Spiritualized - NYC - Ladies & Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space

[Jaguar]

(Carried over from the NYC Shows thread.)

The stream worked great for me, in high quality at that. Sort of wierd though since I've had major connectivity problems all day.

I too came late to the party. Think I missed the first hour.... unless it started later than posted. As much as I wanted to see the show, I didn't put much stock into remembering the webcast because I have never, ever been able to watch one, in the past, as it's happening. Just don't bother with them anymore. Being Spiritualized, I had to try.

While watching, some glitch that I was having with some other function on another website magically appeared again without doing a thing. I think my computer loves Spiritualized as much as I do!

Because I missed the bulk of the show it's a bit premature for me to be saying this until I get to see the show in its entirity, I still think I much prefer the last DC show that we got. Our closure was mind blowing as opposed to a nice peaceful day at church. Probably more a matter of taste than anything. Curious to hear about others thoughts.

[serpent boy]

I didn't get to see it because I was at the (fantastic) Interpol show in Norfolk, but I'd love to see a capture of the stream if anyone finds one!

I'd also prefer the most recent D.C. set to a Ladies & Gentlemen show with choir and orchestra, though I imagine it was a great show. "I Think I'm In Love" alone was probably worth it. I'd just rather hear "Shine a Light." Or "She Kissed Me." Or "You Lie You Cheat." Or if Spaceman really wanted to get deep, "Why Don't You Smile Now?"

[Mr.Whippy]

We were in the orchestra pit, third row last night.  I've also seen Spiritualized a few other times, including the last 9:30 show, so I can compare them.

There some things I liked better about the show last night compared to other times, and some things I didn't like as much.  All the extra musicians were very cool, but it did take away from the feeling of just seeing a band, it felt much more like a specific scripted performance.  J Spaceman was sitting down and looking off a music stand the whole night, which was a bit odd, but his performance was very engaged and passionate. 

The orchestra, choir, and horns really added alot to bring the arrangements of the record to life, and was extremely cool.  The band still really brought the ruckus at the extended end of Electricity and Cop Shoot Cop, of course.  It was also a treat to hear the two encore songs, with Out of Sight being a great song that benefited from all the extra musicians.  The choir or course really shined in Oh Happy Day.

All in all I would not call it my favorite Spiritualized show, but it was a very special night and something I'm really glad I put in the effort to attend.  It was also amazing just to see Radio City Music Hall for the first time.

[azaghal1981]

^Pretty much agreed with all of the above although the feeling of this having been a full-on production rather than a concert should've been obvious. There were also quite a few moments of transcendence that were made possible by all the instrumentation and the choir (LAGWAFIS, Stay with Me, Home of the Brave and Cool Waves). Out of sight was expected because they played it at the UK shows but Oh Happy Day was a pleasant surprise and a nice way to end.


Sounds like I was three rows behind you.

[Mr.Whippy]

One more thing to add about the show that might not have made it onto the webcast was that, right before the show started, a disco ball fell from the rafters onto the stage.

Right before the curtain came up, there was a loud crashing noise, then the curtain came up and the band was in place and there was a big smashed disco ball in the middle of the stage.  Then the curtain came back down for a few minutes.  When it came back up, the smashed disco ball was gone, and the show started.  Very strange.

[azaghal1981]

NYT

[xneverwherex]

Im confused on the comments about it taking away from the band. Its not like this wasnt advertised as having the gospel choir and orchestra. It should have been expected and there is no better place to see a show like this. The acoustics at Radio City were really great. We were 3 rows in front of the soundboard and it was simply beautiful sounding from back there.

This was the show I was expecting and walked away with it feeling I got a lot more out of it. It was louder than I could have imagined (although I dont frequent Radio City enough to know if its louder than normal). J Spaceman sounded really great - even as he looked absorbed in the music stand. The gospel choir (from Queens I had read) was a great addition for some of the songs. The band sounded amazing - the extended songs were really transcendent and def took you to other places. A friend next to me had told me how this was making him cry (and I could totally see that possible). So full of emotion.

I had the misfortune of sitting next to the guys who were yelling constantly throughout the show. I forgot what it was about, but they wouldnt shut up. They also recorded prob the whole show and never once put their ipod down. When not recording they were on FB. It was pretty awful and very rude. BV has some really funny comments about the people there.

It blew my mind that so many people got up for more drinks, bathroom breaks whatever during that set. It wasnt that long and with an 8:40 start time --- there was plenty of time to do that.

All in all - one of my favorite shows of this year. I did notice an $80 shirt for sale and was dumbfounded.

Sonic Youth the next night was a great way to end the weekend (even tho i got some ridiculous rash/allergy from that night).

[Mr.Whippy]

I wasn't implying that I didn't expect the extra musicians, I knew what to expect going into the show.
All I was doing was comparing this show to previous times seeing Spiritualized when it is just the band. 

Having all the extra musicians took the performance to another level in many ways and was perfect for the performance of the album, I was just saying that there were some negatives to all the extra musicians.  The biggest negative was that all the extra players made J a little more disconnected from the audience, as he was directing so many things onstage.

I was also shocked by how many people seemed to get up for breaks during the show, even within the first couple rows which was all I could see.

Sonic Youth in Brooklyn on Saturday was nuts.  They did an entire set of songs from the 80's, except for one song (Mote) from 1990.  I've never seen them do something like that.  They played probably half of Daydream Nation.

[blipvurt]

Here's some of my pics from the show:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45474216@N06/sets/72157624509125931/

This show was one of my favorite concerts ever. A breathtaking performance!

Hopefully I'll have a more formal write-up later in the week.

[Vas Deferens]

Best Weekend Ever.

Spiritualized to The Gories / Death free show at Lincoln Center to Sonic Youth at Prospect Park!

[heather]

I was also shocked by how many people seemed to get up for breaks during the show, even within the first couple rows which was all I could see.

reading these comments here and on brooklyn vegan, it very much reminds me of the time i saw van morrison at the united palace theatre a few years ago.  show was on a saturday night-- people arrived & leisurely strolled in throughout the show, and then it was a constant flow of people up and down... for drinks, bathroom, etc.  not just a few here and there.  it was rather distracting.

don't worry, i won't generalize that all NYC crowds can't sit still like i do about non-dancing DC crowds

[sweetcell]

The biggest negative was that all the extra players made J a little more disconnected from the audience, as he was directing so many things onstage.

did J do much directing?  from what i could see on the stream, when i could see anything at all, he didn't seem to be directing much.  i didn't notice him pointing at the choir to come in, or getting to horns to play a little louder, etc.

i've only seen Spiritualized once, the Acoustic Mainline show, and Jason spent the entire show behind dark glasses, seated stage left facing stage right (90 degrees to the audience), with little to no interaction with the audience.  i realize that n=1 isn't representative, but J's behavior on stage at RCMH seemed par for the course.  i mean, c'mon, it L&GWAFIS - disassociation is one of its major themes.  was J more talkative and interactive at the last club show?

[Mr.Whippy]

The biggest negative was that all the extra players made J a little more disconnected from the audience, as he was directing so many things onstage.

did J do much directing?  from what i could see on the stream, when i could see anything at all, he didn't seem to be directing much.  i didn't notice him pointing at the choir to come in, or getting to horns to play a little louder, etc.

i've only seen Spiritualized once, the Acoustic Mainline show, and Jason spent the entire show behind dark glasses, seated stage left facing stage right (90 degrees to the audience), with little to no interaction with the audience.  i realize that n=1 isn't representative, but J's behavior on stage at RCMH seemed par for the course.  i mean, c'mon, it L&GWAFIS - disassociation is one of its major themes.  was J more talkative and interactive at the last club show?

I think he was directing the extra musicians a fair amount, at least you could tell he was very keyed into them.  One example is coming out of the noise jam in Cop Shoot Cop back into the bluesy part.

I didn't see the acoustic mainline tour, so this was the first time I've seen Spiritualized with J sitting down or looking at music.  It's not like he ever interacts with the audience alot, but seeing him standing up with no music stand is different than seeing him sitting down with a music stand.  That is all I'm saying.  I think he is always in that position on stage.

[Vas Deferens]

The $80 shirt was designed by Helmut Lang and is limited edition (I read).

[chaz]

Loved this.  I was in the 2nd row up on the first balcony dead center.  Not a single person around me got up the entire show.  I don't know that jason really acted much different than the many times I've seen him before, other than he was on a stool for this show rather than standing.  The guy never says a word.  I can't say this was the best spz show i've ever seen cuz it was so different.  but it was certainly a singular experience to say the least.  In that regard it stands out from the pack.  I've seen them maybe 4 or 5 times now, starting with their dc stop for L&G in 97 or 98 or whenever it was.

For me it was absolute magic.  I had to pinch myself and got a little misty during the opening song.  And the sound was fucking phenomenal.