Seven Seas wrote:
RAH's gig was more "formalized" in the sense that everyone seemed tense.
i don't think they were tense...........it's hard to describe, but it was more like they were being respectful to each other and the band and the venue by not being morons. it was such a posh, much more upscale and absolutely gorgeous venue, that it just made you feel like sitting and taking it all in, while enjoying the best music on earth, in reverence. no one was tense.
at RCMH, on the other hand, the elaborate bit was in the lobby. (and the women's toilets!!!!!

) the auditorium itself, while really nice for an auditorium, wasn't really quite the same as being somewhere like RAH, so once you got inside it kinda felt like an overly nice high school auditorium, much more casual in comparison, and i think that's why there was such a huge difference in the crowd between these two places. the stage was great with the big curtains and such, but it was still laid out just like a normal auditorium. don't get me wrong. i'm not trying to belittle the venue, or the show (which sounded fabulous) i'm just trying to explain the difference i felt, and try to justify why there was such a difference in the crowd's reactions between the 2 shows. it wasn't anything to do with lack of enthusiasm or adoration.
i was discussing this with someone else and they brought up a good point...at RAH the whole floor area was 'standing'. so everyone that definitely preferred to stand were going to be down there, and those of us that chose to sit, were in the seated areas to sit, obviously. we had a choice at RAH. at RCMH we weren't given a choice, so of course everyone that was going to refuse to sit would be scattered all over the venue. that, and the difference in the two buildings architechturally, is what made the difference in the crowd, in my opinion. the music was just as good at both shows. the orchestra was at the perfect level at RCMH, i thought they were a tad too quiet at times at RAH in the beginning, but not enough to ruin it even in the slightest.
to sum up ... they were 2 of the most FABULOUS shows i have ever seen. (they should bring out a cello and violin permanently on tour! ;-) ) and the fact that they were so completely different made it even better! and the best part of it all was having so many of my friends there to share it with! i think that makes a huge difference too. it created an extra atmosphere, on top of the already amazing fact that they were playing the best album with orchestra in amazing venues... that just can't be beat, can it?
:-)