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Observations from a recent metal show

#123
AndyLES said:
Those latter people are stupid too. There IS a halfway point between ampless/DI and bringing an 8x10 fridge, you know.
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Whoa! That was kinda mean ;). It ain’t the 810…it’s the volume they’re being run at. I could bring an 810 to a fairly small gig and run it as low as a B15 and it still sounds glorious. Bigger just plain sounds better for bass. But those days are behind me now. Do I miss having an 810? You bet! But I don’t miss the schlep.
 
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#126
if i were paying to see a "show" i wouldn't be disappointed if i found out that any of it was pre-programmed in any of the ways that have been discussed.

if i were paying to see a "performance" i think i'd expect to see actual performances (live playing).

the differences can get blurred, but i don't have strict rules regarding any of it.

as a musician, i've done it every which way and i'm comfortable doing my part in almost any context. i don't require an amp if IEMs are better, or vice versa. i can play to a click/tracks, and i'm down for almost any type of musical expression.

i think the thread has been an interesting read, and i appreciate the OP's observations, but in the whole scheme of things: how an act chooses to perform, or put on a show, is up to them. let the market decide.
 
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#127
JRA said:
if i were paying to see a "show" i wouldn't be disappointed if i found out that any of it was pre-programmed in any of the ways that have been discussed.

if i were paying to see a "performance" i think i'd expect to see actual performances (live playing).

the differences can get blurred, but i don't have strict rules regarding any of it.

as a musician, i've done it every which way and i'm comfortable doing my part in almost any context. i don't require an amp if IEMs are better, or vice versa. i can play to a click/tracks, and i'm down for almost any type of musical expression.

i think the thread has been an interesting read, and i appreciate the OP's observations, but in the whole scheme of things: how an act chooses to perform, or put on a show, is up to them. let the market decide.
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and to be fair, this was a performance. The drummers were all top notch. The guitar work was what you would expect from metal shredding. They played their parts wonderfully. I felt like the technology enhanced their performance. It was clean, for a genre that can easily sound terrible. very pleased overall. I'm not sure that tech was the reason it sounded great, but it sure didn't make it sound bad.
 
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#130
scuzzy said:
and to be fair, this was a performance. The drummers were all top notch. The guitar work was what you would expect from metal shredding. They played their parts wonderfully. I felt like the technology enhanced their performance. It was clean, for a genre that can easily sound terrible. very pleased overall. I'm not sure that tech was the reason it sounded great, but it sure didn't make it sound bad.
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it sounds to me like you 'got your money's worth'. at some level, i think that's what a lot of the posters are discussing (value). it's just that some of them are judging the performance/show without ever buying a ticket!

good thread! thanks for the 'gig report'! :thumbsup:
 
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#137
The amount of comments here not understanding the difference between miming a performance a la Milli Vanilli and performing live to a click track and auxiliary backing tracks like synths is pretty funny.

Also funny that no one ever accused Geddy of miming when he loaded a bunch of dishwashers onstage in lieu of his amps: as soon as it’s a bunch of talented metal bands they’ve never heard of though, all bets are off :roflmao:

Bands of all genres have been performing live with a click and playback for decades.

It allows them to put on as sonically grand of a performance as possible, without the added overhead and visual clutter of additional musicians on stage.

It’s all about what’s best for their fans.
 
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#138
higain617 said:
Maybe big metalcore shows are different, but most club-level metal bands still use amps.
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sounds about right. all the small clubs around here closed down, unfortunately, and I haven't stayed in the scene enough to know where the new ones are opening up.

i think i was shocked because it was a small enough venue, but then again, this is their tour, and I'm sure it was all planned out when they booked the entire tour.
 
#139
This thread really detoured from the OP, but in the last year or so, I've seen a good number of metal bands: Tool, Cannibal Corpse, Whitechapel x2, Shadow of Intent x2, Branded Sacrifice, Revocation, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch x2, Lamb of God, Light the torch, August Burns Red, Acacia Strain, Fit for an Autopsy, Intervals, After the Burial, and Spiritbox. Of all those bands, the only ones I specifically remember having stage amps were Tool, Fit for an autopsy, Acacia Strain, Cannibal Corpse, and Revocation (I think). I believe LOG may have amps running through iso-cabs in the back, but I know they didn't have amps on stage.

In terms of live sound, it's so anecdotal and subjective. In my experience, out of this list, Tool had by far the best sound, which makes sense given their budget and the type of music they play. Fit for an autopsy and Acacia strain (same show/venue) and LOG also had above average live sound. Intervals/After the Burial/Spiritbox, who I saw last week, had just about the worst live sound I've heard in a while. So much of this has to do with the soundman and venue (huge variables), but it just about killed the show for me. I might be overly picky when it comes to live sound, but for me, it HAS to sound halfway good.

After having been to a bunch of metal shows especially over the last five years or so, I've just about come to accept the live sound is going to be mediocre most of the time. It sucks but that seems to be the reality.
 
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