Oblivion Ball Tokyo Live Streaming

[Yannick]

Underworld Live from TokyoSaturday 24th November 2007
Broadcast Starts: 3pm UK/Midnight Japan
Underworld On Stage: 4pm UK/1am (25th) Japan


On Saturday 24th November, Underworld will broadcast their performance at The Oblivion Ball in Tokyo live and exclusively from their website www.underworldlive.com (http://www.underworldlive.com/). The free-to-air broadcast will commence 1 hour before the band take to the stage in Tokyo and will preview footage from the MakuhariArtJam - an installation project by Underworld Tomato and Friends. Members of the underworldlive.com site will be able to exclusively download a dedicated reference movie for the broadcast, allowing them the ability to view the show "full screen". Underworld have been broadcasting free over the internet for many years - be it an impromptu low resolution radio show from a hotel room in a far flung corner of the world, or a TV-resolution audio visual broadcast of a live show - this show from Japan promises to be very different and to further raise the bar.


The Oblivion Ball is taking place at the 20,000 capacity Makuhari Messe in Tokyo and the whole event was conceived and curated by Underworld. On the live stage, there will be performances by 120 Days, The Orb, Simian Mobile Disco and Underworld - with the legendary Andrew Weatherall working his magic between each live performance. The event also sees Underworld and Tomato collaborating on an installation that consists of 5 live painting projects that together make-up a 50 x 7 meter wall of art. Within the venue itself, the installation is a piece of live performance art, at the centre of the event. There is also a cinema that will be showing films such as Danny Boyles' "Trainspotting" and "Sunshine" and Anthony Minghellas' "Breaking & Entering" - films which Underworld played a key role in scoring. The Cinema will also preview a number of short films from the Underworld/Tomato archive.


For more information and to view an exclusive clip from their broadcast from Londons' Roundhouse in October this year, please visit www.underworldlive.com/tokyolive (http://www.underworldlive.com/tokyolive)

[hippy dave]

ooh that's tomorrow! cheers yannick :D

[negative1]

ooh that's tomorrow! cheers yannick :D

awesome, for the first time, i might actually be able to hear
it live

-1

[spacejunk]

Bloody awesome!

[galama]

aAAAAAAAY

[Troy McClure]

This is great news. I imagine that since the show is on a weekend at a reasonable hour for most people, the streams will be working overtime.

Will the chat room be up and running? -Jason

[Ufotofu]

My God, I can actually watch this one! Cheers to UW & Company-- thanks!

What is the channel/IP/etc for the IRC, again? I seem to have forgotten.

[idoru]

I had a feeling that they were going to broadcast this. After all of the effort and their past history, it would have shocked me if they ended up not broadcasting it. Thank God my work has given me Saturday off, looks like I'll be waking up early for this one.
________
YAMAHA PRO AUDIO HISTORY (http://www.yamaha-tech.com/wiki/Yamaha_Pro_Audio)

[Troy McClure]

It'll be 'Breakfast with Underworld'. I'll bring the coffee for us on the West Coast.

-Jason

[idoru]

Tea for me, please.
________
ANGELINA JOLIE NUDE (http://www.angelinajoliepics.com/)

[DaddyAdv]

Hurray for yannick and UW Live !

[rayray]

i was gonna rake the leaves - thanks Yan!
for getting me out of leaves and live UW - :D

[taoyoyo]

damn you UW! i'm working nights and was planning on trying to catch some kip this morning! :D

what's a guy to do?

more seriously, just glad that rick is back and well. play a blinder you lot!

[Dirty0900]

Cans someone send a link over to IRC chat please!

[DaddyAdv]

http://www.underworldlive.com/live-on-air

[m.g.]

this works also (directly via QuickTime) link (http://www.underworldlive.com/home/mainColumnParagraphs/04/href/01tokyofs.mov)

[BeautifulBurnout]

Cans someone send a link over to IRC chat please!

Memories like a sieve, you lot :p

Linky to thread here (which is a sticky in noise) http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=6191

[Ybli]

Train to Tokyo !

Hi everybody

[negative1]

dark and long.lyrics....i'm not awake either..

[dubman]

it's funny just waking up to see this.
my head is pretty disorganized, i didnt know what i was listening to for a couple of minutes

[negative1]

is that you? is that really you?

[m.g.]

I always loved split screens :D

[dubman]

as cool as the visual mixing board is, it's not nearly as cool as when taylor was directing on the fly.

bamboo? no. b-boyandb-girl? oh well it's gone now.

boy boy boy. oh sheesh. lets see how it is live

[dubman]

man, even dino 3d had a club mix...
ah well

it's cowgirl now

[testudo]

i love that little track b/w 'boy' and 'cowgirl'


THEY better play DARC!

[King of Snake]

yeah that sounded cool, shame it faded out so quickly

[ndrwrld]

that rendition of boy boy boy was beautiful.

[jrmint]

there must be a reason why they decided on the split screens. better to be on the safe side than wasting time and energy on the live directing. rather getting a proper recording of the show. - more to come? hint hint?

well, awesome as always!

[Ybli]

Ricky seems to be really fine !!!

[dubman]

he was even jumping up and down during dark train.

i dont mean to be purely antagonistic here, but everything is working like clockwork and there's not really much deviation from anything. after watching/listening to 5-7 gigs in a row like this it's all starting to get a bit... ho-hum isn't it?

[jrmint]

i think the setlist is still quite fresh. but the roundhouse broadcast made it just so much more emotional. there's too much going on right now to get a feel of acutally being there. still, can't beat the uw/to.ma.to crew!

[dubman]

i think the setlist is still quite fresh. but the roundhouse broadcast made it just so much more emotional. there's too much going on right now to get a feel of acutally being there.

yeah probably. glam bucket is a fave of mine, lets hope those guitars get loud

[mmm skyscraper]

i dont mean to be purely antagonistic here, but everything is working like clockwork and there's not really much deviation from anything. after watching/listening to 5-7 gigs in a row like this it's all starting to get a bit... ho-hum isn't it?

well the vocals didn't work at the beginning of beautiful burnout

there's also been a lot of keyboard parts and messing around with the vocal samples

but, yeah after a while it does sound a bit samey. best thing to being there though and it's not like I paid anything for it.

[Ybli]

Perhaps that the Tomato's mosaic is a reason why : you're not really "inside" (even if their work is always a pleasure to watch).

Listen to Tokyo's crowd... I think you've got an answer, don't you think so ?

[m.g.]

(...) but everything is working like clockwork (...)Hahahaha... clockwork!!! I'd love that all the gigs i've seen in the last 20 years were "clockwork" like this... :)

[potatobroth]

this is quite awesome to watch on a chilly saturday morning here in New Jersey.

That version of Boy Boy Boy WAS fantastic. I still think of it as a Depeche Mode song though :P

While TMO is going, I guess the next question is: rowla or kittens? rowla or kittens? i'm going with Rowla with a slight Cherry Pie intro. (i'm grasping i know :D)

[dubman]

oof, finally full screen.
it's like finally being let inside after having to look in

[Ybli]

they bring light in... as usual !!!

[potatobroth]

and Rowla it is!

[dubman]

Hahahaha... clockwork!!! I'd love that all the gigs i've seen in the last 20 years were "clockwork" like this... :)
what, it just gets boring for an electronic act you know. it's either your computers are working or they arent. DA3D was different than studio versions, there'd be different live versions of kittens, there just seemed to be more willingness to branch into VERSIONS while live, but it hasnt been happening. it's either studio or playing off live ideas from years ago.

rowla now. and back to multi-screen

[potatobroth]

great close-up of rick's tweakin!

[dubman]

hahahaha monkey wink inside of nuxx

fucking nice
also liked the intro to it

[m.g.]

I wish I was there during this version of Nuxx... Fucking nice, yes!!! ;)

King of Snaaaake...

[Ybli]

I agree... brilliant version !!!

[dubman]

damn the place is packed

[Ybli]

KOS in another brilliant version !!!

[Ybli]

Think we're going to be... crazy !!!

[dubman]

please help me lyrics at the end and into moaner

[froopy seal]

MMMOOOOOOOAAAAANNEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
*dancing in my room*

[Ybli]

E-NER-GY

That incredible energy they're creating... unbelievable (as usual !!!)

[Ybli]

FAN-TAS-TIC !!!

Please don't forget Jumbo

[dubman]

hey lets not do jumbo fo once

[Ybli]

mmmm

[dubman]

okay i guess you will

[m.g.]

i need sugar... :D

[Ybli]

hapiness

[negative1]

that rendition of boy boy boy was beautiful.
even though, i don't like the song,
that version actually made it sound decent.

-1

[Ybli]

Really nice moments with you (what a pleasure to see Rick like that)... more than 2 hours but always too short. Thanks a lot.

[m.g.]

Thanks Rick & Karl & Darren for sharing this with us, + everybody involved in making this possible, the very probably über busy Mike G ;) & also Apple
(Apple rules!!!)


ps : will we ever have this as a... mmmm... download? dvd?

[Cadevil]

Setlist anyone?

[King of Snake]

he was even jumping up and down during dark train.

i dont mean to be purely antagonistic here, but everything is working like clockwork and there's not really much deviation from anything. after watching/listening to 5-7 gigs in a row like this it's all starting to get a bit... ho-hum isn't it?
agreed. The setlists have been unadventurous as of late. No price tunes at all tonight...nothing new by underworld, no mixing of tunes...
Yeah there's a different sound here and there and some little intro thingies ok.
Of course yes it's different when you're there at the gig, or when you haven't already seen and heard dozens of underworld gigs in the past, but still they've done more interesting sets than this. I found it kinda dissapointing especially as they are playing at their own event so they could basically do whatever they want.

[dubman]

I found it kinda dissapointing especially as they are playing at their own event so they could basically do whatever they want.

this is key i think. there was some stuff on uwlive about tweaking some things and perfecting it and last minute decisions and it all seemed very crafted towards this specific event and not so much a tour thing.
as cool as nuxx was, and disregarding for a little bit that it's free and we dont have to see it etc etc, it just seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity for something really unique and fitting for a specially named "oblivion ball"

[Buji]

Cant thank Underworld enough for this, they seem to give fans so much more than other bands.

I think we are set for another amazing album soon, they seem to be be in creative zone!


www.myspace.com/buji

[cacophony]

aw crap. wish i'd known about this in time.

[mmm skyscraper]

Setlist anyone?

dark train
crocodile
boy boy boy
cowgirl/rez
beautiful burnout
glam bucket
two months off
rowla
nuxx/monkey wink
shudder/king of snake
pearl's girl
moaner
jumbo

or something like that

[aNt]

Hope you all liked it, was fun to do...
Thanks to everyone that tuned in- went smoother.
More to come- rockin action!

[BeautifulBurnout]

I really enjoyed this as much as I always do when a gig is streamed. I know that some people say they were disappointed with the setlist, but the fact is we have been spoiled rotten by the band lately.

Also, for those of us who were lucky enough to see their 3 hour shows in 2005, there is clearly not as much room for them to play the more obscure or experimental stuff in just 2 hours. The vast majority of people who go to an UW gig are nowhere near as geeky as us lot. They don't know every tune, every b-side, every improve and every version like we do. They pay their money to see the Underworld they know and hear the tunes they know, and discover the new stuff from the album.

Plus the LiveHereNow CDs have meant that there has been no need to ferret around the internet trying to find a half-decent boot of the gig with minimal crowd noise and requiring vast amounts of processing before it is vaguely listenable.

So yeah. Great show guys. I loved it.

And y'all need to stop whining and appreciate it for what it is - a really nice gift from a great band to its fans. :D

[froopy seal]

Hope you all liked it, was fun to do...
Thanks to everyone that tuned in- went smoother.
More to come- rockin action!T'was great! Thanks to all involved for a brilliant job done! There must have been a whole server farm pushing this out. - In the part I witnessed, audio and video both came through loud and clear, almost no glitches.

"More"? Mmmhhhhh, I want more more...

[Dirty0900]

Bah, everyones spoilt rotten so im not arsed what im hearing live from somewhere across the globe. Who else does this for their fans? No-one, simple as. Becuase we've had so much it all seems to be the same. You can't complain at all. Becuase of the fine chaps at RTSR and gig reporting here it is to easy to compare and compare sets which is seemingly a bad thing now.

[taoyoyo]

i thought there were some really nice versions (even of KOS, which i'm tired of hearing generally), granted this is only the second gig of the year that i've heard/watched and granted i was hoping for some surprises (i would have been chuffed to hear a 'dirty epic'!).

my main feeling was one of elation to see rick back and looking like he wanted to take on the world... he was on fire this morning! i wanted to laugh, i wanted to cry (i wanted to sleep but i wasn't going to miss the gig for the world!).

it's been a bit of a shitty year personally and this helped put everything (everything) in perspective and made me feel less jaded and cynical... it helped to make me feel better for now and the future... UW are just that kind of band. :)

[dubman]

guys it always turns into this.
yes, we're spoiled, yes of course we appreciate all they do for us. and no thats not a token disclaimer before i take a deep breath and head into a diatribe, i really do appreciate all the things they rig to bring us as much as they possibly can. we enjoy an interctivity with this band shared by few, and especially by those as big as underworld.

but for the love of fuck, can we finally start to approach these things not as immunity granting devices of awesomeness but as actual creative endeavors open to some form of criticism and raise the possibility that for everything they're talking about and for all the excitement generated that our imaginations seem to continually run a bit wilder than what they're actually doing?
it *was* a bit... disheartening to see that after months of reported tweaking and different ideas and renewed post-hospital excitement that it was a. the same 'tour' show and b. the same setlist as the night before, which are mild variations on the setlists this whole tour. i'm not talking about doing some grand experimental thing (though it's entirely possible and not *so* cracked out), but you can do something different to what we've been seeing recently without going off the deep end.

i'm not talking about whether they should do these things or not. i'm talking about whether these could be missed opportunities of some kind to really extend on a limb and surprise us in some way, especially when you're recording and releasing them. we have 5 releases of what could have been some beautifully ruthless run of the dynamic and off-the-cuff potential of underworld at their real-time flexibility and adaptation for the moment, and instead we have 5 releases of, by and large, the same thing. i found myself looking for which two had the most difference between them so i could snatch them up if i dont get the others, which by now is a real possibility. i should be wanting all of them.

nothing beats actually being there, and it's easy to look at it with this sort of distance when viewing it on a computer screen, but that also gives us a conceptual eye for their live setup that says that for all the creative flow and energy this duo experience on a daily basis, and for everything else they've done before that proves they're a top-caliber group of music AND design, what they've been doing on this recent incartnation of the tour is showing that there's a lack of fluidity and a sort of stagnation within the setup. there's a thousand different ways to end an underworld set brilliantly than with just jumbo. moaner doesnt have to be the climax of the show that leads to exhausting whatever's left in everyone (it was actually really great and refreshing when played early in the second london set. that sort of energy should feel like part of a set, not just driving it home), the seocnd half of the show doesnt have to be a string of hits after showcasing the shiny new album stuff in the first half, but it's been nothing *but* this.

all i'm saying is may we please air some reservations without being countered with how special all the "stuff" we get is, and treat the live and interactive experience with the same creative standards that we do their albums? it's great that they still do albums, but should we be so grateful for them as to not note what's wrong with them? how is Underworld Live much different than that?

[dubman]

Hope you all liked it, was fun to do...
Thanks to everyone that tuned in- went smoother.
More to come- rockin action!
thanks aNt! and thanks for answering my PM. absolutely invaluable!

[idoru]

Of course it's a bit samey. I thought the same thing. I think right now they're at a bit of a "crossroads" of sorts. At first, all of the "improvs" they were doing were just Darren playing and sequencing his own tunes. Now they're at the point where Rick seems to want to be more involved and more in control again and make it an actual "Underworld jam."

I think today's show was a beginning of things to come. They brought out old tunes, old lyrics, rather than just re-sequencing Cowgirl, Rez, Pearl's Girl etc. they actually effected bits and pieces of the track, and Rick actually sang on Cowgirl. We saw this at the Roundhouse as well, where Rick time-stretched Pearl's Girls vocals.

Compared to the sets they've been playing lately it was a big change. I'm not saying that it was a huge change from their old style, I'm not saying it was fantastically unique, I'm saying that compared to the recent tour gigs they did a lot more to the tracks than what they've done in a while. I see this continuing through every gig, and I see it progressing into something more over time.
________
MFLB (http://www.vaporshop.com/mflb-vaporizer.html)

[BeautifulBurnout]

all i'm saying is may we please air some reservations without being countered with how special all the "stuff" we get is, and treat the live and interactive experience with the same creative standards that we do their albums? it's great that they still do albums, but should we be so grateful for them as to not note what's wrong with them? how is Underworld Live much different than that?
What I am saying is, why the need to critique each gig as if each one ought to be an innovative work of art in itself? Because we are between 50 and 100 geeks on here that listen to, and watch where possible, every single gig we can get our hands on, does that give us the right to moan because the gigs aren't "different" or "special" enough from our personal obsessive-compulsive view-point?

There were 20,000 people in Tokyo tonight. What did they want to hear? What did the band want them to hear? The singles/strong tracks from the album and a melange of their classic numbers - each with a little twist all its own: a little improve here, a new intro there. They have an album to promote, and more ephemeral fans than us to please. There were lots of nice new bits were in this gig, but some people just seem to fixate on what they personally have heard too much of recently - what they DIDN'T like about it rather than focussing on what was new and interesting and exciting.

It just annoys me, when you compare them to the other kinds of plug-and-play bands out there who never even change a setlist from one venue to the next, much less improvise on their numbers, to hear people having a whinge all the time. We are LUCKY we have had these gigs streamed. We are the lucky ones who get to go to two, three, four gigs during a tour, sometimes more. We are lucky that we can buy the live CDs now. How many boots are out there of 5 or 6 shows from a single tour from previous years? I bet there aren't actually 5 or 6 from the same tour. And if there are, I also bet that, if you gave them a listen back to back, you would suddenly realise that, actually, this is what Underworld has always done. Two or three new tracks to promote the album, and a selection of hits.

Like I said, we were spoilt with the 3 hours shows and Cocoon, because they had no new album to push at that time - in fact, I would go further and suggest that we were hearing a variety of new stuff that they had created, a DARC here, a Globe there, a Faxed Invitation somewhere else, to test the market and see what got the best responses, and got the forums chattering. One or two new tunes out of a 3 hour set doesn't make much of a dent, which left plenty of time for the classics and the less mainstream stuff as well.

I understand the need to critique to a certain extent, but sometimes it is really done from the Ivory Tower of the ardent fan and Dirt, and doesn't take into account the bigger picture.

[Dirty0900]

UW live has been a shit year.

Boo hoo for people not getting to hear what they want live. Poor UW have been attacked in Greece and injured and Rick having to hospital and cancel gigs.

I still think the re planned gigs are to early and shows how keane UW to tour and play live.

[masked70]

Can't believe how amazing this was. Superb audio quality, and video good enough to make me feel I was actually there with the audience in Japan. To all those who made this happen - how DO you do it? WELL impressed!

[Yannick]

was a nice show...

cowgirl, bs, kos... = sex
sex is needed for most and can be enjoyed in many ways
but the basic is required (me+you+music) so yeah those experimental
jam which I do love quite a lot are like getting food served on
skin so that is (me+you+music+food+licking), would be fun everynight but really you'd get bored at some point and wish for the dirty sex again (me+me) so you can't please everyone full time unless your me or tom. :rolleyes:

[galama]

Since i tuned in my eyes were transfixed in the monitor. I put some thought into how much trouble they had to go through in order to bless us with such a generous gift. Who else does that? To what extent have they gone to keep in touch with a few dozen people! Quite honestly i feel privileged as fuck. A live broadcast all the way from across the other pond is a notty perk. And oh my, the way it was done. So careful to grasp all the aspects of the performance. Rick tweaking knobs, Karl singing and dancing, the crowd, close-ups, visuals...accumulated into a screen, right in front of my person, to give me a splendid afternoon.
Regardless of having heard those tracks so many times, each live performance radiates with a unique twist of energy. Dubman, you made several great points. WeAs far as hearing rare and unheard tunes...noone has the right to whine. We get live broadcasts made just for a few hundred people. No publicity, no advertising, no banners all over the internet. That is privileged.

[industri_studios]

I was raking leaves - thanks all for the reviews... appreciate it. Even if this never surfaces for those of us that missed it (which is fine) - thanks to UW for keeping us in the loop of what they're doing. Appreciate it!

[dubman]

What I am saying is, why the need to critique each gig as if each one ought to be an innovative work of art in itself? Because we are between 50 and 100 geeks on here that listen to, and watch where possible, every single gig we can get our hands on, does that give us the right to moan because the gigs aren't "different" or "special" enough from our personal obsessive-compulsive view-point?

There were 20,000 people in Tokyo tonight. What did they want to hear? What did the band want them to hear? The singles/strong tracks from the album and a melange of their classic numbers - each with a little twist all its own: a little improve here, a new intro there. They have an album to promote, and more ephemeral fans than us to please. There were lots of nice new bits were in this gig, but some people just seem to fixate on what they personally have heard too much of recently - what they DIDN'T like about it rather than focussing on what was new and interesting and exciting.

It just annoys me, when you compare them to the other kinds of plug-and-play bands out there who never even change a setlist from one venue to the next, much less improvise on their numbers, to hear people having a whinge all the time. We are LUCKY we have had these gigs streamed. We are the lucky ones who get to go to two, three, four gigs during a tour, sometimes more. We are lucky that we can buy the live CDs now. How many boots are out there of 5 or 6 shows from a single tour from previous years? I bet there aren't actually 5 or 6 from the same tour. And if there are, I also bet that, if you gave them a listen back to back, you would suddenly realise that, actually, this is what Underworld has always done. Two or three new tracks to promote the album, and a selection of hits.

Like I said, we were spoilt with the 3 hours shows and Cocoon, because they had no new album to push at that time - in fact, I would go further and suggest that we were hearing a variety of new stuff that they had created, a DARC here, a Globe there, a Faxed Invitation somewhere else, to test the market and see what got the best responses, and got the forums chattering. One or two new tunes out of a 3 hour set doesn't make much of a dent, which left plenty of time for the classics and the less mainstream stuff as well.

I understand the need to critique to a certain extent, but sometimes it is really done from the Ivory Tower of the ardent fan and Dirt, and doesn't take into account the bigger picture.
i'm not even asking that much, just pointing out that it's all the same. i'm not asking for a dogman/leave home/why why why/mama nuxx improv for an hour followed by a 30 minute dirty epic. i think it's valid to say every show has been the same without poo-poohing ourselves as obsessives. it's not an ivory tower position it's just a disappointing observation. i dont really see what you feel the need to defend. if it's all whining to your ears then that's just as annoying to someone who likes to see something different. i dont care what other bands do in comparison, i know underworld have been a lot more fluid in the past and if you want to argue on that, then let's get obsessive and break it down:

1996: 5 gigs: quart, roskilde, ECG, reading, and werchter. werchter sees the most tremendous rendition of cowgirl ever, reading has the Bootleg Babies version of rez with the ludicrously slow build up, fewer tracks in favor of longer extensions, each one built up in reasonably different fashion. they all end differently, each gig has a distinctive vibe to it. different versions of confusion the waitress, original version of born slippy may or may not show up with nuxx. werchter is frenetic while ecg seems more regulated and club oriented, and quart and roskilde sounds more appropriate for a large festival crowd.

98/99: from i love techno to mojo to zaal to new years in london to belfort to koln to fuji, each one is all over the map. cups either goes into cherry pie or jumbo or confusion. drastically different version of rowla coming from what sounds like an honest improv in london, not to mention the KOS with moaner lyrics, the songs dont feel like it's one simply knocked down with a notch after another. again, it's all very fluid. each show ends differently. bruce lee and dirty guitar and juanita and kittens may or may not show up, and it's a different incarnation and interpretation each time (some much better than others)

2000-2002: dont even get me started here. all i need to say is electraglide. they pull a version of confusion thats one of their loosest, most abstract versions and ranks among their best. this was the time where they managed to juggle a large discography and keep it fresh. cappe ffuno creeps in here and there, ref 010101 shows up, push upstairs leads to spikee leads to leave home. kiteless leads to spoonman lyrics seguing into kittens. other days they could stand alone. festivals would sound drastically different than regular slot sets in that it was desperately crazy the entire time whereas the more regular tour shows felt looser and more natural. DA3d and momove would sneak in here and there...

i'm tempted to get into 2003 and their maida vale event of ne'er before done stuff, but i think the point has long been made with far too many words. bootlegs or broadcasted, we've had access to these things throughout many years, and the comparison is really obvious to me, you most definitely can entertain a crowd of thousands within a couple of hours while keeping it fresh and different most of the time because they've been doing it for years before that. it's not nearly as flexible now and is getting to sound like routine in comparison to that, the biggest variation is in which darren price bit to use as a bridge to the next if they dont just go quiet altogether. i also think i disagree that each concert has a different twist in their stand-bys. they really don't. out of the liveherenow sets, only london2 really knocked me on my ass due to minor tweaks that made all the hits so much more ruthless and devastating. and while the other gigs had their moments of bamboo and loud glam bucket guitar the hits and crocodile/BB specifically did the same things, and became placeholders *for* these moments instead of being in it. i can't point to a version of pearls girl or jumbo or beautiful burnout out of them and tell you which came from where. and if you think you have a problem with that notion and have to specifically defend their honor about it, then you can keep doggedly and indiscrimately and uselessly lavishing paise on them for deigning to interact with us whiners instead of, HEY, actually interacting back. i could be niggling and weird and wrong, yeah, but something feels very off about the relentless repetition of this tour and i think it could stand to be adressed instead of plugging your ears and talking about privelige. they're a creative force like anything else and deserve a response

[BeautifulBurnout]

And are you really saying that you are not able to look back over the recent gigs and say "Jesus, Glam Bucket was absolutely amazing in NYC" or "Wow, that's the first time we have ever heard Bamboo - isn't it a lush piece" or "OMG they opened with an incredibly dark, rich Dirty Epic at Glasgow - how awesome is that?", or "Everybody Jack into KoS in the Manchester gig. Fantastic stuff", or "The whole energy of the Roundhouse 2 show is the best form we have seen the band on in a good while".

Those are just off the top of my head - if I took time to listen to the boots/CDs I am sure I could say another dozen things in the same vein about different gigs.

We aren't going to agree on this, because imo we are in completely different mind-sets. I don't see the need to be constantly critical of anybody or anything just because my own personal expectations might be different from the bigger picture. Maybe that's cos I'm old. Maybe it's cos I'm a hippy. Sure, one can give feedback. But when it is of the kind that says "they didn't play x or y or z" or that it was "the same gig as yesterday" (a statement that I will challenge anyone to be able to corroborate), it really serves no valid purpose other than to whine about what we wanted to hear.

We want it all; we want it straight away; we want it streamed; we want it on official recordings. And with the technology available, our wish is our command. That means that, quite differently from the years you have referred to in your post here, we are able to listen to it all in succession without having to wait months or even years for things to surface. Had you been provided with a different bootleg every few days for each concert in 98 or 2000, who is to say that you wouldn't have had the same feeling about those gigs? "Yeah, they played these tracks differently, but why is there no <insert title or improv> in there, and why are they keeping to the same formula?"

And Dirty0900's point is a very valid one too.

In any event, I fail to see what was so bland and formulaic about this particular gig. We had some gorgeous tracks and improvs in there: Nuxx with Monkey Wink - awesome and so full of energy; the bizarre, almost Spikee-sounding drumloop that was just before Glam Bucket; a fantastic Vangelis-esque improv "noodly" bit that lasted a good 2 or 3 minutes; the first time I have heard Boy Boy Boy live, which was superb and so much more moody and powerful than the album version (I know not everyone likes it, but still); a luscious version of PG, imo.

[dubman]

nuxx was notable, boy boy boy was a replica of the studio version, everything else passed by like cars on a freeway.

[King of Snake]

bravo Dubman. I wholeheartedly agree that as awesome and generous underworld & crew are in brining us all this live goodness, it shouldn't mean that they become excempt of criticism.
While I still immensely enjoy the liveshows, at the same time I find it disheartening to see that parts of it have become quite formulaic. You can pretty much predict 85% of the sets now with reasonable accuracy and with a few exceptions, they don't deviate much from proven concepts anymore (like 2nd half of the set is always gonna go roughly: BS Nuxx, King of Snake, Moaner, encore: Jumbo)

Let's not forget it is Underworld themselves who always keep telling us "we don't use setlists" and "we have no idea what we're gonna play when we go onstage" (come on, really?). They constantly tell us how everything is one big jam and we should expect the unexpected. So when they then proceed to play rather predictable sets I think it's totally valid to point that out.

[testudo]

Yeah, stating "we don't use setlists" drives me crazy... they really try to separate the 2 different markets of UW consumers with different info...

We have all seen the light mans setlists... we read as a collective all of their interviews. why lie?

I think the old ways of UW were: they used to be more experimental with their show(most of the time it was REALLY good), NOW they are more experimental with their tracks recorded and way of recording (not always so good)...

I am OK with all of it. I think what gets under my skin is us having to now pay for live recordings. period.

[BeautifulBurnout]

I am OK with all of it. I think what gets under my skin is us having to now pay for live recordings. period.

You don't HAVE to pay. You can still go for the audience boot that sounds like it has been recorded in an old tin box with some squealy bird going "Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai" 2 feet from the concealed mic, and people talking about complete rubbish in the background if that's your bag. I know it isn't mine though. :D

[testudo]

You don't HAVE to pay.

well you are right, i don't.

they still gave us many recordings from the soundboard, and there were many more radio and tv recordings (which I think UW halted in their contract with venues) due to the new UW ethos of charging for every bit.

I am really curious of what happens when UWlive starts in full swing with the new Riverruns.

[kowalski__]

they were brilliant. people should cut the crap and be thankful.

we have to respect artists.

[industri_studios]

This is crazy... when Karl made that "everyone wants stuff for free" comment during the last (or prior?) radio show - I thought "no - we're all willing to pay for this stuff..." - but seeing some of these posts, and the reaction to how they choose to do their shows, I can see where they're coming from.

It's a real bummer.

This band has been more transparent than almost any other - and yet that transparency has gotten them no end of grief. You have no idea what will and won't be offered for free on the new uwlive - but you complain because they HAVE charged for some of their live material? The Electraglide disc, these LHN discs... this is the best sounding live stuff I have (barring BB and EE)... and I'm glad to have it, and glad I could support the band in buying it.

It's all choice - and if you think you're being scammed -- don't partake. But coming here and complaining isn't going to change anything. If everyone spoke with their wallets, and no one bought these recordings, I'm sure the band would reconsider their stance... but most people seem happy to part with $30 for a good quality 2-Disc set, so clearly the minority are expecting this for free. What do all the people complaining here REALLY expect to come from this? Do you think whining will change the band's minds about how they distribute this stuff?

Sorry if this is a little "rant"ing... just my 2¢ - and no offense to anyone, this is directed as the complaints in general, not the complainants!

[BrotherLovesDub]

) due to the new UW ethos of charging for every bit.

.

this is ridiculous and retarded.

[testudo]

this is ridiculous and retarded.

hmmm... i guess you haven't been a fan for that long or are just very obtuse (and/or brainwashed)...

UWlive used to give SOOOO much to us, and I LOVED THEM for it...

[Leon]

I haven't been listening to any UW live sets lately, because I do think the shows are a bit samey. Maybe because they just want to please the more mainstream fan instead of the hardcore Dirt. Nonetheless I am really looking forward to the gigs in Holland in January, because actually being there is quite different.

[BrotherLovesDub]

i'm happy to pay for whatever UW decide to release.

re: the set list. yes, i agree with dubman in that i wish they'd shake it up, esp. at an event like the Oblivion Ball but at the same time, i understand Janie's position too. the band are obligated to do the songs the crowd want to hear. for bands who have been around as long as UW have, there are some standards that you've got to perform for the crowd. however, as shown by the recent Cure tours, a band can perform album tracks, b-sides and fan favorites and still sell out shows and leave the crowd extremely happy.

my resolution for this would be for UW to start doing megamix style medley's of their tunes. who really needs for TMO to come back in after that break in the middle? is there ever a need for both Push Up and King of Snake? if they used their flexibility with Abelton Live a bit more to do seques and megamixes of their biggest hits, that would leave more time for some of the lesser played Fan Favs to get aired.

all in all, i'm 100% grateful that Underworld treat their fans so nicely. no other band that i know of provides the same kind of interaction and suppport for their fans. we get loads of stuff for free and we've got 2 great people driving the good-ship Underworld. Rick and Karl have been fantastic to the fans and their energy and spirit come through in their performances and their generous supply of demos etc on Underworld Live.

[BrotherLovesDub]

hmmm... i guess you haven't been a fan for that long or are just very obtuse (and/or brainwashed)...

UWlive used to give SOOOO much to us, and I LOVED THEM for it...


they've just got UWLive redesigned and set up. yes, i got all the files from there in the past. i'm sure as time goes by, we'll get some more goodies from UWLive. the site just went live a few weeks ago, you can't expect for there to be tons of stuff up there already.

grab your pacifier and your favorite blanket and curl up with a hot cup of STFU.

[testudo]

STFU. SMFU?

[Jan]

Kittens (http://www.voidspace.org.uk/gallery/silly/big_cup_of_STFU.jpg)?

[King of Snake]

i'm happy to pay for whatever UW decide to release.

re: the set list. yes, i agree with dubman in that i wish they'd shake it up, esp. at an event like the Oblivion Ball but at the same time, i understand Janie's position too. the band are obligated to do the songs the crowd want to hear. for bands who have been around as long as UW have, there are some standards that you've got to perform for the crowd. however, as shown by the recent Cure tours, a band can perform album tracks, b-sides and fan favorites and still sell out shows and leave the crowd extremely happy.

my resolution for this would be for UW to start doing megamix style medley's of their tunes. who really needs for TMO to come back in after that break in the middle? is there ever a need for both Push Up and King of Snake? if they used their flexibility with Abelton Live a bit more to do seques and megamixes of their biggest hits, that would leave more time for some of the lesser played Fan Favs to get aired.

all in all, i'm 100% grateful that Underworld treat their fans so nicely. no other band that i know of provides the same kind of interaction and suppport for their fans. we get loads of stuff for free and we've got 2 great people driving the good-ship Underworld. Rick and Karl have been fantastic to the fans and their energy and spirit come through in their performances and their generous supply of demos etc on Underworld Live.

Well said. I think it's pretty ridiculous to claim that uw are charging for everything as they're clearly still giving away lots of stuff for free on uwlive, not to mention the broadcasts which are free for all to tune into. So I'm not sure what Testudo is on about. The only liveshows you have to pay for are the ones offered by LiveHereNow, and they are professionally recorded and come with full packaging and artwork. I'm more than happy to pay for stuff like that, and also for new studio tracks/riverrun stuff on uwlive.

[cacophony]

hmmm... i guess you haven't been a fan for that long or are just very obtuse (and/or brainwashed)...
this seems needlessly hostile and not in keeping with the vibe of this place. i'm sure rick & karl would be endlessly overjoyed to know they'd inspired this level of discourse on their behalf. :rolleyes:

[Leon]

my resolution for this would be for UW to start doing megamix style medley's of their tunes.

GOD NO! medley's make me think of these sing along song singers.
Anyway, same for UW radio edits, it's just not right (although I agree, KOS and TMO could be shorter). No medley's please, but I do think, if they also play Dirty Epic again, why not do more of those "rarely heard live" tracks.

[Ufotofu]

I'm not sure who to agree with here. I mean, the Tokyo show was fantastic (esp. noodly intros), but it's the same sort of fantastic we've been seeing for a while. However, I think people are unjustly comparing "one-off" shows (Cocoon, etc) to every show on this tour. It's a tour, for God's sake. UW has been (barring illness) playing shows every few days, at least. Asking them to come up with brilliant, on-the-fly, improvised sets for dozens of shows borders on the absurd. Compared to other "electronic" acts, UW's sets are pure gold. I saw Daft Punk in Chicago this summer, which was a great show, but they play the same songs, in the same order, in the same way, every single time. Justice, who actually came to my cold, lovely hometown of Minneapolis, played intense, remixed versions of their songs, but I've heard that they play basically the same set every night. I know those two acts aren't anywhere near UWs caliber, but you get the idea. I think UW might be trying to throw little bits in for us (Monkey Wink + Nuxx, for example), and then using the rest of the set for stable, "tour mode" stuff. If their first show after their tour is just a "greatest hits" night, I might be a little more disappointed, but for now, people, just let them do their thing.

The only thing that really bothers me is the way they almost always seem to play Jumbo/Moaner as the encore. Rick, Karl-- Jumbo is a brilliant tune, and is definitely in my top five. However, could you perhaps surprise us next time? Or, at least play a slightly remixed version of Jumbo? Por favor? :D

[Dirty0900]

Darren Emerson?

[big screen satellite]

is it me or was this advertised pretty last minute... ?

i knew about this event in advanced a while back (then forgot), but today is the first time i've had chance to check the forums since mid friday and feel i've missed out...

[mmm skyscraper]

I don't think it's really fiar to compare the pre-BF shows to this tour. if you take out KOS, Jumbo, TMO, and the new songs that would free up a lot of space for other songs. With 5 albums worth of stuff and 10+ minute songs, you can only play 12 songs in 2 hours. So you get NUXX, PG, Moaner, Jumbo, King of Snake, TMO, Dark Train, Crocodile, BB, Glam Bucket, Boy Boy Boy, and Rez/Cowgirl. So Anthology + the new singles. Not surprising for an album tour.

I think we got a little spoiled with all the 2005 shows, where they didn't feel obligated to play stuff from the new album.

Listen to Leicester 95 or Octagon 94 where you can't even tell what the songs are or they all unreleased stuff. I'm not sure those type of shows are even possible anymore or you definitely need more than 2 hours.

I also think that Tokyo would have been different if they had got to play all the gigs in between. Being the 3rd show since the last London one I thought it was good.

[khouri]

/de-lurk

Been following the dirtysite for about 10 years now and felt compelled to add my voice to this discussion.

I think a point of view missing from this discussion is that of Underworld, who are human beings with their own personal tastes. It's rather likely the band considers the songs they've been playing to be not just the tunes concert-goers want to hear, but indeed their best tracks; the songs they are most proud of, most into, and most enjoy playing live. I can't think of any band who on a purely taste-based level prefers their more obscure or early material to the latter-day accomplishments -- unimpeachable classics like "Rez" notwithstanding, of course. It seems only natural that as they continue to mature as artists and performers, Underworld would want to play as many of their personal successes to as many people as possible -- for the band's own gratification.

The same can be said for arrangements, I think. For example, the number of times Underworld have played "Nuxx" live is all but incalculable, but they've been developing it with every subsequent performance. It probably sounds the way it does lately not because they're lazy, but because that's the way Underworld thinks it sounds best -- for now, anyway. Why would they play it in a way they thought wasn't as good?

However, it's a fact that setlists can get samey. dubman is correct in that Underworld Live is as valid for criticism as Underworld Prime is -- that is why forums like this exist. This can't just be some unmitigated orgy of praise. "Samey setlists" is a valid criticism from a diehard Underworld fan, and Underworld can choose to take it to heart or not.

I don't think leveling such criticism should be an invitation for other fans to get righteous and defensive. Certainly, as Underworld fans we're part of an experience that is as far as I can determine unparalleled in pop music. The amount of content we see and hear and the level of interactivity is nothing if not incredible. But Underworld is still a band, not a religion, and any listener -- diehard, casual or otherwise -- should be able to observe the fact that this weekend's Tokyo setlist was similar to that of other recent shows and dream of more. Again, Underworld can take that sentiment to heart or not.

Personally, I've also had moments of frustration with the setlist question, but then I hear something like Roundhouse 2, which featured a rather typical setlist, yet was one of the absolute best Underworld performances I've ever heard on my stereo or in person, and I've seen them 6 or 7 times by now and twice on this current tour. The truth seems to be found not in setlists, but in that wholly intangible, performance "thing" that changes from show to show to show -- and that's rather the whole point of the band, isn't it?

P.S. Regarding the 3-hour shows -- that's Sven Vath, Luxembourg and Live In Tokyo 2005, right? Just making sure I didn't miss one.

P.P.S. While I'm stepping out of the shadows, I'm still waiting for the rest of that Moscow show to go up on underworldlive.com -- please, guys!

P.P.P.S. The "Autotrader/Phonestrap" and "Mama.NUXX Jam" business is fabulous and I hope you continue to put more of it online -- for free or whatever.

/re-lurk for another few years

[dubman]

damn testudo that was ridiculous.
they were fine with radio and tv broadcasts (which janie is selling short, yet again. i seem to recall that a fantastic fan comp of live performances were done out of these tin can recordings) until recently and absolutely did not mind when rtsr started quite openly trading them around. they still don't. it's just that these live shows are planned to be part of their discography and as such can't be traded or given away for free. the shows are hot off the board but there is some mixing going on, as we've had soundboard and recorded gigs from the last incarnation of UWlive and the sound isnt up to snuff. you want to talk about tin can, the one from fuji sounds bloodless unless you crank it to 11. these new recordings are, like it or not, live albums. they're not charging you for a bootleg, they're just doing what we've always dreamed of.
in terms of other content they're not exactly coming up short on that today either. we've had the lemonworld takes on classic tracks then, and today we're being let in on the progress and evolution of new songs.
that brainwashing comment was... classy
anyway

sets from 94-96 are really heavy on the jam and improv. stuff like that will never ever happen again, but i think it's fair to compare the ahdo era stuff, where the structure started getting more concrete but they still made each show feel different and definitely more loose on standalone gigs, versus todays run and ask 'what happened?'.

on the other hand, thinking about this more, i think all that business may have finally come on because not only was i not digging the 9-angle view, which allowed us to be everywhere and nowhere in there, but it was *also* a very familiar setlist. i couldnt get into it nearly as much as i was into the london ones... i had tabs open and was surfing elsewhere as the gig was playing. when i realized that i got kind of depressed. what the hell happened that i just stopped paying attention to my favorite band? i pointed to a whole lot of possibilities as to why, and i think they're still valid, but that's actually what brought it on, not a sense of being ultimately "fed up" as i really love (truly) that they keep doing all this for us.



Personally, I've also had moments of frustration with the setlist question, but then I hear something like Roundhouse 2, which featured a rather typical setlist, yet was one of the absolute best Underworld performances I've ever heard on my stereo or in person, and I've seen them 6 or 7 times by now and twice on this current tour. The truth seems to be found not in setlists, but in that wholly intangible, performance "thing" that changes from show to show to show -- and that's rather the whole point of the band, isn't it?



yeah, what is it about roundhouse 2 anyway? it's almost as "guilty" as the rest of them but it's the only one to really blow me away. i usually think it's just how relentless and fast the second half is, and the minor moaner switch-up in position, but it's really special to a lot of people, and i think the intangible performance "thing" is a good way of putting it

[dubman]

it's not whining. get it through yr fucking heads.

[cacophony]

I think a point of view missing from this discussion is that of Underworld, who are human beings with their own personal tastes. It's rather likely the band considers the songs they've been playing to be not just the tunes concert-goers want to hear, but indeed their best tracks; the songs they are most proud of, most into, and most enjoy playing live. I can't think of any band who on a purely taste-based level prefers their more obscure or early material to the latter-day accomplishments -- unimpeachable classics like "Rez" notwithstanding, of course. It seems only natural that as they continue to mature as artists and performers, Underworld would want to play as many of their personal successes to as many people as possible -- for the band's own gratification.

very good point, and well put.

/re-lurk for another few years

please don't. i enjoyed your contribution to the discussion. :)

[BeautifulBurnout]

Listening to a rough copy of this again while I await the cd (which I hope my beloved has now understood he is buying me for Xmas) and I realise that I spent so much time trying to get the images to load properly, trying to stop the sound buffering and chatting in the rtsr room :rolleyes::o that I really wasn't concentrating hard enough on actually listening to the music.

So many many beautiful things on here so far. Boy x 3 as I already mentioned; the intro and, in fact, the whole of Cowgirl/Rez - what a fantastic, energetic version; the beautiful guitar improv and the beginning of BB, and the different-sounding intro to that; the Spikee-esque drum beat with a sample from a French Eurostar train announcer. That is as far as I have got so far and I am truly blown away by this set.

Whining, schmining. This is a stunning set. Thank you guys. Truly.



P.S. Regarding the 3-hour shows -- that's Sven Vath, Luxembourg and Live In Tokyo 2005, right? Just making sure I didn't miss one.



There were two more 3 hour sets, each at Tilburg in 2005. Unfortunately the boots haven't surfaced yet because they still haven't been processed. *looks in the direction of certain Dirts and points*

[cacophony]

"again"? i'd settle for hearing it just once. :(

[potatobroth]

I've always stood by the idea that UW performs not for the super-fan who goes to 5 shows in a month, but to the Underworld concert-goer who may go to 1, 2, or 5 shows. Underworld over the years and with each new album adds to an enormous portfolio of 'must play' songs for each live set. Not because they feel compelled to play only their 'hits' but because these songs just work great in a live setting. Can they cut Nuxx, Cowgirl and KOS just because YOU are sick of hearing it live? I'd say no way and so would the average fan. They want to hear these tracks live because they are incredible experiences.

What would really benefit the superfan would be a two-day concert where each show has a mix of tracks. One show gets NUXX, one gets KoS etc. As random as this reference is going to be (and the slack I'll take from Scott if he reads this) but They Might Be Giants did this style of show a few years back and it was amazing. They played four dates in a month and promised to not repeat a single song at the four shows. Now, this is obviously not a comparable live show by any stretch but the idea remains the same. Either the Underworld live show lengthens (3hr?), they drops some atomic tracks from their set, they break it up over a few nights, or they continue to deliver their ace material in the best way they can -- as they have been doing.

I'd love to hear some random tunes too, but you gotta consider all spectators in the equation.

[taoyoyo]

"again"? i'd settle for hearing it just once. :(

... damn! if i'd have known you didn't know about the broadcast i'd have mentioned it in the 'ring road' thread just before it all kicked off.

[taoyoyo]

still won't complain... after all this was a gig for tokyo which we lucky enough to be able to watch live (that is still fantastic to me!). the setlist was for tokyo not fo me. either way:

that version of 'boy boy boy' with rick singing backing vocals pissed all over the album version, i had tingles down my spine and emotions running wild.

'cowgirl/rez' was one of the best versions i've ever heard live.

'kos' had a improvised vocal bit from karl in the middle... that was pretty cool too.

[cacophony]

... damn! if i'd have known you didn't know about the broadcast i'd have mentioned it in the 'ring road' thread just before it all kicked off.

no worries, if i'd been paying attention i would have known. sounds like they'll be issuing a CD of the performance (unless i've misread) so i'll be happy to pay when it comes out. :)

[Leon]

Do understand that we are not whining and we do feel lucky to hear live shows via the internet, it's just a point of critique which can and should be made. Come on.

[BeautifulBurnout]

What would really benefit the superfan would be a two-day concert where each show has a mix of tracks.

We almost had this in Benelux in 2005 - 3 nights in a row of 3-hour sets, each one different from the next (and then a 2 hour "greatest hits" at ILT to finish it off). But, as I suggested earlier, they were probably able to do that because they had no album to push.

[negative1]

Asking them to come up with brilliant, on-the-fly, improvised sets for dozens of shows borders on the absurd.

and how were they able to do this before?

anyways, after reading through all the comments.
1) no, i don't think its wrong to 'criticize' the fact the setlist
is similar
2) yes, we're grateful that we even get the chance to listen
and view the concerts online
3) yes, we don't have to pay for a quality version of this,
even though in the past concerts were posted for free
4) no, i don't think this will stop them from more live broadcasts,
or changing up their setlist...

thanx underworld for the shows,
but no thanx for the lack of innovation..

that said, i do think there were a few more interesting
things in the tokyo show, but overall it still doesn't measure
up to their previous shows...

hasn't someone come up with their 'ultimate boot' show yet?
i'm waiting for all my discs to come in before making one..

later
-1

[Jamiel]

Hi All

I think this discussion reflects that with the internet, and also the gernerousity of the band making shows available to download or buy, that we can go online and compare every gig within days, even seconds of it finishing.

When I first started seeing gigs 25 years ago (god I am feeling old now) I had no idea what a band would play on a tour from night to night, except perhaps if someone in the queue mentioned that a friend had rung them to say they had played '?????' two nights ago.

I saw the second band I ever saw a month ago (Rush) and I know from bootlegs and the web that they play exactly the same set every night, so I stayed away from any Rush forums or bootleg lists. The show blew me away especially as the setlist included some real surprises.

I loved the Underworld show I saw a few weeks ago too, it didn't have an awful lot of surprises, but was still wonderful. I think, as some others have said, that with the new album out, this tour is a summing up the bands achievements to date. The tours of a couple of years ago represented an experimental period for the band and so the setlist reflected that.

I don't think this tour is a template for all future tours, but just a reflection of where the band is at this time.

I am happy to see both types of show, and very thankful that so much of it is available to own on CD or download.

Jamie

[potatobroth]

oh there is little doubt that the internet delivers ths info to us in record time, but I've been listening to UW boots since 1996(7?) and there was this time where each boot was very different than the last.

This is NOT me complaining. I've purchased all the LiveHereNow discs and love them to death and am flying to London (for the second time in 5 months) to see them live (hopefully this time ;) so clearly I still love hearing them.

But there is something legit to say about the shows that had Air Towel, Cherry Pie, Twist, Born Slippy Original, Telematic, Dark and Long, Confusion the Waitress, Bruce Lee, Cups, Juanita, Banstyle... all of which I've seen live and sometimes on the same tour!

I again, suspect that with each new album, these random tracks need to be left out, but they are still fantastic tracks that bring the house down when played live and its a shame that they aren't seeing the light of day. This is why (as feasible as it may or may not be) I was suggesting the 2-day show. Buy tix for two shows with no repeats. I'm sure that is a LOT harder than I'm making it seem.

[mmm skyscraper]

But there is something legit to say about the shows that had Air Towel, Cherry Pie, Twist, Born Slippy Original, Telematic, Dark and Long, Confusion the Waitress, Bruce Lee, Cups, Juanita, Banstyle... all of which I've seen live and sometimes on the same tour!



They played Twist a lot during the AHDO tour, but you never hear it now. I'm sure Glam Bucket and Boy Boy boy will suffer the same fate.

[the real stuff]

I think it would be great to see Underworld playing smaller venues to explore sounds like Ancient Phat Farm Coat and Best Mamgu Ever live. Karl actually talked about this in an interview, I think, and it's something I'm hoping for after the Oblivion tour.

[cacophony]

...explore sounds like Ancient Phat Farm Coat...

mmmmmm yes, plz.

[Dirty0900]

I think it would be great to see Underworld playing smaller venues to explore sounds like Ancient Phat Farm Coat and Best Mamgu Ever live. Karl actually talked about this in an interview, I think, and it's something I'm hoping for after the Oblivion tour.

On a tape recording i have of them playing T in the Park 2003 or 2004 Karl says a chilled out set will come one day when there older...

[potatobroth]

it doesnt even need to be a chilled out set... it would just need to be an alternate set to the usual setlist. Hell, I've seen shows where Dirty Guitar was right smack in the middle of the climax of the show. Clearly they have plenty of material for a 'Day 2' scenario. BUT, are the ticket sales/demand there for that? Is that something they do from LemonWorld? Its is feasible to get 3000 people to pay for back to back shows knowing they will be different? Its it feasible to think that UW can pull off practicing/sequencing/playing 25+ tracks?

I just keep thinking back to Philly at the Electric Factory in 1998 (I think) where they opened with Air Towel and Born Slippy Original was the ridiculously hot climax of the show. I love those tracks live; album versions almost don't do them justice once you've seem them performed.

[negative1]

I just keep thinking back to Philly at the Electric Factory in 1998 (I think) where they opened with Air Towel and Born Slippy Original was the ridiculously hot climax of the show. I love those tracks live; album versions almost don't do them justice once you've seem them performed.

yeah, i was there for that to...good times, good times, fellow dancer...

well, the times they are a-changing....what can you do...
although apparently they were in peak form a few years ago..(2003)..

basically they are at the point they were during the post-beaucoup
fish years, and the post-adho point..they went through the same
thing then, as they are going through now...

you never know when they will surprise you though....keep listening.
i know i still am...

later
-1

[potatobroth]

hell yea I'm still listening. :)

Well the Electraglide show of 2005 was amazing but I guess that falls in the 'sameness' in terms of setlists. But yea, things change and I'm just gonna change with em. I still have my BS Orig. memories. When I heard that live I almost lost it. It was the most energetic thing I had ever heard live.

They have too many good songs for their own good, damnit!

[m.g.]

I have to say that one of the most energetic thing I had ever heard live was... Kittens @ the Roundhouse, this 18th November... and I've seen them quite a fair amount of times (including Den Atelier, Cocoon & the "other" 3h+ gigs in Vilnius, Riga & Tallin...)

[Cadevil]

On a tape recording i have of them playing T in the Park 2003 or 2004 Karl says a chilled out set will come one day when there older...

In a recent interview Karl mentioned a show that would focus on their more ambient stuff with Nina Nastasia.

[Dirty0900]

Croc/Jack You Body/Small Conker And Twix/Scribble was amazingly good at London 1 and i constantly play that segment back for how quickly the vibe changed in ten minutes there.

Soon as Small Conker came in i knew it was gonna be fucking mental.

[ndrwrld]

I have to say that one of the most energetic thing I had ever heard live was... Kittens @ the Roundhouse,
YOU ARE KILLING ME.

[galama]

YOU ARE KILLING ME.

You'll get your justice man. Sorry to see you bummed like this. But i can't help snickering.

In a recent interview Karl mentioned a show that would focus on their more ambient stuff with Nina Nastasia.

Amen to that. I'd love to see them at a rather limited show, playing in front a smaller crowd, where they would do tracks they wouldn't usually play at a live event.
In fact one of my wildest dreams is Underworld releasing an "unplugged" album that would feature acoustic versions of some of their "tender" tunes and than backing that release with a few shows.

[ndrwrld]

i thought about the very same thing about a year ago...Underworld, Unplugged.
that woud be a treat.
i try not to be too bummed about Oct 19.:o

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

They Might Be Giants did this style of show a few years back and it was amazing.

TMBG has had some of the best live shows - now here's a band with over 10 albums, each of which has between 13-21 songs, and they're still able to put on a rad show. They play most of their big songs, stuff from the new album, and the concert staples, but every show I've seen (or heard) from them has three or four tracks that are relative obscurities. Plus they do some special shows where they only perform material they wrote in the 90's, or where they do one of their earlier albums cover to cover. Underworld could really benefit from something like this, I think - I'm not saying they shouldn't do KoS or Moaner (although to be honest I'm getting pretty tired of those songs being in every show - surely many bands have songs like this, but they're not 10 minutes long apiece!) but the shows should have one, two, three or so tracks that are more obscure..."Banstyle", "Spoonman", "Bigmouth", "Food a Ready", "Luetin", or whatever (I'm sure you guys can come up with lots more). I do agree that it's a little lame coming from a band who prided themselves on not using setlists to play the same shows over and over again.

I realize that it's free and all, but then again, I complained about the Radiohead album being only available in 160 kbps, so be it.

[gaborez]

lots of good points made. and some winjing ;)

i'm never going to get tired of underworld shows whatever songs they play. they create an energy/buzz/vibe in the room that i've not experienced with any other live act. watching it live (for free) over the web is great - but completely different to being there. you cant rate a live show based on sitting in your lounge at your pc! the success of a live show is indicated by how much it went off in the room. if playing the big guns like moaner achieves that then why not play it? i'm not going to winj about their setlists on their forum because every live show i see the crowd 'av it big time so uw are clearly doing summat right :D

the shows in 96/97 were, er, 10+ years ago. underworld had less must-play-crowd-pleasing tracks to perform. they were selecting from a much smaller library of tunes. they played all their fave/best tunes at the time. some of these are what we'd now consider as obscure treats, but they've given way to newer tunes like KOS/TMO/Jumbo etc. those tunes from 10+ years ago are prob the tunes that made a lot of us fans in the first place - so they are v special for us and prob a lot of our faves. in addition re: fluidity: a lot of the old tracks were v similiar style (in fact many seemed to evolve from each other) and therefore mixed together naturally (and for all i know were already in the same mixer config or whatever/however it works). i think with such random/varied tune styles over the years (and with newer more songy arrangements) it's much harder to seamlessley mix them anymore? who knows. just a thought.

i'm not sure how long rick's been ill but i'm sure i read that he's not been too well for a while. i wonder if he's been underneath the weather (cor, almost a mk1 megamix there) for this tour, and is less confident about taking on difficult mixes and tunes/mixer setups he's not played so often?

i agree that the track lists on this tour have not been very varied, and i too would love to see them pick out some of their obscure tunes more often. i'd also love it if they could mix tunes together more and i hope it's something they can do in the future. actually i'd like them to play a show just for me using all my fave mixes of my fave tunes - but apparently they have to please the rest of the paying crowd too. dang how selfish of 'em ;)

one more thing - they're not young guys anymore (nor am i!) and so sometimes they need a bit of a break! i guess karl likes to stop for a few mins half way thru (after TMO during kittens/rowla) cos he's been jumping round like a nutter for ages. let them play tunes and enjoy the applause - the gOoD vIbRaTiOnS from the crowd :)

cheers dirties and big cheers for uw :)

jono

[potatobroth]

if playing the big guns like moaner achieves that then why not play it? i'm not going to winj about their setlists on their forum because every live show i see the crowd 'av it big time so uw are clearly doing summat right :D

But there are lotsa live tracks that bring the house down. BS Original, Juanita, Twist, Dino, Push Upstairs if mixed in the power-hour portion of the set. But I've only heard only one of these tracks on this current tour... once.

[phaseblue]

After reading the posts in this thread, I can agree with both sides and am split myself on the whole thing. One can argue (including myself) in favor of both sides I guess.

I was a little worried after seeing the Osaka setlists, but once I was at the show (in Tokyo) I just let them do their magic, and I fell under their spell. Yeah, it was filled with hits and the improvs were sparse, but their energy was amazing. Great versions of rez/cowgirl and NUXX too!I`ve grown to expect that, whenever Underworld is on a album tour (at least in my experience), the shows will generally be a string of hits with less imrovs and experimentation - the SITI and BF tour days are long over I'm affraid!

Even the AHDO shows that I saw, as great as they were, still lacked something - maybe it was Darren ;)! However, when I saw the 3 hour Electraglide-Tokyo show in 2005, I did feel that the "old" Underworld was back. They still have it in them, but I think as time moves on, albums amass, Rick and Karl mature musically, etc... things are without a doubt going to change, whether we like it or not - and believe me, I`ve had my share of gripes too over the past few years! But, at the end of the day, I`m just thankful that musicians like them exist in the first place!

i'm never going to get tired of underworld shows whatever songs they play. they create an energy/buzz/vibe in the room that i've not experienced with any other live act. watching it live (for free) over the web is great - but completely different to being there. you cant rate a live show based on sitting in your lounge at your pc!

Good point! Overall, I felt it was a great show, but then again, any Underworld show that I`m at is a great show - especially since I haven`t seen them in 2 years!

Unfortunately I coudn`t go to the Osaka shows (took too many holidays for wedding and honeymoon this year).

I apologize for not updating darktrain.jp since the show, but I have had a really bad cold since Saturday and I need to chill out for a bit!
I have a lot of pics, audio, and video from both Osaka (generously donated to me by a Japanese fan) and Tokyo (we brought a Nikkion D80 to the Oblivion Ball and got some good, high-res pics of the band). I would love to share them with everyone, but I just need a few days to recuperate and get the pages done!

Matt

[negative1]

in addition re: fluidity: a lot of the old tracks were v similiar style (in fact many seemed to evolve from each other) and therefore mixed together naturally (and for all i know were already in the same mixer config or whatever/however it works). i think with such random/varied tune styles over the years (and with newer more songy arrangements) it's much harder to seamlessley mix them anymore? who knows. just a thought.

one more thing - they're not young guys anymore (nor am i!) and so sometimes they need a bit of a break! i guess karl likes to stop for a few mins half way thru (after TMO during kittens/rowla) cos he's been jumping round like a nutter for ages. jono

are you kidding me, of course they can mix these tracks
together....listen to some of the concerts they've done
this year, and you see that they can, the question is
do they want to..

also, yeah, they're not young, but some of us aren't either..
and they have a lot more energy than i do!..

i do agree with your statement about being there is
completely different than watching or listening to it
afterwards...i saw some pretty good shows here in
the US, although the setlist wasn't that varied..but
unless you were there, you really wouldn't know..

later
-1

[mmm skyscraper]

I went back and listened to the Electraglide 2000 version of what we now know as Beautiful Burnout and it's amazing how similar it is to the version played live now. The main difference is that the lyrics were added.

[potatobroth]

oh, there is no denying that being there is way better than hearing on a CD. But hearing 5 very similar CDs is not as good as hearing 5 varying CDs. Just think if each show of the 5 had three tracks that were different than each other. That would change the entire dynamic of the set yet still allow for the banging KoS, BS finale.

This conversation wouldnt be happening if each show had a combination of songs such as:
Birmingham: Twist, Juanita, Cherry Pie
Roundhouse 1: Air Towel, Confusion, Dark & Long
Roundhouse 2: Cups, Dino 3D, Faxed Invitation
Manchester: Spoonman, Dirty Epic, Push Upstairs
Uh, other UK show: Banstyle, Dirty Guitar, JAL to Tokyo

Those are just examples obviously.

The show would still be:
Mmm Skyscraper or Luetin or whatever (even possibly one from the random pack listed above)
Beautiful Burnout
3 Tracks from above
Cowgirl/Rez
Glam Bucket
TMO
Rowla or Kittens
BS Nuxx or 2003
King of Snake
Pearls Girl
Moaner
Jumbo
-------------------
Total: 14 songs yet wildly varied set lists.


So simply putting 3 different songs in each set would drastically change our expectation of what was coming in their next show, and our desire to collect every live CD experience. Hell, I'd be listening to these live shows back to back if this were the case.

I used to know which live show I was listening to from hearing ONE track. Now with the LiveHereNow CDs (and yes I DO like them) I find it very hard to distinguish between the 5.

[Dirty0900]

Meh if people aren't happy, don't go;)

[potatobroth]

Meh if people aren't happy, don't go;)
way to miss the entire point of this portion-of-the-thread ;)

I'm still flying my ass over to the UK for the second time to see them, but that doesnt change the fact that I'm going to talk about what I think would make for some great shows, recordings and experiences.

[negative1]

oh, there is no denying that being there is way better than hearing on a CD. But hearing 5 very similar CDs is not as good as hearing 5 varying CDs. Just think if each show of the 5 had three tracks that were different than each other. That would change the entire dynamic of the set yet still allow for the banging KoS, BS finale.

So simply putting 3 different songs in each set would drastically change our expectation of what was coming in their next show, and our desire to collect every live CD experience. Hell, I'd be listening to these live shows back to back if this were the case.



interestingly,
the early shows in the tour (and even within the US)..
had a lot more variety than the latter part of the tour does...

i've been keeping stats on the shows....
and yes, they were actually throwing in other songs early on..

unfortunately none of the US shows were released..
(although they were recorded)...

later
-1

[TheBang]

Part 1 of 4 of The Oblivion Ball is posted in the Members Section now. Looks like I get to see what you guys saw after all. Is that how it was for you guys the whole time? 16 little screens? (I still haven't had a chance to read this thread.)

[mmm skyscraper]

Part 1 of 4 of The Oblivion Ball is posted in the Members Section now. Looks like I get to see what you guys saw after all. Is that how it was for you guys the whole time? 16 little screens? (I still haven't had a chance to read this thread.)

At some parts it went full screen.

[negative1]

here's a preview of boy boy boy live:
http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showpost.php?p=86634&postcount=15

later
-1

[crazysugarboy]

Words cannot describe how much I love this band. I have just had a couple of very rough emotional days, yet, I log on today and u/w have posted the first part of their Tokyo show to see again, absolutely free. So, I can re-live the improv Nu Train, the sublime Crocodile, and the joyous Boy boy Boy with Rick's truly beautiful vocoder co-vocals. Their sheer generosity and commitment to their fans can bring me from despair to wondrous joy.

Big love to Karl Rick and Darren:)

[mmm skyscraper]

the bit right after cowgirl sounds a bit like Blueski. am I just hearing things?

[TheBang]

only superficially, imo

[TheBang]

Parts 3 and 4 (completing the show) are now online.

[joethelion]

(although they were recorded)...

later
-1


wait... what?!?!?

damn... I wish I could score proper recordings of the Hollywood Bowl show or Central Park. Not that I don't have something from each already...

but to have a perfect copy of "Juanita" or that blistering version of "Rowla" at central park... man that'd be nice

[mmm skyscraper]

this has an awesome version of cowgirl

ice cream

[negative1]

here's the breakdown for the live show thats
under the members section:


underworld tokyo ball 2007

part 1
-----------
dark train
crocodile
boy boy boy

part 2
-----------------
cowgirl/rez
beautiful burnout
glam bucket

part 3
-----------------
two months off
rowla
nuxx/monkey wink
shudder/king of snake

part 4
------------
pearl's girl
moaner
jumbo


time track name total time (min:sec)
================================================== ==============
00:00-08:38 Nu Train [08:38]
08:39-18:39 crocodile [10:00]
18:40-19:45 inst [01:05]
19:46-28:30 boy boy boy [08:44]

00:00-00:28 tokyo speech [00:28]
00:29-16:13 cowgirl(w/spoonman lyrics/rez) [15:54]
16:14-28:30 beautiful burnout [12:16]
28:39-29:39 inst 2 [01:00]
29:40-36:40 glam bucket [07:00]

00:00-09:33 two months off [09:33]
09:34-18:00 rowla (w/this is tokyo lyrics) [08:26]
18:01-29:01 nuxx [11:00]

00:00-10:29 shudder/king of snake (w/good vibration lyr)[10:29]
10:30-17:40 pearls girl (w/improv lyrics) [07:10]
17:41-26:42 moaner [09:01]
26:43-29:03 talking / thanks / outro [02:20]
29:04-37:51 jumbo [07:55]
----------------------------------------------------------------
part 1: 0 hour: 28 min: 30 sec
part 2: 0 hour: 36 min: 40 sec
part 3: 0 hour: 29 min: 29 sec
part 4: 0 hour: 37 min: 51 sec

total : 2 hour: 33 min: 21 sec


later
-1

[ndrwrld]

wait... what?!?!?

damn... I wish I could score proper recordings of the Hollywood Bowl show
am i correct ?
Underworld wanted to put out a dvd of the Hollywood Bowl show, but the Hollywood bowl asked for a crazy $$$ amount for rights for its name to be used ?
if so...up yours Hollywood Bowl !

[khouri]

I hope UW release at least an audio recording of the Hollywood Bowl show, perhaps in the way they used to release concerts on UWlive.com.

The show was distinctly different from other performances despite the setlist. As audiences couldn't really move, UW performed songs and arrangements that were much darker/spookier/"slower" than you'd expect after seeing/hearing other shows. Things got bouncier in the second half, naturally, but I think anyone who was there would agree it was pretty memorable.

[TheBang]

I forget where I read this, but yeah, venues often want tens of thousands of dollars for the right to be allowed to video tape your performance at the venue. Not for the use of its name, per se, but since they own the venue, and they figure you'll be selling the recording and making money off it, they figure they'll milk you for for the right to do so.

[joethelion]

completely agree

god - that night ... as hoakey and geeky as it sounds - was kind of magical

...but that's probably partially b/c I was there with my ex g/f and I was really really worried about seeing her again (I hadn't since she moved to CA), and while - no we didn't get back together, we definitely reconnected

I hope UW release at least an audio recording of the Hollywood Bowl show, perhaps in the way they used to release concerts on UWlive.com.

The show was distinctly different from other performances despite the setlist. As audiences couldn't really move, UW performed songs and arrangements that were much darker/spookier/"slower" than you'd expect after seeing/hearing other shows. Things got bouncier in the second half, naturally, but I think anyone who was there would agree it was pretty memorable.

[negative1]

here's the breakdown for the live show thats
under the members section:

snip

total : 2 hour: 33 min: 21 sec
later
-1

for comparison with the cd versions,
times are here : http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showpost.php?p=88474&postcount=147

most of the tracks are exactly the same,
somehow nu train is shorter by a few minutes..
have to check that...



later
-1

[TheBang]

Yeah, the Watch Again video doesn't start at the beginning of the show. It fades in in the middle of the song.

[mmm skyscraper]

Yeah, the Watch Again video doesn't start at the beginning of the show. It fades in in the middle of the song.

It leaves out the 'I like the Discovery Channel' sample. :(