Fallstaff concert, 3-28-03
fallstaff, a concert review (kinda)
Ok, I'm just gonna hop in on this one. Fallstaff is a five piece modern rock group with oozings of normalcy coming from seemingly sincere musicians. Ok, that's not meant to be inflamatory, but it'll give you an idea of where I'm coming from.
As always, the caveat of live performances applies here. Sound problems poke their head up in 99% of shows, and this show's problem wasn't a minor one. Sure, back in the day, monitors weren't a neccesity (as willie nelson said to me and robert), but with the advent of "11" amplifiers like the mesa boogie, they have become a requirement of a modern rock show. The only monitor I saw was sitting next to the drummer, and that was about a third of total sound reinforcement setup. The equipment that was there was good enough to put on a show, but I'd say only in the hands of an experienced band. Vocals were all-over the place due to mismanagement of mics. Strangely, though, the actual instrument mix was better than I'd expected. The small space was almost perfect for the cabinets and twin-speakers-for-vocals-only sound. The vocal mix needed tons of work, though, making it hard for the lead singer to tell exactly how loud she was singing.
Enough technical gumbo. The band plays ordinary songs very well. Both guitarists, the bassist, and the drummer were all solid in their playing. The lead guitarist (ibanez-boy) and the drummer were very good in my book, with the others coming in at "good". But, even with this solidarity, there was a lack of deviation from the norm. Solos were borderline showing-off rather than additions to the songs, and riffs were catchy but not fulfilling in a grander sense. A contrast would be the drums, which were fairly straightforward, but still interesting (and I noticed a Trail of Dead sticker, which hints at good taste). But, overall, the sound was just well-played, not well-versed.
The singer... I'll make a few notes, but hold full criticism for a later date (for several reasons). She didn't gel with the band very well, even though she is a good singer, and a nice girl (she dedicated a song to our table, including me: "that guy"). I'll give the problems time and vocal monitors, though, and see how they change. She has potential, and I'll see her again as long as she doesn't start spitting on the audience (*cough* hydrovibe *cough*). Her stage presence wasn't completely formed, but her in-between-songs conversation skills were nice. "he just gave us the official beer drinker approval" was a highlight
lyrics... they might have been great, but I couldn't understand much. I'll say this, though, if their lyrics are really good, then the band's on my book of quality. Outstanding lyrics can turn a fairly normal orchestration into a group worth watching.
sidenote: the sound guy had this smug grin on his face when I saw him. "when you turn up a slider, and the lead vocals don't go up, then you've got the wrong slider". Didn't meet the guy, but I have no reason to tout his ability from what I heard. Give me the mix, and I'll screw it up, but I'll at least be a little humble about my ineptitude. (he was working with a barebones setup, but I'd say he could have done better)
I will say, though, that the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, which probably means more than this drawn out critique. My table was full of their friends, though, so I was in the thick of the cheering section. Still, I saw not-so-few tapping feet around the room.
finally, I'm going to jot down the (inappropriate) random thoughts that occured to me during the show (in no order): that guitar lick deserves to return to the hairband it was spiritually stolen from; I didn't know creed kicked out its guitarist; don't do that, you look like you're doing that robot dance with a guitar; wow, that guy's good with his effects pedals; is that a behringer mixer?; give that girl a chair; did I just say I'll file a full report soon.. that's lame (yeah, I get lame sometimes); this is like a fratboy-hoagie-of-an-audience (before the band started playing).
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