The 2003 UK/European/US tour for The Mark Lanegan Band
Mark Lanegan – Vocals
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review by Marco
Six p.m.: we arrive to Urbino, dirtys and sweats for the travelling under the August sun. Mark is quietly sit down at the table of a little bar on the main street together with the other members of the crew. I’m too tired and too shy, I hadn’t the courage to approach him to ask the autograph, some photos and other stupi souvenirs (and after, if he said to me “don’t break me the balls, man!” what I can do? I can only start to cry!). Anyway we turn to him and Mark realizes that he had been recognized and he greets laughing and gratified (or so it seems). Then we go to the room to prepare all the equipment for the concert (walkman, camera, camcorder).
The festival is called “Frequenze disturbate” and is placed at Fortezza Albornoz, in the high side of Urbino with a breathaway panorama over the monuments of this beautiful medieval city. Stands and bars are scattered everywhere and also the people that I can’t calculate, more or less 1500/2000 presences. First played other two bands (Midwest and Dot Allison) but everyone is here for Mark.
Mark appears on the stage with Nick Olivieri (QOTSA bass player of course) and Troy Van Leeuwen (Failure, A Perfect Circle are some of the last projects that he contributes), both at the electric guitars, but Nick add only the rhythm lines and some backing vocals. We know this is particular project, and I have no idea if it’s only an episode organized as best one can or if we’ll see again in the future (I hope so…for you friends!! This is truly a different way to explore his music and to exalt his voice).
First song is completely a solo vocals and I think it’s a gospel standard or kind of (“…beautiful city…allelujah..”) and we enter immediately into the right climate of the night. So the central nucleus of the concert, alternating some new songs (anyway that I’ve never heard) that probably will appears on the next album and some songs from the last work. The trio uses some time to find the correct way, but tonight his voice is so evocative that he could sing with a background of an electric saw and no one could realize it. He had now reached a remarkable vocal technique without lost a bit of feeling. The final is creepy: Where Did You Sleep Last Night with a prerecorded musical sampler of drums. People are going into raptures (almost all of the first lines are keeping in hands some media to capture sounds and images of the concert) and pretend the encores that arrive punctually. Another short solo vocals song (this time is On Jesus Program) and (surprise) an excellent version of Carnival). But at the end the best track of the night: Fix is proposed in a distorted rendition, impressive for the beauty, with long guitar solos of Troy and Mark who repeats obsessively the refrain, smoking several and several cigarettes. People want more, but nothing do, we go home sure that we lived another excited night thanks to Mark Lanegan.
Now I wait for the reviews of the italian magazines, and I know that – like always – I will read another rain of praises.
?BEAUTIFUL CITY?
ONE WAY STREET
?NEVER COME DOWN?
KIMIKO’S DREAM HOUSE
DON’T FORGET ME
AUTOPILOT [from QOTSA 2nd album]
CREEPING COASTLINE OF LIGHTS
?TRAVEL IN BLACK?
A BLUES STANDARD
WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT
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ON JESUS PROGRAM
CARNIVAL
?I’M GONE?
FIX
news from Alessandro
This is the set list of the gig played yeasterday by Mark with Nick Olivieri and Troy Van Leeuwen (With 2 Electric guitars and some samplers) Sound engineer for the show was HUTCH (Form QOTSA Team).
1) Improvisation “What a Beatiful City”
2) One Way Street
3) New song ?
4) Kimiko’s Dream House
5) Don’t Forget Me
6) Autopilot
7) Creeping Coastline Of Light
8) New song (Cover in Black)?
9) New song (You Are Colorado)? Break Encore
10) Where Did You Sleep Last Night (long version with noisy ending) Break
11) On’ Jesus Program (Solo Voice)
12) Carnival
13) New Song ( I’m going, i’m gone)?
14) Fix
15) Instrumental ending by Nick & Troy
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29 January, 2003 – Melbourne, Australia – Cherry Bar please scroll down for all reviews review by Matt Last night’s show was awesome. Before the show started, I spotted Nick Oliveri at the side of the stage … I didn’t know he was playing with Mark tonight! I knew Troy Van Leeuwen was, but not Nick! Nick headed my way, so I quickly got out the QOTSA front covers I had bought for Mark to sign and asked Nick to sign em. He said he really had to go to the toilet, so I let him go, but got him on the way back. Anyways, Mark, Nick & Troy came onstage and kicked right into it. They started off with River Rise, which was cool. Other songs I can remember are Borracho, Carnival, On Jesus’ Program, Pendulum, Mockingbirds, and the almighty QOTSA track In The Fade, which was the definite highlight. Mark had a cigarette in his mouth nearly all the time (spose he’s gotta keep his voice husky somehow!). Not many words were spoken, besides thanks between songs. The set was short, about an hour including the 2-song encore. After the show, there was no backstage or anything, just a side street for the guys to step out onto. Everyone followed them. I got Mark to sign a heap of stuff. He was a bit worn out, I imagine, so he wasn’t overly receptive, but it was good of him to sign so much stuff. Was a great show … I had seen Mark the previous two nights with QOTSA and it was good to see him do his own stuff, what he enjoys doing the most. review by Peter After catching Mark make an appearance onstage with Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) the night before, it was time to finally catch Mark in his element performing his own show. After his Australian tour in 2000 was cancelled I was dying for a chance to catch Mark perform his plethora of songs and finally the moment had arrived. After experiencing a hot and humid day, night fell and patrons began filling the Cherry Bar which is located in a dingy side alley in Melbourne’s Central Business District. After waiting for almost an eternity, Nick and Troy from QOTSA burrowed through the crowd and took the stage each armed with an acoustic guitar. All of a sudden Mark slipped in a side door and was on stage. The crowd listened intently for the entire show and showed their appreciation for the performance they were witnessing. Mark said very little during the performance with the exception of a “Thanks” after each song. Mark also chain smoked his way through the entire performance. Besides Mark commenting on the extreme heat and having to wipe his face with a towel after most songs, the only other comment was a quick witted reply to an eager fan who requested that they play “Black Bell Ocean” (properly known as Bell black Ocean). Mark retorted by clearly stating “That’s not what it is called”. The performance seemed to go with the trend of the last show reviewed for this website. Mark played for a little over an hour and left the crowd hungry for more, unfortunately it wasn’t to be as Mark exited after one encore and sat out in the alley amongst his fans wanting some fresh air and a cool breeze as respite from the sweltering conditions. The set list is below. I’m fairly sure there was one or two other songs performed but I cant think what they were off the top of my head (I think maybe NO EASY ACTION was played), nothing from Scraps at Midnight, I would have loved to here “Last one in the world” oh well. The songs were not necessarily in this order, but close enough. SHE DONE TOO MUCH encore Assuming they were originals and not covers the new songs sounded excellent of course. I meant to ask Mark when the new album was due out but it slipped my mind as I exited. Great performance. Mark’s voice was perfect and full of soul. The only downside was the group of 6 or so ignorant people who were talking rubbish throughout the whole show and took no interest in the performance. They did their best to ruin my night and everyone else’s, Why bother turning up to the show if you are going to talk rubbish at high volumes all night about 5 metres from the stage. Who wants to hear about your new bread making machine while Mark is giving his all to a sea of dedicated fans….next time please stay home. until next time. review by Andy This was a one-off show Mark did while on tour with the Queens of the Stone Age. He was accompanied by two guitarists, one being Nick, the bass player from Queens of the Stone Age. The show was announced less than a week before the gig so it was a bit of a mad scramble to get tickets as where he was playing only holds about 250 people. Mark was supposed to do a national tour a few years back but it was cancelled due to visa problems, so I felt pretty lucky to be seeing the only show he’s ever done in Australia. The night he played was absolutely sweltering and the venue had a capacity crowd so I can imagine how hot the band was on stage under the lights, the band and Mark spent the entire gig seated so it was a fairly low energy show. I got the feeling that the band hadn’t practiced much for the gig, what with it being announced on such short notice. It took the guys quite a few songs to loosen up and the playing for the most part of the show was pretty basic, nothing too adventurous. He hardly spoke at all between songs and chain-smoked throughout the entire gig. Marks voice was spot-on for the entire show and was pretty much note-perfect compared to his albums. He did a fairly broad range of songs from most of his catalogue and even did a Queens of the Stone Age song he sang the vocals on. It was a short set that lasted for a hour and he came back out for an encore that included an acapella version of On Jesus’ Program. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see him perform with a full band (that had rehearsed) but at the same time grateful to have the chance to see him in such an intimate environment. I got to speak to him briefly out the front of the venue after the show but he seemed pretty tired and irritable from the heat and too damn stoned to hold a conversation so I kept it short. |
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20 November, 2003- Garagin, Athens, Greece please scroll down for all the reviews and artifacts review by Panos At last! Mark Lanegan returned for a show in Athens after five years. Long wait and great expectations. Five years ago he ended the Scraps at midnight tour, and this time he starts In Athens. I remember his previous show: He and the band seemed to not know what to expect. The venue was packed and the crowd cheered at the beginning of each song and then silenced in order to listen to the magic voice. A strange show that peaked after Borracho and Winding Sheet. Boy was i curious for tonight. During these years Mark released excellent albums, joined QOTSA and written with them some really heavy songs, and the tracks of the Ep i knew through the undertow web site where quite different from what we used to expect, plus Mike Johnson was not part of the band… But Mark surprised us all. What a perfect show indeed it was. Kicking off with Borracho and One Way Street and ending with a long version of Fix, he made the club go crazy. Three encores and almost 90 minutes of magic. The tracks were (not in correct order On Jesus’ Program, Don’ t forget Me, No Easy Action, Miracle, Pill Hill Serenade, Creeping Coastline Of Light, I’ll Take Care of You, 4 new songs (Methamphetamine blues, Clear Spot, Sleep with Me and Message to mine), and total highlights: medley of Because of this with Hotel in between. acoustic version of Mockingbirds, electric version of Death Don’t Have No Mercy and starting with She Done Too Much and then switch to The River Rise. His voice was absolutely fantastic, even in the end with Fix, and the band played quite well. Some remarks… When Mark turns to psychedelic rythms he is pretty unbelievable and when he playes acoustic he is majestic! I really cannot decide what i prefer the most. Second i think that his affiliation with QOTSA has influenced his songwriting as well as his performance (boy did he shouted last night)…Last but not least one complain : Too little of the Whiskey album… Anyway the wait was worthed. I think that apart from admiring the music and work of Mark, i also think that his choice of redefining his songwriting and exploring new forms it is quite impressive. He is an artist and a survivior. Take care Mark Panos Athens Greece review by Andrew Here are my thoughts and my experience on the show (Thursday 11-20-2003) in Athens, Greece. We arrived kinda late, missed support band and caught the very first song as it was just finishing. I was surprised by the size of the croud. Alot of people had gone that night to check out Mark Lanegan and his great band. The space was pretty smoky including weed and the lighting was great. In the stage I see Mark Lanegan with his unique mellow-depressed style holdin the mic, as singing passionately with his god given Lenoard Cohen-ish voice.
After a little while Mark Lanegan approched the door, stood there and the scenery changed immidiately. People starting coming and coming till it got so fuckin’ stuffed that the bouncer took alil bit of “action” as we’d say… I was so damn close to Mark so approached him and asked if i could have an autograph. Gave him my ticket and as he was signing he asked me how i was doing. I replied good, and that it’s nice to see you and all that. I wanted to sit there for a while and have a chat about Seattle and shit.. but other people were waiting and I’m sure they were ready to kill for an autograph so I decided to bail the fuck out slowly… As we left the venue and start walkin to my car we saw Brett Netson again sittin on his own few metres outside from the venue and we chated him up for a while. I asked him in what other bands had he been apart from the Lanegan band… I asked if he knew Cornell which i think he said he did… I don’t recall that very well. He also told me that Mark and Layne (Staley – AIC singer) were really good friends. We talked a lil’ bit with Brett and then me and George finally decided to bail out for good. It was a great fuckin’ night…. Later |
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23 November, 2003- The Villiage, Dublin, Ireland please scroll down for all the reviews and artifacts review by David Good gig. Crowd very much into it. Much larger gathering as well than when I saw Lanegan two years ago in Dublin, which indicates that involvement in Queens of Stone Age has done a lot for his popularity. He was more taciturn this time round. It was clear and bright that day, the sun spilling cold white light on the water and seashore pebbles. But maybe the climate change from warmer Greece didn’t suit Lanegan, he mumbled something about the ‘cold and flu season’. Setlist not quite in order. Borracho, Mockingbirds and Death Don’t have no mercy were maybe the best versions. Mockingbirds was great, just Mark accompanied by one guitar. I don’t think the because of this/ hotel medley really worked. The bits from Hotel were good, but because of this was just a searing mess of noise. I think Mark Lanegan is slightly better on record than he is live; sometimes you get the impression that he would rather be somewhere else. But this was still well worth the money. review by Conor It was a quite full venue that awaited the return of the man who sings like he has “corpses in his mouth”, according to a QOTSA review I read recently. Although mostly an older crowd, I noticed a few more younger faces in the audience than the last time I saw Lanegan in 2001 – they were probably amassed through Lanegan’s QOTSA/Dave Grohl connections. Judging by some of the young’uns reactions I don’t think they’ll be back again – chattering through songs is not a good way of showing one’s appreciation Opening band, Enemy, had to cancel because Troy V.L. was sick. Brett Netson came out and announced this, and played one of his own songs before saying “Mark will be out in a few minutes” and disappearing offstage. So we waited. Finally, about 9:30, the band came on. Mark winced as some overeager fans flashed their cameras – why can’t people wait a while? They played (as I recall – I’ll confirm list and running order tomorrow): They finished and left the stage. I really thought that would be it and was about to leave to get our coats when a cheer erupted again and the band came back one last time to play There were one or two more songs during the main set – again, I’ll confirm them tomorrow. I mentioned to one photographer about posting the pix on the web – here’s to hoping. The keyboardist didn’t add much during the show except for “Pill Hill”. He had these bizarre effects on some songs that did nothing for the arrangements. The FX sounded like they came from a cheap Casio home synth. Mark was in good form during the show, I think. He even smiled once, my friend noticed. After the first song, someone wished him a Happy Birthday, and he dryly replied, “Thanks for reminding me.” Later he remarked that it was “the season of colds and ‘flu” – referring to Troy, I guess. When he came back for an encore, a few flashes popped again and he said “You see, that’s why I keep my eyes closed all the time, with you guys going off every minute.” Finally, Mark smoked more than 20 cigarettes during the set. He is a man possessed seemingly. Doesn’t seem intent on sticking around this planet very long. No home, no partners, no concern for his health. A tobacco Buddhist? review by Killian The support Enemy, who I know nothing about, had to cancel cos the singer had a sore throat, so Brett Netson did a song which wasn’t bad. The place was pretty packed out. Lanegan came on and ripped into Borracho which really is amazing live and that kind of set the tone. Other songs I can remember: One Way Street, Jesus Program, Dont Forget Me THere were a couple of new ones which I really liked, and he played a fair bit off Field Songs (No Easy Action, Miracle and Pill Hill) before going into a cool version of Death Dont Have No Mercy, which really rocked. Then they played an epic version of Because of This with Hotel mixed in. This went on for a good while and the crowd got a little bored I think. I must say the crowd were shit. I dont know what they ere expecting (Queens of the Stone Age maybe) but apart from me and my wife who really enjoyed it and a few Spanish girls, a lot of people around us were just…dead He played Creeping Coastline and I’ll Take Care of You, 2 of my wife’s faves (she loves that album) which were great, before doing a great Methamphetamine Blues which was really hard and heavy. Lanegan was in great growly voice, he really makes all other singers seem a bit limp in comparison. They all went off and then Mark and the other guitar player (not Brett Netson) came on and did Mockingbird. I think I have this all mixed up and fucked up by the way. Then the rest of the band came back. They did She Done Too Much which slid into River Rise. I think Clear Spot was next and the Fix, which was pretty affecting, and became really rocking, Mark growling ‘Fiiiixxx’ made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. They went off for a while, then came back and did Kimiko, which he sang really well. And that was it. We were bouncing out of the place but most of the crowd were just lifeless, were they just too busy being cool ? They didnt look like they enjoyed it. I dont think a lot of the crowd knew any of Mark’s stuff, and it cant have been much fun for Mark being faced by a load of pseuds trying to be cool just to say they saw Lanegan or something. Maybe I’m harsh but I just wondered why they were there. We really enjoyed it though. Great to see him and hear him live. He seemed in fairly dry, sarcastic form, and his band certainly hit some good grooves. review by Rory Having made the long Journey from County Down I was in good spirits and really looked forward to an amazing show and after a two year wait I wasn’t disappointed. Brett Netson from the criminally under rated band “Caustic Resin” informed the crowd Troy van Leeuwen wasn’t feeling great and that his Band “Enemy” weren’t going to play and after a fantastic if not short solo song informed the crowd Lanegan would be on in a few minutes. After what seemed like an eternity the Lanegan band stepped out and in true fashion launched straight into an amazing version of “Borracho”. The crowd were then treated to a very heavy set no doubt helped by both Lanegan’s experiences with QOTSA and van leeuwens heavy guitar style (which was a lot different than the more melodic Mike Johnson) the band played an amazing set which included the following;
review by Randall First thing’s first. I’m new to Mark’s music. I’m a big ol’ (since ’92) Trees fan, and I’m familiar with QOTSA, but am completely unfamiliar with Mark’s music as a solo artist or ‘Mark Lanagan Band’. Having sorted out the guestlist for the gig (thanks to those concerned), the missus and I headed down to The Village. Got in about 8. A friend managed to get me a promo poster that hadn’t been hung yet. A good start. The band came out after the guitarist did a single song solo spot due to a fella from Enemy being ill. Mark mentioned it being ‘flu season’. I don’t know any of the song titles, but the music was great. Reminded me of Black Sabbath. Not in style, in the feeling. Henry Rollins once described Sabbath as ‘the ultimate lonely man’s music’. That’s a good a description of what I heard Sunday night as any. Mark’s voice was more gravelly than it was in the Trees. A friend described Mark’s Whelan’s gig in 2001 as a ‘no messin’ rock gig’. That’s what we got tonight. Mark stood there, clinging to the mic stand, smoking cigarettes, and looking like the world’s coolest jailbird. Tattooed knuckles. His head bobbing to the music when he wasn’t singing. Put him on a stage, and, like the best rock ‘stars’, he looked damn cool. The main set seemed composed of mainly rock/blues songs, while the encores consisted of quieter, more contemplative tunes. One song in the main set really grabbed me. I’m guessing, but from the previous reviews, it *might* be that medley. It seemed to go on forever (in a good way), and had a long instrumental middle section with a swirling guitar sound. Amazing. The sound was pretty dire, but then i was literally standing in front of the right PA stack. It was about 10 centimetres from my head, and about 5 foot from Mark. Post show, I purchased the EP, and bailed to the VIP area for drinks. Met Mark on the stairs on the way up. He signed my postcard advertising the EP. (It’s the EP cover on one side and tour dates on the other). Looking at the EP cover side (the same portrait of himself repeated over and over), he smiled and said, ‘It looks like evolution of the apes’ and signed it. I told him about seeing the Trees at home in Australia in ’96/’97 on the Big Day Out tour when he sat on a stool with a walking cane due to his broken ankle, and he looked at me with a pained expression and said ‘shit, i remember that broken ankle!’. I then left him to some other fans who approached him. He came up to the VIP briefly and then left, while I stayed on drinking. A great gig. A great night. Oh, as regards a previous reviewer’s complaints about the audience. Whelans holds 350. The Village holds 600. Mark got in about 500. There were some QOTSA t-shirts in attendance, for sure. But maybe the audience seemed ‘dead’ to him, because they weren’t drunkenly hollering for song a, b, and c. Maybe they seemed ‘dead’ because they were LISTENING. Even if Mark’s music was new to them, it’s a credit to them that they shut up and listened to the gig. Maybe he gained a few new fans in the process. Bands don’t gig to preach to the converted, they gig to broaden the fanbase. Hopefully Mark and co. pulled a few more in. Fan elitism has no place in music. (Remember the little kid in Hype! with the earplugs shoved up his nose: ‘I like ’em first!’. I’d answer, ‘who gives a shit?’) review by Barry Horror of all horrors when Brett Netson ( i think) announced that a member (the guitarist i thought he said) of the band was ill so they wouldn’t play. Troy van Leewun came to mind and so I thought this would affect the Lanegan set. ‘ Mark will be out in a minute’ he said and then I was a nervous Nelly. Anyway, they all came out and started ‘Borracho’ which got everyone really into things. The set list that other Dublin goers sent in seems spot on. The band played really hard and songs like ‘No Easy Action’ and ‘Don’t Forget Me’ were outstanding. If I had have met Mark before hand I would have asked him to play that for sure. I didn’t. Anyway, Mark sang his heart out. There was a bone-chilling version of ‘ Mockingbirds’ with just Mark and Troy together. ‘River Rise’ was probably the only ‘Whiskey’ number I remember them playing which was a surprise, but far from being a disappointment. The crowd were very attentive during the songs but went ape when they finished. No one (oh thank Christ) shouted for Queens of the Stone Age songs. Instead of running out to the tour bus after the show we all went to the bar where we thought we would bump into Mark et al. No such luck. Crappy Irish ‘song-writer’ David Kitt was there, as was actor Stephen Rea…but no Mark. I did meet Troy alright and said I hoped he got better and that he played brilliant. I must say he was very friendly and bashful. Me and my brother waited for an hour (an hour too late) outside the alley at the back where the tour bus was. I pestered cleaning ladies, bouncers, fucking David Kitt even came out again – but it wasn’t to be. My name-sake never showed. It was a great show, my first time seeing Lanegan and hope it wont be the last. P.S Rory your a lucky bastard. Nice photos too. |
| 24 November, 2003, Limelight, Belfast, N. Ireland
review by Rory After making the 80 Mile journey North we arrived at the more intimate Limelight venue in Belfast. Having recovered from his illness Troy Van Leeuwen and his band Enemy opened tonight’s proceedings with a fantastic (and quite heavy) set, if their forthcoming release is half as good as their live show then we are in for a treat. Soon afterwards the Lanegan Band took the stage and played as follows;
Tonight’s show wasn’t quite as good as the Dublin Gig largely Due to the poor Acoustics of the venue coupled with a less than enthusiastic crowd who kept shouting stuff like “play some Trees” or play “hanging tree”. That aside it was still an amazing show and i got to hear some different songs from the Dublin gig which was great. We managed to Meet Mark again (in a random Side street!)who was searching for his hotel, he remembered me from the night before and once again signed some stuff for me, all in all a great night out. Review by Rory Rushe
review by Colin This was the second time I’ve seen Mark Lanegan live in Belfast. The last time was at the Empire Music Hall two years previously when he was touring the Field Songs album. (Although I did catch him with QOTSA at the Reading 2001 festival) There were two notable differences with the Limelight gig on Monday night. Firstly, the Limelight was packed with people. When I had seen Lanegan 2 years previously there was a big empty space right down in front of the stage. This was undoubtley to do with the QOTSA connection, as he’s been exposed to a wider audience now. The other big difference was the sound of the music. The sound was a LOT more heavy, with more emphasis on guitar solos and distortion this time around. Obviously touring with the Queens has rubbed off on Mark! The crowd did seem disappointed, as I could tell a lot of them where expecting him to maybe do Queens songs, but what the fuck do they know. This was different from when I’d seen him previously, but equally as excellent a performance. The hecklers pissed me off no end, there was none of that shit 2 years ago,those people then where there for the MUSIC. Not to say everyone was disappointed, I’d say the hardcore Lanegan fans of about 25% of the crowd were pleased. oh yeah, he didn’t do any Trees stuff either. (He closed his previous show in the Empire with a rousing version of Gospel Plow,, probably the most rock out moment of the show!) My only criticisms of the show would the keyboard player, who did not add anything good to the music that I could hear, the acoustics of the club in general, and the fact that they cut the set short by two songs. Lanegan was his usual godlike surly self, they should have brought a street sweeper on tour just to clean up all the fag butts around the microphone stand. And finally my girlfriend got to meet him after the show, after bumping into him before the show a couple of times and not realising who he was. He was a true gentleman, signing autographs and chatting away. She told me that before the show she had seen him looking at a Robbie Williams poster outside his dressing room, and then shaking his head, which amused me no end!! review by T-Bop Dublin, Village 23rd Nov/Belfast, Limelight 24th Nov. I managed to get the two shows in this time around due to an old friend from Dublin giving me a call and providing the necessities – guest list, booze and place to stay. Then wheeled it up to Belfast on a bus the next night and caught the ML band in Belfast. Ta to all concerned. Highlights – Clear Spot, Fix, Blues for D, Message to Mine. Lowlights – synth guy (he must be supplying something) The Dublin show was a bit messy, I had a word with Brett Netson about this while in Belfast, he reckoned they were all over the place at that show, major balls ups happening in basically every tune. I told him that probably most of the audience didnt really notice but that guy Norman Block is a bit dodgy compared to Gene Trautmann on the last tour. Then Brett goes, ‘Did you think the last band was better than this one? You can tell me – I was in them!’ we laughed a bit and i admitted yeah that the last band was a lot tighter. He told me this current line up had 2 weeks to learn 30 songs, so that might give you an idea of the pressure. I reckon Gene Trautmann and Mike Johnson were missed, Troy van Whatever is a good guitarist no doubt, but I think MJ and Brett gel better. Thats just me. Oh and lose the synth guy, its like – too many cooks. Lanegan delivered as usual, he could go anywhere with that voice – but damn does he smoke like a demon. I mean deep sucking drags. Bucket lungs. By the way – he should get an ashtray sorted out. He was a bit more animated in the Belfast show than in Dublin (if you can call it animation!!) – which is surprising – a friend of mine was the lighting tech in Belfast – he says they arrived from Dublin at 6.0pm (soundcheck was due at 2.pm). Hungover as pikes by the looks of things. Lanegans birthday you see. By the way both shows were mini-disc recorded, apparently for the aid of the drummer. Bit like locking the stable after the horse has bolted…… |
| 25 November, 2003, Cathouse, Glasgow, Scotland
please scroll down for all reviews/artifacts review by Sandy This was my second time seeing Mr Lanegan, the previous time being in 2001 with the Masters of Reality. Last nights show by far out shone the bands last visit. What a night. For a start from what i could tell the crowd all seemed to be really enthusiastic and into the show which was nice. Really great vibe and a good mixture of guys and gals. Mark came on quite late in the end which was cool as his stuff is more suited to the night. Can’t remember the set list but i think he pretty much covered all his albums with the execption of any Tree’s material (which i was only slightly dissapointed about). He played a few songs of the new EP “Here come’s that weird chill”. It was only realeased on monday so i hadn’t had too many listens but from what i could tell the songs totally translated amazingly live. The band seemed to be in good spirit and looked like they were definately enjoying the warm reception. It was quite a heavy sounding set and kudos to the Cathouse soundman that night because the accoustics were excellent, with clear crisp vocals. There were times in some of the songs where I was just completely engulfed in a wall of feedback driven white noise – amazing! We were treated to 2 encores, one of which was mark with sole accompanyment from troy on accoustic guitar. Mark ended the gig by walking off in the middle of the last song to leave the band play off. Sheer brilliance! review by David
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| 28 November, 2003, Carling Academy 2, Birmingham, UK
review by Tom As this was the first time for me seeing Mr. Lanegan, I was expecting a great deal from this show-and it delivered! After hanging about for an hour and half, Enemy took to the stage sounding like a cross between QOTSA and Tool although this isn’t perhaps surprising considering Troy’s the guitarist and vocalist. They were neat and got a few heads banging in the crowd but after a mere 25 mins they left and the crowd surged forward to get a good spot for Mark’s performance. After what seemed like an eternity Mark hit the stage and launched straight into his set. I can’t remember the entire set list, but I remember that he played through ‘One Way Street’, ‘River Rise’, ‘Mocking Birds’, ‘Hospital’, ‘Message To Mine’, ‘I’ll Take Care Of You’ and about 15 more songs. Mark’s voice is unreal in person, and I’ve never been so moved by vocals in all my days, especially on the higher harmonies in ‘Message To Mine’. Some of the guitar atmospherics were stunning too, and I think that the whole crowd was moved as between songs, you could hear a pin drop in the audience! There was only one heckler, screaming for ‘Dollar Bill’ at a couple of instances but Mark dealt with it with humour. I was surprised at how little acoustic content there was in the set, considering most of the instrumentation on Mark’s records. In fact, the only two tracks that Troy picked up the acoustic on were those in the encore (‘River Rise’ and ‘Mocking Birds’). Sadly he only came back on once, but he’d played for about 95 minutes anyway so we got our fill. All in all, the gig was an amazing experience. The band was flawless, Mark’s voice was in tip-top shape and the atmosphere was serene. I closed my eyes at a couple of points and got lost in the music. Before the show I was only a mild fan of Mark’s solo stuff, but hearing it live, my opinions have changed. I hope the rest of the tour’s as good for everyone else! review by Ryan wow what a show the venue birmingham troy kicked off the nite with some good good sounds from his band and boy can he play guitar they played a good 7to9 songs cant remember so we await the man mr mark lanegan and his band the wait woz long they played the whole fucking new muse album which made alot of people pissed off me included then the band make there way on to the stage the biggest cheer is left for mark of couse they kick off with a new song called message to mine which sets the the tone mark voice just fits every word he sings wow. then they play 5 or so more songs all so so dark but so fucking great then its time for another new song called skeletal history which woz the iceing on the cake the band played about 10 more many i dont know dont have all marks albums.time 1020 time for 2 slow ones then the oncore. on this performance mark shows us just what he made of pure fucking class if only the mainstreme knew of mark its there loss our gain thank you mark top efort. big fuck you to the cock sucker who asked for dollir bill what a dick. marks eyes said it all along with the many fans crys off fuck off you dick to the big mouthd boy…..ryan…… review by Tony A long trip from Leeds to Birmingham with one agenda………..to see The Lanegan. This is the second time I have seen him solo, the last been 2001 in Manchester, and the performance was incredible. The venue was dark, seedy, small and incredibly smoky, indeed, a perfect setting for the evening. I missed the support band but was there just in-time to order a beer and spark up a cig before the band and Mark strolled on to a very warm reception, launching straight into “Message to Mine”. Playing for around 80 minutes, punters weren’t left short changed with a set that included: Message to Mine I’m sure there were a few more including two songs I’ve never heard before which I presume are covers, one of which was some psychedelic eastern-tinged jam. The band were incredible tight, and considering the nature of the venue, the sound was superb, very crisp, unlike the muddy sound last time I saw him. I often found myself shutting my eyes and losing myself in the music and the potent pot that filled the air, particularly during “Because of This” which must have gone on for around 15 minutes as a hard guitar driven jam with “Hotel” slotted in the middle. Incredibly stuff. Mark gave every song every ounce of strength he could (which was a lot), and was on top form, hanging on to the mic stand for dear life, giving very little chat during songs other than low rumbles of “Thank you”. The set list was well chosen, nicely covering his five albums and his new EP, which although sounds quite different on record, live it transformed to blend seamlessly with material that’s over 10 years old. Hardcore fans were treated to the “Stay” B-side “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” which was a surprise. Somebody cheekily requested “Dollar Bill” but was quickly answered with “ahh, fuck off!” from another crowd member which received a small applause and a nod of agreement from Mark. Fans couldn’t have asked for more from the encore when Mark strolled back on with Troy Van Leeuwen and his acoustic guitar and proceeded to run through beautiful renditions of “Mockingbirds” and “River Rise” which sent parts of the crowd into hysteria. It’s a real indication of song writing ability when an artist can get on stage 14 years after their debut and play the opening song off their first album to such reaction. The cover songs off I’ll Take Care of You were done magnificently as if they were his own, with On Jesus’ Program been once again, outstanding. His facial expressions were constantly turning with every change in every song, looking as powerful as it sounds. Mark even paused to dedicate a song to his missing long-term collaborator, Mike Johnson, “wherever he is”. After seeing Lanegan several times with the Queens, including the Glastonbury 2002 show, I can safely say that his voice and performance is better than ever. Kurt Cobain was once quoted in saying that Mark has the greatest voice in rock. Thursdays show once again confirmed this and if Kurt could see him now, he’d say the same again. I went to the show as a huge fan, and came out an even bigger one. Just hope he comes round again when the new album comes out. Two years is an awful long time to wait….worth every damn minute though. |
28 Novemberr, 2003, Mean Fiddler, London, UK
review by ArTcH
1. Borracho
2 Message to mine
3 One way street
4 Sleep with me
5 Don’t forget me
6 Wedding dress
7 No easy action
8 Miracle
9 Creeping coastline of lights
10 Death don’t have no mercy (electric version)
11 Skeletal history
12 On Jesus program (new band type version)
13 Because of this / hotel / because of this / hotel / because of this
14 I’ll take care of you
15 Methamphetamine blues
16 Mockingbirds (acoustic – Mark and Troy)
17 She done too much / The river rise (acoustic intro)
18 Clear spot
19 Pill hill serenade
20 Going going gone
At last a solo London date where Mark’s voice is actually turned up! Sadly no ‘Fix’ which was on the set list last time round, but left off from this show despite being played often elsewhere on this tour, saying that I’m splitting hairs there !. Best moments included superb new songs: ‘Message to mine’ and ‘Skeletal history’. ‘Wedding dress’, Miracle’ and a beautiful version of ‘Creeping coastline of lights’ which was almost worth the price of admission alone. ‘Methamphetamine blues’ sounded much better live than the somewhat percussive studio version with Mark’s voice lingering in the air at the end of the set: “Don’t want to leave this heaven so soon….”. The mutation of ‘Because of this’ and ‘hotel’ worked well, but lacked the epic assent of the version performed two tours ago. Wonderful show though, even if this band lack the tight precision of the Screaming Trees in their heyday. Hurray back Mark, the next album bodes well !
30 November, 2003- Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
please scroll down for all the reviews
review by Benoit
Do I need to say that it was a great show? Is it necessary to claim that Mark’s voice was amazing this night? The hall was quite small, around 250 persons attended to the show. Sound and acoustics were really excellent. All the night was outstanding. The opening band Enemy played strong rock songs, which was perfect to introduce Mark. Unfortunately it was too short, they only played 4 or 5 tunes. A long time after they leaved the stage, Mark came in, obviously smoking. He was in a great mood, even joking sometimes about his old age or the noise in the crowd. The musicians were really into it, particularly Troy who is a great guitar player.They played certain songs heavily, especially the new ones. Because of This, On Jesus Program and the five new songs were truly highlights. At the end of Kimiko’s Dream House, Mark talked a bit about Jeffrey Lee Pierce, telling that it was a special tune for him.
Actually this is the best show I have ever seen. Thanks to Mark and the musicians.
Borracho, Message To Mine, One Way Street, Sleep With Me, Don’t Forget Me, New Song, No Easy Action, Miracle, Creeping Coastline Of Lines, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Skeletal History, On Jesus Program, Because Of This/Hotel, I’ll Take Care Of You, Metamphetamine Blues. Encore 1: Mockingbirds, She Done Too Much/River Rise, Clear Spot Encore 2: Kimiko’s Dream House, Pill Hill Serenade.
review by Edwin
The place where he played looked really nice: wide stage, not too deep hall so no-one would be too far from the stage. According to the website, ‘Orangerie’ in Botanique has space for 1000 people, but I don’t think that many people would fit in. The place was not crowded, just nicely filled (about 500 I guess). I just read a bunch of reviews of previous shows: I don’t think there were many QOTSA-fans-that-did-not-know-Mark’s-work around.
Who decides upon the music when no-one is playing at a concert? Here we had to listen to some rap-guy who had listened too much Ice-T: the f**k’s and motherf****’s nearly made me sick. Then the support act came up. Must admit that I’d never heard of them. They rocked, but Troy (singer/guitarist) wasn’t really singing, it was more screaming. They only played half an hour or so, so we were wondering why it was so short. After having heard many, many, many more f**k’s and motherf****’s, the band and Mark came up and it was clear why the support act played so short: both the guitarist and the bassist were in Mark’s band (wonder why the drummer wasn’t there, as I liked how he played in the support act). Looked like a low budget show, which fitted perfectly in the dicussion I had with the guy, with whom I visited the show, before the show, about whether Mark (or his management, or Beggars Banquet) would make money out of such shows or would lose money.
It was the first time I saw Mark live but I was very eager to see him (as I had to go to Brussels, Belgium, coming from the Netherlands, to see him). Well, all the time and money invested was very very very much worth it: I enjoyed everything so much…
He kicked off with Borracho, which was great. Then another ‘oldie’ (One way street?), after which he played alternately new songs (i.e. from ‘Here comes…’) and old ones. I cannot, at this moment, reproduce the play list, but he played songs from every solo album (I loved Jesus’ Program) and at least 4 songs from Weird Chill (Methamphetamine Blues, Clear Spot, Skeletal History (I think), Wish You Well (I think)). One thing I really liked was that nearly every song was just different from the album version: ‘intimate’ songs were played heavier, some ‘heavier’ songs were played more intimate. Methamphetamine Blues was really fantastic: it ROCKED!!! The crowd loved everything and were treated two encores, the first two songs of the first one being accoustic. I think Mark enjoyed playing, as he decided at the spot to play Kimiko’s dreamhouse.
Maybe I’ll be able to recall the play list, and be able to comment on some of the individual songs, but in general it was just fantastic. His appearance (how tall is this guy, 1.90m at least?), his voice, the fact that I was just 3 meters from him, everything…
Recently I read a review of one of Mark’s solo-albums (Field Songs or Weird Chill) saying “unsurprisingly brilliant”. I think this is a perfect description of this show.
Edwin
2 December, 2003- Estragon, Bologna, Italy
review by Frost Moon Eclipse
Went to see Mark in this cold autumn evening. A perfect setting for what was to come. The show was great as I thought it to be (he’s the best living voice), but some of the long-awaited songs weren’t played. Anyway, we had:
Borracho
Message to mine
One Way Street
Don’ t forget Me
No Easy Action
Miracle
Creeping Coastline Of Light
I’ll Take Care of You
Methamphetamine blues
Clear Spot
Sleep with Me
On Jesus’ Program
Death Don’t Have No Mercy
Mockingbirds
She Done Too Much
The River Rise
…..plus two new songs (one was placed in the end, instead of the expected “Fix”… quite strange, but it was good anyway).
The band started 40 minutes later, but it was great show anyway. There’s nothing to add, because these songtitles should speak for themselves. Hope to see Mark again next year…
| 3 December, 2003, Rainbow, Milan, Italy
ticket from Luca
setlist from Daria
|
5 December, 2003, Azkenia, Vitoria, Spain
review by Alfonso
I’m a big fan of both the Trees and Mark as a solo artist and, well, I’m not a writer at all but, since no one’s done a review of Mark Lanegan Band’s show in Vitoria I may as well give it a try… (I apologize for my possible mistakes)
We drove 50 minutes from Bilbao and It wasn’t as cold in Vitoria as I thought it coulda been. Mark inaugurated this venue a couple of years ago and that show was one of the best I’ve seen in my life. He’s the best living voice.
Opening band was Enemy, a three-piece rock’n’roll band led by Troy Van Leeuwen on vocals/guitar. They had some problems with the bass and played for 1/2 hour. I have to say I wasn’t much into it, but they sure rocked!
Around 10.30 pm Mark Lanegan Band hit the stage. They opened with Pendulum (always great), then came Borracho, and so on. I can’t remember all the songs they played but I heard One Way Street, Don’t Forget Me (one of my favorites…), Pill Hill Serenade, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, On Jesus Program (amazing!), I’ll Take Care Of You, No Easy Action, Because Of This/Hotel, …
The new numbers sounded great, especially Metamphetamine Blues, and Sleep With Me.
For the encore they did acoustic versions of Mockinbirds and The River Rise.
They ended with Fix, with a great guitar coda.
Mark seemed to enjoy the show and he asked the audience: “Are you having a good time…?”
Sure we did! I just hope I don’t have to wait another 2 years for the next show (and this was my 4th one!)
Kind Regards Alfonso
6 December, 2003 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Caracol
review by Jose Luis
The gig started with Enemy, the supporting Lanegan´s band. They played an almost hard rock show, and finished with a cover of Nick Cave´s “city of refuge”.
Mark started playing “Pendulum”, one of his best songs. It sounded arid and grave. After that came “Borracho”, a great, noisy crescendo and maybe his best known song. He was in a good mood: somebody screamed “come on” and he replied, smiling “yeah, we´re coming”.
The set list included songs from every Mark record: Skeletal History, Don´t forget me (Lanegan´s vocals at his best, floating above the music), one easy street, the traditional Wedding Dress, Little Bit Of Rain (by Fred Neil), Creeping Coastline Of Lights, Death Don´t Have Mercy, I´ll take care of you (the most applauded one), Methaphetamine Blues (quite a change in Mark´s style, a weird and creepy song indeed) … a mix of Hotel and Because of This ended the first part of the show.
After a few minutes, Mark returned and played mockingbirds, she Done Too Much, river rise and Neil Young´s cinnamon girl.
The final song of the concert it´s a mystery to me… I talked with many people but nobody recognize it.
So, a great, ceremonious concert. A more rock-oriented sound, without any kind of ornaments… and a night to remember. Mark Lanegan is, today, the best singer of his generation, and his live sound is just amazing. I cannot wait to the next time.
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11 December, 2003- Richards on Richard’s, Vancouver, Canada review by Rob Unfortunately I’m not the greatest writer in the business (or not in the business as the case may be) so please bear with me. As a big fan of the Trees, and having a little knowledge of Mark Lanegan’s solo work, I was really looking forward to Thursday’s show. I was not disappointed! You will be however, when you realize that I don’ t know any Lanegan song titles (anyone have the setlist?) other than Mockingbirds, an excellent acoustic (guitar accompaniment only) rendition of which we heard last night for the first encore. All the other songs though were just excellent though, and the sound at Dick’s was primo crystal clear. The crowd was sort of sparse, by no means sold out and when Enemy came on there were less than 60 people in the room and most everyone (myself included) relegated themselves to the perimeter of the floor area. Vancouver crowds can be tough at the best of times. I’ve always wanted to reassure bands that we’re not the most emotive bunch, but the music is much appreciated nonetheless. We’re just not the “crowd around and wave arms in the air and scream” type of crowd, especially when very few people have heard of the band, despite their obvious talents from the get go. Enemy however, was very good, again with the great sound, and excellent guitar work by Troy Van Leeuwen, who incidentally also blew us away with his solos during Mark’s set. I really enjoyed them and I recommend catching them on the remaining dates of the tour. Back to Lanegan – the crowd definitely appreciated the music here! Mark didn’t have much to say to the crowd and acknowledged us a couple of times. I find it hard to categorize his style but if I was to make comparisons, a couple of names that popped into my head at various times throughout the show were Nick Cave and even Gary Numan strangely enough. I think it had something to do with Troy and Brett Nelson’s swirling, atmospheric guitar sounds and Mark’s looming, dark and moody presence. Well I wish these guys all the best for the remainder of the tour and hope they continue to deliver their unique brand of dark, atmospheric, rock. I’m convinced that should they play Vancouver again, they will get a far more enthusiastic response, not only from those of us that were at this show (Mark’s first solo Vancouver show to the best of my knowledge) but for all those that we dragged along, enthusiastically telling them that the Dec ’03 Richard’s on Richard’s show was the concert of the year in Vancouver.
review by Robbie I went to the Vancouver show after waiting many a year to see Mark Lanegan live doing his own material. Mark’s voice was so pure and rich that I was floored at how fucking awesome he sounded. He said just “thanks” after each song up until right before Mockingbirds when he said “I almost didn’t make it up here. I spent two days in jail, I was arrested at customs. They found some residue on my computer (laughs).” Everyone laughed, it was pretty funny. The crowd was great considering there was only about 150 people there to see him but they were very loud and appreciative, so please come back again soon Mark! On Jesus Program, Creeping Coastline of Light, Pendulum, Borracho and Fix were my favourites. The new songs are a great indidcation of things to come on all the new stuff. Mark is the best male voice around in rock today (tied with Mike Patton) and saves some Queens song from being bland. Anyways, it was a fantastic night. The setlist is from memory and is as follows and some of it is out of order: |
12 December, 2003, Showbox, Seattle, WA
review by Jess
While tickets said the show was at 9pm, when the onewhiskey crowd showed up at 9:10-ish, the only crowd in the Showbox was in the bar areas. So we managed to get front-and-center and just stayed put. We waited until 9:45pm when Mike Johnson came on and played a short set. Someone in the crowd spit something at him, I didn’t see what it was. People were kind of rude to him, which is too bad. I wouldn’t mind seeing him someplace where, you know, he’s opening for Mark Lanegan. Then there was more of a wait. Interestingly, there was no Geto Boys being played as the house music at the Showbox, only something that kind of sounded like circus music, which is worse. Enemy played at 10:30pm until 11pm. They were ok; I think their song on the SOTSA compliation sounded like a Foo Fighters ripoff. Again, I think they would have been better not opening for Mark. You know, better in a bar somewhere. From 11 until almost midnight we listened to the White Stripes’ ‘Elephant’ album as house music. It seemed like maybe the wait was too long, as quite a few crowd members had gone from kind of buzzed to just plowed (how can you afford to drink like this at shows?). So, to echo other reviews: “After a very long wait, Mark came on.”
Now, I know someone here has the setlist, so I won’t try to be too specific about songs. The band was all 3 memebers of Enemy, Brett Netson, and Greg Dulli. It was very definitely a “plugged” set. Mark looked really good and, well, I won’t use the word ‘excited’, but willing to be there. Someone yelled ‘thanks for showing up’ as he took the stage and he responded “my pleasure”. He seemed pretty animated (for Mark), moving around the stage in between verses and looking out at the audience.
I don’t know if this happens often, maybe I’m just an innocent, but do people heckle headliners often? It seems like if you pay $15 to get into a show, it’s because you like the main act. If you don’t, if you just wnated to see an opener, then leave before they start! People kept yelling at Mark ‘you suck!’ ‘fuck you!’ ‘fucking sellout!’ About 3 songs into the set, an older woman kept screeching “you’re bullshit! You’re bullshit!” over and over. Mark stopped, looked at her, and started in on her. “Hey, fuck you, lady. What’s your fucking problem? Shut the fuck up, just shut up. Is there any security in this place?” I was worried that he’d leave the stage. But he gave as good as he got. “I’m just trying to do my job here. Do I come down to the 7-11 and unplug the Slurpee machine when you’re working? Do I go to the Greyhound station and kick in the bathroom stall when you’re trying to make a buck? You know, Mom, I know we’ve had our differences, but do you really have to do this?” It was great. She shut up, or at least disappeared, and the show went on.
I only remember the last 3 songs- “I’ll Take Care of You”, “Skeletal History”, and “Methamphetamine Blues”. Then they left the stage, there was the obligatory 5 minutes of cheering, and they came back out to do two songs. There were 3 listed on the setlist, but after 2 they left. We cheered more, then Greg Dulli came out (I really liked him, he seemed pretty cool) and introduced Mike Johnson, Van Conner, Ben Shepherd, Mark Lanegan, “and of course, myself”. Seriously, I thought people were going to lose it. They did (I might be wrong about the first one, Josh and I don’t remember for sure) “River Rise”, then “Dollar Bill”. Yeah, people lost it. It was fucking awesome. Also kind of funny to watch 3 bass players get up and play guitar (Mike and Van on accoustic, Ben on electric). Then they went offstage, Van wandering around on stage before wandering off. Then Greg and Mark came out and sang “Number Nine” from the Twilight Singers’ ‘Blackberry Belle’ album together. They offered to take requests (I don’t need to say that someone requested the F-song, do I?), and settled on Alice Cooper’s ‘I’m 18’. All well and good, except Mark only knew the first verse and the chorus. So as the chorus ended, Greg asked Mark if he was ok on the 2nd verse. Mark said something, then quickly stepped back from the mike, waved, said goodnight and walked off. Then the house lights came up.
After the show, we talked to Van for a moment and asked about the supposed Trees album coming out. Apparently Epic in Europe wants to do a 2-cd box of greatest hits and unreleased tracks, and the album that might come out on Rekords Rekords IS the lost Trees album, but it needs to be mastered and Mark wants to re-sing his vocals, because he sounded like shit then.
Special thanks to Josh/diggabug for help on this. Please don’t hesitate to correct anything! I was real excited and didn’t remember as well as I could.
review by Aaron
To concur with everyone else, the show rocked. I am very impressed with the new material that was played and thought it was a sweet that Dulli was there as well.
We arrived at the show fashionably early to catch a few drinks in the Green Room and listen to the soundcheck. Amphetamine Blues sounded good even though there was other music playing in the bar.
Mark really burned the woman and the few others who were heckling him during the intro to “Message to Mine”. I’m listening to it now and this is exactly what he says:
“Get the fuck out of here. Go back to Tijuana and go fuck a Donkey. You payed good money to come up here and give me shit I ought to kick your fucking head in. Get the fuck outta here. Hey, is there any security guys in here ‘cos my mom is giving me a hard time. C’mon mom, I know we’ve had our differences but I’m tryin’ to work. Do I come down to 7-11 and unplug the slurpee machine when you’re workin’? Do I come kick the stall door in at the Greyhound station when you’re giving head? Why do you come here and give me shit when I’m workin’? What’s your fuckin’ problem lady? It’s not my fault genetics weren’t kind to you. I am singin’, why don’t you shut the fuck up.”
Mark seemed pretty pissed and I was afraid he was going to walk off the stage.
review by Kirk
alright here we go: pendulum, borrachio(break in the action to call this woman assorted names,”listen lady, I’m working here i don’t come to greyhound station and kick down the bathroom stahl where your giving head do i?” message to,one way,sleep with me,don’t forget,???(didn’t recognize)???,no easy,miracle,creep coast,death don’t,jesus prog(real heavy),because of this into hotel back into because,I’ll take care,sketal hist.,meth blues.* 1st encore troy and mark acoutic mockingbird, she done into river rise. **2nd encore Dulli,van conner, ben sheppard and mark oooh and mike johnson carry home then DOLLAR FUCKING BILL!!!!!. ***3rd encore dulli and mark acoutic the twiglight singers tune number nine then the first verse of 18 by cooper.
allright here’s the review: the setlist should speak for it’s self but it dosn’t first my critisism (which is very minor in comparison) i really thought “the band” suffere noticably (sp?) without mike johnson it showed the basically just played power chords to everything, netson did not look happy. and after that heckle incident you could see it on the whole band and roadies (one of which had to be marks brother, i mean spitting image) faces they were almost like oh no looks like it’s gonna be a short night. but this is where my praises come in. Mark suckjed it up threw back a few choice insults put his game face on and carried the whole show, i have seen him with the tress at least 4 times and solo 3 and this time he was different full of piss and vinegar if you will. where in the past that(cakle from ugly middle aged woman) might have threw him off this time it sparked something intense i have never seen him sing like that fucking belting the songs out like pavarotti. all in all he was a different person i have said before that there is no way he’s clean from some of the pictures i’ve seen but i might actually think he is or he at least has it under control. when that second encore happened i swear to god some people were swelling up with tears, it looked like those commercials for the christian cd’s you can by on tv, where everyone is standing there just basking in the glory of god! all in all the man came through like a champ, also i was standing next to a beatiful girl who i made small talk with but i was to much of a wimp to ask for her number or even her name so if you read this mystery I’m sorry please e-mail me i want to marry you
15 December, 2003, The Boardwalk 350, Sacramento, CA.
review by Kylee
Where to begin? I made a trip out of Mark Lanegan’s 3 California tour dates. Along with visiting a couple cities I’d never seen before, I was blessed with the opportunity to see my favorite musician three times.
The Sacramento show began a bit later than the final two shows. Enemy went on stage well after ten and played their standard set, which was outstanding on the parts of all three members. Troy is a lot more animated as frontman, joking around with the crowd, and moving around more. For example: after the set, before Kellii and Eddie could even get off the stage, Troy got down into the crowd, pretended he was a crowd member, and yelled, “You guys suck! Get the fuck off the stage!”
While the crowd for Enemy was sparse in the beginning, the guys proved their stuff and by the end there were more folks up front. This included a couple of idiotic women who actually WROTE their “requests” on a few of the set lists while the people setting up weren’t looking. Have some respect, people. By the time Lanegan was due out, the crowd, while still very small, was standing up waiting. For reasons unknown to the crowd at the time, Lanegan took his time coming out. At one point a crew member came out and crossed some of the songs off of the set list.
Finally, Mark came out… …
and disappeared into another door. Within a minute, however, he was climbing up the steps to the stage. The band got situated and the opening notes to Pendulum began. Up until that moment, I’d never had the opportunity to see Lanegan solo — only with Queens of the Stone Age. While it was definitely spectacular to see him live, it became obvious immediately that something was wrong. He did not look well (as well as he usually does, at any rate).
If I recall correctly, they played Pendulum (foregoing Borracho, which had been crossed off broke my heart), Message to Mine, One Way Street, Sleep With Me, (foregoing Don’t Forget Me, which hadn’t been crossed off), Wedding Dress, Little Bit of Rain, No Easy Action/Miracle, Creeping Coastline, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, (foregoing On Jesus’ Program, which hadn’t been crossed off, again breaking my heart!), (forgoing Because of This/Hotel, which had been crossed off), I’ll Take Care of You, (foregoing Skeletal History, which hadn’t been crossed off at any show but was never played at any California date), and Methamphetamine Blues.
The band exited, while the stage was prepared for the acoustic songs in the encore. It was not to be, however; after a moment they simply began breaking down the setup, with no encore. This was a disappointment, but the crowd took it well and simply began filing out. I was speaking to someone near where we’d been standing up front for the show, and Greg Dulli and Troy Van Leeuwen came over for a bit of a chat. They also explained that Mark had the flu very badly (as it had gone through the whole band throughout the course of the tour) so this was why the show ended up being comparatively short. Neverthless, it was definitely special to finally be seeing Lanegan’s solo work live, although I did feel bad for him because he obviously felt like hell during the show. He’s a trooper!
| 16 December, 2003, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA.
review by Kylee Where to begin? I made a trip out of Mark Lanegan’s 3 California tour dates. Along with visiting a couple cities I’d never seen before, I was blessed with the opportunity to see my favorite musician three times. The San Francisco show had a lot better turnout than the Sacramento show. Also, Mark was feeling a lot better than he had in Sacramento. Unfortunately, however, Greg Dulli was sick and had been throwing up. Luckily Greg felt better by show time and after another excellent set by Enemy, the Mark Lanegan Band was in top form for the San Francisco show. If I had to choose, in fact, I think I would say that between the three California shows this was my favorite. The venue was absolutely beautiful and the difference from the previous night was obvious, due to Mark’s improved health. Plus, we got to hear both Borracho and On Jesus’ Program, which had been absent in Sacramento — absolutely beautiful. He really growled ’em out with everything he had. Also, Wedding Dress was very fun to hear at every show. It’s got such a slow, catchy beat that it even had Mark moving his head back and forth. This night there was an encore, the typical Mockingbirds, She Done Too Much/River Rise, and Fix. Troy is an excellent guitarist in any case, but he really is outstanding on an acoustic guitar, and it was great to hear the music stripped down and acoustic, more similar to his previous solos. After the show the band, humble as it is, helped the crew load everything into the bus. Mark Lanegan, however, after signing a few things for fans, disappeared down the San Francisco street into the dark. setlist from Pete
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17 December, 2003, El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA.
review by Kylee
Where to begin? I made a trip out of Mark Lanegan’s 3 California tour dates. Along with visiting a couple cities I’d never seen before, I was blessed with the opportunity to see my favorite musician three times.
The final Enemy set of the tour had Troy and the guys dressed up for the Los Angeles crowd a little more than the previous two shows. They rocked as usual, with many cheers for Kellii Scott who I was very impressed by.
Mark Lanegan Band got up on stage in a fairly timely fashion, once again opening with Pendulum. Borracho was breathtaking as usual, and I love the way Message to Mine kicks in. Death Don’t Have No Mercy was also outstanding, although the lyrics have apparently changed from the studio track. On Jesus’ Program was once again beautiful, although I think the upped tempo decreases its moving power a little bit. The ‘Iiiii’ve.. loved and lost’ in I’ll Take Care of You prompted more than one yell from some of the females in the crowd. If I remember correctly, the set list this time was the same as Sacramento, which was:
Pendulum
Borracho
Message to Mine
One Way Street
Sleep With Me
Don’t Forget Me
Wedding Dress
Little Bit of Rain
No Easy Action/Miracle
Creeping Coastline of Lights
Death Don’t Have No Mercy
On Jesus’ Program (sped up)
Because of This/Hotel
I’ll Take Care of You
Methamphetamine Blues
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Mockingbirds (acoustic)
She Done Too Much (acoustic)/River Rise
Fix
But no, that’s not all! For the final song of the show, they set up a microphone for Mr. Greg Dulli and Mark (with the use of a scribbled lyric sheet) and Greg Dulli together sang their track from Twilight Singers — Blackberry Belle, Number Nine. It could have used a bit more practice, but it was very special to hear as that CD had been an integral part of my road music. All in all, the guys did a great show every night in California, sticking it out even when they were extremely sick with the flu, and Troy, Brett, Eddie, Norman, and Kellii are all outstanding musicians and did an excellent job of being Mark Lanegan Band and Enemy. As for Mark, I don’t need to tell ya that he is one magnificent musician… but I will anyway. Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Lanegan is one magnificent musician. And that is that!