Roxy Music Live - S/D

Was that guy ever young?

What a great band.

that is fantastic, thank you

There is a recording from Denver, 1979, which has been released under various names in the past few years, that I just heard for the first time this week, and it's incredible. It's on Apple Music as just "Denver 1979"

yeah they were on fire on the Manifesto tour. Many clips on YouTube.

loool the screen capture on that 1973 vid.

sweating pancake makeup

that is incredible, thank you

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/566943d25a5668b614270ff9/1510354687583-3BGT35UHWOUY0G872ZO9/930ee188c4f954e425100346e79f9962--classic-monsters-halloween-photos.jpg?content-type=image%2Fjpeg

That show is right before Eno left iirc.

Believe that Denver '79 show was a King Biscuit broadcast.

I didn't listen to the box set of their first album because at this point Super Deluxe box sets are burning me out, but I tried the smaller deluxe set for the second disc - half John Peel sessions, half live show from 1972 (probably a soundboard tape) - and it's pretty great! If it was a bootleg, I could see people grading the sound as an A or A-, but not surprisingly it's not on par with the professional recordings and mixes you'd expect for an official live album.

It kind of hit me that I don't own any live Roxy Music concerts from the Eno years, just a few TV one-offs. What's here isn't that long but it's worth it - Eno in particular goes wild, and he adds something remarkable and different from song-to-song. The John Peel sessions do sound like rougher, less developed versions of the songs - whether they all are, I'm not sure, but it has that feel to it, and the live concert recordings sound like a big step forward as a result.

I've heard the two-disc version, too. Most unlikely highlight: the rocked-up concert version of "The Bob".

Yeah, that was a nice surprise!

In Chicago, Roxy is part Live Nation's $80 for 4 concerts deal with no additional fees!

Direct link if interested:
https://www.livenation.com/promotion/summerslive/venue/KovZpa2M7e

Aw, crap all gone. Never mind.

There are soooooo many tickets left.

I'm guessing the $20 ones were probably nosebleeds anyway. Just wait until the day of. At exactly 4pm CST or 5 pm or 6pm (most likely 4 but it's always right on the hour), TM will automatically slash prices in half. Unless a lot of people buy up those tix between now and then, I can't see that not happening.

Central for Chicago that is.

is this not selling well? that's a shame if so, hopefully the tour isn't in jeopardy as a result.

Would they cancel the tour due to sale? I've never had that happen before and that would really SUCK.

*sales

So apparently sales for Philadelphia and Boston were so slow that they've moved those shows to smaller venues. They had to reassign seats for everyone, and anyone who was unhappy with their new assigned seat could get a refund and return their tickets. I haven't heard of any other shows doing this, even though plenty of tickets remain for NY, Chicago, etc...may depend on venue availability I guess.

Kind of breaks my heart to say that - yeah tickets were overpriced but Roxy Music is also a 1000x better than a lot of bands that sell out arena shows.

Well, Roxy Music the band certainly is. Roxy Music, *this* band, right now, all in their '70s ... I guess we'll see. Bryan Ferry has been great the few times I've seen him but I did not see him in an arena, and it's been several years. I saw Roxy Music on one of its more recent reunion tours, in an arena, and I recall being a little let down, tbh.

Anyway, still have not bought tickets, will consider buying tickets the week of. I'm definitely not paying $100 to hang from the rafters of the United Center, though.

I got tix for the Madison Square Garden show. Any smaller venue they could relocate it to would be an improvement afaic.

I missed out on their earlier reunion tours, but I did catch Ferry in 2019 and I actually thought it was amazing. The knock I hear from some fans is that his voice is too whispery now, but I actually thought it worked great for the songs. The show itself just whetted my appetite for one more reunion tour, which at the time wasn't a given. Ferry was playing with a much younger band, so I don't know if that helped.

And yeah, I'm kind of hoping they rebook it for three nights at the Beacon. (Two may even be enough.)

Roxy is one of my all-time favorites (pre-Manifesto Roxy, that is), and I went through a months-long period where I listened to Stranded every single day. I can’t remember why I missed them in 2001, but I never forgave myself. And with Paul Thompson back in the lineup, no way am I missing this. And even though I managed to get a decent floor seat at MSG, yeah, the Beacon would be amazing.

Was Oliver what's-his-name still his lead guitarist? He was good.

Yeah the Ferry show in 2019 was solid -- absolutely the most 'pro' show I've been to in years and years. Like you could imagine everyone on stage interviewed for their respective Guitar Player equivalents or appearing at NAMM.

I saw Ferry a few years ago and was actually slightly disappointed at the lack of “pro” slickness - figured that the advantage of seeing Ferry solo vs Roxy would be an extra level of “studio sheen” transposed into the live situation - but they were actually pretty rockin and perhaps a little stodgy. I was hoping for Prince levels of polish, and everyone in the band being 30 and not sweating.

The 2001 Roxy show I saw was absolutely sublime, best old dudes victory lap performance ever and turned me from a curious dilettante into a committed fan. Wild to think that they were all relatively spry 50-somethings.

I'd love it if this show moved out of the Chase in SF. haven't paid attention to how the sales have been but they've probably been fairly good.

oh wow there are a ton of tickets left for SF. floor basically gone, first several rows in the risers gone, everything else still available. yikes. There's even 2nd row tix available, but they run $600.

It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? Price a show too high and no one goes. Lower the price, and people learn to wait for the price to be lowered. My friend in the concert industry seems to think everything's a bit overheated, too active, everyone touring at once, too many big shows to go around. I wonder.

there are too many, several things I'm skipping on (kendrick lamar, roger waters, probably skipping new order/pet shop boys) because I just can't afford it

Yeah, exactly. And two of those things (NO/PSB, Roger Waters) are more or less strictly nostalgia/never ending tour propositions. Kendrick ... at least he is a major contemporary artist, which makes the show seem like more of an event, and not just another year, another Kendrick tour.

Saw them on the 2001 reunion tour in Boston and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Perfect weather... incredible setlist... lots of energy. Brilliant.

As for this tour, it's really wild that they thought they could fill that venue (the Garden) here, especially at those prices. It never made any sense.

I remember when I saw them on their Avalon tour, forty years ago, I was thinking about how I wished I could've seen them "in their prime."

ya I mean all respect to Roxy Music but when I saw the venues and ticket prices I was like "god damn they must think they're Genesis"

lol I skipped the Genesis farewell tour, too, because I'd seen them before and knew that even if they managed to be OK there was no way they'd be better than they were the last time I saw them, or the time before that, or the time before that, etc. These groups, they can still be good but they'll never be *better*, not really. And rather than make things at least more interesting by playing smaller venues, say, or shaking up setlists, they typically make things worse (or more boring/rote) by touring arenas and playing the same ol' setlists the same way.

I mean, I'm planning to go, but I'm not going to pay piles of cash to see a band decades past its prime from a great distance. If I'm going to stare at a performance on a screen, I can do that at home.

That's what happened with me and Springsteen & The E Street Band. I already missed Federici, but when Clemons died (who I did see on the 2009 tour), I actually lost interest in seeing them in 2012, thinking it would be too much of a loss. Regretting that now because I actually think Wrecking Ball is his best album since his colossal run from 1973-1987. And now he's audibly older (I kept thinking that when I heard him a couple of months ago) which kind of reinforced my belief that if you want to see someone, go - yeah, they're older, but they're only going to get older and it's not going to sound better if you go to an even later tour just to see them while you can.

For sure if you've never seen an act, add them to the bucket list. That justifies the cost a bit more, because suddenly you're getting exactly what you pay for: just a chance to say you've seen a favorite act live.

I feel lucky that I've gotten to see most of the top tier and a lot of my favorite acts at least once, so a different calculation comes into play. For example, I've seen the Afghan Whigs a bunch, and they're responsible for a couple of my favorite shows of all time. So, counter-intuitive though it may be, do I need to see them again when I've already gotten anything I'd ever want from them and more? Especially once line-up changes and deaths come into play. What am I actually seeing, you know? At what point is the band you're watching not the band you're there to watch, even accounting for the passage of time? (Not talking about the Whigs, specifically, though they're down to two key members.)

Curious how far a lot of these acts can push it. Leonard Cohen made it to 82. Mick is 79. Paul is 80. Dylan is 81. Bryan Ferry is a mere 76, four years older than Bruce.

yeah, they're older, but they're only going to get older and it's not going to sound better if you go to an even later tour just to see them while you can.

When I saw the Who at MSG this past May not only was Townshend's soloing as brilliant as ever (even though the physicality of his chording was a little diminished), but Daltrey sounded better than when I saw them in 2012, and in 2006...and in 1989. I don't know what he's doing to keep his voice in shape, but he was hitting notes that he couldn't hit 30+ years ago. Hell, I'd go see Daltrey solo in a heartbeat if he got within driving distance.

The best I've ever heard Daltrey was a solo show.

xp Wow, I was actually at that MSG show! I agree, it sounded like Townshend was doing some amazing improvisations on his solos...but I had to really strain to hear him because they really buried him in the mix. (I was on the floor, right in front of the mixing board.) Someone else told me they heard him clearly, but they were also in the front row and might've heard him through some monitors on the stage.

I was insanely lucky enough to get a 3rd row ticket to that show, and Pete was clear as a bell; I was definitely hearing him from his stage rig, rather than the PA. But just about every report I've heard from this tour echoed your experience. It's bizarre that the PA mix wouldn't have Pete higher in the mix (unless someone in the Who camp is thinking, "Pete's old, he may hit some clams, better not turn him up").

Weird, when I saw them last Pete's playing was definitely not really up to par, with Simon (and someone else, too? I can't remember) helping out a lot with the trickier guitar stuff. Cool to hear he's picked up a bit. Maybe better arthritis meds?

Maybe it has something to do with his hearing? I imagine it's still a struggle for him to hear correctly. Would having the PA sound on top of his stage rig throw him off?

Nah, these guys all have perfectly calibrated in-ear monitors. I once saw Garbage, and this guy leans over and tells me he made Butch Vig's in-ear monitors, and that if you were on stage behind the PA there's very little up there actually making much noise at all, relative to the house volume. Vs. AC/DC, who if I understand correctly did have all the speakers and monitors blasting full on, because Angus wanted it to sound and feel the same no matter where he was standing.

i would absolutely have seen Genesis on this tour had they been able to come to the west coast. but look: I paid a shit ton of money to see McCartney this year, assuming it's the last time. (admittedly I have done that twice with him already in the past 10 years); for bands that are winding down or getting older, if I haven't seen them yet, I'll spring for it. Hence, yeah, I paid probably too much for this Roxy Music concert but I can't imagine I'm going to be disappointed. I will be happy if it relocates to the Warfield though.

I remember when I saw them on their Avalon tour, forty years ago, I was thinking about how I wished I could've seen them "in their prime."

I saw that tour too (1983 at SDSU) and pretty much feel the same now.

lol xp

Bryan Ferry on guitar.

Eno doing some Terry Riley-esque time lag accumulator tape delay on the reel to reel for Mckay's epic if there is something breakdown...

Eno and Mckay with arms outstretched for the harmony vocals during the ending. Never thought I'd see that.

Marvelous!

"Eno and Mckay with arms outstretched for the harmony vocals during the ending. Never thought I'd see that."

without a doubt, anyone who has ever cared about Eno or Ferry/Roxy MUST see this… it is some Wicker Man/ Midsommar shit and you will be scarred for the rest of your life…

Quick notes:

- Andy Mackay's three-finger organ jabbing is almost as inspired as Ferry's.

- Ferry sweats like a farm animal

- Manzanera doesn't play a single dull note.

BADGERS COULDN'T COMPENSATE AT TWICE THE PRICE

otm

holy shit x4 or whatever

Holy shit x5

what's her name? holy shit

without a doubt, anyone who has ever cared about Eno or Ferry/Roxy MUST see this… it is some Wicker Man/ Midsommar shit and you will be scarred for the rest of your life…

i hadn't seen the complete montreux set before, really cool! have folks seen the bataclan november '72 set that's on the deluxe s/t set? it's rather rougher, on-stage grainy film with lots of cuts, but it's got a great version of "would you believe" - prob. my fave eno backing vox on record. at bataclan mackay is more highlighted. the really frustrating thing is that i would _kill_ for a complete recording of a fall '72 show in good quality. "if there is something" reached truly epic heights live - the version on _viva!_ is nearly perfunctory compared to early versions. the BBC version from august '72 (unforgivably left off the deluxe set - i'd also kill for a really good recording of that) is fine enough. i could listen to eno treat mackay and manzanera's instrumental duo for hours. anyway the fall '72 version is only 18 minutes... the only complete recording i know of is a truly abysmal fidelity recording of croydon - one of the worst-quality bootleg recordings i've heard, and i've heard a _lot_ of bootleg recordings. the music, though? chef's kiss.

Watched this last night and it’s amazing - seems like they got much less rave-up/improvisatory after this. I love how the attention of the performances are about equally divided between all the members, almost like Can. Like an outfit where MacKay, Eno and Ferry are co-leaders.

Highlights of this, other than the appearance of Manzanera's fly's eye sunglasses at the end, were the interstitial/interlude bits where everyone else stands around waiting for one or two members to finish making a glorious racket before they all start back into the songs.