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1 December, 2001, MDH, Manchester, England review by Tony A cold night in December at Manchester University provided the ideal setting to sip some whiskey and enjoy a truly exhilarating performance by Mark Lanegan with support from the Masters of Reality. I had only been introduced to the solo career of Mark Lanegan some 6 months beforehand and had wondered, "how the hell have I missed this for so long?" and so the journey 40 miles across the bleak pennines became a pilgrimage more than just another trip to Manchester for a gig. I had previously seen Mike Johnson playing bass for
Dinosaur Jr some five years earlier at this very venue and here he was
again with his long term collaborator, and main attraction for the evening.
And so the music played. The setlist was perfectly chosen, launching straight
into Pendulum and a spectacularly powerful version of Borracho which set
the tone for the night. A stack of fantastic songs followed, including
a beautiful version of I'll Take Care of You, and a version of Jesus'
Program that just blew me away (every inch of pain was visible on his
face). A completely electric set also proved that Lanegans acoustic work
is not limited to such medium. Covering all five of his albums of the
last 11 years, the breadth and depth of The Man's work was evident, but
his voice sounds better than ever. Whether it was the Jack Daniels, or
the rumbling floor from Marks vocals (which seemed to resemble a plane
taking off on Oxford Road outside), come the encore when he slipped into
"Gospel Plow" my girl passed out. The experience seemed all too much for
the little lady, and "to make matters worse the trains were on time" and
we were late out, prompting an extortionately priced taxi ride home to
Sheffield. Despite this, nothing could have ruined such an evening. Power
and mood that I've never seen at a gig, probably never will..until the
next time. review by Nick Its taken years for the likes of Mark Lanegan to come over here, to show us mancs his live stuff, and was it good . f***ck yeah . Ive never seen Masters of reality before and they were just the start, the y were cool , loved the melodeic lines the guys played , it made me want to find out more about the band. Something which the band would love to hear, exelent contributions to the guys from QOTSA. Now they are guys who are in to there music. On to the old Lanegan, first of all what an awesome voice the guy has, its amazing on record but live f**ck me the guy is inspiring, ask yourselves is there a voice out therew to match the dudes voice . Answer NO.... On to the set .....When he walked on, it was just good enough to see the guy and his band, heres a few songs I took down to start with NO EASY ACTION, (a favof mine), ONE WAY STREET,DONT FORGET ME,LOW,(an awesome song),FIX, BORACCHO,and Gospel plow for the encore. The old Lanegan didnt say a word throughout the set , that was good , it adds to the illusion of the guy, one thing Mike Johnson Knifed that guitar, a bit of a good player. The night was great , all the bands played superbly, nothing like a bit of blues for the Mancunian .The night was the best gig Ive been to in a while , it inspired me ......Bring some more on for us Mark....Look after the voice....Catch you again ?...........All rise for the Dude............. review by Dave Its been a while since I last saw Lanegan at The London Astoria and I have been lucky enough to see him with Queens of the Stone age all be it fleeting. So when a gig in Manchester came about I was a happy man (should have been Liverpool though). After downing several Jack Daniels in respect for the great man I dragged several Lanegan virgins to the front of the venue. Masters of Reality came on Stage first and were excellent, but I soon realised that the majority of people were there to see them and not Lanegan. Anyway Lanegan strolled on and instantly mesmerised the crowd starting off with Pendulum. The sound quality was obviously poor but as Borracho and No Easy Action came in it was forgotten as it was obvious he was going for the more rockin vibe and his voice was amazing. The Winding Sheet and Hotel were highlights for me and the anguished chorus of Because of This (oh it hurts god knows it does!) was incredibly moving. Gospel Plough was a surprise but was probably to satisfy the people shouting for Screaming Trees songs. After drinking so much Sour Whiskey I could hardly see, I realised that I had converted the four Lanegan Virgins who said it was the most intense gig they had been to and was miserable because it was over. He definitely should do an acoustic gig and do Riding The Nightingale, but as long as he keeps going that will do me. Hoping he will play Liverpool. Cheers. |