2010-10-31 HARD Haunted Mansion - Los Angeles, CA

[rudydaduck]

http://www.hardfest.com/images/2010/Aug/HHM10_main.jpg

Tickets $65 (http://fla.vor.us/172681-HARD-HAUNTED-MANSION-2010-tickets/wafform.aspx?_act=eventview&_pky=72681)

-----original post----
anyone? halloween? anyone?

[darktrain]

anyone? halloween? anyone?

After last year's Hard Summer fiasco I can safely say no. No no no no no no no.

[khouri]

Why? Are Underworld playing? I couldn't confirm that anywhere.

[Yannick]

thinking of going, haven't been in la for a while

[Chris M]

sadly HARD has once again hoodwinked underworld into headlining another under aged candy raving event -

stay tuned for the official press release from HARD, but here is our press leak in the mean time-

http://thescenestar.typepad.com/ss/2010/08/underworld-to-headline-hard-haunted-mansion.html

[starfox203]

FAIL!

Why Underworld? Why?

[Chris M]

Why? Are Underworld playing? I couldn't confirm that anywhere.

check it, yo -

http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=11116

[starfox203]

Non fans. Teenage tweekers. Riots. Have you seen the videos from last year. This is terrible for Angelenos.

http://thescenestar.typepad.com/ss/2010/08/underworld-to-headline-hard-haunted-mansion.html

[mmm skyscraper]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4870162961_cef0909dcb.jpg

[khouri]

Fuck me.

[cured]

ugh. Gotta go. Won't like the rest of the acts, though, nor the crowd.

[cured]

^^ says it all :(

I remember meeting some people who flew out from Australia to catch em at that party. Had to break the news that cabs weren't exactly accessible in Inglewood, too.

[darktrain]

After last year's Hard Summer fiasco I can safely say no. No no no no no no no.

Ugh...from the original post I thought this was just a general inquiry...now that u/w is confirmed I'll have to eat my words and go. But...
- I am EXTREMELY saddened that the band chose to book with HARD again after last summer's clusterfuck and their recent LA event (with MIA/NERD) being canceled. Is this really the only way u/w can justify coming to the states nowadays?
- I REALLY hope the boys will do a solo show in town before/after.
- We really need to get a dirty crew together to brave the kiddies. Strength in numbers!

[khouri]

I'm praying they perform a solo show in San Francisco or Las Vegas or somewhere else relatively nearby. I'll go to Hard Halloween but I need the pure Underworld experience as well. Fuck it, I'll go to New York if I have to.

[ultradave]

i was hoping they'd come to Los Angeles again, but not in this fashion...

i however, will have to go - if it's the only way to see underworld... we should arrange a dirty meet - perhaps a pint before the show... anyone interested, let me know. i'm pretty familiar with these parts.

[TheBang]

- I am EXTREMELY saddened that the band chose to book with HARD again after last summer's clusterfuck and their recent LA event (with MIA/NERD) being canceled. Is this really the only way u/w can justify coming to the states nowadays?
Karl mentioned in an interview during the OwB tour that they lose money when they travel to the US, like the Sept. 2007 shows which were all just Underworld solo shows. Everything since then has had a festival show included, which helps subsidize the trip. 2008 - UMF, APW, Virgin with a side-show in Atlanta. 2009 - HARD Summer with side shows in Vegas, Oakland, Canada.

If festival shows are the only way to make it financially feasible to come to the states, then I think that's better than not having any shows in the US.

- I REALLY hope the boys will do a solo show in town before/after.
Unfortunately, the festival show usually means an exclusive on the artist in that region, which means you'll probably have to travel outside the LA area if you want to see a solo show.

[ultradave]

If festival shows are the only way to make it financially feasible to come to the states, then I think that's better than not having any shows in the US.

I fully agree with that comment. Festival UW is better than no UW.

...just wish these US Festival Shows could be more like those in Europe...

[darktrain]

I fully agree with that comment. Festival UW is better than no UW.

Indeed...especially if they sound as great as the Ibiza show. Goodness!
(initial sadness turning quickly to excitement)

[starfox203]

No problem with a festival show, but HARD shows are just a bunch of teenagers on drugs who don't know the band or their music. I have no interest in spending my night surrounded by a crowd that this type of festival draws, especially at Halloween.

[cured]

Every year I hold out hope that I'll see them on the Coachella flyer at the end of January...been quite a few years since that last happened.

Ah well, gotta suck it up and go. If there is a SF show the night before I may go to that, though. I've been to a HARD party at the Shrine for Halloween before...

just a bunch of teenagers on drugs who don't know the band or their music

...bingo.

[stimpee]

So are these the same promoters as last years mess?
http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=9936

[Banstylin']

So are these the same promoters as last years mess?
http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=9936

That is correct stimpee... awful promoters, just hope nothing bad happens this time around.

I would only go if several dirts met up and hung together, bring balance to all them mad ravers.

[TheBang]

http://www.hardfest.com/images/2010/Aug/HHM10_main.jpg

Underworld is playing on Oct. 31. Tickets are $65:

http://fla.vor.us/172681-HARD-HAUNTED-MANSION-2010-tickets/wafform.aspx?_act=eventview&_pky=72681

[SappysCurry]

Check out that flyer, it says the night is being recorded for Red Bull Music Academy Radio. So this will be broadcast somewhere?

[TheBang]

Sure looks like it, eh? If you go to the URL, http://www.rbmaradio.com, you can see streams for a lot of previous live shows. Of course, like the Italia Wave festival, UW might have some say in whether they are broadcast or not.

[Dirty0900]

Sure looks like it, eh? If you go to the URL, http://www.rbmaradio.com, you can see streams for a lot of previous live shows. Of course, like the Italia Wave festival, UW might have some say in whether they are broadcast or not.

Probably a good chance of getting a full broadcast seeing the album will be fully released after this gig. The iTunes gig only had the new singles that were public knowledge. Bird 1 etc is only really out there on RTSR and here etc. Why give your new stuff away for cheap/free?

[cured]

Gary Richards (Destructo) throws parties at the Shrine all the time. I'm not worried about this party having the problems the show at the Forum had.

[khouri]

I went to Hard Halloween a couple of years ago (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykhouri/sets/72157609220107269/) to see Soulwax and Simian Mobile Disco and the Shrine is actually quite great. Lots of outdoor stages and mobile bars and places to relax, and a lot of people had really cool costumes for the occasion. But since then, Hard fucked up my last Underworld gig and everything you hear about the obnoxious teenage ravers is completely true. Not the ideal situation for Underworld.

[ultradave]

i however, will have to go...

i no longer agree with my own statement for speculation that UW will be playing Coachella 4-15-11... Can we get an official confirmation on this??? :eek:

[darktrain]

i no longer agree with my own statement for speculation that UW will be playing Coachella 4-15-11... Can we get an official confirmation on this??? :eek:

I don't think the Coachella lineup is officially released until January.

[bazwint]

I don't think the Coachella lineup is officially released until January.

That's correct. 2003 was the last time. They're due. Please let it be true!!

[starfox203]

Oh, and $65 for a ticket to this?

Plus, after a teenage raver died in LA a few months ago, this think will be swarming with cops and security.

No, thanks.

[Chris M]

a small breath of hope - a close source recently mentioned that contracts are being negotiated with an additional event/promoter for the same weekend. keep those fingers crossed!

[stimpee]

That's correct. 2003 was the last time. They're due. Please let it be true!!Theyre also rumoured to play Glastonbury every year but havent played since 1999.

[Jon Paul]

There's been some rank (as in smelling) journalism on the part of the LA Times who didn't write much about the HARD fiasco last summer but have pumped article after article on how great their 2010 summer show was going to be. They tied Gary Richard's efforts into a "rebirth" of the "cool rave scene" in L.A.... which for anyone who lives here or saw the catastrophe last August is a big effin joke.

I love the band, I love the music, and live Underworld has probably been among the more spiritual experiences I've ever had in a concert setting... but frankly I'm going to sit down after trick-or-treating with my 2yr old step-daughter and just listen to the new album... instead of wading through the mess at the Shrine. It's a poor decision to play that particular event. I recognize how we never get to see the band, but this attitude of "Well shucks, we GOTTA go," is the kind of attitude that rewards Richards. Well, that and the L.A. parents who are blindly oblivious to what their 16-18 yr old daughters are wearing out. Aside from missing Organic Festival in 1996, I've seen them Every time they come to the area... but I'm putting my foot down here. Not worth that kind of money to support a bad business. Sorry guys.

[bryantm3]

wasn't this the gig last year where they oversold the venue and the police raided the place for violating fire code? i live in GA so i won't be going anyway, but it sounds like a bunch of jackasses.

[darktrain]

I recognize how we never get to see the band, but this attitude of "Well shucks, we GOTTA go," is the kind of attitude that rewards Richards. Well, that and the L.A. parents who are blindly oblivious to what their 16-18 yr old daughters are wearing out. Aside from missing Organic Festival in 1996, I've seen them Every time they come to the area... but I'm putting my foot down here. Not worth that kind of money to support a bad business. Sorry guys.

Short of Lush reuniting, Underworld is the ONLY group I would cave in to seeing amid the terribleness that is the HARD crowd.
I GOTTA go:o
(unless of course there's a one-off gig close by as an alternate choice)

[khouri]

I recognize how we never get to see the band, but this attitude of "Well shucks, we GOTTA go," is the kind of attitude that rewards Richards. Well, that and the L.A. parents who are blindly oblivious to what their 16-18 yr old daughters are wearing out. Aside from missing Organic Festival in 1996, I've seen them Every time they come to the area... but I'm putting my foot down here. Not worth that kind of money to support a bad business. Sorry guys.

I fully support this and wish I had the strength of will to join your protest, but I'm too much of an Underworld junkie. I went to the Shrine Hardfest a couple of Halloweens ago and it was pretty fun. But I was at the riot police show at the Forum and if not for Underworld, I would never return to another Richards event.

[cured]

I fully support this and wish I had the strength of will to join your protest, but I'm too much of an Underworld junkie. I went to the Shrine Hardfest a couple of Halloweens ago and it was pretty fun. But I was at the riot police show at the Forum and if not for Underworld, I would never return to another Richards event.

That's exactly my situation. Went to HARD a couple years ago, was at the Forum last year. I absolutely hate the line-up with every part of my body minus the fact that my favorite band--ever--is playing there. I'm not 25 anymore and don't have the "well maybe I'll just catch them next year" mentality. I talked about this with another huge UW fan and, despite the fact every single one of our friends either said "f*ck no" or "never again" we are going to go...then bolt as soon as UW is done.

[Jon Paul]

we are going to go...then bolt as soon as UW is done.

...If they go on. :eek:

...and yea, sorry to sound like a detractor. I'm still a junkie for all things UW. I loved the Santa Monica Civic show in '99...and chucked every penny I had to fly to London then bus out to Homelands to see their very Next show. I'm fairly confident they'll come back around to the West Coast at something outside of a crappy festival setting. Until then, I hope that they DO get onstage and I know for those Dirts in attendance, it will be spectacular. :rolleyes:

[jose m]

...If they go on. :eek:

...and yea, sorry to sound like a detractor. I'm still a junkie for all things UW. I loved the Santa Monica Civic show in '99...and chucked every penny I had to fly to London then bus out to Homelands to see their very Next show. I'm fairly confident they'll come back around to the West Coast at something outside of a crappy festival setting. Until then, I hope that they DO get onstage and I know for those Dirts in attendance, it will be spectacular. :rolleyes:


fully understand your point of view here but (and i have this from the horses mouth,well friends of friends of the band) underworld have had some patchy responses from promoters in the states after some gigs that didn't sell or not as well as expected and no-one wants to book them to do a show in a venue that they can take production to plus no-one wants to risk pulling a 30 something audience who's raving days might be behind them and only can make it if they've got a sitter etc etc.
the hard people like underworld and think they'll work with their audience even if their audience are pill munching nutters (weren't we once?) and hard will pay underworld enough so they can bring a show,play some other gigs and wont lose $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ doing it.
its fucking tough on older fans (and i count myself in that number) but numbers have dwindled since the glory days of electronica and underworld lose $$$$$$$ EVERYTIME they play in america.
the only thing that will change this situation might be a great reaction to the new album and loads of luck (maybe oprah's a secret fan?).
fingers crossed for coachella 2011 eh? its about time again.

[BrotherLovesDub]

Sort of a self fulfilling disaster scenario though isn't it? Surely you can't keep an audience when you only play 4 cities when you 'tour' America and charged 30-50 bucks a show. Maybe the boys could strip down their live show and actually TOUR AMERICA instead of playing NYC, Chicago, LA and SF. That's not a tour. We don't need a stage full of fucking inflatables to impress us. We don't need 3 huge screens with projections. UW on a small to medium sized club tour across America would do a lot more for their fan base in America than playing 4 or 5 times every 2 or 3 years. If you don't live in Chicago, NY or LA and don't like going to festivals, you are shit out of luck for seeing Underworld in America. Bands get new fans and keep old fans by touring. If Underworld can't figure out a way to tour without it costing a fortune, then the music has lost focus. We don't need a circus act, we just want the tunes. Underworld can rock a crowd without all the bells and whistles. Saying they lose money every time they play as an excuse for why they don't play here more is bullshit in my opinion. If they played here more with a stripped down stage show, they'd be able to draw bigger crowds. Save the elaborate productions for the festivals or one-offs.

[jose m]

fair point but i think you'll find they tried that a number of times thru the 80's and 90's.
they aren't young men anymore and from what i know the desire to schlepp it around doing small shows isn't there.
they like the bells and whistle's and that part of the excitement of doing the shows for them.
i think they'd need to take 25 years of their age's to be the band you suggest ! :)

[BrotherLovesDub]

Wait, they didn't sell out the 99 BF tour? I was under the impression that tour was a big success. After that tour they basically abandoned the idea of touring America. If i'm wrong, then I apologize, but i'm pretty sure the 99 tour (their last actual tour of America) was a big success.

[BrotherLovesDub]

Plus, didn't they play a handful of 3hr shows in Benelux between AHDO and OBW? Those were small club shows and very fun for the band by all accounts. How much did they make on those shows?

[jose m]

Wait, they didn't sell out the 99 BF tour? I was under the impression that tour was a big success. After that tour they basically abandoned the idea of touring America. If i'm wrong, then I apologize, but i'm pretty sure the 99 tour (their last actual tour of America) was a big success.


i dunno what they or anyone else considers success or if the tour sold out.

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

BLD, I feel you, but I live 3.5 hours from Chicago, and I'd drive that in a heartbeat to see them...ever since I started following them religiously in 2001, I don't think they've been there since. Totally agreed that LA, Oakland, and Boston is not a tour...how about something for those of us who don't live on the coast?

[jose m]

Plus, didn't they play a handful of 3hr shows in Benelux between AHDO and OBW? Those were small club shows and very fun for the band by all accounts. How much did they make on those shows?

can't really do that sorta thing when you are in the states with a full crew in tow.
works ok when you can get the train home the next day.
also those show's were part of larger tours.

anyway, all your points are pretty valid but i suspect r&k wouldn't agree with them and have decided how they wanna spend their time as a band.

[stimpee]

The Benelux 2005 gigs had the green laser, and karls mic/cam for Lenny Penne/YDS. Not really high budget on the effects. Only 3 of the 3hr gigs (the 4th was I Love Techno, and the Yellow Room was soon totally full). I must say they were some of the best Underworld gigs ive ever been to (i was at all four of them. 4 days, 4 gigs). As for money made, well who knows but the tickets prices were reasonable. Of course, Underworld are popular in NL, and are always welcome at ILT. The Ancienne Belgique gig was a sell out in 2008 too, were the Amsterdam HMH 2005/2008 and Rotterdam 2008 gigs. I see your point about "low budget" though. There is a difference between a 20+ city tour of the USA where "schlepping" would definitely be the word to describe it. But there is always a compromise and a 10 city tour (and i mean fairly big cities by US standard) would be possible IMO. But what do i know... I only see the EU side of things and have only seen UW once in NYC (great idea, Central Park by the way! what a gig!)

[BrotherLovesDub]

I spent about 1500 to see them in 07. Two shows in SF and one in Denver. I paid airfare and hotel for all days. I know about traveling to see them. They last played Seattle in 99. A show that sold out quickly.

[jose m]

BLD, I feel you, but I live 3.5 hours from Chicago, and I'd drive that in a heartbeat to see them...ever since I started following them religiously in 2001, I don't think they've been there since. Totally agreed that LA, Oakland, and Boston is not a tour...how about something for those of us who don't live on the coast?


man....you've joined them in the twilight years :D;)

[BrotherLovesDub]

can't really do that sorta thing when you are in the states with a full crew in tow.
works ok when you can get the train home the next day.
also those show's were part of larger tours.

anyway, all your points are pretty valid but i suspect r&k wouldn't agree with them and have decided how they wanna spend their time as a band.

Fair enough. I'm just very invested in the band and would love to see them more.

[Dirty0900]

I've had to travel minimum 3.5 hours to see UW 4 times in the UK so don't be thinking you've got it easy. For the iTunes show I needed to travel to London, pay for vitals and eat/drink. Was it worth it? Yes.

[TheBang]

Lightweights. Come back when you have to fly a minimum of 2500+ miles to see any show. :p

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

man....you've joined them in the twilight years :D;)

i thought so too myself...when 1992-2002 came out, i thought no way they would ever produce 16 more tracks of this quality again..

however, it is 2010 now and they are getting damn close! i've always been pretty amazed by the consistancy of these guys.

[BrotherLovesDub]

Lightweights. Come back when you have to fly a minimum of 2500+ miles to see any show. :p

You live in what most people call 'paradise'. No sympathy for you. You choose to live in an island paradise rather than actual civilization.

[Champiness]

After last year's fiasco, don't you think the HARD crew will put a little more effort into making sure things don't go crazy? If anything I'm wondering if the security will be overbearing.

[TheBang]

They already successfully had Hard Haunted Mansion at the Shrine last year, so it should be fine again this year.

[khouri]

A crucial component of touring is awareness. If Underworld aren't filling venues, it's because people don't know they're still putting new music out, assuming they've even heard of Underworld in the first place. I can tell you that hardly anybody I spoke to at the aborted Hardfest gig last year had any idea who Underworld were.

The solutions to that problem are -- and here I go again -- Internet presence and content distribution. All the major electronic acts that have remained or become relevant in the last ten years, from oldies like Daft Punk to the new lot like Fischerspooner or Justice, have done so in part by making their music wildly available and heavily promoted. Underworld willingly opted out of that industry system -- in my opinion, to their peril. With the exception of A Hundred Days Off, Underworld have spent most of the last decade making it nearly impossible for the casual listener to discover and obtain their music:

The early albums' availability is spotty at best; their greatest hits package is, I believe, out-of-print; their RiverRun series of EPs and singles were released in the most bullshit fashion imaginable; the 3-disc Live in Tokyo record, arguably the best Underworld release of all time, was practically impossible to obtain; the Sunshine soundtrack was hopelessly delayed; Oblivion With Bells was a proper album with proper avenues of distribution, but the promotion was dreadful: homemade music videos, bizarre single choices in the form of Holding the Moth and Ring Road, assuming you could buy them in the first place (I don't have a record player, so no Ring Road for me). Of course, some of this stuff is available digitally, but what if nobody knows it exists at all?

Finally, the Underworld website is demonstrably lacking, to put it mildly. True, the shop is now equipped with a good chunk of the back catalogue, assuming there are no longer problems buying any of it, but the site itself looks really unprofessional, is difficult to navigate, is home to no useful information beyond the dubious shop and barebones tour dates -- no bio, no gallery, and no free music beyond what's available in that weird pop-up media player despite releasing so god damn much of it over the years.

But it looks like they're turning it around this time with Barking. DJs are actually able to get their hands on the material, for one thing. "Scribble" is making the rounds in the rave scene here in the States, from what I've been hearing. Thankfully the Twitter and Facebook integration has become more useful as well with relevant information and some coherent fan interaction.

I get so frustrated about all this stuff because I think Underworld are the best band in the world. Barking seems poised to be a Beaucoup-level success, so hopefully Underworld will finally emerge from the underground.

[lectoid]

^ What he said.

One thing I can't stand is the work I have to put in to get different versions of songs. It it wasn't for RTSR, I'd probably just have the albums and what their website has to offer.

I had to torrent the Tokyo CD (let me buy it and I will, otherwise I'm not sorry) just to hear stuff I've never heard (You Do Scribble).

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

Good post, khouri...UW are a very, very easy group to get people into as they have such an insane amount of quality material, and yet they are not really too well known here...

I too am hoping Barking will do the trick the way BF did in the 90's. I thought OWB was a good album, in the scheme of 2007 it definitely makes my top 10. But for this group, I was just kind of wondering why only a few of the great tracks we were hearing actually made the cut. It looks like Barking is going to be the album that lands them all, and yeah, "Scribble" getting pretty big, from what I can tell the response to it has been huge.

I had to torrent the Tokyo disc too. Ever since EE came out I had been waiting for a great live release like this. I burned a copy for a friend of mine who hadn't really heard much UW and he says he plays those discs all the time. There is so much to applaud UW for but for the most part I have to agree.

[polar_action]

Well said khouri (http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/member.php?u=11210). Well said

[TheBang]

Set times posted:

http://www.hardfest.com/images/2010/Oct/hhm10-set-times02noslice.jpg

[negative1]

A crucial component of touring is awareness. If Underworld aren't filling venues, it's because people don't know they're still putting new music out, assuming they've even heard of Underworld in the first place. I can tell you that hardly anybody I spoke to at the aborted Hardfest gig last year had any idea who Underworld were.

i think this has pretty much been true ever since they've toured
the US ... they've had a smaller indie following for most of their
history bar the 'trainspotting'/'born slippy' single...


The solutions to that problem are -- and here I go again -- Internet presence and content distribution. All the major electronic acts that have remained or become relevant in the last ten years, from oldies like Daft Punk to the new lot like Fischerspooner or Justice, have done so in part by making their music wildly available and heavily promoted. Underworld willingly opted out of that industry system -- in my opinion, to their peril. With the exception of A Hundred Days Off, Underworld have spent most of the last decade making it nearly impossible for the casual listener to discover and obtain their music:

actually, their music has ALWAYS been hard to find even when they started..
how many copies of m.e/the hump are there? their early 12" singles on JBO,
the skyscraper single, etc. etc... i would say the opposite, its a LOT EASIER
NOW to find their music online / amazon / ebay, etc... you can find all the
main albums, and some selected singles...and of course all the recent stuff
online..

i can't speak for the other bands you mentioned, but relevancy is
mostly subjective i would think... if a band is more productive or has
a bigger media presence, good for them and their fans... we have this
board, and other ways of getting the information..


The early albums' availability is spotty at best; their greatest hits package is, I believe, out-of-print; their RiverRun series of EPs and singles were released in the most bullsh*t fashion imaginable; the 3-disc Live in Tokyo record, arguably the best Underworld release of all time, was practically impossible to obtain; the Sunshine soundtrack was hopelessly delayed;

as i mentioned, its not that hard to find all of their albums.. yeah, sure
the riverrun EP was not a fullblown release for the masses (and wasn't
meant to be), and how much interest in the film soundtrack for a non-hit
movie is there? so how much did that really impact them?

Oblivion With Bells was a proper album with proper avenues of distribution, but the promotion was dreadful: homemade music videos, bizarre single choices in the form of Holding the Moth and Ring Road, assuming you could buy them in the first place (I don't have a record player, so no Ring Road for me). Of course, some of this stuff is available digitally, but what if nobody knows it exists at all?

how many of their singles have been 'obvious'? how many of the mixes
actually sounded like the original back when they started? only 'club
friendly' mixes seem to be more predominant compared to their
experimental ones... if people are fans of the group, they'll find out
how to get the singles, which sites have them, and of course
torrent/download them .... as they do for a lot of other groups..

Finally, the Underworld website is demonstrably lacking, to put it mildly. True, the shop is now equipped with a good chunk of the back catalogue, assuming there are no longer problems buying any of it, but the site itself looks really unprofessional, is difficult to navigate, is home to no useful information beyond the dubious shop and barebones tour dates -- no bio, no gallery, and no free music beyond what's available in that weird pop-up media player despite releasing so god damn much of it over the years.

yeah, well it's always been a work in progress, and who goes to
just one site anyways? there's always been some good fansites
and other places to look up more detailed information ... just because
it's not centrally located really shouldn't deter someone if they
really wanted more indepth information..

I get so frustrated about all this stuff because I think Underworld are the best band in the world. Barking seems poised to be a Beaucoup-level success, so hopefully Underworld will finally emerge from the underground.

hmm..did you really consider 'beaucoup fish' that succesfull?

although i agree with what you said at times,
(and yes, even being booked on a late night
talk show miight point to a different agenda.)
but ask yourself, do they really need or even
want to 'emerge'?

later
-1

[SappysCurry]

Interesting evening tonight. More improv than usual, partly because of Karl's voice. At the start of Scribble, he started to sing, then covered his mouth with some piece of cloth and left the stage while Rick and Darren played sans lyrics at first, and then Rick sang a verse with the vocoder effects until Karl returned.

They also played Nu Train without Karl entirely and Cowgirl pretty much without him until the end (his silhouette was singing on the LED screens, but I think that was pre-recorded. It wasn't live.) They cut Jigsaw out of the setlist and there was no encore.

There was however a blistering version of Nuxx that they were messing with in ways I haven't heard from them in a long time. Weird loops and effects...and you could tell they were just having a ball jamming on it, much like they used to in years gone by. The place went nuts. Hot crowd, and despite Karl's voice and obvious sickness (he even looked a little washed out and exhausted), he was slamming it for pretty much the whole show.

I hate these 18+ kiddie raver events, but I'm glad I sacked up and went. Does anyone know if this was broadcast on that Red Bull Music Academy site?

[TheBang]

The Rez/Cowgirl silhouette was live, but the shadow screen was off stage due to the setup, so it was a video feed of the shadow screen. This is the same way it was at the Cow Palace.

We were supposed to get the shadow screen last night at San Diego. They had found room for it on the left side of the stage, but when showtime came it was gone. I never did find out why it didn't happen. Maybe Karl didn't want to do it because of how he was feeling, or maybe they tested it during soundcheck and it didn't work in the small space, I dunno.

For those that think they just "press play" on the new songs, well, that's definitely not the case. As mentioned, Karl ran off stage after the beginning of Scribble, and so they had to jam the middle part while he made his way back.

We got some nice Monkey Wink during the end jam of Nuxx, so that was fun.

Overall, this show was a lot better than I expected. Especially considering what happened with Hard Summer last year, I was impressed with the organization and security of this event. The crowd was better at this show than the Cow Palace. They seemed interested and engaged, and showed some level of recognition for some of the songs. I'm not sure if it was due to the age difference (18+ vs 16+), the time that UW was on, or if LA is better than SF.

But yeah, I'm glad I went too. I was feeling some Underworld fatigue, and just plain fatigue in general after 3 days of traveling. At some points today I felt, eh, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't see them tonight. But all of that melted away once the show started.

I didn't get bored with the setlist like I thought I might. It's quite a good live set. I know some people have been disappointed, but it's still an Underworld show, and the band and crew put in their all each night and make in entertaining. They're going to continue with this set for the album promotion for the rest of this year. But I hear Rick's itching to get back to improv-y shows, so I think we'll see a return to the Underworld Live we love next year.

[cured]

Karl really gutted that one out last night...INCREDIBLE energy. One of the better Underworld sets I've seen. I absolutely hated the crowd, though...I can't count the number of times I was shoved aside so a train of kids could burrow their way to or away from the front of the stage.

And what the heck was A-Trak doing during the butchering of "Robot Rock"?

[Andrea]

Poor Karl, he was quite ill according to the last post on U/Wlive but I didn´t know he was so bad.
I hope the smell and taste of Essex is healing him by now :)


But I hear Rick's itching to get back to improv-y shows, so I think we'll see a return to the Underworld Live we love next year.
Very welcomed but not at the sacrifice of Karl´s voice I hope... much love

[pianopisser]

Starting to upload my UW videos from Hard + 4th and b shows, here one from the HHM:

Linky (www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_sYLj4PUh4)

[klingklang]

Very cool. thanks pianopisser!

[Mike]

So, is there a setlist for this one? It is difficult to tell if they played the full 'standard' set.. or the 'festival' set... also i see someone mentioned Monkey Wink NUXX...

[TheBang]

It was the standard, but no Diamond Jigsaw, and yes, Monkey Wink during Nuxx. No encore.

[Mike]

Updated http://uwlive.rowla.com/gigs/view/423 thanks todd.