bauhausmusik.com

perhaps they should perform in a plastic bubble

Bubblemen?

I want to get the negatives out of the way up front: 1) They used coloured lights. Maybe since we’re in the Christmas season? 2) The guitar on Telegram Sam was a little quiet to my taste. I want those breaks to hold me on the point of the spear in pain, then drop me hot and bleeding only to pick me up again. Mr. Shreck thinks we jostled too far from the soundboard and too close to the stage and got out of the sweet spot, but Bela sounded great from up front. So I’m sticking with saying the guitar just wasn’t loud enough here for my taste. So there.

Overall, the show was fantastic. Though the performances of this tour have often been deemed “less theatrical” than those of 1998 and prior, I’m not certain that I agree. Is a traditional staging of Hamlet less theatrical than Les Cenci performed in a basement by nude art school students?

Peter is not using his body in the same way. To my mind, he doesn’t need to. He has the gravitas, the charisma, the talent and skill to hold our attention with the smallest gesture. I mean this as the sincerest compliment: Peter is more like Bowie on this tour than he has ever been. Not that he is anyway aping Bowie, but in his restraint he has more of the type of power that Bowie has live. You wait for the gesture, you crave it, when it comes…it’s perfect.

Daniel, too, plays with more economy of physical movement; he’s more elegant, and if possible, even more confident. I am loathe to rant at length on Mr. Ash, as most of my readers have already been privy to my soliloquies on his various charms. Suffice it to say, my expectations were very high for this performance and he didn’t let me down.

Los Hermanos Haskins have always been masters of understated elegance in composition and performance; the tradition continues. The rhythm section are the great unsung heroes of almost every band, and this is true of Bauhaus. As I’ve said many times, without these two guys minding the store so very well Peter and Daniel would not have their flashy musical freedom.

To me, it was a great pleasure to see this more physically restrained performance. Over the years, I’ve many times been told Bauhaus was nothing but a second-rate contortionist fronting three average-at-best musicians; nothing but greasepaint; nothing but empty theatre and pretension. This tour is to me, a counter to that. It is no more or less theatre, no more or less performance, than any other Bauhaus show ever. It is a new staging of the work. These musicians know well what happens when the intoxication of success has evaporated. Power controlled is no less power. It can be as thrilling to be gently tapped with the tip of a finger as to be sucker punched in the gut. It is to my most immense and unexpected pleasure that I have had the opportunity to witness this band live, loud and proud on two tours. I’ve been sucker punched, and now I’ve been tapped, and both have been equally intense.

(Believe it or not, there's a longer version of this review. You can see it at http://blog.myspace.com/mrs_shreck )

I thought the show was great. I had way too much fun and danced so much that I woke up in pain in the middle of the night. It was strange for Peter to be as restrained as he was, but I still immensely enjoyed watching him sing - it was very different than his performance at Coachella or on the Unshattered tour. I also thought that David and Kevin showed unusual energy. David actually danced a little bit to the beat and moved around the stage. I watched Kevin pretty closely during Dark Entries and I saw him actually break that serene mask of his and get really into the song. I wish I had the money and the time to see more shows along the tour.

I think I had as much fun after the show as I did during the show. I had a blast talking with Sadie and Renee. I got Kevin to sign my setlist from Coachella and my husband took a picture of me with him. He blinked.




I showed this picture to my parents...they asked, "Why doesn't smile better?" Parents. Anyway, once Kevin left and I realized the rest had sneaked out while we were distracted by him, I made a mad dash to catch them before they left so I could get the other three to sign my setlist. I managed to get David and Peter's signatures, but not Danny's. My husband joked that he must have been in the bathroom.

So, yeah, to get to the point...I thought the show was awesome. I can't wait for the new album and the following tour. *positive thoughts*

HA! That expression on Kevin's face is hilarious! He looks either really tired or really wasted. But at least he's not doing "the pose". You look beautiful though.

Cracking photo!!! Shame he blinked, but I kinda like it anyhow!! At least you look great

Thank you strangelets and Blighty.

Oh, Renee, it was so cute when Peter stopped to take a picture with your daughter. Not only did his face light up when he saw her, but when you said "It's her birthday!" I could literally see his heart-strings being tugged on.

I'm telling you, if she wasn't already hard to live with before meeting Peter and Kevin, she definitely is now! LOL All we keep hearing about is how she got to meet Peter and had her pic taken w/ him. Admittedly I haven't been much better <G>
It was really wonderful for him to stop and pose w/ her like he did. You could tell he was trying to get out of there as quickly as he could. Just goes to show what a stellar guy he is!

Renee

Aw, thank you. She is a beauty (all parental bias intended <g>)! She isn't the one from coachella though. I know the little girl, from the pics at least, that you are thinking of, but credit for that cutie has to go to someone else.

Rnee

I'll add them w/n the next day or two
renee

Aw my mixup then, I just knew some other person form rollcall took their daughter to Coachella and she was about your daughter's age, or maybe younger now I think about it.

Yeah in the picture you can see all these disembodied hands shoving things at him to sign, and he's got his hands full of stuff and is kind of looking like "how do I make my getaway?"

Thanks, Renee. Let us know when you do.

lol He did kneel down and give her a kiss on the cheek. I was all "omg!" and couldn't click the damn camera fast enough! LOL So I got him as he was standing up, hence the blurriness. But that's ok, Steph still loves the pic and so do I!

We did take Steph and her brother Gabe to see Peter at HOB Orlando back in May. They LOVED it. Gabe wasn't able to make the show friday because he had to be w/ the ex for Thanksgiving. He was upset that he couldn't go and even more so when he learned that we met Peter. Hopefully the new album will materalize and a tour to go along w/ it and he will get to see them then.

Here's another one of Kevin signing autographs.

Andrea, that's a great pic of you and Kevin, even if he did blink!

Renee

Kevin may have blinked, but I could still see the blue of his eyes.