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Spring UK/Europe/and More Solo Acoustic
Tour review by Lungsey How extremely delighted I was to get the chance to go
to these shows! A little back-ground information for the non-regulars
at the OneWhiskey Forum, because I cannot write a review without coming
back to the one So..... when we heard Lanegan was supposed to play an
acoustic tour we were desperate to get tickets but So our hopes to see Lanegan play an acoustic set, without Greg Dulli for whom my husband has no love what so ever, where carefully expressed and phonecalls were made. Tivoli in Utrecht made it very clear: if you can't bare to stand, don't bother showing up. The Effenaar in Eindhoven, possibly the shittiest place in Holland (but then again, I am from Helmond - we rule and they stink) had no problem organising 2 chairs for us. Needless to say I rushed to get tickets and was willing to go to Eindhoven. I mentioned on the OneWhiskey Forum how we were going to the Effenaar gig only, because Tivoli lacked proper seats. Much to my surprise I got a message from Raeni asking for our details because she had managed to get Lanegan's management to make sure we'd get seats at the Tivoli gig! Proper seats!! Thank you Raeni!! We were the happiest dutchies in the world, looking at TWO Lanegan gigs in a row. But then came that Iceland Volcano Thingie and we were beginning to think it wouldn't happen.... and the stupid thing is, in our situation it is almost impossible to stay positive and think "we'll catch the new tour if he can't make it this time round" - because who is to say when all hell will break loose in the wonderous world of cancer? So the Volcano Eruption Tour 2010 did go ahead as planned
and we were lucky enough to be part of it. So many fans couldn't come
over due to this freak Icelandic crap, .... I truly hope you will
all get a chance Tivoli Utrecht Setlist: The first thing that absolutely blew me away was the quiet of the audience. During Duke Garwood's opening show I must say there was chitter-chatter and although he is a gifted musician, it is not my cup of tea. Then Lanegan and Rosser came on and threw out When Your Number Isn’t Up as if it was no trouble at all, like anyone could do it standing on their heads but it was mindblowingly beautiful, I have never heard Lanegan's voice as clear as this night at Tivoli. Amazing.... Throughout the gig all I could do was just be amazed
at the pure sounds, the beautiful harmonies, the silence from the
crowd, it was all pretty much perfect. There was the odd sad feeling,
let's face it, Lanegan's So the very next day............. we left for this godforsaken
town called Eindhoven...... checked into the Crown Hotel where we
behaved because we promised Barriers..... then walked the 4 minutes
to the next venue: So this crowd was completely different, or maybe I couldn't
get passed the whole Eindhoven feeling. People kept on chatting away
like they were mingling at some friends' party. There must have been
people there that never actually caught on to the fact that there
were two brilliant musicians trying to give a great show. It is a
crying shame and perhaps I should have chucked a few of these happy
chatty peeps off the bloody review by Foz (6
Days From Tomorrow) This almost didn’t happen for me, thanks to a slight ‘overdoing’ last night at a friend’s birthday party. All-day hangovers are not great accompaniments to cross-county travel. Anyway, lots of water and a satnav that rather worryingly kept telling me to make sharp right turns on the motorway later, I found myself in the friendly (especially the little fat dog!) and hellishly hot Brudenell Social Club, having absolutely no idea exactly what sort of show we were in store for. First up, we had the wonderfully melancholy Duke Garwood and his brand of haunted, lonely blues. An amazing talent, Duke manages to create eerie soundscapes from his guitar to accompany his woe-soaked voice. It’s not all misery though, as each song is concluded with a ‘thankyou’ and a wry, contented smile. Plus a brief comedy moment when he had to pause mid-song to replace his guitar lead that had somehow managed to escape. Anyone planning on seeing subsequent dates on this tour are well-advised to arrive early, as Duke is an excellent opening act. And then, onto the main event. the closest I had previously come to a Mark Lanegan solo acoustic event was the “An Evening With” show he did with Greg Dulli and David Rosser in London’s Union Chapel, which was a genuinely uplifting experience and would have been almost impossible to top as an event. So, Mark and David very wisely go about this set in a very different manner indeed. Where the shows with Greg were seated (including the artists), almost informal affairs, this was set up almost as a a straightforward no-frills rock set. Mark and David took to the stage not to a polite smattering of applause, but to a roar from the crowd. the stage, like the rest of the club was tiny and so Mark was pretty much right among the audience , with barely enough room to fit the two artists and the small trestle table where water and towels were available for between-song water/towel related business. And also where the Gutter Twins acoustic shows were carefully-arranged affairs, the songs on offer here from right across Mark’s career were offered up as take-it-or-leave-it no-frills affairs that worked perfectly in this environment. Launching straight into Field Song, the tunes came thick and fast. Early set highlights included Like Little Willie John, River Rise and a beautiful rendition of Soulsavers’ Can’t Catch the Train. Message to Mine was an oddity that came across wonderfully, Mark and David managing to strip down what is a fairly complicated and layered on on record to just acoustic guitar and voices without losing any of the potency of the song. B-side Mirrored fitted into the set perfectly, and in the same flipside vein, Pink Floyd’s Julia Dream is given a downbeat yet captivating airing. In truth, it’s not unfair to say that every song performed tonight was a highlight. It cannot be understated just how good Mark Lanegan is sounding nowadays. His voice is as good now as it ever was, if not better. Every whisper and roar is delivered perfectly, and he can still hit the high notes when called upon, as a flawless delivery of On Jesus’ Program and no-holds-barred encore closer of Where the Twain Shall Meet will attest to. David Rosser also plays his part to perfection. Rollicking rendition of Hangin’ Tree aside (where he really lets loose), each song’s backing is stripped right down to the bare essentials, leaving room for Mark’s voice to add all the necessary colour. His backing vocals also brought an extra dimension where needed. This was a truly memorable show, featuring remarkable performances from all concerned. And I can’t wait to see and hear them again. Setlist: Field Song ———————— Encore: When Your Number Isn’t Up review by Foz (6
Days From Tomorrow) It’s always a strange experience visiting this wonderful little venue, as I have been going there for years and keep seeing the same people without ever knowing who any of them are. And the way they look around the room at others and myself, they feel the same way too. A lovely little community then, none of whom have ever spoken to each other during the past two decades, and all of us getting that little bit fatter with each show we go to. Anyway, I thought I’d struggle with this one – doing a second review of what could have been the same show, only 24 hours later usually means getting the Thesaurus out and doing the same thing over again but with different and longer words. But no! This show was very different from last night’s, and not just because the Towel Table was considerably larger than the previous one. Firstly, the place was absolutely jam-packed. It’s a sad fact, but it’s time for us to realise that Mark Lanegan is simply too big for the Academy 3 – the speed with which this particular show sold out bears this out. Secondly, it was even hotter than last night. And most importantly, the entire vibe was completely different. It began with Duke Garwood’s opening set – I’m really warming to this guy’s work, with his otherworldly guitar playing and general between-song affability. It should also be noted that his guitar lead was looped through his strap this time, to prevent repetition of the previous evening’s shenanigans where it made a valiant attempt to escape mid-song. The sound in the venue wasn’t quite as sharp and crisp, lending a more bassy and echoey edge to the music, and Duke seemed to adapt to this well – where last night’s set was haunting/ed and ethereal, this one was a little more punchy and direct. All good stuff, and I look forward to doing further listening to this guy next time I have a few spare quid knocking about the place. And then Mark and David took to the stage, illuminated (if that’s the right word – might have to get the Thesaurus after all) in dark blue. No photos from me today, because frankly you could hardly see anything. Which doesn’t really come as a huge surprise at Lanegan-related shows, so there you go. Lots and lots of flashbulbs going off again (it was like the club scene in Fire Walk With Me at times!), so somebody’ll have a few dozen somewhere… The sound continued in the same sonorous vein as with Duke’s set, and this gave the overall mood of the show a whole different shade. Where Mark was roaring last night, he was slightly more restrained tonight, letting the sound carry itself over and around the crowd rather than throwing it at them. Dave’s guitar playing was slightly different as well, adding a more percussive backing to the many songs on offer. Highlights? Plenty. The setlist was similar (this word is important!) to the previous show, but with some shuffling and some additions. The show opened with When Your Number Isn’t Up, with an early-set appearance of Shiloh Town and Where the Twain Shall Meet moved up from its previous encore slot. And on the subject of encores, the list was nicely expanded by the addition of a pitch-perfect and emotionally-captivating rendition of Wild Flowers, a version of Bombed that – in a weird reversal from these sort of acoustic get-togethers – added layers on top of the original, a sublime version of the Screaming Trees’ Traveler and Duke Garwood also joined the guys on stage for what we seem to think was a very Middle Easternesque runthrough of Misirlou (a quick check of the lyrics and Connie Francis’ barnstorming rendition on youtube seem to concur). If it wasn’t, someone drop me a line and I’ll edit this as if it never happened. Off to see Mark & Dave again next week in Nottingham. Can’t wait. Setlist: When Your Number Isn’t Up ————————– Misirlou (?) Feat. Duke Garwood review
by Killian (http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.com/2010/04/concert-review-mark-lanegan-academy-2.html) Was lucky enough to get to see Mark Lanegan in the tiny environs of Academy 2 in Dublin. The venue is small and intimate, and the best thing about the venue is that the sound is excellent. Nevertheless I wasn't sure what to expect. Lanegan has no album to promote, so is this tour just a money-making exercise between recording commitments? The man clearly has no hobbies beyond music, as he appears to have been constantly recording or touring for the last 6 or 7 years! The venue was full in anticipation of his first solo
gig in Ireland for nearly 7 years. Support act Joe Echo was pleasant
enough, a Northern Irish balladeer, with some good tunes and a cheery
demeanour, though his voice is pretty average. review by
ni4979 Lanegan and Rosser arrived on stage to a huge cheer and then an abrupt silence as they launched into 'When Your Number isn't Up' and then continued with a great range of songs spanning over twenty years. Some of the highlights for me included 'Jesus Program', 'Don't Forget Me', 'Field Song', 'No Easy Action/Miracle' and 'Traveler'. There were no gimmicks, just two incredibly talented men, great music and an awed and silent (for the most part!) audience. They ended the show with an amazing version of ‘Hangin’ Tree’ with the audience singing along. With a wave Mark and Dave left the stage. A truly awesome show. review
by Ali Waite Tonight in Wolverhampton the Sabbath was most certainly not kept holy as the dark Lord Mark Lanegan brought 'that Weird Chill' to the Slade Rooms, as he entranced, mesmerised and wowed the crowd into a dream like state with a perfect hangover cure setlist. It encompassed many songs that people had been waiting 6 years since the 2004 tour to see, or even all their lives for first timers. Opening with 'When your number isn't up" instantly bewitched everyone as he flowed effortlessly between a Bubblegum and Field Songs heavy set. When he hit the stage the instant silence and respect spoke volume of the true presence and aura that Lanegen has, a similar ubiquity that a Cash or a Dylan has as well. Every syllable, word and song was delivered with as much meaning and intent as they did when he first wrote them. 'Like little willy John' and 'Message to mine' had people trying to stop themselves from singing along with Mark's voice as good as ever, it clearly shows he has been sampling some of the local beverages at recent dates in Scotland and Ireland. His voice was truely unbelievable. Personal highlight was the impact of Ressurection Song, Sunrise and Hundred days, which when combined sounded like someone trying to find salvation. With every song as tear jerkingly haunting as the next, it was hard not to become completely hypnotised from Lanegans every word. The encore opener 'Traveler' off Screaming Trees 'Dust' album displayed the depth of Lanegans back catalogue as the crowd could barely catch their breath or get another whiskey in as he reeled off gem after gem. Finishing on the anthemic 'Hangin' Tree' was a perfect climax to the evening, which left everyone lost for words, but knowing in their heads they'd seen something really quite special. When Your Number Isn't Up Traveler review
by Foz (6
Days From Tomorrow) “Uh… we’re gonna be doin’ this
set acapella” It certainly didn’t disappoint. Opening with Bubblegum opener When Your Number Isn’t Up, Mark Lanegan once more set off through his back-catalogue, ably assisted by David Rosser. Considering this is now some way through the tour, he doesn’t hold back a single part of his performance, putting everything behind each line and note as if it was the first night. Might just have been me, but there seemed to be a bit more urgency to this set compared with others I’ve seen, with gaps between songs shortened and intros slightly truncated, but this matters not when it’s the songs that are important here – each one once more performed impeccably and delivered with absolute clarity in the very cramped confines of the Rescue Rooms tonight. One thing that was somewhat conspicuous by its absence last week was anything from his Scraps at Midnight album, and this was remedied tonight with a gorgeous, laid-back rendition of Bell Black Ocean, sandwiched nicely between the more boisterous Where the Twain Shall Meet and Message to Mine. Once more though, the biggest highlight of the set was saved until the encores, and a wonderful version of Wild Flowers that was as expansive and cheerful as the Winding Sheet original is claustrophobic and personal. The twenty year wait to hear it performed live (and then to hear it twice in one week!) is an emotional high for this writer that time will find very hard to erode. Although I’m sorry that this will be the last of these show that I will be attending (due to not actually being made of money), I am so grateful to Mark Lanegan, David Rosser and Duke Garwood (who had another great night tonight – anyone going to see future shows are well-advised to turn up early) for coming over and truly giving the fans exactly what they want. Brilliant. Setlist: When Your Number Isn’t Up One Way Street No Easy Action / Miracle Shiloh Town Like Little Willie John Don’t Forget Me Where the Twain Shall Meet Bell Black Ocean Message to Mine Can’t Catch the Train Mirrored Resurrection Song Julia Dream River Rise One Hundred Days On Jesus’ Program ————————- Encores: Field Song Traveler Bombed Wild Flowers Hangin’ Tree review by Ian I am still full to bursting with joy having experienced Mark's acoustic show at The Rescue Rooms in Nottingham last night. The man has a unique gift, and it was a beautiful reminder of that fact last night (not that I needed reminding!). So, first of all we had Duke Garwood and his guitar. Despite poor sound quality (could hardly hear Duke's voice which is a shame because it sounded like he has a good one), the guitar was beautiful...haunting, dark, evocative of standing in a wide open plain in the midwest with a huge blue sky above with the wind whipping around and a coyote howling in the distance. He sounded like he would fit right in on a Mark Lanegan album in fact (and now having "googled" Duke this morning I see that Mark has indeed mentioned something about this). I am having visions of Mark, Duke, some guy with a skiffle board and a few ad-hoc pieces of percussion, and alot of bourbon and cigarettes! If it comes out as good as it sounds in my head, I can't wait! I must admit, I was having bad feelings about the sound, Duke's natural range wasn't far off Mark's own and at the lower registers in particular it was difficult to hear him. Then Mark and Dave came on and....Dave's guitar wouldnt work :( Now I was really worried...Mark was giving his wry smile and shaking his head, Dave was talking to the sound guy at the back and shaking his head, I was cringing on the inside and shaking my head. After telling Dave to "jiggle it" there was still nothing, now I am sweating. Is Mark going to get pissed off? I am pissed off in preparation. Phew, OK, disaster averted...Dave plugs into Duke's "channel" and his guitar now has a voice! And so does Mark: "I thought it would be *less* hassle with this set up!" haha! (after this Mark says little, as expected, so thanks sound guy for prompting this relative verbosity, and for taking years off my life!) And now that voice does what it does best....and all my fears about whether it would go the same way as Duke's were disipated in a note, and pure bliss sets in. The general gist of the set list has been mentioned by reviewers from other shows on the tour, and I agree the rendition of Willie Jones was great. Suprise of the night for me was The Trees "Where the Twain Shall Meet" from Buzz Factory...old skool Trees! what a nostalgia trip *that* was! Hundred Days received the biggest reception, and it *is* a great song. Mark finished the main set with "On Jesus' Program" which isnt one of my favourites (this doesn't mean I don't like it, as I have said before Mark could sing "Mary had a Little Lamb" and I would almost certainly love it!), but it did give us Mark at his most full on vocally, he really belted it out, neck muscles like coiled snakes... "I'm workin...on the program...everyday - ay - ay" The only thing missing for me song-wise (well apart from every other song he has ever sang that he didn't sing tonight!) was Badi-da, which would of course have worked perfectly with this format, and maybe given Dave the chance to do what Mark won't and give the audience encouragment to sing along. I know, I know, thats not what Mark's gigs are about, and I am cool with that, but still...would be nice to give reign to the emotion inside and come together in a collective release of voice and mutual adoration for The Man! At the end I am deeply happy, and after the rather uncomfortable audience experience of The Gutter Twins shows, it has been great to have Mark back. At the show they were selling copies of a live CD recorded on this tour at Leeds Brudenell Social Club 24/4/10. As a memento of tonight, it is superb, similar format, good sound, Mark in beautiful voice again, and finally an official live recording to cherish. If you get the chance, nab a copy! review by Sabine images can be found at: http://img340.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=berlin1i.jpg When I heard about the acoustic shows happening in Europe, I immediately made plans to attend several of them. Even though I was very excited about the whole thing, I didn’t really know what to expect from the whole acoustic thing so I headed to the London show with mixed feelings. When I arrived at the venue, the sold out show was already packed and Duke Garwood had started to play. I managed to make my way through the crowd and find a pretty good spot. Duke Garwood was playing with a full band and offered us an enjoyable performance, he was very quiet like some other singer we know, so quiet that I could barely understand what he said the rare times he spoke to us. When his performance ended, everybody rushed in the venue and we all started waiting for the man in a growing heat. The show started with When your number isn’t up and at the minute Lanegan started singing, I knew we were in for something good. The acoustic setting really enhances his voice and Dave Rosser does an amazing job at accompanying him. I read about him saying that he was really scared to be the only musician on this tour and that he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders but he did an amazing job and both of their talents made for an amazing performance. The set list included several songs from Bubblegum and Field Songs but, if my memory doesn’t fail me, only one from Whiskey, we were lucky enough to also hear Can’t Catch the Train from Soulsavers, two covers (Julia’s dream and Misirlou) and an amazing rendition of Hanging Tree to end the show. People in the crowd were not too chatty, there was a bunch of guys behind me that bothered some people around us because they were singing so loud but I can’t say it bothered me because they were really into the show. It was actually really funny to see one of these really scary man yelling at the equally scary man onstage : “I love you, man!” and to see that Lanegan couldn’t repress a smile. And people say that girls are groupies... There were several moments like these when people from the crowd made Lanegan smile and I guess this good atmosphere is the reason why after a few minutes, for the first time since the beginning of the tour, Lanegan and Rosser came back for a short, second encore with Field Song. The show ended with this amazing song and I left the venue even more excited for the other shows than I was before.
review by GLT Firstly, before I start this review, I’ll apologise in advance if the set-list is slightly incorrect. I’m working from memory a few days after the concert and a combination of the atmosphere and alcohol may mean that my recollection of the song order is not 100%. The venue itself was very nice, if a little unusual. ‘Uebel und Gefaehrlich’ is situated on the fourth floor of a WW2-era bunker and once inside it turned out to be a very nice, compact venue, with easy access to the bar and decent standing area in front of the stage, with a few seats even dotted around towards the back of the venue. Having listened to a very enjoyable, bluesy set from Duke Garwood, there was only a gap of about twenty minutes or so, before Mark Lanegan and Dave Rosser appeared on stage, to enthusiastic applause, before starting of proceedings with a very pleasant but somewhat, haunting version of ‘When Your Number Isn’t Up’. Next up is one of my personal favourite Mark Lanegan solo songs (maybe my overall favourite, but it’s very difficult to choose), ‘One Way Street’. It sounded excellent in this stripped-down version, and provided me with a personal highlight early on in the evening. ‘No Easy Action’ and ‘Miracle’ followed up to complete excellent renditions of the three openers from the ‘Field Songs’ album, before ‘Shiloh Town’ made an appearance, before a version of ‘Like Little Willie John’, which sounded excellent as you’d expect, but very-much different from the version that appears on the ‘Bubblegum’ album. Another visit to ‘Field Songs’ was next, with ‘Don’t Forget Me’ which the audience seemed to get into and which personally I felt delivered massively in emotion. A few cheers went up when ‘Where The Twain Shall Meet’ was played followed by ‘Bell Black Ocean’, which began as applause was still ringing out from previously, but which soon had the crowd noise reduced to almost nothing as Mark delivered a beautiful, spellbinding, almost perfect rendition. ‘Message To Mine’ was also delivered wit great energy and spirit before a slight drop in tempo as an excellent version of Soulsavers’ ‘Can’t Catch The Train’ followed. ‘Mirrored’ was next, which is a song I don’t listen to as often as some others of Mark’s , but this version was absolutely brilliant and the sparse instrumentation on it seemed to actually give it an extra dimension. ‘Resurrection Song’ was next which featured some excellent backing vocals from Dave Rosser as well as his efforts with the guitar before a over of Pink Floyd’s ‘Julia’s Dream’, which seems to have featured prominently on this tour, which again was very impressive indeed. ‘River Rise’ was up next, with Mark again demonstrating his fantastic voice, and the musical combination of both he and Dave really flourished on an outstanding delivery of ‘One Hundred Days’. ‘On Jesus Program’ rounded off the set, and after saying ‘thanks’ to the audience, both Mark and Dave headed backstage, while the audience clapped and yelled, in anticipation of further entertainment. It was not long before we were rewarded as Duke Garwood returned alongside Messrs Lanegan and Rosser to perform ‘Misirlou’ and a great version of Screaming Trees ‘Traveler’ (which for me, being a huge fan of the ‘Dust’ album and having never had the pleasure of seeing Screaming Trees live, was very much a treat). A delicate version of 'Bombed', followed by an equally delicate and moving rendition of ‘Wild Flowers’. The set was rounded off by ‘Hanging Tree’ on which Dave Rosser put in a very energetic guitar performance, and to which Mark brought his usual, unique and exquisite vocals. Following that, it was the end of the set, but from a personal standpoint, not the end of the night, as waiting for a friend afterwards, I got to bump into Duke Garwood and Dave Rosser, who popped out for a drink, and who were both very happy to stand and talk and mingle with us fans, and then also Mr Lanegan himself, who was also very nice and didn’t seem to mind taking the time to sign a few autographs and pose for photos (though not being the tallest person in the world, I did feel very short, when next to Mark Lanegan). All in all a great night, with my favourite singer performing
amazingly and one which I think will be very hard to better. Setlist: When Your Number Isn't Up Encore Misirlou (with Duke Garwood)
review by Guilanz It had to happen someday, after 20+ years of seeing Mark Lanegan performing live. Planets got all aligned. 1. The show started EARLY, before the scheduled time,
without any diva ennerving waits. A surprisingly youngish crowd welcomed his Majesty.
In such acoustic set-up I would have expected to hear "Carry home", but - hey - shows must have surprises (who can picture "Twain shall meet" acoustic?). After so many incarnations, recordings, partners, shows,
Mark Lanegan - alone - seems at his very best. Intimate, evocative,
inspired, professional, genuine, and original. Anyway, thanks Mark for coming down all the way to Austria. Yes, it will be the show of the year. And hope some of the 20 something shoegazers in the
audience will toss some garbage from their mp3 players, letting in
your fascinating catalog. Best wishes from Vienna.! Am very glad I was able to see several incarnations, and quite different shows. This soft spoken acoustic tour will be remembered hopefully not just by adoring fans. No cheesiness and un-necessary twinking. review by Yvonne Before I get to the show itself I will start with a
couple of words about the venue, which was the Flex, situated at Vienna's
Donaukanal. review by Riccardo ok, let me try to write some word about. both italian date, Milan and Rome, are sold out from days, and I was happy about that. what I didn't expect is to see some ticket-tout outside the venue since two hours before the show!!! Magazzini Generali is a venue three metropolitan stop
far from Milan center, after we find parking in front of the venue,
we go to Palazzo Reale to see art exhibition and after we make a short
tour in Milan. While we caming back to the venue we saw Lanegan, Rosser,
Garwood and others people back of us quickly walking. At the corner
with the venue street there was a ticket-tout which asked us if we
wanna a ticket, I answer no thanks and told him why don't you ask
to this people that are coming? So we so this ticket-tout ask to Lanegan
and co. “biglietti, volete biglietti per il concerto?”,
just after this happens I told to At the show, in the crowd there were Manuel Agnelli
and other people from Afterhours, and some other italian musician
as Cesare Basile. Concert was great, even if a little short, just
65 minutes to make the, I hope all you will have opportunity to see Lanegan
in this acoustic way because it's a great event!!!
review by Tanja http://www.music-photocalypse.net/reports/lanegan.php
Mark Lanegan - The voice in your head Mark Lanegan is one of the very few heroes of Seattle grunge scene who is, luckily, still alive and kicking. It is really hard to put words together when writing about such a musician. You have to see his performance and experience the impact of his unbelievable voice yourself to understand what I am talking about. However, I’ll try to do my best to make you realize why you had to be there in case you haven’t. The news about Lanegan’s European acoustic tour came about 2 months ago and since then it was impossible to shake off the tingling feeling brought by the waiting and excitement. Helsinki was left for the dessert on the very last date of the tour – 24th of May. When the day had come, we invaded the sold out Nosturi club to be a part of what I can absolutely consider to be one of the best shows I have ever seen. Mark came out on stage and without any kind of foreplay started the concert with “When Your Number Isn’t Up” and it was better than anything he could have possibly said instead. Lanegan truly doesn’t need any introductions. You should know that you won’t see much interaction with public, any chit-chats between the songs, any smiles or flirting with girls in the front row. His attitude is made of steel; he will come out, sing his songs standing on the same spot with eyes closed, and leave you wishing the show would never end. For this tour Mark combined some of the pearls from his discography as a solo artist, at least half of the set coming from “Field Songs” (2001) and “Bubblegum” (2004) albums. He also added compositions from his past and current side projects, such as Soulsavers, Screaming Trees and Queens of The Stone Age. The cherry on top of the cake was the cover of Pink Floyd’s “Julia Dream”. Somewhere between the songs Mark introduced the only other musician on stage – Dave Rosser, who was the accompanist during this tour. He played guitar and did the backing vocals adding more perfection to the show. This concert was one of the rare occasions when absolutely everything was right. Each song received loud cheers from the crowd; especially “Like Little Willie John” got the warmest reception. I have to give it to the Finnish audience; for once they were extremely respectful and silently listened to the songs, probably being too overwhelmed. Meanwhile the show was going on. It felt like Mark’s voice made the air more thick, it literally filled you from the inside and gave you chills. It’s an addictive feeling: when Lanegan doesn’t sing - the silence is insufferable. He didn’t come up on the stage for the public’s entertainment; he was there to make you realize that you’ll do anything to hear some more. A lot of performers bring huge shows with them, they blow up pyros, they have amazing lights on enormous stages, etc. Then there are unique ones, like Mark Lanegan, who only needs one acoustic guitar and a voice so out of this world that it makes you wonder why you wasted your time watching everything else. He didn’t say much at the end of the show either, yet he thanked the audience and told them they were wonderful. He never gives any empty promises to come back again, because you’ll be there if he does. The tour is officially over now and we are “thirsty with nowhere to go”. Set-list: 1.When Your Number Isn’t Up
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