writing - visual - misc - huh?
though i've been listening to their music for the better part of a decade, i had never given thought to who their fan base might be. walking into the lineup at the commodore showed how diverse their audience is. there was a strong showing by those wearing all black, as well as a heavy smattering of us officer worker looking types. my first thought was of the nihilists from the big lewbowski. i was the steve buscemi character.
the crowd is informed that the show will soon begin by the dimming of the lights, the release of stage smoke, and a stage hand turning on the air compressors on-stage. ten minutes later the band emerges.
blixa, dressed in his customary black suit, tells us that this is the third time they've played vancouver, with previous shows during expo 86 and in 1993. this explains why i've never seen them live though i've been checking the papers for years.
after listening to their albums you wonder if you should bring ear-plugs when you go for a live sound-pummeling. what i found remarkable, though, was that while the show is, at times, unspeakably loud and aggressive, it never reaches ear destroying levels. must be something to do with the tones they play. for those wondering what i'm babbling about, go to the neubauten.org site and look at the images of the instruments. lots of metal on metal and miced up plastic drums and other miscellany.
what makes einstürzende neubauten stand apart from other people who like to make lots of noise is that they manage to use these crude and nasty looking instruments to produce powerful songs with warm textures. there are, of course, moments wherein we witness the glorification of intense volume and force. it is this ability to so effectively play off of contrasts that makes einstürzende neubauten unique and long-lived.
playing a combination of new stuff and classics (like 'ende neu' and 'alles'), they were crowd pleasers. due to some technical gaffe blixa flew off the stage at one point in order to scream and flail at a stagehand. they are now in the habit of recording their live shows and releasing limited edition double cds (50 copies) on the spot. however, for some reason the first five songs didn't get recorded this night (setlist for this show). they recorded the encores instead. i picked up a copy both to play for friends that couldn't come to the show, my own listening, and to hear how this mode of instant production/release sounds. the vocals are clearer, though sadly the heavy bass disappears. i'm glad to hear the nimrod repeatedly yelling "blixa, i love you!" is not audible.
they looked like they were having fun, and this is essential for a band that's nearly 25 years old. now that they've taken control of the manufacture and distribution of much of their work, they might continue on a few years more. they've used their existing fame and embraced the internet as a means to work with a subscriber/patron base. it is worth watching to see if this model is sustainable.
and if they come your way i can't encourage you enough to go support them.
show at the commodore ballroom, vancouver, may 4, 2004
{May 09, 2004 03:49 PM}