wishing all NO fans good health around the world.
Was anyone else disappointed by the sound? Muddier and much quieter than Cut Copy, especially early. But the lack of bass never improved and affected my enjoyment of the show. A pity because everything else was in place and I appeciated the setlist - a number of tracks I’d never heard them do in person
Hi M1. Couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately this will go down as my worst ever NO gig for sound quality, hands down. Hope it’s not my last live memory of seeing the band.
It was ridiculously easy to get right down the front so I wondered if the acoustics were affected by my location. But I heard similar complaints from others up on the lawn. Plus they had crosswinds to deal with.
Bass was mixed way too low and Barney’s vocals were muffled to the point where I couldn’t make out a single comment between songs all night. They seemed to improve the quality a bit as it went on, but it was so bad early that it took me an entire verse to identify Reckless.
It was nice looking backwards during the gig and enjoying an amphitheatre packed with Melbourne NO fans, but it came at significant cost. I haven’t seen enough gigs there to know if audio is usually this terrible but I’d avoid going back there. And to think that in one more day we’d have had The Forum, such a perfect venue.
Thank you! I was beginning to think it was just me. I remember grinning like a loon when Age of Consent started up but by the end of it I was nearly in tears. All energy sucked out of the mix, the bass which drives that track, nowhere to be heard. We chose not to go right down the front but stay in our peachy spot on the terrace since Cut Copy sounded sublime. Ironically we were right next to the mixing desk - sadly many of the videos my wife took are spoiled by me screaming at them to TURN THE FUCKING BASS UP!! Totally botched what was otherwise a great night. Not sure the average punter noticed to be fair but I did and it was disappointing. Wish I was at The Forum tonight...as it is I’m going back to my hotel to watch TV before flying back tomorrow :(
I’ve seen them every tour to Australia since 1987 and felt it was a good show. Barney was clearly giving it his best, and I thought they all had a great time playing. The sound at the Sidney Music Bowl is very location dependent - get too close in the centre and it is often not loud enough.
I was in the fourth row on the left side under the speaker and the sound was pretty good. I didn’t have a lack of bass where I was. Age of Consent was epic, the high point of the night.
The video behind the band was their best ever. They were often playing in low light though, so I wonder what the view was like from the lawn?
There was a glitch with the first verse of Restless, as Barney turned his Mike off - so there was no vocal until he fixed it.
It was great to get songs like Fine Time that I had never heard live before, but I wish Barney played a few extra guitar songs - there was a stretch of 8 guitar less dance songs between YSF and True Faith.
I’m pleased it went ahead, and hopefully we will get them back here in a couple of years.
Crazy to read it was so much better where you were Talbs, but I believe you. I was standing at the front, central and maybe three rows from stage. Sadly Sydney was the better gig for me, mainly down to the audio and more intimate environment. Can’t complain about getting Fine Time here, pretty sure it’s a first for me too.
I was underaged for the 1987 tour, still kills me to this day! Being obsessed by NO and in Perth at the time, I could’ve popped my cherry at the ‘lost’ Canterbury Court/Red Parrot gigs.
Seeing as we were tour-less in AU from then until 2002, I’ve still managed around 15 gigs both here and UK. Better late than never.
And as for guitars, I was also surprised neither Crystal (huge in AU) nor Ceremony (still epic live) got a look-in here.
depthcharge wrote: I was also surprised neither Crystal (huge in AU) nor Ceremony (still epic live) got a look-in here.
I’m always surprised by the fact that Ceremony gets played so rarely.
But, I guess that’s the beauty of it - when it does get played, it sounds incredible.
Also, audience reaction (certainly in the UK, but probably elsewhere) can be downright scary with that track, turning relatively quiet gigs to frenzied occasions, within the space of the opening bars.
I was at a gig with a mate a few years ago. It was his first NO gig. We’re right at the front, having a nice time. Ceremony starts up and, suddenly, we’re in the thick of it, fists flying, people jumping etc.
My mate was shocked to the say the least. I’d forgotten to warn him. 😊
Saying that, it had been my first NO gig for 14 years, so kind of thought all NO fans were past that. Glad I was wrong. 😀
As for the seating I don’t know the venue and I bow to those with seasoned knowledge but we were in a bloody good central spot where the sound for the previous two bands was loud, pumping and crystal clear. Regret came on and straight away you knew something was wrong, only improving marginally as the show went on.
M1, I must have been standing pretty close to you while Cut Copy was on, I only moved down towards the front for New Order.
I agree the mix for Cut Copy was pretty good.
New Order were definitely louder than Cut Copy where I moved to. I suspect my perspective of the sound was clouded by being closer to the speaker?
As for previous NO gigs (this was number 9) my all time favourite was 2001 at the Metro followed by Festival Hall in 1987 and the Vivid shows.
This one does rate somewhat down the list, but was somewhat elevated by current events.
I loved it. I didn't really notice the audio issues, though it's true none of Bernard's banter and comments between songs were audible which is a shame because he's normally very witty.
I was 1 person away from the front, to the right. Had a clear view of Bernard, Tom, and Gillian. I agree with the above comment, Barney really performed well. His dancing also has improved since last time (in 2012).
I got a t-shirt but it's too small. We'll see if they'll be available online, you'll have to buy 1 size up. They had some Japanese t-shirts, probably from the cancelled JP performances.
Loved seeing Cut Copy. They've been a favourite band of mine and they were pretty impressive. I like how during their performance it was light and slightly windy and then when NO came on it was dark and still, helped segment the night.
During NO this one guy in the audience kept exclaiming "that's a mellotron!" when Barney was playing the melodica which I found pretty funny. At the end the woman next to me caught Chapman's pick, I loved seeing the joy it brought her. Gillian seemed a bit lifeless, Barney stole the show even letting someone in the audience sing part of a song at one moment. Really just full of life.
Hard to choose a favourite song. Subculture, Age Of Consent, Love Vigilantes, Fine Time... It was nice to hear songs from Music Complete since it's release. Really just a great collection of songs, even the Times Change intro I found pretty exciting since Republic isn't everyone's favourite. Guilt Is a Useless Emotion is probably my favourite NO song from the 00's decade, I like that they played it.
Lots of people wearing Joy Division merchandise. Lots of old people with grey hair, but also plenty of people probably in their 40's and younger. (I'm 20-something)
I know it's an Australian thing to whinge, but you guys should be grateful because they were THIS close to cancelling the gig. If it were 2 days later they'd have no choice but to cancel it. The performance is nothing but a pure gift. Other bands don't even bother come to Melbourne.
By the way it looked like it was being filmed professionally with at least 1 camera for some of the songs.
Talbs wrote: M1, I must have been standing pretty close to you while Cut Copy was on, I only moved down towards the front for New Order.
I agree the mix for Cut Copy was pretty good.
New Order were definitely louder than Cut Copy where I moved to. I suspect my perspective of the sound was clouded by being closer to the speaker?
As for previous NO gigs (this was number 9) my all time favourite was 2001 at the Metro followed by Festival Hall in 1987 and the Vivid shows.
This one does rate somewhat down the list, but was somewhat elevated by current events.
NO were louder than Cut Copy to my ears as well.
Good to hear that Vanishing Point got played (its my favourite track off Technique and it didn't get played in Miami the night I was there), but a shame about the issues with the sound for some of you.
Another Sidney Myer Music Bowl review: https://themusic.com.au/reviews/new-order-sidney-myer-music-bowl-andy-hazel/Mz4vJyYpKCs/16-03-20/
I understand it's still tough for some of you to see a historic band without a key member... But don't worry. Maybe next time Victoria will say yes.
