Concert # 65:2013.07.25 Poble Espanyol, Barcelona, Spain # SPOILER AHEAD #

[pjh3121]

I was thinking about that last night, too. I wondered if the great song variation from the first third of the tour was duty to the band members - remember some strange decisions... Prairie Wedding was played on time, Done With Bonaparte was also played only twice... maybe they were allowed to utter wishes and Mark promised them to play them - I know it is an honour to play with Mark live on stage but really, sometimes I think, it must be very tough for Glen and Richard to play TR, SAN, WII, SFA the bazillionth time. I really cannot understand until today how Mark can be THAT unflexible when it comes to set lists. Comfort zone and safety net, yes, but... I am very happy with 5.15 A.M. from this tour though, it is worth the more as you know that from London on, things got more and more static...

LE

Yes, exactly. It must be getting particularly tiresome to come onto stage for the umpteenth time and start playing WII again, particularly in the stifling heat that Europe is experiencing at the moment. It must surely feel more like work than pleasure at times.

This is probably heresy but I'm afraid it makes you wonder about just how much of a musical genius MK really is (songwriting excluded, of course). One of the true marks of a great artist is flexibility and to be able to play different, loose sets every night. Springsteen is the obvious example of this, he rehearses around 100 songs from his vast back catalogue for a tour then chooses them seemingly at will every night and his band is expected to keep up. Same with Prince and acts like Steely Dan who open their website up to a poll to ask fans what album they want to hear played live in its entirety on their upcoming tour.

If you look at the set list now, particularly the last 4 or 5 songs, it's hardly any different than on the KTGC and GL tours. The only real set list shake up this time is taking out SOS (which was after R&J again, obviously) and replacing it with SFSL which is absolutely turgid . Not exactly innovative...

 

[herlock]

The setlist was very much shaken in the beginning, and I really loved that at the time. I myself could hear no less than 8 Privateering songs in 5 shows, so from this point of view this really deserves to be called Privateering tour. Unlike the KTGC tour where you really wondered whether Mark was ashamed of this album... only 2 songs from it and far from being the best (TLWNF and the Fish and the Bird !).

I also highly appreciated the ressurection of Paraguay, 5.15am, Back to Tupelo, and I dug up a diamond !

But this is true that now the setlist has stabilized to a rather "classic" one, the only new songs from Privateering being the title track, CBC, IUTC and 50% of the times Gator Blood, which are hardly the best. What disappoints me most is that YTC was a gem live and has been trown to the dustbin after 3 shows; even KOG is not played nowadays, lucky was I to get in Clermont ! DOTDS is a real gem too but was only here in Germany (lucky me again). Redbud Tree was rather nice but did not even made to Europe... And, of course, 5.15am and BTT were quickly dropped.

Also, I really feel that Border Reiver, which was the best opener in ages, should have been kept.

So, in this context, the drop of Sultans, Brothers, and sometimes even SAN, in favour of SFSL / GB seems outrageous.

I'm not complaining, I really enjoyed the shows, I appreciated the renewed energy, especially for TR, the greatest song of all times... but yeah, there is a feeling that something is missing. Oh well...

[NicoMK]

I know it is an honour to play with Mark live on stage but really, sometimes I think, it must be very tough for Glen and Richard to play TR, SAN, WII, SFA the bazillionth time. I really cannot understand until today how Mark can be THAT unflexible when it comes to set lists. Comfort zone and safety net, yes, but... I am very happy with 5.15 A.M. from this tour though, it is worth the more as you know that from London on, things got more and more static...
LE

I agree with that LE, I was thinking that way after my second - and last concert, in N

[herlock]

Well, well, well...

First I think changing the band members won't do anything good to the energy. The guys Mark is touring with now are top-notch. We could argue here and there, Ianto vs. Danny, Matt vs. Jim etc... but the point is not here. The setlist and the pace songs are played are Mark's decisions, and Mark's only. So unless you suggest to also change Mark (but then we'll run into other philosophical problems ) you won't get the changes requested by a change of members.

Second, energy-wise I feel this tour is better than both 2008 and 2010. If you listen to TR, for instance, it is a bit shorter but the end solo is generally more energetic. WII is also more energetic in the end. I agree that 2005 was great energy-wise and that 2013 might not be on par with this time (Lyon 2005 is hard to beat for TR for instance), things are progressing !

Third, as a compensation for the energy level being (a bit) lower than in 2005, the setlist is richer: gems like HFB, Paraguay, Piper, even MT, were not here in 2005 !

[NicoMK]

Yes, setlist is (a bit) richer on this tour

[pjh3121]

I was at the RAH on 30 May and it was, of course, a great show and probably better then the KTGC and GL tours for energy and guitar playing. But I was still left with that nagging 'seen it all before' feeling.

Is this tour carrying on to the US now? Because if it is they really will be bored to tears playing this stuff all over again if things aren't shaken up for that leg.

I would also suggest that Guy gets a bit touchy about set list questions on his forum because he knows that playing the same 15 - 17 songs night after night in the same order is a bit embarrassing for a group of highly professional musicians.

[herlock]

I understand what you mean for WII, I hate this flute too, but at the same time the end solo is much faster than 2010 - just listen to any Simfy recording to feel the difference !

I agree that 2002 was full of energy (but that was only 4 concerts for a happy few lucky people). Why Aye Man was phenomenal, to the extent that

I cannot listen to any other live version - even 2005 seems dull in comparison. I miss the song, so do I miss Boom like that, yes, this was a great rocker.

As for band members, well... in 2002 you had John Illsley, as much as people would love his return (he is a wondeful chap, always have been loyal and low-profile), I'm not sure I could physically do it now; you had Chris White, well, now that he has been with the Straits I guess he and Mark are not speaking any more... and Nigel Hitchkock is fab anyway. And you had Danny on drums, yes, ok...

I really love Richard's way of playing... what you see is not what you get ! you see Richard gently touching his guitar in a girly manner, as if he was affraid to hurt it... and you hear powerful and precise chords. I don't think Mark could get a better second guitarist now...

[NicoMK]

I really love Richard's way of playing... what you see is not what you get ! you see Richard gently touching his guitar in a girly manner, as if he was affraid to hurt it... and you hear powerful and precise chords. I don't think Mark could get a better second guitarist now...

Yep, I do agree. I would have liked to hear more electric stuff from him on this tour!

[JF]

I cannot listen to any other live version - even 2005 seems dull in comparison

I like 2005 versions, especially at the end of the tour with a different intro
organ and guitar at the end are very nice

[Lis]

...As for band members, well... in 2002 you had John Illsley, as much as people would love his return (he is a wondeful chap, always have been loyal and low-profile), I'm not sure I could physically do it now; you had Chris White, well, now that he has been with the Straits I guess he and Mark are not speaking any more... and Nigel Hitchkock is fab anyway. And you had Danny on drums, yes, ok...

I really love Richard's way of playing... what you see is not what you get ! you see Richard gently touching his guitar in a girly manner, as if he was affraid to hurt it... and you hear powerful and precise chords. I don't think Mark could get a better second guitarist now...

...sometimes I just love to dig up the "old stuff"!!!

Singhv...  thank you for the SUPER funny and SUPER spot-on impersonation of Richard playing guitar.  I totally cherish that moment waiting for the band to roll in before Oakland 2, so we could try to meet Mark and get our autographs!!!!!!