Metamatic Forums Socialising The Green Room Gigs - News and reviews

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Playing the Piano, Teatro Comunale, Ferrara, Italy. 4th November 2009

Having 'followed' closely the progress of this European tour via the social networks Facebook and Twitter, which Sakamoto seems to have warmed to so well, I was already sort of prepared for what was to come...but then again I wasn't.
The 'gig' is what it says .. RS playing the piano, two pianos in fact as one has been pre-programmed as an accompaniment and it seemed as though it was triggered when he started playing his own. A bare stage, two pianos and some flashing LEDs .. what would come next?
The first piece - Glacier - really is something else. The spotlight is just on the first piano when a dark figure enters and reaches over to pluck and caress the piano chords, tapping on the woodwork over an electronic noise background and a treated voice - in Finnish? - explaining how climate change is affecting the landscape (words and images are projected onto the screen). For someone who likes 'experiematl' and 'ambient' it doesn't get much better than this.
This is the only piece of its kind though and after that follows over an hour and a half of RS playing his piano in a more 'conventional' way, sometimes with and sometimes without the second one. Said like that it doesn't perhaps sound too exciting, but believe me you are absoloutely transfixed by the music which comes out of those instruments. Each piece lovingly played by the maestro and each one a soundtrack to a tiny colour film (RS prefers European cinema).
I'm only a passing RS listener although was pleased to recognise some of the songs, including a rousing Behind the Mask from the YMO days, but mostly pieces of the latest albums Out of Noise and PTP. Merry Xmas Mr L /Forbidden Colours was dutifully played towards the end and I see from the setlist (already published on his site) there was even an 'untitled - newly written piece' which I think was played for the first time.
Unfortuantely no vocal interaction from the man (even though I saw a hand mike was at hand) although again it was the music that spoke for him together with the background projection films and animations.
I was of course tempted to think of similarities in style and presentation with our own maestro JF, and a possible collaboration..who knows.

I read from twitter afterwards that afterwards the entourage headed straight for Milan and slept on the bus .. phew...rock n roll!

setlist

There’s sure been a lot happening here over the last few days!
from the Mozz’ to the Mac’, and then on to the Sak’.
Great reading about it all
(OT): A Sakamoto/Foxx collaboration?
should we start a list/thread (or perhaps it’s already been done) of who we would like to see John work with

a few photos from the Sakamoto 'gig' .. from RS facebook

soundcheck:


the theatre:


playing Composition 0919

what a fantastic venue,

and I love the minimalist stage set.

Thanks Core .. yes Italian theatres are beautiful to look at but just a tad impractical .. I think there are usually about 20 seats where you can see and hear really well...
Yes the set was very nipponic-minimalist-zen .. reflected the music very well.

If anyone's interested the Sakamoto date for Birmingham (UK) has been cancelled, http://www.sitesakamoto.com/whatsnew/

'night all.

That's a real shame. I was really looking forward to seeing him.

As long as his Edinburgh gig is still on.

All that we are
Is all that we need to be...

Buy tickets to the Pleasure Principle tour.

Go see Numan - NOW!!!

Depeche Mode, FuturshowStation Bologna Italy - 25.11.2009

The last time I saw Depeche Mode was twenty five years ago almost to the week. The world was a different place then, I was a different person, and it thus follows that Depeche Mode are a different band. Last time I saw them in a glorified circus tent, this time we're big time basketball stadium. The dizzy Deps have come a long way and you can't knock 'em for that. They started in Basildon pubs, they lugged their own synths on the train to get to TOTP, and have proceeded to take on the world. The recent Synth Britannia demonstrated how they are effectively the only 'synth' band to have become so successful around the world and especially in the "all-important" U.S. There's no other band quite like Depeche Mode.
But back to the 'gig'. Well what can I say .. there was all the standard DM stuff we're used to by now: the obligatory 'new album' tracks - In Chains works well as an opener, Wrong came over particularly well, Truth Is didn't at all and, sadly, Peace has been dropped along the way. The big hits and crowd pleasers were there too: Enjoy the Silence, Never Let Me Down Again (complete with ritual arm-swaying), I Feel You, plus some lesser hits Home, Question of Time, Policy of Truth and more select album tracks Fly on the Windscreen, Insight,One Caress .. it was all there....but then again something was missing. I just found the whole thing a bit 'cold' ..Dave, Martin, Fletch (was he there?) and friends just going through the motions, like they've done dozens of times already on this tour, and in many tours before it. Dave prancing, pouting, crotch grabbing, mike stand twirling and even getting the name of the town right in his obligatory 'Good Evening (name of town)'....and the crowd go wild. Big screen, big lights, big music, big tunes but they just seem to have become the Big Mac of pop/rock .. standard product with same results in any part of the world. You'll enjoy it, it'll fill your tummy but that's about it .. it's not an experience that will change your life .. but then again you might still go back for more one day.
Despite all the bright lights and spectacle I've decided I'm not a fan of 'stadium rock' at all. Music for the masses?. Roll on the next Foxx/Gordon gig in dingy obscure, gothic-night club I say.