I downloaded all three, and I really like the July 9th (Night 1) show, as far as the setlist. As a whole, the renditions of the songs are super-energetic, but there are some tracks that were played at the other two nights that sound better from those shows. As a whole, however, I love the July 9th show...awesome guitar solo on "Beast and Dragon, Adored."
Which show and/or versions of the same song played throughout the 3 nights do u like best?
just looking at all three shows got me down. I figured Spoon would have taken the opportunity and diversify their set list a lot more. They had so many songs to choose from and decided to play the same ones over and over again.
I agree with Beast and Dragon, Adored. That's always a great song and It looks like it's a Britt favorite as well with the guitar breakdown.
Well the one good thing (from the standpoint of having these recordings) about having the same songs on each night, is that we get multiple versions of the same songs. For example, it is cool to have different versions of the Beast and Dragon, Adored guitar breakdowns. However, other songs are pretty much the same each night
I bought the whole set, since it really is a good price for what you get, even with the noted lack of setlist diversity. I do wonder about that too, is Britt just unhappy with most of his pre-GCT work? Or even pre-KTM, as little seems to get played from Girls Can Tell, besides EHAO, Lines in the Suit, Me and the Bean, and occasionally Chicago at Night.
Which show do you like best, Why a Spoon?
Question about the July 11th mp3: 'Mystery Zone' was either the first or second song they played that night, yet it's not in the track listing at the Spoon store - was it left out, or is the listing wrong?
I noticed that too, that and Is Love Forever were missing, perhaps they didn't want to put out stuff from the upcoming albums, but it's a live gig, and the songs themselves could change before release, so it is kind of odd.
@ Clint- I would say the Thursday's was the best overall, but Rocks Off was sorely missing, I think it should be Spoon's de facto ending song. I'm also quite partial to Saturday's since it's the show I was present for.
So, it's not there at all? *howls*
the only ones they left out were the newer songs, which is understandable I suppose. It's kinda interesting to know that most (if not all) of their new album songs have been played live. I don't know the count, but since GAx5 was like what 10 songs, then I'm sure most of the new album has been covered.
btw "Mystery Zone" was a great song, which I never heard until the last day of the three day fest. Thursday show was the best day though and it sure was the hottest.
"Why a Spoon?" --- because it'll hurt more!! a la "Robin Hood" starring the one and only Kevin Costner (american robin hood)
Sorry I had to go there
Yeah I really like Thursday. However, the sound is better on some of the repeated tracks from the other nights, and some of the versions are better played. However, the solo after "rock and roll" and the scream on "Beast and Dragon, Adored" from Thursday is just awesome...
I like listening to the first night the most (just for the silly reason of being right in the front and center that particular night), and I'm sad they didn't include the new tracks. I mean, I understand why they'd do that, but even listening to these live albums, I can tell exactly where they cut out those new songs. I guess it just doesn't feel complete to me. Plus I think some of the few things Britt said in between songs was cut out too.
monkfishblues - Mystery Zone was the first track they played on the last night.
That is rather unfortunate... Although I do understand why they cut out new material. However, I think that the flow of the live show was lost by too much cutting of the tracks....
Also, I have heard that the Saturday show had some problems on the set..I can't hear these in the songs...Can anyone who was there clarify what was going on?
From my vantage point, I saw Britt, kneeling in front of the amp, getting REALLY into his guitar solo - thrashing around and all that - and he accidentally knocked out the plug for his guitar. He and the techs tried to fix it but his guitar wouldn't work. You can't tell because Jim and Rob kept playing, never missing a beat (hurrah!). Britt switched to his hollow body electric for the rest of the show.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
monkfishblues - spot on mate. Mr. Daniels was rather pissed off at the inconvenience.
So could anyone hear the difference in sound with the new guitar? Which song did this happen during?
Uh, was it during the Beast and the Dragon, Adored? I remember it was the song he was using the red Jaguar or Mustang that Rob had, then he went back to his customary ES-335. The sound wasn't substantially different, but of course the red Fender has a heavier sound than the semi-hollow Gibson.
interesting..just wondering so i could see if I could hear a difference... haha people in the forum were saying that the Saturday show was the worst due to sound problems, but this hardly seems like a problem at all
Hello Everyone,
We had a problem with Britt's guitar amp head. The heat was starting to take a toll on the tubes and circuits. For those of you who were not in attendance, it was over 100 degrees every night.
As always, the boys didn't let it get in the way. We had a slight distraction for a few tunes but got it back up and running in no time. I, myself, was surprised at how little this problem translated into the recording.
Thank you all for downloading the live shows. It was a pleasure to revisit the shows in a truly different mixing environment(Jim's amazing recording studio).
Hot Pockets: You did an awesome job mixing these shows... the sound is stellar. If I may ask, which show are you most proud of as far as how it came out mixing-wise?
Hot Pockets gone forever Clint09....he's gone...
He'll be back when we least expect it. He's watching @_@
that guy is awesome
haha well then... which did you guys feel had the best sound quality and capture
Clint09,
I don't think one show stands out more than the other, for me. I like the subtle nuances of each version. You get different versions of songs that were repeated in the sets. This demonstrates how unique each Spoon show is. You won't hear them play the same exact set twice. You'll get a batch of their current songs mixed in with material that spans over almost all their earlier records. They change the set list from show to show, night after night. It's been that way the entire 6 years I've had the pleasure of working with them.
Mixing the recording of the live shows was a unique and exciting experience of being able to going back and relive each performance and having a second chance to mix them.
While mixing live, the songs are an immediate experience of listening. Before you know it, it's over. You can't go back and hear the magic of that version again. And with Spoon, you get about 19 songs in the first hour.
Sometimes you can have a truly different feeling about a show than what is really happening. For example, the first night I felt like I was fighting the PA. I never got truly comfortable with the sound of the show. I had to work pretty hard to keep a balance of sound. It wasn't a poor sounding show in any way but it didn't quite go as smoothly for me as I would have liked, (I’m my own worst critic). Don't get me wrong, there were lots of incredible moments throughout the first night’s show, but I didn't feel the show mixing itself. I was chasing the sounds all night. I was so distracted by this that I didn’t really feel all that great about the first night. But, after the show, the band was really happy with their performance, which told me all I needed to know. The PA needed a major tweeking. So, the next day, I went down early and spent an hour working on the PA, which made a huge difference. I felt the sound was bigger and clearer for the 2nd and 3rd shows.
So, the great thing about mixing the live recordings was getting the chance to hear the band as they sounded on stage, not through the PA, especially the first night’s show. What you’re listening to are the shows exactly as it came through the microphones. There was no doctoring, no editing(except space between songs), and no auto tuning. It’s the band exactly as they are live. I love it. This is the first time they’ve sanctioned a live recording for commercial release.
Enjoy them all.
Now that I've gone back and listened to the shows again, paying very close attention this time, I do hear a difference in sound quality between the first night and the subsequent shows. Had the PA situation not been brought to light and had I not sat down and compared the different versions of, say, Cherry Bomb, I, honestly, would not have noticed anything. As far as sound quality, I think all three turned out excellent. Good job!
The majority's right though, Thursday's show was the best. Britt's energy was at a high. Too bad I missed it - still glad I was there Saturday, though!
Hot Pockets: That is precisely why I love this gift to the fans so much... I wasn't trying to distinguish one as better than the other.. I love all three.. I was simply marveling in how good of quality the sound capture was. I am a big dork about the technological aspect of this stuff, and I was wondering if anyone noticed anything between the shows. It has been really cool hearing the best source possible talk about the process... Thanks for posting, this is truly fascinating to hear.
So pretty much, you just heard through the PA system and noticed the difficulties, and you couldn't hear what was actually taking place on stage, and purely through the microphones until you re-visited later, and the sound was actually fantastic? So cool..
I honestly could only tell a difference in the volume of the vocals on a few songs between the first and the subsequent shows, but the capture of the instrument's sound is fantastic. By the way, I LOVE Britt's solo on "The Beast and Dragon, Adored" from the first night...awesome. I like how Britt plays on this track... it is a lot like Jeff Tweedy's playing on A Ghost Is Born, great stuff.
So...I just got back from Houston's Free Press Summer Festival, and I was surprised to catch Eric Harvey hanging out at the hotel with Broken Social Scene. I'm so glad I got to shake his hand, but kinda regret calling him "Mr. Harvey" at first. You have to agree that he never smiles on stage.
I read an interview with Jeff Tweedy that said he would like to play a show with Spoon due to the similarities they possess. It was a long time ago read, and I don't know how it came about. Just thinking about it got me all hopped up.
What a show that would be...I know for a fact that he would have Britt do Spiders with them... Britt's playing would be perfect for that song.
I was at Summerfest, too! What a weekend that was! Broken Social Scene and Explosions in the Sky were my top two favorite acts of the weekend in a sizable list of good acts.
That's cool that you met "Mr. Harvey" 
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