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Mark Lanegan Live Appearances, 2010
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Spring UK/Europe/and More Solo Acoustic Tour
(Volcanic Eruption Tour)
featuring Dave Rosser on Guitar and Duke Garwood opening
review by Lungsey
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Tivoli, Utrecht april 20th 2010 & the
Effenaar, Eindhoven april 21st 2010
Opening Artist: Duke Garwood
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
thing that has surrounded my everyday life since march last year: my husband’s illness and the fact that he will not be with me for years to come. You ever seen Leonardo DiCaprio in “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”
when he blurs out “I could go at any minute”? That is basically my husband’s state of mind: he could go at any minute but he is determined to enjoy life until his very last one.
So….. when we heard Lanegan was supposed to play an acoustic tour we were desperate to get tickets but
knew that there was always the possibility my husband would be too ill to see him once the gig was on. Just one of the more complicated things these days: you make plans, stay positive, but never quite know how the
cards are dealt. And then there’s the other thing: where going to gigs was never 100% fun for me, phobia-ridden as I am, these days there is also the physical problem that arrises. My husband can’t stand up for
say 15 minutes because of this god awful disease, and the same goes for me because apparently our love that has been going strong for 30 years is so symbiotic that I have unwillingly decided to refuse the ability to
walk or stand up for the same length of time. Any gigs these days can only be attended by us if we get chairs to sit in. It makes us feel twice our age and it is hard to have to ask for special treatment. But in our determination to grab life by the throat this is what we do.
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
sometime and I taped some songs (but can’t for the life of me figure out how to put them on bloody Youtube) to share, and am happy to see there’s a lot floating around already. A special word for Barriers: my dear we
feel so sorry you couldn’t make it over, and yes we have totally enjoyed your hotel-booking, thank you thank you thank you, wait for snail mail etc.
Tivoli Utrecht Setlist:
1. When Your Number Isn’t Up
2. One Way Street
3. No Easy Action
4. Miracle
5. River Rise
6. All My Trials
7. Like Little Willie John
8. Don’t Forget Me
9. Shiloh Town
10. Message to Mine
11. Can’t Catch The Train
12. Mirrored
13. Resurrection Song
14. Roman Wall Blues
15. The Harp
16. Sunrise
17. One Hundred Days
18. On Jesus Program
—-
19. Bombed
20. Wild Flowers
21. Hangin Tree
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
music isn’t overly uplifting at the best of times, but my attention was mostly drawn by little twists in songs that I had never heard before (the stunning way he sang “So lonesome in my playground, you baby, go
straight to my head” in Miracle) and by songs I don’t think I’d ever heard live before (Roman Wall Blues, All My Trials). There was this constant feeling of loss for what me and my husband once had and will
never get back (under normal circumstances I would be sat against a wall somewhere in the back drifting away on Purple Power & Lanegan’s voice – now I was sitting on a chair next to my husband and sticking out like a sore thumb) but the happiness of being there with mah man was overwhelming. Something no doctor would have expected, and something I was afraid to hope for. But we made it and it was amazing from start to finish. The funniest part must have been this total look of confusion on Lanegan’s face when two roses where thrown onto the stage near the end. God I should have had my camera out then…..
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:
The Effenaar Eindhoven Setlist – pretty much the same:
1. Field Song
2. One Way Street
3. No Easy Action
4. Miracle
5. River Rise
6. All My Trials
7. Like Little Willie John
8. Don’t Forget Me
9. A Shanty Mans’ Life
10. Message to Mine
11. Can’t Catch The Train
12. Mirrored
13. Resurrection Song
14. ????? (someone will fill this in on the Forum, if you’ve never been;
go to the Forum!)
15. Sunrise
16. One Hundred Days
17. On Jesus Program
—-
18. When Your Number Isn’t Up
19. Bombed
(- not sure if I missed one here)
20. Wild Flowers
21. Hangin Tree
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
balcony to make a point. But I was keeping things civilized…. regardless of the twats it was still a great show, though Lanegan’s voice seemed to give him some trouble, or maybe the soundman wasn’t
doing what he needed to do, I dunno, I know fuck all about music. Again, some of the songs blew me away, to hear Lanegan sing so clearly is just a great treat. To me it is the first fantastic clear sounding gig since
the Lola’s Lounge boot; I know Lanegan sounded great at the Campbell gigs and the Evening with Greg Dulli ones but this was just….. better. Around the start of the encores it sort of became pretty dark, I think
perhaps the light-dude had buggered off already. It made the last few songs even more intimate, but alas, my camera wasn’t taking any of it and, like the light-dude, decided to call it a night. My husband and I had a wonderful, extremely good couple of gigs. We never thought we’d see Lanegan again, and I doubt I could bare to see him when my husband is no longer with me. I feel priviledged to have witnessed this, and am endlessly grateful to Raeni and Barriers to make this such a great experience. Oh yeah, and thanks to Mark Lanegan and Dave Rosser….. excellent stuff! And to Mark Lanegan: thank you for all the times me and mah man got to enjoy your music. Your music has helped me in the past and will help me in my future life, however hard it will get.
And to anyone: if you get half a chance of seeing this tour – go for it!
Do not miss out! (And check the Forum for some really good recordings
and photos!!).
~ Lungs
review by Foz (6 Days From Tomorrow)
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
April 24th 2010
Opening Artist: Duke Garwood
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
One Way Street
No Easy Action / Miracle
River Rise
Like Little Willie John
Don’t Forget Me
Can’t Catch the Train
Message to Mine
Mirrored
Resurrection Song
Julia Dream
Sunrise
One Hundred Days
On Jesus’ Program
————————
Encore:
When Your Number Isn’t Up
Hangin’ Tree
Where the Twain Shall Meet
review by Foz (6 Days From Tomorrow)
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Academy 3, Manchester, UK
April 25th 2010
Opening Artist: Duke Garwood
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
One Way Street
No Easy Action / Miracle
River Rise
Shiloh Town
Like Little Wille John
Don’t Forget Me
Where The Twain Shall Meet
Message to Mine
Can’t Catch the Train
Mirrored
Resurrection Song
Julia Dream
Sunrise
One Hundred Days
On Jesus’ Program
————————–
Misirlou (?) Feat. Duke Garwood
Traveler
Bombed
Wild Flowers
Hangin’ Tree
review by Killian (http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.com/2010/04/concert-review-mark-lanegan-academy-2.html)
Acedemy 2, Dublin, Ireland
April 29th, 2010
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.
So on to the main act. Lanegan shuffled onto the stage, walking through the crows with guitarist Dave Rosser in tow. He played a fair selection from most of his solo albums, while also touching on his collaborations with Soulsavers and Queens of the Stone Age, and also reached back to his Screaming Trees days.
The crowd was mostly pretty respectful, barring a few people chattering at the back. Lanegan himself was in pretty good voice for the most part, at least in his most comfortable range, though he struggled a little with the higher notes. He was his usual gruff self, with little between song banter, just allowing the songs themselves to do the talking.
Some of the songs were transformed in this format, in particular Little Willie John which mutated from bellowing blues on Bubblegum to a kind of muted glory here. It worked really well. Other highlights included obscure B-side Mirrored and Message to Mine. As for his Screaming Trees stuff, Where the Twain Shall Meet struggled a little with the acoustic setting but Traveller got a great reaction.
The funny thing with Lanegan which sets him apart from most artists who’ve been around as long as he has is that for most artists, the crowd are baying for old favourites. Not so for Mark Lanegan. If anything, the newer Field Songs / Bubblegum material got the best reaction, while older songs such as River Rise and Wild Flowers were received with polite indifference.
Just a word on Dave Rosser, he provided slightly strange sounding backing vocals to some of the tracks but was pretty much overshadowed by Lanegan, whose ability to reconnect with his older material showed a degree of vulnerability not seen since his late 90s days. A minor grope was no new material, but he breathed new life into some of his back catalogue here, showcasing raw emotion in the likes of One Way Street and Resurrection Song.
review by ni4979
Roisin Dubh,Galway,Ireland
April 30, 2010
Paul O’Reilly provided support. His gentle strum and sweet voice were hard to discern despite the fact that I was front row due to a poor mic and a very noisy audience. I was somewhat concerned how the show was going to proceed but this proved baseless.
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
Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, UK
Sunday May 2nd, 2010
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
One Way Street
No Easy Action
Miracle
River Rise
Shiloh Town
Like Little Willy John
Don’t Forget Me
Where The Twain Shall Meet
Message To Mine
Cant Catch The Train
Mirrored
Julia Dream
Resurrection Song
Sunrise
One Hundred Days
On Jesus’ Program
Traveler
Bombed
Wild Flowers
Hangin’ Tree
review by Foz (6 Days From Tomorrow)
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
May 3rd 2010
Opening Artist: Duke Garwood
“Uh… we’re gonna be doin’ this set acapella”
A slight delay with the main act tonight when Dave Rosser’s guitar wasn’t making any discernable noise, although this was soon solved through the application of (technical term, I believe) a small amount of jiggling, and then we were underway for the last show that I would be catching on this tour.
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
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
May 3rd 2010
Opening Artist: Duke Garwood
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
Mark Lanegan- Solo Acoustic Tour 2010, 4th, 8th, & 9th May 2010
London/Brussel/Berlin 2010
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.
In my opinion, the show in Brussel was the best of the three shows I attended, even if the amazing city and the cheap beer probably influence my judgement… The venue is one of the best I’ve ever been too, the quality of the sound is amazing and the setting is great. The venue is neither too big nor too small and you can stand on two balconies if you want to have a good look at the stage. I totally understand why Lanegan always plays there when he tours Europe, he seems to love it and the feeling is mutual as on the venue’s website, they refer to Lanegan as their “favourite artist”. Once more the show was sold out, but we easily found a spot against the stage as many people were staying in the bar area. This time Duke Garwood was playing alone and I actually prefered his performance like that, it made for a more intimate show and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Lanegan went onstage right on time and, once more When your number isn’t up proved to be the perfect song to begin the show, everybody went silent and I didn’t hear a word during the whole show. The set list was basically the same as in London except for the encore. When the show ended, the light went on and the house music went on again but the audience cheered so much that the roadies ended up leaving the stage. After more than five minutes of loud cheering, Lanegan and Rosser had to come back onstage for a second encore. They seemed pretty happy about it and this time, they played two songs: Field Song and Shanty’man life. They both thanked the crowd and unfortunately, this time, they left for good. There are no words to describe how great this show was, god knows I attend a lot of shows, but this one felt pretty special. That’s also the only show where there was a full merchandising with the Live at Leeds CD but also all his other albums, hoodies and shirts I had never seen before for both men and women.
The show in Berlin was pretty similar. The venue was packed and we had to go there early to buy one of the last tickets that was on sale that night. I missed most of Duke Garwood’s performance as I arrived during the last song, but as people were staying at the bar, once more, I managed to stand near the stage. There were no major changes in the set list and people were pretty respectful except for some guys near the bar that kept chatting until they were told off by someone. The show was great but felt very short, even though the crowd kept cheering for a long time, they didn’t come back for a second encore (I was getting used to them!) that’s why I probably felt like it could have been longer. The merchandising was stripped down to the Live CDs and, as I bought several of them for people on the board, the guy made me swear that I wasn’t gonna sell them on Ebay! It felt weird that it was my last show on this tour as I had gotten used to the routine of seeing them every other days. I strongly encourage anyone to attend at least one show if they have the opportunity, I don’t think it could be any better, I was a bit disappointed when I heard the shows were acoustic but it turns out that it’s the best way to see a singer like Lanegan, even if he’s not quite the showman, his voice is enough to make it an amazing performance.
review by GLT
Mark Lanegan- Solo Acoustic Tour 2010, Hamburg, Germany, Uebel & Gefaehrlich
Saturday 8th May 2010
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
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
Encore
Misirlou (with Duke Garwood)
Traveler (with Duke Garwood)
Bombed
Wild Flowers
Hanging Tree
review by Guilanz
Vienna, Austria, Flex
12 May, 2010
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.
2. Flawless soundcheck
3. Mark looked good, his voice sounding better than ever.
4. The venue (Flex), a long dark tunnel under the subway tracks, had great acoustic and was almost full. Even getting drinks at the bar turned out to be easy for a change.
A surprisingly youngish crowd welcomed his Majesty.
A goosebump show, with a setlist mostly from Bubblegum and Field Songs. In no particular order, Mark sang:
| – When you number isnt up (excellent kick-off, set the tone for the rest of the show) – 100 days – Bombed – Like Little Willie John – Message to mine – Wildflower – River rise – One way street – Dont forget me – Resurrection song – Shiloh town – On Jesus program – Where the twain shall meet – Traveller and three or more numbers, sorry no recollections (I was kinda beersighted). The acoustic pitch of Dave Rosser (for few numbers joined onstage by Duke Garwood) was simple, gentle, and restrained. |
|
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.
Too irritatingly perfect?. 🙂
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.!
GL
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
Vienna, Austria, Flex
12 May, 2010
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.
The flex is a club and concert venue and although it`s a great clubbing location, I don’t really like it for shows as it’s a long and rather smallish room which usually means that you don’t see much of the stage or the performers unless you get to the front rows.
Altough the Flex was quite full (and incredibly hot) we got lucky in this aspect and managed to get a place to the left side of the stage only a couple of rows back.
Duke Garwood started his set at around 8.30 and it was the first time I got to hear him live as I missed him last year when he was opening the “Evening with Greg Dulli & Mark Lanegan” show in Vienna’s WuK because I arrived there late.
Mark Lanegan was scheduled to start at 9.30 but there was only a break of about 20 minutes, before Mark Lanegan and Dave Rosser appeared on stage and started the show with a haunting version of “When Your Number Isn’t Up” a good 10 minutes early.
One of my personal favourites of the evening was “Mirrored”, a song I have always loved but would never have expected to hear live one day and the sparse instrumentation really suited the song very well adding to it’s general atmosphere.
“Message To Mine” and “Resurrection Song” were other personal highlights, both songs being absolutely mesmerizing live as well as a downbeat version of Pink Floyd’s “Julia Dream”.
Were I was standing the crowd was pretty respectful and there wasn’t a lot of chattering or other disturbances, the audience really listening to the performers attentively.
In conclusion it was a really great show with incredible perfomances from all concerned and my first opportunity to see a solo show from Mark Lanegan which made it all the more special for me.
Can’t wait for the next opportunity to see him live!
The show lasted around 65-70 min and the complete setlist as far as I remember was:
When Your Number Isn’t Up
One Way Street
No Easy Action
Miracle
River Rise
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
The River Rise
One Hundred Days
On Jesus’ Program
Misirlou (with Duke Garwood)
Traveler (with Duke Garwood)
Bombed
Wild Flowers
Hangin’ Tree
review by Riccardo
Milan, Italy, Magazzini Generali,
May 13, 2010
ok, let me try to write some word about.
yesterday I was in Milan with my girlfriend and two our friends. We live near Florence, so we have to do a 300 km (187 miles) trip and when we can we make a “culture day”, matching concert in the night with museum or art exhibition in the afternoon.
the other time there were Gutter Twins in Milan we saw a very beautiful Bacon exhibition, another time we did Alela Diane with Hiroshige in Rome and so on… this time we matched Lanegan with Schiele. but I’m here not to talk about painting but about music, so go on!
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.
When we came back to the car to leave shopping bags with Schiele’s exhibition catalogues and take jackets – there were 7pm, and we know concert will started at 8.45 with duke garwood – and while we were
talking to go to a japan take away in the proximity to quickly make a dinner, a man come closer to us asking if we wanna some tickets!! I ask him how much he want for and he answered 35 euros (in presale was 22
euros), I told him no thanks, and we go; but after some meters another man asked the same question, quikly we realize there’re 4 or 5 ticket-touts outside the venue, we cursed two or three times and we went
to eat.
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
Lanegan in a sarcastic way “do you wanna a ticket? They sell tickets!!”, Lanegan make a sardonic smile curling half of is mouth and turning up is eyebrow while going on straight to the venue. We and other people laugh, take a look to the ticket-tout considering it like a piece of crap and went to the venue.
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,
now standard, set!! but that are Lanegan’s standard and the man was in great form!! I hoped, and with me many other peaople, for a second encore, but nothing.
I hope all you will have opportunity to see Lanegan in this acoustic way because it’s a great event!!!
There’re still selling Leeds cd, my girlfriend bought one to me as gift, sorry I didn’t buy more because financial problems, really sorry about that. They sell them at a little high price, 15 euros for a cd-r it’s a
little bit much I think.
Sorry for my bad english.
Ciao, Riccardo
|
Magazzini Generali setlist: when your number isn’t up |
 |
review by Tanja http://www.music-photocalypse.net/reports/lanegan.php
Helsinki, Finland, Nosturi
May 24, 2010
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
2.One Way Street
3.No Easy Action
4.Miracle
5.Shiloh Town
6.Like Little Willie John
7.Don’t Forget Me
8.Where The Twain Shall Meet (Screaming Trees)
9.Bell Black Ocean
10.Message To Mine
11.Can’t Catch The Train (Soulsavers)
12.Mirrored
13.Resurrection Song
14.Julia Dream (Pink Floyd cover)
15.River Rise
16.One Hundred Days
17.On Jesus Program
18.Traveler (Screaming Trees)
19.Bombed
20.Wild Flowers
21.Hangin’ Tree (Queens Of The Stone Age)
review by Andrea
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Samsung Studio, Buenos Aires Argentina
June 25th 2010
Two hours and fifteen minutes by bus, one hour of waiting at the terminal plus one hour crossing the Rio de la Plata by Ferry to get to Buenos Aires to attend this show. It was supposed to start at 10.00 PM but the doors of the club didn’t open until 10:15 so the show started around 11:10. I don’t know what
caused the delay, maybe just bad organization.
Samsung Studio is a beautiful place with great sound. The show was sold out so it was packed and with seats. Did I mention I was on the first row? 🙂
I thought that maybe some people were going to chat during the set but fortunately the crowd was very enthusiastic and respectful. The set list was almost the same as the European shows but he sang a
beautiful new cover “This strange effect” that I found it is a Ray Davies song (this song was handwritten on the set list, maybe a last minute addition) The songs that received bigger cheers were the Trees songs, Don’t forget me, On Jesus Program, Resurrection song and Hangin’ Tree.
Even though it was just a guitar and a guy singing they sounded very powerful, I was amazed by his voice. I think this show was much better than last year’s Gutter Twins show at the Trastienda.
After the show was over we waited outside in the cold night hoping to see Mark leave as last year. I had asked some guy inside the club and he kindly told me that the place had two exits, the main one and
another around the corner on the parallel street, he told me to look for a van. There were quite a lot of people waiting near the main exit and a van was parked in front of it. The security guys of the club were very unkind and rude, somebody asked him if Mark was going to leave through this exit and he said he had already left through the other one. I did not believe him, never trust a security guy. I was with my sister and as the minutes passed we began to get very impatient and didn’t know if we should go to the other exit or leave
the place but the van with the tinted windows was there, it had to be that van. Some people left, even the security guys left so we decided to wait till 1.00. Suddenly the door opened and two guys went out, one went
straight to the van and the other looked around and spoke on his cell- phone. The van started and drove away. I told my sister that if the driver was going to pick Mark on the other exit it had to go around the
corner and we would see it cross the street. When we saw it all the people who were still there began to run like maniacs, the van had to stop at a red light so we had time enough to reach to the other exit as
Mark was being taken to the van, he turned around and looked at us. I was one of the first to arrive and just stared at him, I couldn’t say a word. Luckily some guy asked him if he had some minutes and he
sad “Sure”.
I got some cds signed and even shook his hand. He was very kind with everyone and talkative unlike last year when he didn’t talk much and didn’t take so much time with the fans as this time. Some guy gave him a present, a drawing of him, he seemed very moved. Other guy made him sign a Bukowski book and asked him if he liked him and he replied he did. Another told him he was his sex-symbol and he laughed. He signed a lot of stuff and took pics with everybody who asked. That was when I remembered my camera so I turned it on and began filming but my memory was full as I had recorded the entire show so the only shame was that I couldn’t take a pic of Mark, my sis and myself, as I had wanted for a long time. We have been fans since ’92. Maybe next time, third time is the charm.
As he entered the van I yelled to him “Come back next year”, I hope he
does!
1-When your number isn’t up
2-One way street
3-No easy action
4-Miracle
5-Shiloh town
6-Like little Willie Johnie
7-don’t Forget me
8-Where te twain shall meet
9-Bell black ocean
10-Mesagge to mine
11-Can’t catch the train
12-Mirrored
13-Resurrection song
14-Julia Dream
15-The river rise
16-One hundred days
17-On Jesus Program
18-This Strange Effect
19-Traveler
20-Bombed
21-Wild flowers
22-Hanging tree
review by Anthony
from his blog at: http://somethingsweettothrowaway.blogspot.com/2010/07/mark-lanegan-772010.html
Mark Lanegan & Dave Rosser ~ Corner Hotel, Melbourne, AU
July 7th 2010
Does The Corner seem bigger to you? Did they used to have a false ceiling? It’s been a while since I was in there and Mark Lanegan is definitely a great reason to return.
Amaya Laucirica is supporting Mark throughout the Australian tour. Her enchanting voice coupled only with her acoustic guitar is a stark contrast from Lanegan’s guttural style but both so fittingly beautiful.
Amaya strummed as the backdrop to my old friends and long lost greetings, sharing stories and a quiet drink. As with us, I feel she was a little lost in the night’s anticipation and a lot of those standing weren’t fully receiving how amazing she was. Glass of wine, quiet bar and Amaya, would be a perfect night.
Mark walked straight out and before even a note was sung he captured the room. His presence is larger than anyone’s attention span and his career even more prevalent. Singing with Screaming Trees and living mostly in the shadows of the grunge explosion through to collaborating with such amazing musicians as Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) with the Twilight Singers / Gutter Twins and Queens Of The Stone Age to name a few. His raw talent leaves every man wishing they’d starting drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes decades ago with every woman left panting and whispering his name.
Permanent red tones bled from the lights, Dave Rosser (Twilight Singers / Gutter Twins) stood to his side strumming his acoustic and Mark with eyes shut, heart open, just stood there singing pure emotion and it came straight from his soul. It was like he was exorcising demons within himself and baring the darkest secrets of his, at times, somewhat troubled life.
From the first moments we were hooked. Gripped by his rustic tones and the honesty he pervades, Mark Lanegan’s unique vocal style in passing could be taken as raspy and harsh, but when you stop and listen you just fall right into that bass vibrato that seems to underline everything he does.
Mark played songs from throughout his career including solo work, side projects and two Screaming Trees tracks. He also brought us his take on a few covers including Pink Floyd and finished with the track written by Alain Johannes (Them Crooked Vultures touring member, QOTSA, Eleven, Desert Sessions) and made famous by Queens Of The Stone Age, Hanging Tree. Awesome finish.
A few mentioned that Mark didn’t look well and he left straight after the set. Dave wrote on his blog earlier in the day “We both got sick in New Zealand (hey, it’s SUMMER where we live!) and Mark was fighting to not lose his voice”. Mark, your voice was amazing, so obviously “tons of herbs & Sudafed” worked a treat.
If you haven’t experienced, jump on in heart first. It’s a beautiful ride.
Set list:
When Your Number Isn’t Up (Bubblegum – 2004)
One Way Street (Field Songs – 2001)
No Easy Action / Miracle (Field Songs – 2001)
Shiloh Town (Cover – Tim Hardin – I’ll Take Care Of You – 1999)
Little Willie John (Bubblegum – 2004)
Don’t Forget Me (Field Songs – 2001)
Where The Twain Shall Meet (Screaming Trees – Buzz Factory – 1989)
Message To Mine (Here Comes That Weird Chill EP – Bubblegum Preview – 2003)
Can’t Catch The Train (Soulsavers – Broken – Vocals / Co-wrote – 2009)
Mirrored (Hit The City Single – Bubblegum – 2004)
Resurrection Song (Field Songs – 2001)
Julia Dream (Cover – Pink Floyd – It Would Be So Nice Single B-Side / Relics- 1968)
The River Rise (Whiskey For The Holy Ghost – 1994)
One Hundred Days (Bubblegum – 2004)
On Jesus’ Program (Cover – Overton Vertis Wright – I’ll Take Care Of You – 1999)
Encore:
Traveller (Screaming Trees – Dust – 1996)
Bombed (Bubblegum – 2004)
Flowers (The Winding Sheet – 1990)
Hangin’ Tree (QOTSA – Songs For The Deaf – 2002)
review by glt
Mark Lanegan- Live at Union Chapel, London, UK
18th August 2010
I had been looking forward to this for some time, since getting a ticket after seeing one of the solo acoustic shows back in May in Hamburg and thought we may get something similar here.
However, what we got actually ended up surpassing that if anything and goes down as yet another excellent Mark Lanegan concert that I’m lucky to have witnessed.
I was looking forward to this having not been able to see the previous Lanegan shows here with either Greg Dulli or Isobel Campbell and had heard good things about Union Chapel.
I didn’t realise that it was actually a functioning church and it gave the show a somewhat surreal (ice creams were being sold before the opening act and also before Mark Lanegan’s set, reminiscent of an old cinema or theatre, and alcohol could also only be consumed in a bar at the back of the church so many people were watching performances whilst drinking tea, which was a little different), yet intimate feel, but also has great acoustics.
As for much of the acoustic tour of the spring, Duke Garwood opened with a short, bluesy set and I thought listening to him that the previously mooted Lanegan-Garwood collaboration project has the potential to be something very interesting and special.
I’m not sure if he was having a problem or two with his amplifier buzzing (he may have actually apologised for this at one point, but I couldn’t quite hear), but the set was enjoyable none-the-less.
After a break of half an hour or so, Dave Rosser and Mark Lanegan both made their way onto stage to great applause, with Mr Rosser picking up an electric guitar (which surprised me, as I was expecting another acoustic show), with the audience anticipating what was to come.
‘Field Song’ kicked off proceedings, and from the outset, it was clear that the acoustics lent themselves beautifully to helping project and amplify the voice of Mr Lanegan (which appeared excellent again, as it was on the previous acoustic show I went to).
The next few songs were also from the ‘Field Songs’ album, with an excellent version of ‘One Way Street’ followed by ‘No Easy Action’ and a beautiful version of ‘Miracle’.
A superb rendition of ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ followed, with Dave Rosser’s guitar effects producing an organ sound which not only complemented the rest of the music well, but felt very at-home in the church setting.
The first song of the night from the ‘Bubblegum’ album, ‘Like Little Willie John’ was next, and was greeted with loud applause, before ‘Field Songs’ was revisited with a superb ‘Don’t Forget Me’
Lanegan delved into his Screaming Trees catalogue next, with a performance of ‘Where The Twain Shall Meet, which has been performed often on the recent acoustic tour, but was a track which I felt really benefited from the electric guitar treatment, as did the next song, ‘Message To Mine’, which had great energy and was one of the highlights of the night for me, personally.
‘Mirrored’ followed, which is always beautiful and delicately sung by Lanegan and was no exception here.
What followed next was a cover of Ray Davies’ ‘This Strange Effect’, which I wasn’t expecting, but which seemed almost as though it was Mark Lanegan’s own. Beautiful and emotive it proved to be another highlight of what was turning into a fantastic show.
‘The River Rise’ was next and was again another example of Lanegan at his best. Then came ‘One Hundred Days’ which is possibly my favourite ‘Bubblegum’ song, and on which Dave Rosser proved excellent on providing the chorus backing vocals.
‘Hit The City’ came next, which obviously felt more suited to the electric nature of this set and was delivered to perfection, before the set closed with a haunting rendition of ‘On Jesus’ Program’.
The two men then left the stage, but after a short period of encouragement from the audience, they were soon back, delivering a wonderful version of ‘Traveler’ from the Screaming Trees final album, ‘Dust’.
There was the a visit to Lanegan’s first solo album with a version of ‘Wild Flowers’ which I felt was great on the acoustic tour but which seemed infused by an extra energy this time around.
To close the set out (and provide Screaming Trees fans with a real treat), the opener from the fantastic ‘Sweet Oblivion’ album, ‘Shadow of The Season’ was next.
Without a full band it was obviously a bit more stripped down than it appears on the album, but was no less excellent for this, with Lanegan seeming to put his all into some of chorus parts, which was simply spine-chilling.
Another ‘Trees’ song, ‘Dying Days’ followed, before the encore concluded with a majestic rendition of ‘Dust’ opener ‘Halo of Ashes’.
All-in-all, another superb show from Mark Lanegan (ably backed up once more by Dave Rosser) and the addition of some Screaming Trees tracks which hadn’t been played for some time was an additional bonus.
His upcoming ‘Hawk’ tour with Isobel Campbell certainly has a lot to live up too, based on this evidence (though on this kind of form, I wouldn’t bet against him being able to pull that off).
Setlist
Field Song
One Way Street
No Easy Action
Miracle
I’ll Take Care of You
Like Little Willie John
Don’t Forget Me
Where The Twain Shall Meet
When Your Number Isn’t Up
Message To Mine
Mirrored
This Strange Effect
The River Rise
One Hundred Days
Hit The City
On Jesus Program
————————
Traveler
Wildflowers
Bombed
Shadow of The Season
Dying Days
Halo of Ashes
review by Foz from his blog at 6 Days From Tomorrow (see blog for photos)
Mark Lanegan- Live at Union Chapel, London, UK
18th August 2010
I honestly thought that I would struggle to write this one up. I mean, this is the 4th time I’d seen Mark and David during this tour, how could it possibly be different? By absolutely nailing down an incredible performance, that’s how.
The Union Chapel in Islington is a singularly wonderful venue. Being an actual church, it’s perfect for carrying sound around the entire room – a small speaker stack (which in itself wasn’t so much a stack as a small, neat pile) was more than sufficient to lift Mark’s voice around all of the assembled congregation.
The setting is stunning for a live music venue. Performances take place in front of the pulpit (this show’s Towel Table suspiciously taking the form of a font) and beneath a huge stained glass window with angels playing various instruments above the inscription which is something along the lines of “Play on your harps and make music for our God” (I wish I’d written it down now), certainly fitting for a show of this nature. It’s also surprisingly big – wooden pews fill up the whole of the main area, plus further seating up in the balconies. It may have the feel of an intimate show, but it can’t half pack them in.
One notable change in setup however came from David Rosser’s setup. No acoustic guitars tonight, but an electric one with a rather interesting trick up it’s sleeve…
Performing these previously-acoustic arrangements with an electric guitar worked very well, David now exploring the spaces around each song and giving them his own distinct flavour – Bombed during the jaw-dropping encore in particular sounding far more expansive than it’s original incarnation – but also exercising restraint where required, One Hundred Days being an excellent example of sticking to the script, because change just isn’t necessary. The additional trick came from an additional MIDI pickup on his guitar, allowing for a whole range of additional backing embellishments. This came as quite a surprise the first time this was employed when I’ll Take Care Of You suddenly had a spectral organ accompaniment, but rather than a gimmick, this brought some amazing extra layers to the songs every time it was used.
The non-acoustic performance also gave whole new dimensions to some songs – Wild Flowers in particular given a whole new lease of life that lifted it far from The Winding Sheet’s isolated, understated original. Hit The City also took advantage of this plugged-in approach, although (as with the occasional Shelley-less Bubblegum shows of yore, compared to the times when she was there) the song does lack some of it’s punch without a feisty female vocal accompaniment.
The main set passed excitingly enough, with many notable highlights: Where the Twain Shall Meet, a Kinks-written Dave Berry cover in This Strange Effect and an utterly transcendent River Rise being the standouts for me. But it’s the encore that made the night all the more special. Screaming Trees favourites Dying Days, Shadow of the Season and Halo of Ashes appearing in quick succession and played at full pelt which made one forget that there was only two guys on stage. The latter song was especially breathtaking due to David taking the song’s sitar motif and turning it into a full-blooded middle-eastern drone. Incredible.
And of course, central to this all is the voice and performance of Mark Lanegan. Looking decidedly chipper tonight with plenty of surreptitious air-guitaring of the microphone stand and a more laid-back physical manner than usual, he put his vocal chords right through their paces. Soft and gentle during This Strange Effect, down to a whisper during the middle part of Screaming Trees oldie Where the Twain Shall Meet, right up to a roar during the encores. Mark’s voice is often lazily-described as being somewhat one-dimensional, dark and malevolent (“gravelly” tends to be the catch-all), but this doesn’t cover half of what he’s capable of doing with it.
Given that it’s only been two people on stage throughout this tour, it’s genuinely amazing at the depth and difference in each performance I have seen this year, and this show tops it all of wonderfully. Fully deserving of their standing ovation after the show, it was a brilliant performance in a wonderful arena. And I now have to be nice for the rest of the week by way of penance, as I swore rather loudly and excitedly as Halo started. Ah well, only a couple more days to go…
Special mention should also be given to support act Duke Garwood – less chatty than usual, choosing instead to rattle through his repertoire of hypnotically-interesting dark blues, his full-volumed guitar filling the church in a most eerie way, and getting a rapturous cheer from the crowd for his work.
Set List:
Field Song
One Way Street
No Easy Action / Miracle
I’ll Take Care Of You
Like Little Willie John
Don’t Forget Me
Where the Twain Shall Meet
When Your Number Isn’t Up
Message to Mine
Mirrored
This Strange Effect
River Rise
One Hundred Days
Hit the City
On Jesus’ Program
Encore:
Traveler
Bombed
Wild Flowers
Shadow of the Season
Dying Days
Halo of Ashes
review by Emilie
Mark Lanegan- Live at Union Chapel, London, UK
18th August 2010
It is the first time I write a review in English for a gig, so please be indulgent with me as I’m French! For those of you who speak French, it’s better to read my French review, I gave the link on the forum.
So I live near Paris and desperately wanted to see a Mark solo show, not a Mark and Isobel show or Gutter Twins show or whatever. Not that I don’t like them (I’m going to the Café de la Danse gig this Saturday), but I wanted my first gig of him being a SOLO one. And when I want something, I want it, even if it was a stupid wish, as Mark is always Mark, never mind who is playing with him! Unfortunately, I realized only four months ago that I could afford the Eurostar to go to London, as Mark never goes to Paris for solo performances these days. I thought it was way more expensive. But it was too late for the Scala show which was sold out (thanks Cheekybee from the forum anyway to try and sell me a ticket a few days before). So you can imagine my happiness when I realized I could go to the Union Chapel instead! It was still difficult for me to go there alone (especially as I’m very shy), but hey, first time to London, first time to see Mark, and in a church!
So here I was, in front of the stage, third row. I liked Duke Garwood, not my kind of music, a bit boring, but I liked his performance nevertheless. I just can’t waited for Mark, and finally couldn’t believe it when he finally appears on stage. And the beginning with Field Song, it was the one I had in my head all day, such a sign! After that it was just a dream, a very short one unfortunately, but what a dream! I had the impression he was not in very good health, which is sad, but his voice definitely was great, especially in that church, and as Mark said himself, the décor was also perfect for the show. I must admit (what a shame) that I didn’t know well the Screaming Trees discography before that night, but I loved all the songs that were played. However, my preference goes to Don’t Forget Me. I love this song so much that, even if I knew it was always on the setlist, it was as if Mark and Dave played it just for us that night. Just for me. Awesome. Thinking about it, Dave is awesome too. I wasn’t at all prepared for an electric set, what a surprise, and a really cool one. Hit The City was so rock’n’roll. I’m a big QOTSA fan, but I didn’t even realize they didn’t play any QOTSA songs before my return to France, because the show was so perfect. I didn’t know Like Little Willie John was so popular, in fact in France Mark isn’t popular at all, people often listen to shit rather than music, so it was also a beautiful experience for me to go to a gig where everyone is really involved in the music and doesn’t talk all night to his neighbor. I will never, NEVER forget that night. Thanks so much to Mark and Dave, Duke, the audience, the staff which is so friendly…
To conclude, I’m very excited to see Mark again this Saturday, I doubt the show (without the church and that fantastic audience and above all the solo songs) will be at the same level, but I don’t mind as Mark will be there 😉
review by Randall
Mark Lanegan- Live at Academy, Dublin, Ireland
25th August 2010
So, I got my guestlist for the Mark Lanegan show in Dublin’s Academy tonight. Thanks to R: he knows who he is. And I decided to go. The show is not acoustic. It’s Mark singing and Dave playing an electric guitar. A duo. Dave used the same guitar for the entire show. I taped it. Main set was roughly 45 minutes, plus a 20 minute or so encore. The encore mainly consisted of Trees songs: Hanging Tree, Traveller, Shadow of the Season, and they finished with the mighty Halo of Ashes.
s per Mark’s usual MO, the stage was dimly lit; backlit with red lights, so you could barely see his face. But that’s the way he prefers it. One song had a synthesized backing track-it didn’t look like Dave was using a guitar pedal for it, but I may be wrong. Mark said ‘thank you’ a couple of times, but barely addressed the audience otherwise. The songs came fast, one after the other, no fucking around. The sound was amazing, and Mark is in fine voice.
What surprised me was that the Trees songs did not get a better reception than all the other songs. The crowd were wonderful, no talking, listening to every song, and sometimes applauding before the song was even finished. A crowd it was a pleasure to be part of. It’s not often that occurs for me! Maybe a lot of the audience discovered Mark post-Trees, and that’s why the Trees songs got the same warm, delighted reception as all of the other tunes (but not over and above the other tracks). I just figured, in my own head, that most Lanegan fans would have discovered him from the Trees. I guess he’s done enough work with other artists and solo that he’s cross-generational, and/or has fans willing to follow him down whatever paths he’s willing to tread next. It’s my own bias, so to speak. My copy of the show sounds amazing.
He’s selling a properly pressed (silver disc, and not CDR) live album called “Mark Lanegan Live at the Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne, Australia, June 8 2010. The cover is white and printed similar to an old vinyl bootleg. The cover is signed (I don’t need the autograph: I met him in Dublin in 2003 and got a Mark Lanegan promo postcard advertising Here Comes That Weird Chilled autographed while we chatted backstage that night), but this Melbourne live album does not come with a tracklisting on the rear sleeve or printed on the disc. Inserting into iTunes, the gracenote database has nothing on it, either. I don’t know how to submit to the database, so I guess I’m no help there.
I’ve now seen Mark with the Screaming Trees in the mid-90’s in Australia at the Big Day Out, to seeing him doing an electric gig with a backing band (who was also his support act) in the Village in Dublin in 2003 to an electric gig with Dulli as the Gutter Twins at Electric Picnic in Ireland in 2008, to seeing the acoustic ‘Evening with Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli’ in the same Dublin venue as tonight at the start of last year, to this ‘not-acoustic-but-quiet’ gig tonight. I think the Trees show was amazing, but being I’m a Dulli fan, too, I loved that “Evening With…” show. But the gig tonight was beautiful; it just shined, the focus firmly on Mark’s whiskey-and-cigarette soaked voiced, and relatively subtle guitar. Not much to SEE onstage, but to use an extremely well-worn and boring journalistic stereotype, the music really did do the talking.
Field Songs
One Way Street
No Easy Action
Miracle
I’ll Take Care of You
Like Little Willie John
Don’t Forget Me
Where the Twain Shall Meet
Message to Mine
Mirrored
This Strange Effect
The River Rise
One Hundred Days
On Jesus Program
Hit the City
When Your Number Isn’t Up
(encore)
Traveller
Bombed
Wildflowers
Hangin’ Tree
Shadow of the Season
Halo of Ashes
——-
Basically, the same as London with the omission of Dying Days and the addition of Hangin’ Tree. Personally, I’d have preferred the former, but sure you can’t have everything. What an amazing show. Having listened to the Melbourne ‘official bootleg’, I think having Dave play electric guitar opens the sound up a bit and enables a wider selection of material without detracting from the vocals.
review by Killian from his blog at Sacred Cowpats
Mark Lanegan- Academy, Dublin, Ireland
25th August 2010
Mark Lanegan has been spoiling his Irish fans, this was his second visit here in 4 months! I was sceptical about how different this show would be to the one in April, but I couldn’t let it pass without checking it out.
The gig was in the same venue as four months ago, but in the main area this time, which was just as well as the gig was jam packed. There were 2 support acts. The first was Jim McKee, a big haired northerner with a guitar and harmonica who was backed up by a girl playing an inaudible cello. He was somewhat unremarkable, not irritating, but not engaging. Ryan Sheridan followed, playing guitar with another guy playing a sort of ‘percussion’ box. There was great energy and enthusiasm on the stage, and the music wasn’t bad either, though he was let down by his ‘generic indie’ voice.
Anyway mainman Mark Lanegan came on stage soon after, with guitarist Dave Rosser, who replaced his acoustic guitar of 4 months ago with an electric. I’m not going to continue the hair motif, anyone else who was there can do that…
The early part of the set drew heavily on Field Songs, with I think 5 of the first 7 tracks coming from this album. Little Willie John was an early highlight, sung here in a lower, more understated style than the recorded version. As the gig went on it was hard not to fixate on Lanegan’s voice, sounding as powerful and as tuneful as ever, he really is in fine voice these days.
There were few major surprises, a Kinks cover sounded good but his own solo tracks really shone in this setting, especially One Hundred Days, a wonderful song, full of regret and a great big sad vocal.
They did quite a long encore, throwing in Screaming Trees tracks (Traveller, Shadow of the Season, Halo of Ashes) which left most of the audience bemused, and Queens of the Stone Age’s Hanging Tree, which got the best response of the night.
The faster tracks left part of me hankering for a heavier set up, drums, bass etc, though with just electric guitar Mark’s voice was given plenty of room to breathe. This was as good a Mark Lanegan gig as I’ve ever been to.
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2010 Shows with Isobel Campbell Mark was in great voice and the band was very promising musically so all in all a very good night. After a little waiting, we got to talk with the entire band, the Danish drummer and bassist who live in Arizona, the guitarist from Glasgow and Mark (who confirmed a solo album for next year) and Isobel (who doesn’t know if they’ll be back in Paris in December, I am an idiot for forgetting to ask if they would release the itunes and amazon exclusive on a physical release; if anyone could do ti if they have the chance…)
review by Barriers Isobel & Mark put on a lovely show at the Melkweg in Amsterdam last night (not as lovely as a solo show but I’ll stop mentioning that.) The venue had a very nice atmosphere and the crowd was generally behaved. Willy Mason had a nice opening set and though the crowd wouldn’t stop talking while he performed he still gave it his all and received a nice round of applause when he finished. Isobel & Mark put on a tight set starting off with the material from Hawk. The crowd was dead quiet while they were playing but loud as hell as soon as they finished, this is probably the first time I’ve ever heard a crowd being shooshed by other members of the audience though it was done to a point where half the crowd condescendingly started shooshing and by the end of the show there was so much shooshing going on the crowd probably would have been quieter if it weren’t for the original shooshing. That’s an awkward sentence. Isobel did most of the crowd addressing (I didn’t notice Mark saying anything but I could be wrong) but I couldn’t hear 90% of what she said because she quiet and the crowd was loud and shooshing. Mark left about half-way through the set sounding absolutely fantastic. Probably the best I’ve ever heard him but this would only be my 5th time seeing him (QOTSA, 2x Gutter Twins & Soulsavers) and Isobel’s quieter band (that really seems to hold back, drummer in particular) allows for a more intimate vocal experience. Willy Mason came on and did three (I think) songs with Isobel and he really won me over, him & Isobel performing ‘No Place to Fall’ was wonderful and I’m going to stop hating on it when I listen to Hawk. When he left he probably got just as big of an applause as when Mark came back on stage. I don’t think I was the only once he impressed. After that Isobel did a couple songs on her own. And I must say, she rocks a mean cello. Mark came out for the last half of the set and naturally did the encore. They were still selling the Live in Australia cd’s and Isobel & Mark both did the meet & greet/signing autograph thing afterword. Mark seemed strangely comfortable talking to a never ending line of people and always had a smile on his face, it was odd he must be gettiung used to it. I didn’t have anything to sign so I just thanked Isobel for including Toronto on their next tour and told Mark the next time he did a solo album if he wanted to tour within a thousand miles of there that would be awesome. I doubt it worked. All in all, great show, highlight’s of the show: Wedding Dress. Above and beyond everything else. Great closer and I’m just glad to hear some solo material. The set list (in the wrong order and definitely missing some)
We Die and See Beauty Reign with Willy Mason: Isobel solo: Mark back again (woot!): Encore: review by Todd October 15th was the date. The Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC was the venue. I had been waiting four years for this concert. Since 2006 and the release of Ballad of the Broken Seas (their first album together) I have waited, impatiently at times, to see them together in concert. I have seen Lanegan in concert seven times in a variety of settings and styles. From stripped down acoustic shows with Greg Dulli, to production heavy shows with the Soulsavers, to hard rocking shows with the Gutter Twins. However, I still had not seen him with Isobel. I had seen reports and videos of their concerts throughout Europe over the years, and always thought that they would come over here. It didn’t happen with Ballad of the Broken Seas, and it didn’t happen with their 2008 follow-up Sunday at Devil Dirt. I began to lose hope. I began to hear rumblings of another collaboration, that was to become Hawk. I was excited about the new album, but I didn’t think about a possible U.S. Tour. I assumed that they would do their usual European tour and be done with it. After all, Campbell is on a British label and not many people have heard of her, or Lanegan for that matter, in the U.S. It didn’t make that much sense to spend all the money sending them to the United States. However, I saw that they were having a U.S. tour. I still wasn’t convinced though. They had announced a few U.S. dates in 2008, but were ultimately canceled. I bought my ticket to the DC show a few days after they went on sale and I waited. The day finally came. On to the show! I met up with about five friends and we got to the venue about 20 minutes before the opening act started. Willy Mason opened the show and set the tone with his solo Alternative Country set. Mason is a really talented performer who had several good songs. As much as I wanted to see Mark and Isobel, I was content with Mason singing as many songs as he wanted. He ended his set at about 945 and we waited for the main act. We waited some more. Finally, after about 30 minutes, the band came out. Finally, Isobel and Mark were taking the stage. They started the set with the chilling “We Die and See Beauty Reign“. They sang a few songs from their newest record, Hawk, including the rollicking “You won’t Let Me Down Again“, the sultry “Come Undone“, and a great version of Townes Van Zandt’s “Snake Song“. They chose a few songs from Ballad of the Broken Seas including the title track complete with cello solo by Campbell. Lanegan sang the always chilling, “The Circus is Leaving Town“. He thanked the crowd and went off stage. Willy Mason who provided vocals on the album came on stage again much to the crowd’s delight, as his opening set was very popular. He sang the other Townes Van Zandt cover on the album, “No Place to Fall“. Being a huge fan of Van Zandt, I was very excited. He also sang “Cool Water” and one of his own original compositions. He left the stage to great applause and Lanegan came back on stage to great applause. It should be pointed out Campbell was very adept at getting Lanegan to smile and speak on stage – a rarity. They focused more on songs from 2008’s Sunday at Devil Dirt. They sang “Salvation“, “Who Built the Road” and “Backburner“. The band went off stage to great applause, and after a minute or two they came back on stage for the encore. They started the familiar strings of “Revolver” from Ballad of the Broken Seas. They also sang “Do You Wanna (Come Walk With Me)“. But, for me the highlight came at the end, with a rocking version of Hank Williams, Sr.’s “Ramblin’ Man” that appeared on Ballad of the Broken Seas, and the Lanegan classic “Wedding Dress” that tore the house down. I waited four years for that show. It was worth it.
review by David Confessions of a Noise fiend – Music Review – By: David Vanegas After her departure from Belle & Sebastian, Isobel Campell has kept herself busy writing solo material. I did not keep up with the Scottish pop band after their album “The Boy With The Arab Strap” (1998), so I only became aware of Campbell ’s solo efforts when I found, to my pleasant surprise, a review in some magazine about an album coming out in 2006 by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. Being a long time fan of Lanegan’s work and feeling curious about this unlikely match, I picked up a copy of “Ballad Of The Broken Seas”. However unlikely it seemed, the pairing of these two was an inspired idea. Lanegan’s voice is a dark and war-torn instrument, his exquisite delivery conjures visions of hard living and weariness. His golden voice is that of an ancient soul, the embodiment of a streetwise persona that draws a link between Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. Heck, he looks like a young Tom Waits. Campbell ’s material shares some musical elements with her former band, but it abandons any twee affectations and lays a stark foundation for Lanegan to let his smoky voice resound alongside Campbell ’s angelic chirp. While she wrote most of the material and played many of the accompanying instruments, she offers plenty of room to accommodate Lanegan’s talents. She gives him the lead in many of the songs, including the cover of Hank Williams’ “Rambling Man”. In the first track, “Deus Ibi Est”, the percussion stomps right in followed by Lanegan’s chilly, hoarse rasp which speaks of an inexorable fate brought upon him by unseen hands, while Campbell’s playful melody draws circles around him in the chorus. I’ve been hooked ever since. The success of their collaboration has resulted in two more albums, “Sunday At Dirt Devil” (2008) and this year’s “Hawk”, which also includes collaborations from folk singer Willy Mason and a couple of Towns Van Zandt covers. Red Door NY attended the second of two New York dates back in October at the Williamsburg Hall Of Music. The show’s set list (pictured) was delightfully long. Isobel and Mark demonstrated great chemistry on stage. A nice moment occurred when, as one of the songs was ending, the two singers, perhaps having missed a cue, turn to each other to share a good laugh, being the one moment in the entire night in which Mark let down his guard and broke character. Mark held his own with serious and unflinching concentration, while lovely Isobel effortlessly irradiated girlish charm. She picked up the cello for a few numbers and sang a duet with guest Willy Mason. The duo saved the best songs from “ Broken Seas ” for the encore: Lanegan’s “Revolver”, followed by Campbell ’s sweet “(Do You Wanna) Come Walk With Me?” and their cover of “Rambling Man”. One last treat for those of us who wish Lanegan came to NY more often was the closing song of the night, Lanegan’s “Wedding Dress”, a suave and sexy tune that may or may not indicate what this great duo would be doing after the show: “The end could be soon/we better rent a room/so you can love me.” review by Orange I’m primarily an Isobel fan who got into Mark’s work through this collaboration. I went to the Chicago show by myself on a last minute whim, knowing I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t. With tickets less than $20, how could I resist? I knew from reading a bit about their other North American shows that they would put on a good performance, and I was hardly expecting Isobel and Mark by the end of the night to be gazing soulfully into each other’s eyes as many of the uninformed journalists seem to think they will be. Willy Mason started bang on 10 p.m., maybe even a few minutes earlier. His voice was clear and pleasant, but while I enjoyed the songs at the time, they were unmemorable. Nice background music anyhow. The crowd was surprisingly quiet, although it was a bit sparse on the floor (I was in about the fourth row of standing people on Isobel’s side of the stage). However, it filled up a bit more when Mark and Isobel took the stage, although it never got oppressively crowded. I’ve never been to Lincoln Hall before, so I’m not sure how many people it can fit, plus I’m bad at estimating – maybe someone else can help out on that front. Willy played maybe about half-an-hour. I didn’t really keep an eye on the time. Mark and Isobel came onstage about an hour after Willy, which was a bit annoying as all their equipment was set up already (it’s just Mason and his acoustic guitar for the opening act). Plus, Jim McCulloch (he’s the bald, Scottish guitarist who’s co-written some of the songs and been with them since “Ballad”) came out to fiddle with his guitar soon after Willy left the stage, so I’d hoped that they would soon be making an entrance. Since I was alone (none of my friends are into either Isobel or Mark’s music) I was a bit bored. I don’t have a problem going to concerts by myself, but the standing around in silence isn’t any fun. I struck up a conversation with a nearby couple – hi Bob and Allison. They were Lanegan fans, but not die-hards. Finally the band made it to the stage. They played the usual set. I didn’t keep track of the setlist, but it seemed very similar to what they’ve been playing on the NA and recent European tour. The crowd was respectful – I never really heard any talking, which would have been painfully obvious on the quieter numbers. Like in previous shows, Mark left halfway through so Willy could come back on and sing with Isobel for three songs (the two the from “Hawk” and one of his own). Then Isobel did the solo “Sunrise,” and then Mark rejoined her. They closed out with the usual encore. After waiting an hour for them to take the stage, we hardly waited two minutes for them to come back for the encore. I didn’t even have time to send a text message. The ended with “Wedding Dress,” as usual, and it was as fantastic as I’ve heard on bootlegs and YouTube. For all that I was expecting Isobel and Mark to be statues during the performance, Isobel actually talked a lot more than I thought she would. When Willy was on singing with her, someone shouted out, “Why isn’t anyone smoking grass?” (Or something similar.) Isobel responded that lots of people were in Toronto (their show before Chicago) and that her bass player (one of the Norwegian Giant Sands guys) had wanted some, and had probably smoked some afterward. “I’m going to tell your mum,” she joked, but then backtracked. Apparently, the bassist has a cool mom who claims to be the first person in Norway to own a Bob Dylan record (so I guess she wouldn’t care that her kid smoked pot?). And some lady in the first row said that the Mason song Willy and Isobel sang on should have been on the “Crazy Heart” soundtrack, to which Isobel agreed (although I think she was just being polite as this lady was a bit weird). Also, earlier, someone shouted out, “Where’s your husband?” to the unmarried Campbell. “In the dungeon,” she laughed. Mark said a few mumbled words during the show, but I’m 99% sure they were directed to the crew, not the audience. Even though many reviewers rail about the lack of interaction between the pair, it was interesting to see how they communicate in the slightest gestures – nodding, widening eyes, etc. – to indicate when a song should stop or start. I had a great time. The songs were different enough from the records so you didn’t feel like you could have just stayed home and listened on iTunes. The backing band did a great job and it didn’t feel like they were just going through the motions, and I thought Isobel and Mark gave a lovely performance. review by Kerri I enjoyed myself tremendously, standing a few feet from Mark Lanegan was the near religious experience it ought to be (and I really wasn’t trying to get that close, it just happened that way, lucky me) and the music and performances were powerful and energetic. Also I went alone, as is my wont, but made a couple of “show buddies”, Charlie and a fellow forum member who’s name I didn’t catch (Hi there!). We kept each other amused while we waited, and, thanks to Charlie’s height (a useful tall person, I like those!) and company, I scored Mark’s setlist and got it autographed by both Isobel and Mark after the show (I managed a half-intelligible expression of admiration when I approached Mark, even getting my mouth to open was an effort as I was so tired and we were kind of pouncing on him as he went to the tour bus). Sadly, I don’t have much to say about Willy Mason beyond he has a nice voice. I wanted to like him, it wasn’t that, it’s just that he suffers from the same predicament that has affected pretty much every solo acoustic artist I’ve seen – they sound pretty monotonous. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait terribly long for Mark and Isobel to take the stage (the amusement to be had from the drunk behind me wore off pretty quickly – and you know who you are, young man!). Both Mark and Isobel were pretty quiet at first, as far as banter (well, Mark’s only verbal contribution to banter the entire night was a “Thank you” before he left the stage for Willy to come back on). Watching the facial expressions and nonverbal communication that passed between them was a treat, they definitely have a shorthand worked out and seemed pretty attuned to one another. Isobel was actually quite sweet and adorable throughout the show. At one point a gentleman in the audience called out to her, “Isobel, you’re beautiful!” which prompted from her “Thank you, I feel … disgusting,” then she went on to explain she and the boys had just spent two days driving across North Dakota and Montana, she also apologized a couple of times during the set for being so tired. Willy Mason was much more interesting when he came back out to sing with Isobel and the band, they performed a couple of duets from “Hawk” then one of his own songs, which was so much better with a band that I think Mr. Mason really should consider finding a backing band. Another highlight was during the encore, while performing “(Do You Wanna) Come Walk With Me” several audience members were singing along, so Isobel got the whole crowd to join in and led us encouragingly through a chorus, even pointing out that she was off key! Mark seemed like he might have been a trifle tetchy at the start of the set, telling the sound person (?) his vocals were all over the place and tersely commanding “Fix it.” I was even too intimidated to try to take pictures of him until I’d seen him smile a couple of times. It didn’t help that I was right in his line of vision whenever he glanced down at his notebook, I know he wasn’t looking at me but I still felt like I should behave extra well! Mark did loosen up quite a bit, he was hard to photograph because he was never still – he kept swaying and moving to the music, and turning to shoot glances and occasionally grins at Isobel. Musically, the band was incredibly tight and clearly really enjoying themselves, local Jeff Fielder (I hope I don’t have that wrong!) was quite fun to watch as he played. All of the band was fun to watch, I just had a better view of Jeff. When I approached Isobel after the show I nearly told her she should turn her vocals up more, she was pretty easy to hear but she does, as on the albums, seem to vocally defer to Mark, and sings under him, I love their voices together and wouldn’t mind hearing her vocals turned up, but I never can manage to get much out when I’m actually speaking to someone like that so I just gushed how much I loved her voice and enjoyed the show. It was entirely due to Charlie’s telling me he was going to hang out to try to meet Mark and Isobel that I stayed, I never would have had the nerve alone. There was no official meet and greet, we (all of us faithful lurkers) got a chance to approach Isobel when she came out to get something from the stage, she was very sweet and obliging and I am very glad I stuck around. As I mentioned earlier Charlie and I kind of pounced on Mark later as he exited the club, again my thanks to Charlie (also for the use of his pen as I forgot mine. What a lifesaver was Charlie!), I would never have had the nerve to call out to Mark and ask for his autograph, I would have just smiled at him as he walked by (it doesn’t always pay to be shy). Mark was very gracious, also quite soft spoken. My only complaint about the show was that it ended! review by Christopher I will preface this by saying: I really shouldn’t have drank so much before getting to Neumo’s that night This for me, like many in the US was my first concert experience of the Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan collaboration. We showed up at Neumos about 8:30 so that we wouldn’t have to wait outside in the cold, I went with my friend Kevin this was his first Lanegan concert. I was immediately barred from the Neumos bar section and sent along to the all ages entrance, no problem. The problem arose that my printed concert ticket had torn just at the barcode, and the doorman said he probably wasn’t going to be able to honor it (this marks the LAST time I will print at home for an extra $2, actually maybe the last time I ever buy tix online) jeez. Kevin slipped the doorman some money, not sure how much and they finally let me into the showroom. I immediately hit the merchandise table, as honestly I was really there to get these new official live discs 🙂 I was planning to get 4 copies of Union Chapel and maybe help out some other folks on the board, but was immediately confounded to see another live disc of IC & ML from September. Kevin bought the Aussi disc, and I finally ended up getting 3 copies of the IC & ML show and one Union Chapel. I then found out there were no all ages drinks available at all, what the fuck? Kevin mananged to get me a few cups of water during the show and we then stood and watched Willy Mason, but I tuned it out after maybe a song nothing really there for me, no offense to Willy fans. After a much shorter set change than usual (possibly the shortest in Mark’s recent career?), out they came. I was front and center, about 2 people back from the stage, and stood and watched “We Die and See Beauty Reign”. Mark looked good, everything seemed fine so I then immediately took off to use the bathroom. I returned to the floor during “Come Undone” and watched the rest of Mark’s first set disinterestedly. Even “The Circus is Leaving Town” which I’ve really enjoyed on live bootlegs, did nothing for me in the live setting. I’ve actually commented to people before that while I was expecting the band to loosen things up from the recorded versions and rock a bit more, and strangely the band was the opposite: very much more sedate than on the new record. I hooked up again with Kevin during Willy’s set, and we basically talked football, etc until Mark returned to do “Back Burner” and we lit up a joint, this was probably the highlight of tonight’s show for me (us?) The rest of the show is pretty much a blur to me, but I wasn’t surprised to find out later that they played EXACTLY the same setlist as they have been doing since September. All in all, I would defnitely have to say this shows ranks second to last for me, the nadir being the last March 97 Screaming Trees all ages show, the only ML related show I’ve ever walked out on but even that show held my interest moreso than Isobel and Mark. If I ever see this project again, I really hope it’s at Triple Door, so I can at least sit at a nice table and eat some Indian Food and maybe have a fuckin’ drink or two (but again, not being upstairs in the bar was totally my bad). christopher babcock review by smasher The Columbia Club (not to be mistaken with the Columbia Halle), is a small venue located near the airport used by the Americans to defy the Russian blocus of Berlin, the building clearly was a place for pilots to relax. Unusually the opening act, Harper Simon, son of Simon & Garfunkel’s Simon, started at 9PM in front of a loud room which did not care much though his set was in my opinion quite clean. Isobel and Mark made their way on stage at 10PM with the two guitarists from the previous legs f the tour but with a new rythm section.
review by maxzorin (Peter) Two days ago I was on the Mark & Isobel gig in Essen (Germany) and was quite satisfied with the concert. For me it was the first time to see Mark and Isobel togehter, before I “just” watched shows of QOTSA, Mark solo, Soulsavers and acoustic with Greg Dulli. There were no big surpriese on the setlist. It seemed to be nearly the same setlist like on the Barbican CD which is mentioned in a couple of threads. Honestly I cannot remember the whole setlist by mind and order, but definitely there was no “Cool Water”. Also Willy Mason didn´t join the show. The highlights of the show, which was joined by approximately 200 visitors, were “You won´t let me down”, “Balad of the Broken Seas”, “Time of the Season”, “Back Burner”, “Salvation”, “Do you wanna come walk wit me”,”Ramblin Man” and as the final “Wedding dress”. Personally I really enjoyed the Jeffrey Lee Pierce Cover “Free to walk”. The sound quality was usually quite good, just the micro of Isobel was a little bit to quite. In direct comparison to Mark it was sometimes quite difficult to understand her. So although I primary joined the show for Mark, I really appreciated the few solo songs of the lovely Isobel Campbell. I mentioned before it was my first Mark & Isobel gig. Of course I allready know, that Mark is more or less shy on the stage and does not communicate a lot with the crowd. But it was quite a surprise for me, that Isobel even didn´t say one single word to the crowd. And the atmosphere was really nice, although the shows was not joined by many people. So I really think that Mark & Isobel harmonize really good togehther ;-). The negative aspects of the show for were first, that Mark really didn´t seem to be in a quite good condition. He was really pale and didn´t seem very fresh. I have seen him in much healthier conditions before. Also I was disappointed, that the merchandise didn´t sell the “Barbican” and Soulsavers live CD´s. “Only” the Union Chapel and Melbourne gig were available. My personal definitive highlight was to meet Mark shortly after the show. He was signing CD´s and other stuff and was available for photos. So I got 2 CD´s and a tour poster signed and got 2 pictures with him. He was quite nice, but seemed again a little bit shy. Nevertheless I am quite happy and proud for my souvenirs. Can´t wait to visit the next Mark show! review by BellBlackOcean
ok, a very synthetic review about yesterday show. review by Alfonso www.myspace.com/oblivionsweet We went from Bilbao to Santander on a windy Saturday evening to see Isobel & Mark play at this small festival on the 2nd day bill. One hour drive. We arrived at 8pm and realized how beautiful this venue is. We really enjoyed Emily Jane White’s set (she played before Isobel & Mark). My wife met her and bought one of her CDs. At 1am Isobel & Mark hit the stage alongside 2 guitar players, bass player and drummer. Since it was a seated venue, we were lucky enough to get good seats. They started with the first 2 songs of their new album “Hawk” and played for 75 min. Then they came back for a 15 min/4 song encore. The band gave a great performance and so did Isobel and Mark. I won’t post the set list as it was practically the same it’s been posted in the past reviews, with the addition of “Something To Believe”, from the Sunday At Devil Dirt album. Personal highlights were “You Won’t Let Me Down Again”, “The Circus Is Leaving Town” (one of Isobel’s best songs with Mark in top form), “Saturday’s Gone”, “Get Behind Me”, and Hank Williams’ classic “Ramblin Man” in the encore. A quick story: both my wife and I play & sing in a band together and after the show I gave Mark a copy of our latest CD, “Black Sheep Serenade”, he seemed surprised as the name of our band is Sweet Oblivion (but, as much as I love the Trees’ music, we don’t do grunge!). He smiled, thanked me for the “small gift” and shaked hands. See you soon Mark!
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A list of some links to sites which have posted their reviews, photos, etc of the 2010 tours:
Niamh’s photos from Ireland: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38420623@N05/
If you read Portugese, check out Carlos’ review and Marcelo’s photos at http://www.screamyell.com.br/
http://criminalworks.blogspot.com/
http://www.themusicfix.co.uk/content/gig-review/10101/mark-lanegan.html
http://ritasreviews.blogspot.com/
http://misterhands.wordpress.com/
http://www.state.ie/2010/05/live-reviews/mark-lanegan-academy-2-dublin/
Nice black and white photos of the Union Chapel show: http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/08/mark-lanegan-union-chapel-london-18082010/