AUF DER MAUR   

After much  waiting  here i am to attend this faboulous concert...a lot of expectation and a little bit of nervousism... about  the location too, sincerely not able to contain the human flow that i found in front of the discotheque...but it’s better to analyse step by step:

C-Side...a little discotheque in Milan.

A normal place...about 15 meter of stage. Very minimalistic stage...all in black, with a big structure in the middle of it, covered with black tissue...i wasn’t really surprised cause i "know" Maynard and i know the he’s really strange :-p

The place was very simple...i have got the sensation i went to a concert of a local music group...but im not here for the place...i wanna see the concert....heheheh.

Anyway technically the C-Side its a good place...good visibility and especially good acoustic..a little thanks to the security staff, they are really “engaged” to play with their new walkie talkie's and with their radio's....but not really able to manage all the people.

A little problem is given by  the various “emergency exit lights” that reflect a little glowing...this cause the  the stage not to be completely dark...and  knowing Maynard and A Perfect Circle i was a little displeased.

A lot....various, kindly, someone with his leather jacket ( it was really hot...43° and a lot of smoke)...i saw a lot of boys and girls with Tool’s t-shirt's...and a lot of metal girls (ehehehehehe).

Auf der Maur. The new band of Melissa Auf Der Maur (ex Hole and ex Smashing Pumpkins) promotes their first new album.

What can i say about their show....mhhhhh...strange sound, two or three powerful song, but i hear a lot of Hole mixed with an electronic sound like Smashing Pumpking in their last albums...nothing new...a particular sound...but nothing new.

She is really pretty but not so able to sing and play bass, two guitarists, very minimal guitar sound ( some riffs, but more an accompanyment guitar).

A ray of light, in all this boring  pre-concert, is the drummer: powerful, precise, basic but with some nice expectations....really good and round sound.

Finally...i have an heartbreak....at the beginning i see James Iha (blonde?), Howerdel, Twiggy Ramirez....Freese..but where is Keenan???

First song “Vanishing”....Keenan-Maynard sings...he is in the middle of the black structure on the stage...he is covered with black tissue and wonderful lights reflect his shadow in the middle of a circle (a kind of chinese shadow) , so seems that he sings from different places....i am hypnotized.

Maynard sings like a demon...he is possessed by the music, dances in his little black structure, wet long hair on the face, delay effect on the voice (expecially in “Magdalene”), simply wonderful.

James Iha, is dressed like a top model but he creates together with Howerdel these sonorous atmosphere, this acoustic dreams, Twiggy plays bass quitely (really far from his shows when he was together with Manson)....a big concert for Freese...creative and exceptional, fantasious and powerful, a great session with his drums....crash, ride, crash again, ride again, especially in “The Outsider”, wonderful during the whole the show.

The tracklist covered the best song of  their two albums: “Mar der Noms” and “Thirteenth Step”:

They start off with “Vanishing” and they ebd with a triumphal “Judith”, they play the aggressiveness of “The Outsider” and the sweetness on “The Noose”, passing through “Pet”, “Thinking of You”, “Weak and powerless”, “Thomas”, “The Hollow”, “The Package”, “3 Libras”, “Orestes”, “Blue”and “Magdalena” till a wonderful rock version of “The Nurse who loved me” .

I think that isn’t so difficult to use a mixer....and probably the person who manages this stuff doesn't know the difference between a jack and a cannon so at the beginning the volume is really low...i can hear only Maynard’s voice...but after a general F**K O*F they equalize better so we can listen better the other members of the band...sometimes brusque methods pay.

some negative considerations involve A Perfect Circle too.... it is absolutely prohibited to take  pictures and videos...so the image of the band is a precious and rare thing, reserved only to those who  saw their concert...

A wonderful concert....a great Maynard, i see this demon, his energy and his passion, his rage and his sweetness... now im satisfied i can go back to sleep now...listening to Magdalene...

Francesco Casale   

© GryphonMetal.ch   2001-2013Niederrohrdorf - Switzerland