Melvins Lite - Live in Toronto 7/5

[glen]

8:13 am. no signs of life.  I take it asses are dragging.

[Greasy Statement]

i thought the whole night was great, but couldn't help but think that the shitty sound and the venue in general sucked the life out of things. i tend to enjoy them more in smaller surroundings, but this was spot on nonetheless. i got the impression that some of the crowd around me was not into it at all, i guess due to the ambience of a lot of the songs and unfamiliarity with the new material. it's not for everybody sometimes.

[Mount Ambulance]

Good times, great night, awesome show. Really sweet seeing Melvins as a trio again and even sweeter I have two more nights of that coming my way.

Driving down we got a little worried. For block upon block leading to the club the power was out ... no traffic lights, no street lights, store owners out front on stoops scratching their heads ... looking down the drag a couple blocks; some obvious commotion ... sirens, cops, fire ambulances ... BALLS!!

Skipped around a few streets to avoid the jam and pulled up by the club ... luckily power was fully ON ... whew!!

Hang in the park for a bit and get the smoke on ... then onto zee club.

Not as crowded as last time ... perhaps the "Lite" scared some people off? Made for a nice comfy space all night ... room to breath, room to dance, room not to have some sweaty shoulder on your cheek all night. Good Stuff!!

Of course the set list was the same. Oprea House is a nice room with usually pretty decent sound ... though I found the mix to be kinda muddy. Guitar was kinda buried it seemed. Nothing too drastic or shitty, but yeah guitar coulda been a bit brighter. Like for example in Mr. Rip Off ... in parts Buzz's guitar lines at times were barely decipherable. Though that mix worked well for other things ... A Growing Disgust was like a huge plush pulsating brick!

Set highlights? Eye Flys, sounds totally eerie, menacing, sea sick. Trevor's bowed parts of the intro set spine a shivering. Set Me Straight, never been really big on this one ... but its an old nug they keep in sets through the years ... and this is the first I've ever REALLY dug it. Works excellent with the stand up sound. History of Drunks was another that just lent    itself so well to this line up ... even had a nice extended bass break down in it. Same goes for Capt. P and Berthas; nice to hear those songs in sets after all this time and they work really well with this line up approach. As already mentioned A Growing Disgust was massive and pulsating. Both Mr. Rip Off and Holy Barbarians were particularily stand out. Both really trippy, washy, rolling, and hazy ... eyes closed and swaying. And of course Inner Ear Rupture; Dunn not only hit on the obvious ode to Van Halen, but also Jaws and Psycho too!

Vocals were great with Dale and Dunn chiming in back ups and even switching off leads with Buzz for various parts.

And as I said seeing 'em trio was nice after a bunch of years. It really is a different vibe. With the big biz quartet version I find the drum element so thick. Every little space filled with some shebang and/or flare ... busy and dense ... all the time. Same thing w/ the quartet approach to vocals. Lots more voices and layers of melody than just Buzz. Again it just seems to work towards such a dense sound. Not to mention Jared's very distinctive voice and approach really put a stamp on the new stuff.

Not that I don't enjoy these developments, I just miss the more open, airy, stuttered, and vast sound alot. So it was nice to hear that again. All those big thick spaces from Dale just hanging out there in mid air waiting to drop, like molassas dripping. BEAUTIFUL! SUBLIME!

Same w/ the singing. I've always thouhgt Buzzo gets short shifted as a singer. Everyone lauds his riffs and guitar tone and rightly so; but rarely his singing. I've always really dug Buzz's vocals ... alot! A very distinctive voice and attack that I think is somewhat lost with Jared's distintive wail and the quartet alligence to full on gang vocals alot of the time. And while Dale and Dunn sang both back up and lead it never seemed to bury or obscure Buzz's voice as I find happens w/ the quartet.

Yup, it was pretty fucking awesome ... two more nights? Shit yeah, an awesome weekend I tell ya!

[anaconda]

Totally man!! I just woke up and I am still thinking back on the wicked experience
of seeing Melvins Lite last night. One word: FANTASTIC!

I got to the venue around 7-ish and was shooting the shit with a father and son
who were seeing the band for the first time. I told them they were in for a treat.
Also chatted with this guy Al who argued that Tool is the reason most people are
into the Melvins these days. He didn't even know about the Nirvana connection.

The Opera House is next door to a Wine Rack (small stores in Canada that sell
wine and cider, etc) so while I waited I parched my thirst with 4 or 5 cans of cider.

As the line started to fill out I kept randomly shouting 'Dumpster!' and 'Ambulance'
hoping they may materialize. People were staring at me and pointing saying 'Why is
that man yelling 'dumpster' and 'ambulance'?? Hahaha.

Met up with flutter inside the venue, we shot the shit and had beers while
watching the opener Retox. They were OK, a bit samey. After a couple
songs everything they did was kind of boring. Once they finished I jetted
for the front of the stage to get in position in front of Buzz. Sorry I abandoned
you flutter! Thanks for the beer bro!

After a brief wait, the Melvins came on stage to a massive roar from the crowd.
And from the first note on they were a total joy to listen to. They played with
so much authority and power! Buzz was on his game completely. His massive grey
mophead swinging in time to the licks he was laying down. Dale was smashing away
on the cymbals left and right like a freak. And If you closed your eyes you wouldn't
know that Trevor was playing an upright bass. He just hammers and caresses that
thing with no mercy!  It sounds just as fat and thick as any electric.

They played everything off Freak Puke except for Tommy. They played a couple off
Stag, they did Eye Flys. Everything they played got a massive round of applause
from the crowd. It was a love-in! At one point I was so delirious from enjoyment
that I threw a handful of $5 bills on the stage towards Dale's drums!

Near the end of the set between songs I also yelled something like 'Buzz we fucking love
you man!' and I clearly saw him wink and then stick his tongue out a bit. I was right
at the front of the stage at this point, about 3 ft away from him.

It was a great show indeed.

[black stallion]

And as I said seeing 'em trio was nice after a bunch of years. It really is a different vibe. With the big biz quartet version I find the drum element so thick. Every little space filled with some shebang and/or flare ... busy and dense ... all the time. Same thing w/ the quartet approach to vocals. Lots more voices and layers of melody than just Buzz. Again it just seems to work towards such a dense sound. Not to mention Jared's very distinctive voice and approach really put a stamp on the new stuff.

Not that I don't enjoy these developments, I just miss the more open, airy, stuttered, and vast sound alot. So it was nice to hear that again. All those big thick spaces from Dale just hanging out there in mid air waiting to drop, like molassas dripping. BEAUTIFUL! SUBLIME!

i totally agree on this. thanks for the review

As the line started to fill out I kept randomly shouting 'Dumpster!' and 'Ambulance'
hoping they may materialize. People were staring at me and pointing saying 'Why is
that man yelling 'dumpster' and 'ambulance'??

[glen]

IOU:   to ambulance and conda for putting a smile on my mug bright and early today.  great reads.  great reviews. you just cranked up my anticipation level 3 fold. 

yo ambulance!  see you in motown?  we're doing this one right.

PS; no signs of the dumpsternator huh? 

[Greasy Statement]

 with the exception of big jim, it was sucky that i didn't get to bump into any other board members. hopefully that will be a bit different tonight or tomorrow. regardless of what appeared to be indifference on my part, i loved it and can't wait to take it in again tonight. where i was standing was a bit of a black hole as far as enthusiasm goes (i had some craphound talking about muse behind me for 1/4 of the set for crying out loud) and i didn't want to ditch my wife to move up closer. i'm leaving the dame behind tonight, so i'm free to park my ass wherever!!

[JUDY]

People were staring at me and pointing saying 'Why is
that man yelling 'dumpster' and 'ambulance'??

Hahahahah awesome 

Great reviews all around!!! Arg! I am so damn pumped to see this.
What a sick setlist.

I'm sure Dumpy is OK. He was probably stuck doing dishes in the back 

yo ambulance!  see you in motown? 

Yeah! Didja hear? Glen's buying beers for everyone!! Yay!

[(the) flutter nuts]

What a killer night!!! it usually takes 1 1/2hrs to get there, it took a hair over 3 because if the bullshit traffic and construction. By the time we got there there was just a few people outside so we bolted right in to the merch, but no merch they only have the pig and the flower shirts, dude selling them said that customs held everything (fucking asshole customs bullshit, this was supposed to be my time to get things for myself and to help out a few friend) Anyway my friend Mike and I got a beer and as soon as i cracked it , there was Conda!!!  we were met with lots of energy, we shot the shit for a little while during retox , bought each other a brew then the Melvins made their way out and i lost him  . The version of Eye Flies was absolutely mind blowing!!!! but you could tell alot of people were kinda confused. it was really awesome to hear Capt Pungent/Berthas they were really tight with these , Trevor's bass was a nice feel into these tunes. Let me Roll it was kick ass and got the most reaction from the crowed, but they only played the first verse and chorus then ended?!? HOLY BARBARIANS WAS FUCKING AMAZING!!!!!! HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT FOR ME FOR SURE!!!
Freak puke the song was frigging killer as was everything from that album, this stuff comes across very nice.Also Worm Farm Waltz blew my mind , it's also my fav from the album.Trevor is nuts on that stand up bass , inner ear rupture was nuts with the jaws theme. This was also my first time seeing them with just Dale and holy fucking shit is he nuts!!! i alway knew he was but seeing him by himself live was nuts!!!
My buddy mike wanted to get me a setlist or one of Buzz's pic's (for driving him down) so he asked the roadies they said they just play off memory and no you can't have a pic 

Well the only person from the board i found was Anaconda, i also was looking for you at the end of the show to go burn a few but could not find you. I had to call in sick to work today, so i'll prob get in shit next week 

Dumpster- i was really wanting to meet you!!!

I will be at the next 2 nights, it would be cool to meet up with you Greasy, but i don't think i should walk up to people and ask them if they are greasy, that might get me trouble

[Greasy Statement]

haha, it's worth a try. i'll be with big jim tonight, so you'll meet two board members in one shot. i have a big ass beard and horn rimmed glasses, so i'll probably stand out a bit. hair kind of like tintin as well....

goddamn customs!

[(the) flutter nuts]

Anaconda with his ticket and his heineken, below Conda and Flutter (a bad pic of me)



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[JUDY]

Blue Velvet Pabst Blue Ribbon

[anaconda]

[JUDY]

That's your body with Buzzo's head pasted on. We all saw your chest in the Whaddya Look Like thread.
And it's no secret that you're the Photoshop King.

[Idlehanz]

Awesome pics.  I'm looking forward to meeting Jules in September.  I've met a lot of people on this board ( 25 or so I think) but I've always had to travel.  Jules will be the first one to come to my neck of the woods.  Not counting regular pacific northwesterners. 


Oh, I take that back.  I met Don'tYouTellMe in Olympia the first time we met.