Concert Review (long)

[Robert Kohl]

BOC played at "The Silo" in Reading, PA, on Thursday 11/16.  The good doctor
was there.  I haven't read my BOC digest yet, so ROBO probably wrote a more
detailed review.  However, I decided to do mine without knowing what others
said so that I wouldn't be influenced before posting.

Took 2.5 hours to get there.  The Silo is a small to average size club
arranged as follows:  The stage I thought was somewhat small.  From the stage
there is about a 5-6 foot drop into a pit, which is the dance floor, located
in front of the stage.  On three sides around the stage are tables.  Also
there is a "loft" or second floor open area that surrounds the dance floor on
three sides.  The doctor had his butt planted front and center on the loft.
Excellent view looking slightly down onto the stage.

The opening act:  Sucked.  I mean really sucked.  Everyone on the loft level
was ready to throw stuff at them, they were that bad.  I don't want to write
too much about them to justify their existence, but suffice to say that the
chick playing bass had maroon, baggy, pants made of a thick felt material.
The band sounded like a combination of the worst videos you've ever seen on
Beavis and Butthead, and me taking guitar lessons in a pissed-off mood.
(Hint: I've never taken guitar lessons-just piano)  Fortunately, they didn't
play too long.  They were the only opening act.

BOC came on about 10:30pm or so, and played until approx. 12:30am.  The song
list, as I try to read the blurry notes on this cola-stained napkin, was as
follows:

Stairway to the Stars

Dr. Music

??? (can't read my writing)

ETI

Before the Kiss: A Red Death

See You in Black

Take Me Away

???? (can't read my writing and don't recall the tune off hand, but I
remember Eric repeating "and the joke's on you" over and over while moving in
front of a strobe light)

Cities on Flame

Then Came the Last Days of May (excellent guitar solo by Buck)

In Thee (electric version-Eric mentioned that their acustic stuff got ripped
off)

??? (can't read it, but I believe it was a new song from WOTT?)

Harvest Moon (Eric pecking at the keyboards w/2 fingers-just the way I used
to type)

Burnin' for You

Godzilla (drum solo OK)

Don't Fear the Reaper

ENCORE: ??? (can't read my notes and don't remember)

        Red and Black

I would have liked to stick around (since the club didn't close 'til
2:00a.m.) and perhaps met the boys, but I left in a flash since it was such a
long drive home.
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Now for the doctor's impressions:

There were only a few technical glitches.  The most striking one was that for
whatever reason, the audio quality of the singing sucked.  I'm quite sure
that the problem was a combination of the venue (poor acustics of the room)
and, perhaps, a problem with the microphones.  If you didn't know the words
to the songs yourself, you never could have figured out what lyrics they were
singing, and it wasn't the singers' fault for not enunciating.  Also, when
Buck sang, I thought I was listening to Bob Dylan.

Also, for whatever reason, the musical sound quality suffered (again,
probably because of the venue).  I found myself thinking that a CD has
superior sound quality compared to this.  Granted that in a CD, you don't get
the energy and unique performance differences of a live show, but if this is
as good as the sound quality gets, than I'll sit back with a good CD version.

A few other random thoughts:

--The collective talent level of this band is incredible.  I used to think
that Eddie Van Halen was a good guitarist, but I think he needs to take
lessons from Buck.  The guy is extremely talented.  However, the doctor
recommends a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation for Mr. Dharma.  His
expression never changed the whole show, and I just got that gut feeling that
the dude needs help.  Otherwise, that was the best "schtick" that I've ever
seen.  Doctor's words to live by:  Its always the quiet ones that you need to
worry about.

--Eric, looking like Jim "The Anvil" Nidehart (a professional wrestler) only
skinnier, had a candy-apple red guitar with a white space alien on it.

--To ROBO: Sorry I missed you, dude, but I yelled for you several times from
the balcony to see who would look up.  People looked at me strangely for
yelling "ROBODUDE."  BTW, were you wearing a white BOC shirt with blue
sleeves?

--I don't know how to describe my thought that a small venue is inappropriate
for this band.  They are too good for that.  Maybe I can explain it this way:
During the outdoor concert I went to in Atlantic City in 1982, the sound was
clear, not muffled, and the music & energy flew out from the stage, enveloped
you, made you realize that your heart is black and that your lips are,
indeed, gold.....picked you up, then threw you back down on the ground.  It
was the sort of thing that you talked about for the next few months.  It was
the BOC experience.

Now compare this to the two times I've seen them in clubs, the most recently
being Thursday's show (the focus of this review).  Both times, the sound and
energy just reverberated off the walls looking to escape, but there was no
where for it to go.  It just bounced around aimlessly within the confines of
the building until it died.  What a waste.

Conclusion:  Back when I first joined this list, I posted my thoughts about
how BOC wasn't meant to play in such a small venue.  This opinion was
reinforced by this concert.  They are a powerful, talented band-the greatest
band of all time-and the confines of a nightclub do not do them justice.
They are selling themselves short.  It is just like a loved one who is
addicted to drugs, and you can't do a damn thing to help them until THEY want
to get help.  Well, I think BOC is stifling themselves, is not achieving its
potential, and was clearly meant to do large arenas, stadiums, or outdooor
stuff.  Maybe they don't want the hassle of the big shows anymore, and maybe
their happy as clams doing what they're doing now, but they're making
themselves look like has-beens who are relegated to playing clubs.  And
since, as an entity, BOC is my favorite band of all time, this really hurts.
Yes, it actually hurt to see them up there on stage not being all they could
be.

With a good marketing strategy and just a little effort, they could regain
their glory in a heartbeat.  Hell, I'd be happy to offer some marketing
advice pro bono, since I was involved with that sort of stuff in a "previous
life."

They'll always be the greatest rock n' roll band of all time, in my book, but
I guess I'll have to enjoy them on CD.  The doctor is not happy, and it hurts.

Hell, one could say that the band started going downhill anyway when the
Bouchard brothers left, but it still hurts.

-Dr. Bob
rkohl at state.de.us