Memories of Irving Plaza 2006

[withahip]

http://www.musicsnobbery.com/2006/07/ec ... unnym.html

Good personal review brought back memories of a few things I had forgotten about that show:

I told a few people that I was seeing Echo & the Bunnymen over the weekend, and the response I got was, "They're still around?" Around, recording and touring, yes. Whether Ian McCulloch is all together, that's a different story.

Setlist:

* Going Up
* Show of Strength
* Stormy Weather
* Seven Seas
* Bring on the Dancing Horses
* Disease
* Scissors in the Sand
* All That Jazz
* Back of Love
* Zimbo (All My Colours)
* Killing Moon
* Do It Clean
* Never Stop
* Villiers Terrace
* Rescue
* The Cutter
* Encore: Nothing Lasts
* Lips Like Sugar
* 2nd Encore: Over the Wall
* Ocean Rain

Thrown in there were a couple of minutes of The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of the music and history of Echo & the Bunnymen is limited. I only found out the day before that I was going so I didn't get a chance to immerse myself in all things Echo. I know "Killing Moon" and "Bring on the Dancing Horses" (because that was in Pretty in Pink). Despite not knowing much of their catalog, I manage to have a good time none-the-less. Although, the band took their own sweet time coming out on stage. It was an hour after Boy Kill Boy ended that the band came on stage, despite a few revelers booing and yelling during the break to get the show started.

At the center is Ian McCulloch, British music legend. When he walked out on stage, it looked like he had just woken up. His hair was all messed up and you could barely understand him. This being a perfect summer night, he was bundled up in a hoodie and heavy overcoat. As expected, his singing isn't as strong as the old days. His voiced cracked towards the end, and he completely messed up "Killing Moon."

Even though he was a little creaky, he was charming in that veteran British lead singer way. His banter would go off into tangents like "Irving Plaza -- this is my favorite venue in America" or "New York, I have the best fucking view from my hotel room." During the performance, he would point at certain bands members to speed them up or soften their playing. He even told the audience during "Over the Wall" not to sing-a-long as it would ruin the mood. I think the high comedic point was when he yelled at the lighting guy, "No red lights! I don't like red!"

With that in mind, I will have to pick a greatest CD from them to become more familiar with their 80s, post-punk, new wave goodness.

Pictures were impossible to take, all the lighting was from being so you could barely make out the band members and the room was inundated with fog.

[blinkilite]

that sounds about right i remember him yelling about no red lights. hahahaha

[withahip]

that sounds about right i remember him yelling about no red lights. hahahaha

Me too.

[JackT]

Pictures were impossible to take, all the lighting was from being so you could barely make out the band members and the room was inundated with fog.

Blink sure gave it the old college try, though.

[blinkilite]

Blink sure gave it the old college try, though.

yeah i took lotsa photos. jack made fun of me for watching the concert through my camera. most of them came out like crap too. mac needs to learn to deal with a little bit of light, so we can see the band on stage, and maybe i could take a decent photo or two.

[Dr Cheese]

I always prefer them shrouded in mist, it adds to the atmos for me.

[Grumpy_Jimbo]

I always prefer them shrouded in mist, it adds to the atmos for me.

Am with you on this one, An ideal Bunnyman gig should have the band swathed in clouds of dry ice ........

[withahip]

Am with you on this one, An ideal Bunnyman gig should have the band swathed in clouds of dry ice ........

No doubt. But like the reviewer said, he only knew next to nothing about the band.

[Fish Hook Girl]

Am with you on this one, An ideal Bunnyman gig should have the band swathed in clouds of dry ice ........

In the past there was so much dry ice you couldn't see the stage at times and your clothes/hair stunk from it. It was great. Now they don't use dry ice much, if at all. Why not? Bring back the dry ice!

[JackT]

In the past there was so much dry ice you couldn't see the stage at times and your clothes/hair stunk from it. It was great. Now they don't use dry ice much, if at all. Why not? Bring back the dry ice!

Dry ice is odorless.

[Dr Cheese]

Maybe FHG is confusing dry ice with Mac's ciggy smoke!

[Fish Hook Girl]

Maybe FHG is confusing dry ice with Mac's ciggy smoke!

Hmmm, maybe (his smoke and everyone else's). I always thought it was the dry ice. I remember one show in particular that was a real stinker and no pun intended!

[Frank The Bunny]

Dry ice is odorless.

They (generally, I mean) don't use dry ice anymore. It's chemical fog.. .they scent it (usually like bad chocolate) to hide the chemical stench

"Although often believed to be safe to breathe, exposure to mineral oil, glycol and glycerin-based theatrical fogs produced from fog or haze machines have been associated with adverse short and long-term effects on respiratory health in exposed performers and crew members, especially those with respiratory problems (such as asthma). One should therefore avoid breathing generated smoke or fog.[1] It is safer to add smoke effects digitally in postproduction of films than to use theatrical smokes on set. Glycol-based fog is associated with headaches, dizziness, drowsiness and tiredness in those exposed. These results would be expected given that glycols share some chemical similarities to alcohols and given the small size of fog particles making it easy for them to enter the bloodstream. Symptoms of wheezing and chest tightness were associated with longterm exposure to theatrical smoke and fogs. "

So, maybe Mac can blame it on the fog, not the booze and cigs

[tonywojo]

They (generally, I mean) don't use dry ice anymore. It's chemical fog.. .they scent it (usually like bad chocolate) to hide the chemical stench

"Although often believed to be safe to breathe, exposure to mineral oil, glycol and glycerin-based theatrical fogs produced from fog or haze machines have been associated with adverse short and long-term effects on respiratory health in exposed performers and crew members, especially those with respiratory problems (such as asthma). One should therefore avoid breathing generated smoke or fog.[1] It is safer to add smoke effects digitally in postproduction of films than to use theatrical smokes on set. Glycol-based fog is associated with headaches, dizziness, drowsiness and tiredness in those exposed. These results would be expected given that glycols share some chemical similarities to alcohols and given the small size of fog particles making it easy for them to enter the bloodstream. Symptoms of wheezing and chest tightness were associated with longterm exposure to theatrical smoke and fogs. "

So, maybe Mac can blame it on the fog, not the booze and cigs

Geek.

[Frank The Bunny]

Geek.

By God, you're right