Ridgefield, WA (Sunlight Supply Amphitheater), June 30, 2018 Options

[Badman]

Set list for tonight's show, review to follow when I get to a real computer:

All over you
Love lounge
Pain lies
Dolphins cry
POD
the distance
I alone
Lakinis juice
White discussion
Heaven
Lightning crashes

Edit: See below post for actual setlist. I left some out here.

This post has been edited by Badman: Jul 1 2018, 11:55 am

[Badman]

Setlist:

All over you
Love lounge
Pain lies on the Riverside
Dolphins cry
Selling the Drama
Pillar of Davidson
The Distance
I Alone
Lakini's juice
White discussion
Turn My head
Heaven
Lightning crashes

Review:

* This was the third show they've played on the tour and this tour is clearly aimed at people who checked out after TDTH.
* There isn't much in terms of innovation going on. They did not make use of the screen behind them and relied solely on lights. In 2018, I think people (like me) start to demand more. Live has beautiful imagery they can pull from and even counting crows made use of technology visuals.
*Speaking of those lights, it could just be my venue, but if you are prone to seizures you might want to sit out white discussion.
*I've seen LIVE 3 times and it's always been a wall of noise. this was no exception. No one could hear what he was saying during Love Lounge. People enjoyed the guitar it looked like.
*The only new things I saw were the addition of a drummer and Guitarist. The drummer was nondescript - playing exactly what Chad played, with the exception of shaking a shaker during The Distance. The guitarist on the other hand is actually good! They keep him in the back (because he's not the star), but they let him up during The Distance and he made it a completely different song. This is going to be a controversial opinion, but he was better than Chad Taylor. You decide for yourself. See this image of him https://imgur.com/a/TM4n1rs
* Ed is changing the lyrics again and it sucks. He no longer says "Earn the ransom from up here." He now says earn the ransom from down here. Lyrics to Heaven have been altered to be exclusively about believing in god when he sees his kids. He said that the band has 13 children between them because the band obeys the bible when it told them to go forth and multiply
* Maybe it's because I've seen the old clips with Ed railing against religion and the band acting crazy on stage, but the best word to describe their current performance is neutered. With the obvious christian overtones and Ed's weird unsexy stage manner, it's clear that the Live I knew is not coming back. Ed has a creepy uncle vibe on stage - like when he implores us to come to the love lounge and moves his hand like he's fingering a woman. His chicken dancing and imploring us to "shake it" during The Distance (a not very dance-able song if you ask me) were all off-putting.
* Once again, it might be my venue, but there seemed to be a strict "no fun" atmosphere. Guards kept you to your section, so you couldn't go up to get photos and if you had an end seat like me if your foot was a few inches in the aisle you got a talking to. I was right up front and there was a group of guys just completely rocking out to pain lies on the riverside and the dolphins cry. They knew all the words and were really getting into it, yelling at the band and having a great time. Every time I looked at them, I smiled because no one else up there was singing along to the non-TC songs. That group of people were promptly removed by security
* The venue was definitely not full. It had a big grass section in the back and no one was out there. They couldn't sell any lawn tickets it seems. I took some photos of the crowd after the encore at this link https://imgur.com/a/TM4n1rs

According to my eyes, and security who I asked, about half of the crowd left after Live. I know maybe 10 counting crows songs so I thought I would stay. The lead singer of counting crows looks like a chubby little man wearing a disguise He's a great story-teller, but as soon as he starts singing it's really hard to follow him. I think the issue is that he doesn't know how a chorus works. He's also not one for audience involvement. I left early after hearing Anna Begins, but I couldn't help but be jealous of the Crows fans. Counting Crows has varied their setlist at all three shows so far and Live hasn't budged.

Overall, I am glad this forum exists so someone can read my words because I feel so conflicted. Loving Live has been a part of my identify for going on 15 years. The band is clearly not the same and they appear to be targeting people unlike myself... folks who are inspired by their children or folks who have access to love lounges. I don't feel I can relate to Live anymore and I am torn because I think I need to find a new band to call my favorite. Ed is just too damned happy - I want some smart lyrics with some pain behind them. Am I Alone here? (pun intended).

This post has been edited by Badman: Jul 1 2018, 12:12 pm