Echo and the Bunnymen: worth seeing live?

[pcqgod]

Can they mesmerize or electrify a crowd, or is it just play the hits and bugger off?

[sloopjohnc]

Here's a playlist from June. . .

I don't like seeing bands I liked as a kid, but I'd see them.


Rescue

Villiers Terrace
(With Roadhouse Blues snippet at end)

All That Jazz

Stormy Weather

The Somnabulist

Nothing Lasts Forever

All My Colours

Angels and Devils

Bedbugs and Ballyhoo

Lips Like Sugar

Rust

In The Margins

Bring On the Dancing Horses

Seven Seas

How Far?

The Cutter

Encore:
The Killing Moon

Never Stop

Encore 2:
Ocean Rain

[naughty boy]

There's a fascinating article in the latest MOJO all about Mac - it gets into his home and it gets into his soul. Like a sort of low-rent version of the Johnny Depp thing I posted last week.

Here's an extract:

[Goat Boy]

I didn’t know he had problems like that.

An ex had his then gfs numbers and I drunkenly phoned her trying to get hold of him but she didn’t answer.

Probably for the best

[sloopjohnc]

I have some latter day bootlegs and the vocals are either really good or really bad. Like a frog.

[naughty boy]

I didn’t know he had problems like that.

An ex had his then gfs numbers and I drunkenly phoned her trying to get hold of him but she didn’t answer.

Probably for the best

I imagine if you'd caught him at the right time he'd have talked your head off.

[Goat Boy]

I didn’t know he had problems like that.

An ex had his then gfs numbers and I drunkenly phoned her trying to get hold of him but she didn’t answer.

Probably for the best

I imagine if you'd caught him at the right time he'd have talked your head off.

Into coke apparently so quite possibly!

[Hugh]

I saw them a few weeks back and this was the setlist:

Nothing Lasts Forever
All My Colours (Zimbo)
The Somnabulist
Lips Like Sugar
Angels and Devils
Stormy Weather
Rust
Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
In the Margins
Bring On the Dancing Horses
Stars Are Stars
Rescue
The Cutter
Seven Seas
How Far?
Killing Moon

Never Stop
Ocean Rain

[Hugh]

I saw them a few weeks back and this was the setlist:

Nothing Lasts Forever
All My Colours (Zimbo)
The Somnabulist
Lips Like Sugar
Angels and Devils
Stormy Weather
Rust
Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
In the Margins
Bring On the Dancing Horses
Stars Are Stars
Rescue
The Cutter
Seven Seas
How Far?
Killing Moon

Never Stop
Ocean Rain

They weren’t bad but they weren’t great. Will Seargent stood shrouded in darkness for the whole gig, Mac struggled with both the high notes and the low notes. The audience didn’t seem to mind though and sang along and waved their arms to their old favourites. The band was backed by a string section and an unnecessary grand piano.

[sloopjohnc]

So you saw them twice?

[pcqgod]

[Deebank]

Last time I saw them was at Glastonbury over a decade ago. Walking down into the main 'arena' the riff from Lips Like Sugar was blasting out over Somerset towards to tor - it sounded fantastic.

It was fitting that E&TB were on the main stage - maybe the second band on that day (low down on the bill) while over on the Acoustic Stage Julian Cope was headlining that night. It sort of summed up their respective careers. Mac still trying to make the big time, Cope preaching to the converted... Or something.

[The Prof]

Never seen a bad Bunnymen gig.
Saw Mac with Ian Broudie doing an accoustic set a few years ago and he was acting like bit of a twat.

The Mojo article was quite enlightening. Quite sad in a way but I'm quite looking forward to the new orchestral LP even though I'm not sure it 'needs' to be made.

[naughty boy]

They're on Jools Holland's thing tonight

[The Modernist]

Can they mesmerize or electrify a crowd, or is it just play the hits and bugger off?

Well you're seeing a band way past their best, Mac's voice is certainly shot but I guess he may still have a certain on-stage charisma..

Personally I don't think they ever recovered from the death of De Freitas, who was as important to them as Bonham was to Zep.

I was lucky enough to see them many times (..well 3) in their heyday, but if you've never seen them you may get something out of it I guess, but I'd keep your expectations fairly low.

[Dayodead]

Worth seeing live ? Maybe if you had a time machine...And if you do, can I borrow it for a bit ? Lots of bands I'd like to see in their prime..

[naughty boy]

[The Modernist]

That sounds 'professional' I guess, though Mac's vocals are clearly not what they were. It's probably helped by the fact it's one of the simpler tracks in their catalogue. All a bit lifeless though..It doesn't make me think "it'd be great to see them again".

[naughty boy]

That sounds 'professional' I guess, though Mac's vocals are clearly not what they were.

Not only that, but he hasn't decided whether to go with the original vocal melody or the slightly-adapted (for his reduced range) one. So it's a wee bit unsettling!

They also played a newer track but I won't post it here. It's nothing special.

[northernsky]

The Mojo article was quite enlightening. Quite sad in a way

Yes it was. I'm glad I read it but I noticed Ian McNabb wrote in the next month to say they should never have published it.