BOC: at Utica, but why should we care? [LONG]

[Ted Jackson]

On 24 Nov 2002, at 4:42, Bolts of Ungodly Vision wrote:

> Well, they were there.
> the set)in marginalyl chonological order) was:
> Burning for you
> Bucks Boogie
> ETI
> Perfect Water
> Harvester of Eyes
> Dance on Stilts
> Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll
> Flaming Telepaths
> Then Came the Last Days of May
> Godzilla
> Dont Fear the Reaper
> --
> The Red and the Black

Pretty close on the set list.  I think Harvester came right after BFY,
and Perfect Water came right before Flaming Telepaths...

> Some dude, mentioned in a previous email about the show, guested with
> the band from the jam band moe. Now, I hate moe. because they wrote
> thwir bandname/logo all over the radio station broadcast booth in
> Potsdam w/indeilbe ink marker.
>
> I tried not to let that stop my enjoyment of the show, BUT
>
> The sound, with the addition of the Moe. dude on LDoM, Godzilla,
> Reaper (chord comping and soloing at the end) and tR&thB, was both
> murky and way too trebly because the jammin' guy liked his notes near
> and beyond the 12th fret.
>
Well, I thought Al Schnier was okay.  He's obviously a BÖC fanatic,
as he knew every song he did with them by heart, down to the point
of playing all the chords in the correct positions, even playing
Allen's [or Eric's, depending on the song] parts just like he would
have.  And his solo in LDoM was a gem.  This guy clearly admires
BD's playing, and he def. played a 'Buck' solo on that song.  Was it
needed, or even necessary?  Of course not, but, hey, it's only rock
and roll.  It made this old geezer proud that a young baggy-pants
hero would acknowledge that old fucks like BÖC are relevant, and
that the kid didn't mind getting his clock cleaned by Buck, who
definitely rose to the occasion, and reminded the youngsters in the
crowd who invented this stuff!

> BOC's style is not one where song's structure is conducive to
> meandering solos.

Not so sure about this.  LDoM on the DVD is really long.  Telepaths
and Astronomy are pretty long too, same with Reaper...

 They do have plenty o spots for guitar solos, but
> jesus... There was 6string wankery in the Crate amps this night.
>
Well this is part of the problem with getting Al up to play.  He wasn't
plugged into his own rig, so he wasn't going to get the sound he's
used to.  Actually, Al played very little, and was respectfully laid
back, almost to the point where Buck had to poke him to get him to
solo.  Al's solos weren't all that long, BTW, but they did serve to
make long-ish songs all the longer.  And speaking of Crate amps,
uh, well, they don't seem to hold back BD's playing much, do they?
BD actually plays through a POD, and bypasses the preamp of the
Crate heads, just using them for power amps...

> They should retire ALL the songs that were on the live DVD.

Damn right!  Who needs shit like Flaming Telepaths, Quicklime Girl,
Harvest Moon or Lips in the Hills anyway?  Hell, to hear you tell it,
they may as well just retire.  What the hell were you doing at the
show in the first place, if you so obviously dislike the group?  If
they'd all dropped dead, you'd be bitching that they fell backwards
instead of frontwards!

A good
> challenge i think. But besides this, LDom was far far too long, it was
> even longer than the recent live album version with the addition of
> the moe dude "trading licks" -- I felt he was an underwhelming guitar
> player and didn't contribute anything but ear damaging feedback.

Hmm, I was standing at the top of the step into the pit area, center
stage, and Al was low in the mix.  I notice you have no objection to
Allen soloing, though?  You figure that Al Schnier's playing is any
worse than Allen's?  First he's too muddy, then he's too trebly, then
you can't hear him, then he's feeding back, and then he sounds like
shit because he's playing through a make of amp you don't like!

 my
> opinion of him was not helped by the fans to my right who kept
> shouting the guys name between songs until he was actually on stage.

But it's okay for you to holler like an idiot at a tBS gig with 5 people
in the hall, right?  They paid their 18 bucks, they can holler.  I don't
like it either, but what the fuck are you going to do?  Look, if Al's
presence gets even a handful of buzz-headed, backwards ballcap
kids to listen to BÖC, then it's an acceptable trade...

> Godzilla, which he guested on, too, lost alllll momentum with solos by
> the rhythm section which dont keep the song itself going.  Esp. the
> drumsolo. He isnt keeping time as he plays. boy he loves his
> doublebass pedal (too much).

You obviously never heard AB solo on this tune, did you?  At least
not while he was in BÖC.  He was always all over the place, which
was perfect for what he was trying to achieve in the song.  Bobby's
a great drummer.  Period.  You may not care for his style [which I
agree is too slick for my taste, too much like he belongs in an '80s
hair band] but you cannot argue that the guy isn't a good drummer...

 And Eric intro'd Cities the same way he does on the live disc.
wince. > But, to his credit, he vocal performance was decent. ... not
a lot of > "hahahahah" in Flaming Telepaths.

That's because they didn't have a strobe.  IMHO, thy shouldn't even
do the song unless they've got a strobe effect for it...

> > Danny bass solo had its moments.

DM is amazing.  The more I listen to him the better I like his
playing.  He plays a big part in the recent CD/DVD releases.  And
he's a pretty good singer too...

> Rodninelli has made songs which were peppy (cities, godzilla)
into > plodding.

I guess we have to agree to disagree.  I'm not the biggest BR fan in
the world, but he certainly doesn't detract from the band in any way.
He can reel off incredible stuff all the while looking like it's no big
deal...

Buck was, well, Buck, and he did show some good original > takes
on Burning for you's guitar solos. and Dance on Stilts is a good >
number. Perfect water was good, but too loud fro the kind of song it
> is.

When they started Perfect Water, we went outside to party, came
back in when they started Flaming Telepaths...

> > The lack of a lot of songs in the set which havent been done to
death >

Although it was a good, long show by BÖC standards [about an
hour and 45 mins] they played relatively few songs, due, in part to
the added length of Al's guesting...

+ the solo extravaganzas made it a fairly exxhausting and attention
> waning night simpy said: > > For the first time EVER, I was
BORED at a BOC show.

After ripping you throughout this post, I have to say I WAS TOO!
But for different reasons.  My biggest problem was the setlist:
Missing were Teen Archer, Harvest Moon and SYiB, which have
been played a bit lately.  Also no Lips, and no D&S in the encore,
which was only 1 song as they ended late.  We did get Perfect
Water, which I may have heard once on the CN tour, and Telepaths,
always a treat, but sadly lacking because of no strobe.  I had no
problem with Al Schnier guesting, but it should have been for one
song, and certainly not the encore.  Remember, though, that moe.
is based in Utica [although I don't think Al is from there!] so it's
natural that he'd go over big with the locals.  Hey, BÖC got Joe
Bonamassa up for a song a couple years ago in New Hartford [Joe
B's hometown] and no one objected, and he was nowhere near as
good a fit as Al was.  Love it or hate it, Al is a true BÖC fan, and his
band does cover Reaper, so how about cutting the guy some slack?

> > BOC should NOT have opening acts, either.

Depends on the band.  But in this case, I agree with you.  Last
year's show in Albany featured an okay opening band.  "It all
depends on the entertainment---Jose Feliciano, you've got no
complaints..."

 The world does not need to > hear more nu-metal+'funky 4/4 drum
beat" with "angstfiled" lyrics + > lame guitar effects on the solo (not
every guitar solo needs a wah, > fellas).

True enough on that...

Thing is you couldnt boo that opening act off the stage, > because
they couldnt set up their gear ON the stage,.... they were set > up
on the floor of the club

Totally lame, and a bit bitchy for BÖC.  They should've done
something so the local schmucks could at least get up on stage
and look like big men in front of their old ladies.  If you're going to
treat the opening band like shit, why bother to have one at all?

(whose name is not rock androll preserve. > its Amnesia now.
bloody heck) > > Oh, interseting thing, allen had a PIANO solo at
the end section of > tRandtB, but if you could hear it you'd have to
have good ears.

That's because that rat-bastard Al was playing through Allen's POS
Crate amp right?  Kind of hard for him to bi-locate!  I thought tRatB
was okay.  In fact, hearing it made me want to get my band to
tackle it in future...

the > guitars on stage swamped the 88s. > > > So that's what I
thought. Enjoy. or not. > Jason

Well, next time they're in town, save your bucks and wait til the
next tBS show!  Honestly, I'm not sure what you came to the gig
expecting?  It was a fairly generic BÖC show, nothing great, but no
where near as bad as you are allowing.  The band seemed to be
having a ball with young Al up there on stage.  His grasp of the
material was impressive.  You neglected to mention a couple of
equipment snafus early in the show, and some seeming tension
bet. EB and BD--blown song intros, EB intro-ing one song, then the
band playing something else!  EB seemed kind of bitchy that night.
I've seen then way better, true, but it was still worth the trip...

theo