Got back late-ish yesterday evening. Great venue, even though it's a temporary set-up. Some of the locals there said the audience would be a bit restrained but, having been to concerts in Switzerland before, I hadn't really noticed that. In Zurich, the crowd was vocal almost from the very beginning. Even union-flagged PC got a cheer. And, talking of the very beginning, all of the band looked to be in a very jolly mood even as they walked on to the stage. Some of them were grinning in a way that suggested more than just a good mood, I have to say. They were apparently staying in the very expensive hotel adjacent to the venue site and, since even the ordinary hotels that mere mortals like us use are rather expensive in Zurich, that must be very expensive indeed - but I doubt that was enough to account for their demeanour.
In terms of its production values, I thought the show was a touch looser than those I had attended earlier in the tour. For example, the odd lighting cue was missed by a moment or two and there was a bit more interaction, it seemed to me, between the band and side-stage crew. Maybe it was just that I was much closer to the stage this time round and noticed something that happens most nights. Maybe, it was because, being part of a festival, the band and crew have to adjust to the local presentational arrangements. Perhaps, as the tour begins to wind to its close, the band and crew are simply beginning to feel "demob happy".
Notwithstanding these comments, it was a most enjoyable evening in terms of the performance. I came away feeling that the trip over was very much worthwhile. The security staff were perhaps unnecessarily strict during the early part of the show but even that didn't detract from the evening's entertainment.
Mrs twm had a whale of a time, with the added bonus of reacquainting herself (ourselves, actually) with some old friends on the tour circuit and meeting (and, I hope, making) some new friends.
