13 December, 2001, Arena, Madrid, Spain

review by Fernando

I don´t know why, but the fact is that tonite it's been a real party for the whole band. And for us, the audience.
They came back twice for encores.
Lanegan MADE JOKES and LAUGHED at people during the show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Regarding Lanegan's usual mood for past years, I thought it was a total triumph if he was going to be able to look at the people, and even notice there is a thing called audience... But he long surpassed all expectations, it has proved to be astonishing at last.

In the end, the whole band came offstage with the people, signed on tickets and talked to us for as long as we wanted. I been joking on "QOTSA" bassist, guiding him to sign my ticket as I was spelling to him the word "G-O-D", and you should had seen the way he laughed. One by one they been so accessible to people. I told Lanegan that he was in better mood than in ´98, that he looked happier, and I didn´t know why. He said "neither do I, maybe it´s the weather that suits me better", and laughed as I never thought Mark could, regarding the isolated bubble he used to live in.

In no order, these were the songs: Pendulum (to open the show), Borracho, River Rise (to close the show), Winding Sheet, Mockingbirds, Hotel, Bell Black Ocean, Because of This, Creepin´Coastline of Lights, Jesus Program, One Way Street, No Easy Action, Miracle, Don´t Forget Me, Field Song, She Done Too Much (opening second encore comeback), Gospel Plow (to close the first encore). Songs have evolved and now sound more like a wall of sound, harder than ´98. Specially brilliant anytime when the band made "crescendos", increasing level and intensity gradually.

Lanegan voice was at his prime, better than anytime before. Besides, this growl of a voice went above the instruments anytime he wanted it to be that way. The ballads came beautifully, quiet, wrappin´around the voice....
Perfect night, I mean.

review by Paco

I´d like to thank Mark his visiting to this country and in special to a city like Salamanca. I´ve been so lucky for seeing him in Madrid and Salamanca and it has been a great experience for meeting one of the most beautiful and personal voices.

The concert in Madrid surprised me for his energy. The songs were more directs than in studio where they have more production (in special some songs like No Easy Action) with some songs the crowd was just about to explode and with others the people entered in a state of hypnosis with the voice and the long parts instrumentals; cause the band was extraordinary. The concert had a lot of great moments, I can´t take only one!! Amazing was "Pendulum", "Borracho", "No Easy action", "Because of this" and the great surprise of the night "Gospel Plow" from Screaming Trees.

So next day I moved to Salamanca. Then I met that the concert was in a theatre/cinema were usually are played movies, in fact in the entrance there was only a little reference to Mark Lanegan´s show beside the rest of the films.

Then inside the strange feeling of being in a concert sitting, but in this case I thought it was a good opportunity for appreciating all the details. In my opinion it lost a little of intensity but not feeling.

So in some songs you could see the people trying to scape from his siting. The concert began with Brett Netson with his electric guitar (the day before was Mike Johnson who opened the show) and I enjoyed both of them, Mike more mellancolic and Brett more energical.

The Mark Lanegan songs was exactly the same than the night before, but if I could I´d go to a concert like this everynight.

The people was sitting all the concert but after Gospel Plow in the last encores the people stood up and came closer to the scenary, so when Mark began to sing River Rise (the last song) and saw all the people there he really got surprised.

Two great shows and two great nights I´m just only waiting for the next time.