FraKctured - live performances - audient report

31/05/00 - Columbia Serenadenhof, Berlin

From Trey Gunn's diaries at www.treygunn.com

May 31, 2000 -- Berlin, Germany / Columbia Hall

Very good night. With a 'real' moment for me.

I wouldn't say that the sound was terrible. It certainly wasn't good. But, it was workable and we did OK with it. This was a fairly cavernous space, but not specifically designed to be reverb-y like the Hamburg classical hall. This band definitely should not be playing in classical halls. They are very beautiful and a real privilege to play in. But, in reality, they are a nightmare for us.

A few choice points in the show:

Psycho dancer in Oyster Soup. Hmmmmmm?

Acid freak clapping in seven, in relatively free-time, while we are trying to play "The Deception of the Thrush,".

Roses in the encore. Yes!

I can't remember during which piece, but at a certain point in the show Robert saw someone up front either taping or photographing. He stopped playing and motioned to them to leave. And they did!

Larks' Tongues. This one really began to take off tonight. I don't know if it was simply a matter of finally finding the right order for the set, and thereby setting up Larks' properly. Or perhaps, it was a matter of is playing the piece enough that we can now 'let go' within it. Or maybe, the piece is just taking over. I wish for the latter, but I'll take anything.

As I suspected I have now gotten comfortable with Alex and the BootlegTV camera. This was the third show with her down in front and I pay no attention to her being there. The camera is not invisible to me, but I am no longer concerned about it. It any way.

I thought of a great analogy for the camera person. They are like a second engineer in a recording studio. The second engineer is a very key player in the making of a record. They generally align the tape decks and maintain the gear. They are often more familiar with the studio then the main engineer, because a band usually brings in their own engineer. The also know the town and help you arrange food. But, most critically they are a vibrant presence in the making of the record -- just by simply being there.

The second engineer never gives an opinion. Even if asked, if they are smart. They have to remain invisible to the process, yet they have to be present to everything that is going on. Even more present than anyone else. If they are not present then they become a vacuum for the energy. A good second engineer can read the mind of the main engineer and anticipate their every move. If they are on the ball they will have just the right patch cable ready to hand to the main engineer just seconds before he needs it.

The thing about being a second engineer is that not everyone is cut out for it. Some people just can't be in a room with something exciting happen and be completely silent. And even though a studio may have several good second engineers, not every one of them is appropriate for each session. Some personalities just don't mix well and certain artists may need to switch to a different second. On two occasions this was the case for me. One time we did switch and the second time I couldn't (and that really hurt the session).

So, these camera people are in a very similar role.

"Heroes" was a real moment for me tonight. I knew that it would be powerful here in Berlin. Bowie recorded it here in a studio right next to the Wall. Robert played on it, and the last verse that Adrian sings (in our version) is the "Standing by the Wall" verse. So, I had a feeling that it would really be something. But, it surprised me to the degree that I was moved in playing it tonight. I had the wonderful experience of stepping back from the whole event and actually see: 1. that I was playing on stage with Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, and 2. that we were playing one of the most fantastic, amazing classic songs, and 3. that it had a powerful significance for many who were present at the performance.

With all the ongoing struggle of just mechanically delivering this music, it has been quite hard to get to a point of actually going with the feeling within the pieces. That has begun for me tonight. First with Larks' and second, and more powerfully, with Heroes.

One man had the exact opposite experience with Heroes. Boy, am I glad that I didn't see him until we had finished it -- he would have spoilt everything for me. As we finished the song I heard someone boo-ing. At least I thought it was boo-ing. I wasn't entirely sure. But, then I saw him. There was this man with long scraggly hair boo-ing. And then he started yelling "Shiest. Shiest. Shiest!" I don't know the correct German spelling, but what he was saying was " Boo. Boo. Boo! Shit. Shit Shit! Boo. Boo. Boo!" Over and over and over again. At first I wondered if he didn't like our version of the piece. But, then I looked at him and I could see that he was deeply angry. So, deep that my thought was that there was something political about his anger. My hunch was that he was an East German and something about the song really bit to his nerve. I ask the German promoter later if there was some political aspect about the piece that we didn't understand, but he didn't have any idea. Perhaps Bowie had done something in the last month or so that had triggered his reaction to this song. I have no idea, and probably will never know. But, for me it was a strong moment.