This is a picture off the website. Once again, I didn't have a camera at the show so that I could take my own pictures. This time, I could not find the charger.I'd been running around all weekend long. With my friend celebrating his birthday and another friend visiting from Scottsdale and me walking in the rain on Friday, I have developed a cold. So going to this show was a bit of work.
As for the show itself. I thought it was pretty good. It made sense that the only instruments on the stage were percussion and drums. Now, I guess, the laptop is what the keyboards were. Looks like everything else was being handled by two Apple laptops running Ableton Live. Nitzer Ebb's music is minimal at most so everything besides the drums have to be sequenced which is why they use laptops and the keyboards are now out of the picture.
Despite being tired, I did manage to move about to the music, because you really can't avoid that when you see this band perform. And the only time I've seen them live before was when they were warm-up band to Depeche Mode's Violator tour. Nitzer Ebb is all about Electronic Body Music with hard pounding drums and sequenced bass lines. So you move. The vocals are all these "military" type chants, so sometimes, you feel like you want to march rather than dance.
The setlist was pretty good. Most of their songs were pulled out of their first two releases. Songs like "Control, I'm here" and "Murderous" got a lot of reaction as well as "Join in The Chant." But my favorite is "Shame." Other songs, if I can remember them were:
Captivate
For Fun
Blood for Money
Lightning Man
Fun to be Had
Getting Closer
Hearts & Minds (my other favorite)
I wished they had done "Violent Playground." But they didn't. They didn't do too much in the encores either. One song each encore.
so It was a good show for me. It was familiar and I'm glad some of these guys are still around to keep me interested in going out to see them. It still sounds fresh and new to me.
8 comments:
Nice review V. Hope you're feeling better. Yeah, "Shame" and "Hearts and Minds" are excellent--two of my faves as well. My favorite release by Ebb is their third though, "Showtime". It was such a good merging of the first two and the production was top notch. I still remember finding that cassette and buying it with saved up lunch money on an art class field trip to Pittsburgh. I remember first rocking it out on my headphones on the wa home just thinking that it was the greatest thing ever. Those opening sounds and beats in "Getting Closer"--still gives me chills. I didn't care much for "Ebbhead" and "Big Crash" (?) much later, though the "As Is" cd ep was actually really good. Looks like they mixed it up pretty good there. Glad you at least made it out and had some fun. I too only saw 'em once, same tour opening for DM. My first concert ever, and still one of my favorites.
Wow V! Fantastic!
First concerts are always the most memorable. DM was my first too, though the opening band at that time was Book of Love.
They did kind of lost it for me after Showtime though. As for "AS IS", I remember Alan Wilder had something to do with that release acting as producer. Which is probably why the mix was so great.
Did you get Body of Work? I still need to get it. I was hoping they'd sell them along with T-shirts, but they didn't seem to have it.
Thaks for your comments, guys.
V, if I lived in NYC, I'd be going to concerts all the time too. Glad you enjoyed the show!
Kil, I try not to miss any of the bands that come by. But it's tough sometimes when they want to play a show in the middle of the week and you've got to be at work early the next morning.
aww hope u feel better with that cold! need some soup? i'll email ya some!!
o and i can't relate to the first concert thing!! I haven't been!!
concert virgin here!
Oh thanks Webgrl! I could use some soup. I'm actually taking a sick day today to get better.
You must go to a show once - It's a great feeling.
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