11/08/07 - The Good, The Bad & The Queen

Venue: Park Orman

This was my first time in Park Orman and despite the organizers' decision to change the timetable at the last minute, causing us to wait an hour and a half extra at the doors, I immediately fell in love with the place. Hidden in the midst of a forest (hence the name Park Orman), you completely forget that you're in Maslak, a place filled with skyscrapers and shopping malls. Also containing several restaurants and cafes and a giant swimming pool, it's safe to say that it's the perfect concert venue.

The members of Fungu made their way onto the stage shortly after I entered (even though I was among the first in) and after reading their biography on last fm, I was looking forward to their set. They were incredibly energetic and had a nice bunch of songs. Unfortunately, the mix wasn't very good and the vocals were very difficult to make out which was a shame as many of the songs were based around the vocals. After a short set, they left the stage and I was left waiting for another band I was looking forward to; Dandadadan.
[Rating: 3.5/5]

However, it turned out that as well as changing the performing times, the organization had changed the order. Sakin was the next band on and although they were tighter than Fungu, I must admit I got a little bored as the set went on. They appeared to be very influenced by Mor Ve Otesi, being on the same record label, using similar melodies, the same instrumentation and having the same set-up on stage.
[Rating: 2.5/5]

The next band were indeed Dandadadan this time and I made my way to the spot that I wanted to be in for Mor Ve Otesi. Dandadadan was a very strange group, drawing in many influences such as jazz, rock, post-rock and experimental. They were incredibly energetic and all very good at their instruments (and the only band in this concert that didn't use a guitar), creating great harmonies and layers within their compositions. I had not heard this band before either but they seemed to have a LOT of fans, the majority singing along to every song without fail. They completely trashed the stage at the end, knocking over all the drums, keyboards and mic stands, much to the annoyance of the roadies, as could be seen from their faces.
[Rating: 4/5]

Finally, the time had come for Mor Ve Otesi to entertain the crowd. They walked on and said good evening to the crowd straight away, proving again that they are grateful for their fans. They played magnificently, capturing the dynamics and emotions of their songs perfectly. I had seen them once before, last year at Barışarock, and they had played all their hit songs then. This time, with a longer set, they were able to play most of their hits (missing out a couple in the process; no Şirket? :( ) plus a few older tracks, for people who had been fans from before they became a big band. After playing (probably) their biggest hit, Cambaz, they left the stage, having played a wonderful show.
[Rating: 4.5/5]


Setlist:
1. Ayıp Olmaz Mı?
2. Uyan
3. Serseri
4. Re
5. Parti
6. Kış Geliyor
7. Darbe
8. Balıklar
9. Bir Derdim Var
10. Aşk Içinde
11. Canlı Yayın
12. Beyaz
13. ?
14. Son Deneme
15. Küçük Sevgilim
16. Sevda Çiçeği
17. Kördüğüm
18. Az Çok

For a moment, I had forgotten that there was still another band to play as I had (shamefully) come mainly to see Mor Ve Otesi. I thought i'd see a little of The Good, The Bad & The Queen's set and then leave, as I had expected them to be mediocre, although this was already proving difficult as the place had filled up completely during Mor Ve Ötesi and so I was grateful for the 'front' tickets I had. The band also managed to convince me otherwise, starting the show with a wonderful performance of 'History Song' after the string quartet had played a beautiful introduction, probably written by Damon Albarn himself. Judging by this song alone, it was clear that this was going to be an entertaining show as could be expected from a 'supergroup' such as this, made up of members of legendary bands such as Blur, The Verve, Gorillaz, The Clash and Fela Kuti's band.

The London backdrop, suits and top hats and the synchronized head movements of the members of the string quartet all contributed to a great atmosphere while the members of the band seemed to be having a great time. Paul Simonon was probably the only person that day to not get annoyed with the 20 or 30 photographers in front of the stage (who kept standing on the steps of the barriers, making it impossible for me to see anything until they were done), instead opting to pose for them in between his slick moves and playing his bass with his Kalashnikov-like technique. Tony Allen bewitched the crowd with his smile, while Damon seemed to be in a very good mood, laughing at everything. Simon Tong, however, was boring to say the least, hardly doing anything but playing what he was supposed to play (which he did very well, it must be said) and giving a hint of a smile when the rest of the band was in hysterics, due to an accidental loud organ chord played in a very soft section of one of the songs. The songs were played perfectly, with Damon reminiscent of a conductor, frequently turning to certain members and signalling crescendos amongst other things, giving the most evil look to the sound engineer at one point. The song 'The Good, The Bad & The Queen' was last in the set but they carried on exactly where they'd stopped after the short encore break. An Arabian rapper then walked on stage and encouraged the crowd to cheer for each member of the band, after he'd done his rap. Damon didn't say much to the crowd, only saying 'Hello' after a few songs and during the last song, where he told the crowd how he likes to end every concert with a number depending on the place. Istanbul's number was 9 because he had visited when he was that age ("THIRTY years ago!") but he also added that he loved walking through Istanbul and Izmir and that no harm had ever come to him, so Turkey had a "special place" in his heart. After counting to 9, it was the end of both the song, and a wonderful concert.
[Rating: 4.5/5]


Setlist:

1. History Song
2. 80's Life
3. Northern Whale
4. Kingdom Of Doom
5. Herculean
6. Behind The Sun
7. The Bunting Song
8. Nature Springs
9. A Soldier's Tale
10. Three Changes
11. Green Fields
12. The Good, The Bad & The Queen

13. Back In The Day
14. Mr Whippy

11/07/07 - Bright Eyes

Venue: Melkweg The Max, Amsterdam

It had barely been 4 months since the previous Bright Eyes concert I had attended and although it may seem like a short period of time, one important event had occurred in those 4 months; the release of the new album Cassadaga. I was, like everyone else, curious as to how the new songs would be different from last time, including some that they hadn't played.

First, however, I had Jaymay to look forward to. I had listened to a few of her songs prior to the concert and I had been mildly impressed. Walking onstage with only an acoustic guitar, she appeared to be very shy and a little surprised when people applauded after her songs. She played and sang well, but despite a short set, repetitive songs and clever lyrics, she didn't manage to keep the attention of the crowd on herself for very long. This is when I realized that being a successful solo artist is a very hard thing to accomplish.
[Rating: 2.5/5]

Even though Jaymay hadn't used any of the equipment on stage except for a single microphone, the wait for Bright Eyes was really long, the roadies tuning one guitar at least 10 times. I had noticed during the wait that there was a lot more equipment than the concert in March, which made me very excited. Finally, the lights turned off and the wait was over. A backdrop was projected from where the sounddesk was, making it hard to see anything in detail but luckily turned out to be temporary as the intro to 'Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)' started playing through the speakers. Shortly after, two cellists, a viola player, a violin player, a saxophonist and a flautist made their way onto the stage, followed by the bassist, two (female) drummers and finally, the 'official' members of Bright Eyes; Nate Walcott, Mike Mogis and Conor Oberst. After Clairaudients came the new single Hot Knives and was played so beautifully (with the distorted acoustic guitar tone) that I actually fell in love with it, having hated the album version because of that same tone. Even though the previously played tracks off Cassadaga hadn't been changed a great deal, the presence of a bigger band made the songs sound much richer while keeping the clarity of the individual instruments, thanks to the great mix.

One interesting feature was the visual effects that were projected at the wall behind the band. Someone at the back (Conor mentioned the name a few times but I can't remember it now) was doing various things to make a psychadelic background such as dripping different colored ink into some water while stirring it or playing around with colored beads.

Everybody has commented on Conor Oberst's new attitude on stage, acting as a sort of confident bandleader but he was at a whole new level this concert. He (and the rest of the band) played flawlessly, executing the transfer between sections perfectly while still putting on a great show for the crowd. This time, unlike the last, quite a few old fan favorites were played, including a full band version of First Day Of My Life, which, needless to say, was magnificent. If only it could be recorded... After the short encore break, the two drummers came back on and played the intro to 'Gold Mine Gutted', to great applause, with Conor on his matching white piano following shortly after. Arienette, one of my favorites, was also featured in this encore.

Unfortunately, the last song had come and all but the 'official' 3 left the stage as they started the intro to 'A Song To Pass The Time'. I thought it was a great song to end with, very soft and relaxing, a great way to cool down and realize that you'd just seen an amazing show. After waiting for the applause to die down and being given a set list by one of the fans, I made my way to the exit, sure that this was the best Bright Eyes gig i'd seen yet.


Set list:
1. Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)
2. Hot Knives
3. Middleman
4. First Day of My Life
5. Four Winds
6. I Won't Ever Be Happy Again
7. The Calendar Hung Itself
8. If The Brakeman Turns My Way
9. No One Would Riot For Less
10. False Advertising
11. I Believe In Symmetry
12. Lime Tree

13. Gold Mine Gutted
14. Southern State
15. Arienette
16. A Song To Pass The Time