dcd in new york (long review)

[woj <woiccare@pebbles.sct.clarkson.edu>]

they played at sympohony space, which is a pretty nice theatre (npr does some
kind of spoken word show from there, fyi). i, naturally, showed up early and
found myself sitting alone in the orchestra, about 20 rows back from the stage
with nobody within thirty or so feet of me. i began to worry since a) i had not
heard that the show had sold out and b) it was about 7:45 and the show was
supposed to start at 8:00. well, after thirty minutes, it soon became apparant
that a) the show was almost sold out and b) the show would start would be late.
by 8:300 when they finally went on, we were pretty squished (though i did see
quite a few empties here and there).
 
the lights dimmed, a series of pale purple/reddish lights went on around the
edge of the stage and out stepped dead can dance. lisa gerard and brendan perry
were joined by five others to form the touring band. i'm not sure who they were
or if they were the one who helped on the last album (_aion_) or not, but
everyone of them was quite good and a multi-instrumentalist.
 
the stage itself was simple and crowded. with seven people, all whom which are
usually doing something during each song, there was an abundance of "stuff"
spread out all over the stage: from brendan's harp and lute racks to the rack
of keyboards to the morass of percussion in the back. most striking of all was
the stand at the front and center of the stage where lisa had her instruments
and mic (brendan was off to stage left). it was reminiscent of a pulpit, which
suited the tone and mood of the music well.
 
the lights were simple, unobtrusive and effective (the way i like lights best).
they consisted of and assortment of colored banks setup to reflect off the back
wall in a sunburst pattern and ceiling lights aimed at specific positions.  no
moving lights and no multi-colors. very simple. yet, they were completely
effective in that they directed your eyes towards the important parts of the
stage without pulling your concentration away from the music. i *liked* that.
 
unfortunately, i do not have track listings of all the albums, nor do i know
them well enough to have been able to identify the songs played. i can only
describe the feelings i felt when watching them.
 
the tone was very solemn. even after a particularly rousing or popular song,
the crowd seemed much more toned down - not that they did not show their
appreciation, but were almost *reverant* about it. the "pulpit", i think, added
to this tone since it almost felt, and certainly looked, like lisa was
preaching to us when she sang her leads illuminated by a single white light
shining on here from above.  it didn't help much that she was wearing a white
smock-like dress and had her hair pulled back to fall over her shoulders - she
almost had the appearance of some kind of severe angel crooning psalms at us.
and the way their sound unfolded and carried us back through the ages was
almost a religious experience in itself.  yet despite this seriousness, there
was much joy in the concert as well. the band was evidently enjoying
themselves, the warm reception from the audience and simply playing. if i can
assume myself to be indicative of the audience in general, then every single
person in the place was utterly enthralled with the music and its creation. i
would even go as far as to say that there was such a strong bond of mutual
respect between the performers and the watchers that there was no way that the
band would have played badly or the crowd gone away disappointed.
 
some of the more interesting points include brendan's rendition of sinead
o'connor's "stretched upon your grave" (this was *really* good); the smile that
lisa responded with to the audience's voracious approval for her second solo
piece, which involved her furiously playing hammer dulcimer while singing some
very intricate lyrics; the incredible percussive piece that ended their first
encore (*everybody* was bangin on something - whether it was full-fledged
drums, bongos or hand-held cymbals); the haunting chorus that the balance of
the band provided as backing vocals to some of lisa's leads; brendan's hurdy
gurdy (which sorta worked, but not entirely) and the simple way that lisa said
good night after the second encore.
 
summary?
 
technically, my only complaints were an ever-present low-pitch hiss in the
speakers and the excessive volume of the drums on one song that drowned out the
woodwind that lisa was playing. 
 
musically, i don't think i would have noticed any errors if they *had* happened
(though i recall once where brendan looked daggers at the keyboardist as if to
say "you screwed up", but i didn't seem to think that it sounded wrong).
 
overall, i think this was one of the best shows i have ever seen in my life.
seeing dead can dance makes me want to go toss my entire record collection
except for their catalogue and listen to it over and over and over again
forever. seriously. it was magnificent - etheriel, but earthy, authentic and
*real*. almost everything else i have *pales* when placed against the realness
of their concert. i'm not really sure how well i'm explaining this or if i'm
just confusing you more, but their show struck some kind of cord in the depths
of my heart and it's still resonating.
 
(this isn't frothing, folks - this is really how i felt when i walked out on to
broadway and looked into the eyes of those who had just experienced the same
thing).
 
...woj
 
ps. if i wasn't already committed to going to my parents for the thankgiving
weekend, i'd be at the second show they added for the 21st at the same place.
there may still be tickets left. if you can go, by all means, *do so!!*
 
(batteries! :)