Post by evanalyssa on May 26, 2008 20:34:38 GMT -5
So I live in central New Jersey and decided to venture south to see the boys at the Mann center in Philadelphia. It rained on and off all day, but naturally the skies cleared and the weather was just perfect for a concert at this medium-sized outdoor covered venue.
On to the show. By the time DD came on, the place was pretty filled up. First off, unbelievable lighting rigs and set. Sleek, super sophisticated. No boring spotlights for this band. This was, as usual, a top notch, state of the art show. The acoustics at the Mann were excellent. Aside from not being able to hear Simon's chatter between songs that well, everything else was completely equalized. No one was mic'ed up more than anyone else and you could hear every instrument and backing track perfectly.
The band was on their game. Simon sounded great and I think he only messed up the words once on Hungry Like the Wolf. Aside from that, each song seemed flawless. Simon's energy was up, although John seemed a little more subdued than usual. But they sounded just great. You could shut your eyes and swear it was 1984.
The audience was berserk! This had to be the nuttiest, craziest crowd I've ever gone to a DD concert with. From the second the lights dimmed till the last cymbal crash on Rio, this crowd was up on its feet going crazy singing and dancing. Lot's of younger fans who seemed to know the tunes, husbands, boyfriends-- all having the best time clapping and dancing. Sometimes the audience sang so loud you couldn't hear Simon. Of course, the Mann center serves all types of alcohol (unlike PNC in Holmdel, NJ which only has beer) so some people were really sloshed!
My boyfriend (OK, man-friend since at 53 he's not really a boy) who was not at all that excited about going, said he has never seen a concert like this. He said it was like there was some sort of mass hypnosis going on, almost like a revival meeting, with everyone up on their feet, waving their arms, swaying and singing. He said he has never seen a band whip fans into a frenzy like that for over 2 hours. I told him, that's just a typical night with our boys!
My only criticisms. The electro-set, while a nice creative endeavor for the band, kind of broke the momentum of the concert. People who weren't familiar with what was going to happen were actually getting up to get drinks or use the bathroom since it took them, I thought, a little too long to get back on stage. Personally, I would rather have them take an older song and do a different arrangement, like they did with IDWYL the last time around. And of course, throw in a true B-side or seldom heard song for the die hard fans. But all in all, it was a fresh portion of what was basically the same show that we've seen for the past 3 years. So that's my other criticism. As much as I love this band (and as I've said before on this board, at 45 I am probably one of their "oldest" fans!) it's getting too expensive to see them play the same songs all the time.
Well, all in all it was a great show and a great night and I wanted to share it with all of you. Hope I didn't bore you all to death but I thought we needed a review from Philly! To all of you still waiting to see them...Enjoy!
On to the show. By the time DD came on, the place was pretty filled up. First off, unbelievable lighting rigs and set. Sleek, super sophisticated. No boring spotlights for this band. This was, as usual, a top notch, state of the art show. The acoustics at the Mann were excellent. Aside from not being able to hear Simon's chatter between songs that well, everything else was completely equalized. No one was mic'ed up more than anyone else and you could hear every instrument and backing track perfectly.
The band was on their game. Simon sounded great and I think he only messed up the words once on Hungry Like the Wolf. Aside from that, each song seemed flawless. Simon's energy was up, although John seemed a little more subdued than usual. But they sounded just great. You could shut your eyes and swear it was 1984.
The audience was berserk! This had to be the nuttiest, craziest crowd I've ever gone to a DD concert with. From the second the lights dimmed till the last cymbal crash on Rio, this crowd was up on its feet going crazy singing and dancing. Lot's of younger fans who seemed to know the tunes, husbands, boyfriends-- all having the best time clapping and dancing. Sometimes the audience sang so loud you couldn't hear Simon. Of course, the Mann center serves all types of alcohol (unlike PNC in Holmdel, NJ which only has beer) so some people were really sloshed!
My boyfriend (OK, man-friend since at 53 he's not really a boy) who was not at all that excited about going, said he has never seen a concert like this. He said it was like there was some sort of mass hypnosis going on, almost like a revival meeting, with everyone up on their feet, waving their arms, swaying and singing. He said he has never seen a band whip fans into a frenzy like that for over 2 hours. I told him, that's just a typical night with our boys!
My only criticisms. The electro-set, while a nice creative endeavor for the band, kind of broke the momentum of the concert. People who weren't familiar with what was going to happen were actually getting up to get drinks or use the bathroom since it took them, I thought, a little too long to get back on stage. Personally, I would rather have them take an older song and do a different arrangement, like they did with IDWYL the last time around. And of course, throw in a true B-side or seldom heard song for the die hard fans. But all in all, it was a fresh portion of what was basically the same show that we've seen for the past 3 years. So that's my other criticism. As much as I love this band (and as I've said before on this board, at 45 I am probably one of their "oldest" fans!) it's getting too expensive to see them play the same songs all the time.
Well, all in all it was a great show and a great night and I wanted to share it with all of you. Hope I didn't bore you all to death but I thought we needed a review from Philly! To all of you still waiting to see them...Enjoy!