23/04/18 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

[manicspain]

Whate a pity

[manicspain]

3000/11000

[Glasnost]

Originally Posted by everlasting

Just flicked through a few videos on Youtube from the gig last night, I can't believe Bradders doesn't even play the solo on Liverpool Forever in the clip I saw, I assume Wayne Murray was doing it in the background. Heaven sounded big, just hope it can catch on with fans. Seems that Show Me The Wonder and Walk Me To The Bridge are the only songs we'll see from those albums nowadays.

Also noticed Wayne doing solo for Walk me to the bridge too.

[sculptureofabloke]

Originally Posted by Takk

Well, the money is a different thing - but isn't that just what an arena goes for these days? You've seen as many or as more shows as I have had - expecting more than 23-24 songs just doesn't seem realistic, no matter the time they begin or the venue. Just not sure how you could be realistically disappointed by that.

If they’re going on and off earlier the venue may as well bring the curfew forward. Just think it’s midleading, don’t think I’ve been to a gig that finished 40 minutes before curfew, ever and that’s what makes me feel like we could get short changed. If you don’t get that, fair enough.

[Takk]

Originally Posted by sculptureofabloke

If they’re going on and off earlier the venue may as well bring the curfew forward. Just think it’s midleading, don’t think I’ve been to a gig that finished 40 minutes before curfew, ever and that’s what makes me feel like we could get short changed. If you don’t get that, fair enough.

I get what you mean, I just think it's rather silly. They came on what 30 mins earlier than they have done for as long as i can remember. You didn't get shortchanged you just had the times adjusted slightly. come on.

[Routine Builder]

So no one has sad anything about the Coral. Decent?

[Glasnost]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

So no one has sad anything about the Coral. Decent?

Thought they were very good. Dreaming of you is a tune!

[Glass Angel]

I only knew three songs, but yeah, they were good. Got the audience to remind them of the lyrics a couple of times, but I quite enjoyed them.

[Hoosteen]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

So no one has sad anything about the Coral. Decent?

They were great! Really enjoyed them and took me back to my uni days

[hummingbird]

Maybe they're finishing earlier so people can comfortably meet last trains.

[Damian]

10.30 finish is pretty normal for arena gigs.

[sculptureofabloke]

Originally Posted by Takk

I get what you mean, I just think it's rather silly. They came on what 30 mins earlier than they have done for as long as i can remember. You didn't get shortchanged you just had the times adjusted slightly. come on.

If you got what I mean I don’t think you’d think it’s silly. Ticket prices have more than doubled since my first Manics gig and now they’ve done more albums since than they had prior at the time. Course i know it’s not just them, gigs are where the money is these days but course it’s a factor, even if it is one you’ve completely ignored from my last comment. Starting to think this’ll be the last time I go for multiple gigs on a tour, and for someone who’s stretched and skinted themselves to go to as many as they possibly can on previous tours, it’s really fucking saddening.

Like I say, don’t recall ever going to a gig with an 11pm curfew and it being done by 10:20 and that’s what makes it unusual for me. I’ve seen acts with similar or even shorter back catalogues put on much longer sets. Course I’ve seen it other way around too.

Yeah maybe it is unrealistic to expect 28-30 songs a night for £50, The Coral are probably charging £15-20 just for them? I do try to be realistic though, I’m not expecting em to pump out another Holy Bible or Everything Must Go, but equally I’m never going to rule it out. Oh they’re in different circumstances, they’ve got different priorities, they can never be capable of hitting their peaks again. I don’t buy that ageist shit, we know what they’re capable of. I don’t think it’s possible to piss on a legacy, I don’t think shit albums ruin good albums. I’m not one of these who expects their whims catered for and I’m a hell of a lot more forgiving than most of the critical people who’ve posted on here over the years! But I know the sun doesn’t shine out of their arses either, even my favourite band of all time, that I dread to imagine how much I’ve spent on, can’t be perfect.

Yeah they’ve chucked a couple of surprises in the set list, but when you’ve got a back catalogue the size of theirs to choose from and so many songs that still haven’t seen the light of day for ages or ever, surely it’d be harder not to! I’m quite underwhelmed by Resistance Is Futile too though, but somehow I just knew what highlights I do have wouldn’t be getting played. I dunno, I just feel like my faith is being tested!

[Takk]

I still think you just always find something to moan about. If they came on at 8.45 (instead of 9.15) and played till 10.20 then you got as much as they have always done as long as i've been following. So if you expect more, than that's on you. You should also know that a curfew time is pretty meaningless except as the latest it can go. People have also said it's normal for arena gigs? and also it does let people get home.

As for ticket prices or setlist choices, that's a different thing. But again, after 20 years, this is how they do setlists so it seems odd to be that disappointed. But that has nothing to do with whether they finished at 10.45 like normal or 10.20.

[darkanddivine]

Originally Posted by sculptureofabloke

Ticket prices have more than doubled since my first Manics gig and now they’ve done more albums since than they had prior at the time. Starting to think this’ll be the last time I go for multiple gigs on a tour.....Yeah they’ve chucked a couple of surprises in the set list, but when you’ve got a back catalogue the size of theirs to choose from and so many songs that still haven’t seen the light of day for ages or ever, surely it’d be harder not to!

I do get your frustration here. The catalogue to shake things up is undeniably there.

But (and it's a pretty massive but) there haven't been signs of that on any MSP tour pretty much ever with the honorable exception of PPF. I'm sure you've been to enough shows by different bands to get that feeling you get, when you work out their setlist formula. They all have them.

If, for example, you went to see Muse in the early days - you'd know that they had a reputation for playing 2 completely different shows on 2 consecutive nights. If you saw them do 2 identical shows around that time - I'd say you could be rightly cheesed off. Eventually (and perhaps inevitably,) they started to do the same show every time once they hit the arenas. That was pretty frustrating for a lot of fans. But you have to ask yourself the question whether that's something you can live with, or even enjoy, or not. I get your frustration, but I'd also wager that anyone on this forum knows the drill when it comes to an MSP set.

Originally Posted by sculptureofabloke

I’ve seen acts with similar or even shorter back catalogues put on much longer sets.

True. But bear in mind that the nature of the songs is a big part of set length. Go to a hardcore/metal show and you're getting 45 minutes, or an hour at the most regardless of how many songs the band has. Now, the Manics are not a metal band. But James sings in a high range and with as close to a metal bark as you're likely to see outside of that genre. As the years have gone on, I'd imagine that it's a big ask for him to do a 90 minute show, and I also suspect that's why this particular tour mostly has a night on followed by a night off.

[sculptureofabloke]

Originally Posted by Takk

I still think you just always find something to moan about. If they came on at 8.45 (instead of 9.15) and played till 10.20 then you got as much as they have always done as long as i've been following. So if you expect more, than that's on you. You should also know that a curfew time is pretty meaningless except as the latest it can go. People have also said it's normal for arena gigs? and also it does let people get home.

As for ticket prices or setlist choices, that's a different thing. But again, after 20 years, this is how they do setlists so it seems odd to be that disappointed. But that has nothing to do with whether they finished at 10.45 like normal or 10.20.

Sorry Takk but bollocks. I don't always need to find summat to moan about, over the years on here I've been far more defensive than critical of em, maybe you're getting me mixed up with other posters. Eh suppose it doesn't matter how often I repeat myself or you repeat yourself, we're not gonna agree. I never expected or even hoped for longer sets till it was announced they were going on half hour earlier than usual. Don't get to that many arena gigs really but there's not that much between say Cardiff CIA and Brixton Academy anyway. Maybe the band weren't that arsed about people getting home after the Everything Must Go arena gigs?

Alright, if we're stood in a courtroom you can say curfew is meaningless besides it being the latest an act can perform till, but honestly the vast majority of gigs I've ever been to have ran till generally 15-20 minutes before curfew, whatever time that is. If you think that's meaningless and not indicative of anything people could reasonably expect from a curfew, that's on you.

Originally Posted by darkanddivine

I do get your frustration here. The catalogue to shake things up is undeniably there.

But (and it's a pretty massive but) there haven't been signs of that on any MSP tour pretty much ever with the honorable exception of PPF. I'm sure you've been to enough shows by different bands to get that feeling you get, when you work out their setlist formula. They all have them.

If, for example, you went to see Muse in the early days - you'd know that they had a reputation for playing 2 completely different shows on 2 consecutive nights. If you saw them do 2 identical shows around that time - I'd say you could be rightly cheesed off. Eventually (and perhaps inevitably,) they started to do the same show every time once they hit the arenas. That was pretty frustrating for a lot of fans. But you have to ask yourself the question whether that's something you can live with, or even enjoy, or not. I get your frustration, but I'd also wager that anyone on this forum knows the drill when it comes to an MSP set.

The thing is, despite Takk insisting that I always need summat to moan about with em, I don't feel like I have particularly high expectations! I'd love em to rotate things a bit more than they have done, but at the same time I don't care if I already know what 80% of the set and order are before I set foot in the place, cos I'll enjoy the performance anyway.

Originally Posted by darkanddivine

True. But bear in mind that the nature of the songs is a big part of set length. Go to a hardcore/metal show and you're getting 45 minutes, or an hour at the most regardless of how many songs the band has. Now, the Manics are not a metal band. But James sings in a high range and with as close to a metal bark as you're likely to see outside of that genre. As the years have gone on, I'd imagine that it's a big ask for him to do a 90 minute show, and I also suspect that's why this particular tour mostly has a night on followed by a night off.

I suppose I should've learned from their "Springsteenesque" sets. I understand that the way James sings on so many Manics songs is gonna be a struggle to keep up for a much longer set and suspect that that's why we've been getting more duets, Nicky songs and instrumentals creeping into the albums and sets. Still, like I said a couple of pages ago, it's not like they're doing Mausoleum and PCP, there's plenty of room for James to have a breather. And you do see it reflected in the sets too, just looking at last night for a sequence, You Stole The Sun, There By The Grace Of God, Masses and Horses Under Starlight.. shouty and high, low and fairly pedestrian, shouty and high again, then ba da ba ba.

I did wonder about the spacings on the early bit of the tour whether they were anticipating demand for extra dates or whether that's all scheduling would allow for the places they want to go, or whether they were wanting the breaks. Two nights off between Manchester and Llandudno, hard not to get curious about the room that'll allow to brush up on rehearsals..