AFP + GTO Concert - Sydney September 16, 2013
I want to say a few words about last Saturday night but I’m having a hard time finding them. In short, my wife, my teenage niece and I went to see Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra at The Enmore and the concert was brilliant. It was one of those nights where you can feel the energy and the positive vibes just radiating around the room. The performers were all full of life and bursting with energy and the mosh area was a wave of human activity and joyousness.
What’s more, this energy wasn’t just for Amanda and her band, it was for the support acts too. Sure it built to its fever pitch when Amanda came out to perform and almost immediately crowd-surfed, but it was pretty high even as people were gathering and DJ S… was doing her thing. So when Die R… came out to do their thing the mood was ready for fun. If only Otto and Astrid could deliver – oh wait.
So, Die Roten Punkte or The Red Spots in English, are … how does one put this? … insane? Hmm, not quite. Hilarious would be a fairer description. They’re a musical comedy duo from Germany (if you hadn’t guessed) and they treated us to punk rock treats like Burger Store Dinosaur. Their personas and relationship are worked out perfectly and there were definite times when it was hard to tell if the chaos was real or elegantly planned. The final number, which featured Amanda on double cowbell and later the GTO dancing was a riot of laughs as ’80s electro something (whatever Kraftwerk were) got a bizarre tribute at once mocking and loving.
We were then treated to two pieces by Jherek Bischoff, one third of The Grand Theft Orchestra and a composer. I admit the one thing of his I heard on YouTube was not to my liking, but these pieces were good. The first was a bass guitar solo so what’s not to love? The second was a version of something he wrote for the Kronos Quartet – which is pretty huge when you think about who they are in the Classical music world. He played it on the instrument he composed it on, the ukulele. I kid you not, he composed a string quartet on the uke – and listening to that rendition … I did not know the ukulele could sound quite like that.
Earlier in the day I’d said to my wife, ‘I wonder if they’ll play the Grand Theft Intermission as an intro while Amanda comes on stage’, so I was pretty chuffed when the band came out and started playing it. It was the beginning of an amazing set. They shot through the three biggest singles off the new album right at the front, then played a mix of older songs, covers and some Dresden Dolls numbers.
It was fascinating seeing the different dynamic of Amanda with the GTO and hearing the songs done by them as a group. I first saw her solo with some support from Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen and they backed her up brilliantly but there was no sense of an organic whole, they were backing her up. Then I saw her with Brian Viglione as the Dresden Dolls and it was incredible how in synch they were. The Counting Crows can react in an instant to a subtle hand gesture from Adam, those two could communicate with a look.
With the GTO it was an organic whole, but more like the Counting Crows, Amanda did at times communicate with a hand gesture – I think anyway, I’m sure I saw her do it, once. But simply the instrumentation and the personalities altered the entire feel of the songs and the performance which was alive and electric. Chad on guitar was sometimes a little scary and if you don’t believe me ask the guy who copped shrapnel from a guitar when it played up, but he was right into the music. Which is how it was for them all, the music was the thing and with the waves of energy and love coming off the audience they rode that music.
I should not forget the powerhouse song by Amanda’s flat mate Mali, the vocalist for Jaggery. It was intense and rhythmic and a nice balance to the show as a whole. And her vocals during the encore performance of Sweet Dreams were amazing.
As I mentioned in my last blog Amanda did a signing after the show – why? Because she loves her fans dummy. I got separated from my wife who was in front of me in the queue, she didn’t want anything signed but had made a card for Amanda to thank her for everything she and her music has done for her. Touched, Amanda stood up, leant over the table, lightly held her head and kissed her gently on the cheek. I told you she loves her fans.
In the end I handed her my ticket because it felt silly to get up there without anything, but I just wanted to thank her and tell her it was an awesome show. She smiled and touched my arm gently in acknowledgement. I smudged the autograph within seconds but that really wasn’t the point – we have Amanda’s autograph on several things including a pair of coasters anyway. My niece did a similar thing, I don’t know what she said though – but for someone unfamiliar with Amanda’s music she seemed to have a really good night and chair danced a few times too.
So I guess I found the words, or rather they were already there I just had to start putting them down. There’s a lesson there.
I think the other lesson of the night, or something I take from Amanda in general, is that honesty and connection are powerful things. No hiding behind the shell, no hiding behind bitter resentments and negativity – that just leads to more bitterness and an endless loop of nothing actually happening and no-one being happy. Approach with honesty and love, accept people as they are and find the connection. Then magic can happen.
Keep dreaming.
What’s more, this energy wasn’t just for Amanda and her band, it was for the support acts too. Sure it built to its fever pitch when Amanda came out to perform and almost immediately crowd-surfed, but it was pretty high even as people were gathering and DJ S… was doing her thing. So when Die R… came out to do their thing the mood was ready for fun. If only Otto and Astrid could deliver – oh wait.
So, Die Roten Punkte or The Red Spots in English, are … how does one put this? … insane? Hmm, not quite. Hilarious would be a fairer description. They’re a musical comedy duo from Germany (if you hadn’t guessed) and they treated us to punk rock treats like Burger Store Dinosaur. Their personas and relationship are worked out perfectly and there were definite times when it was hard to tell if the chaos was real or elegantly planned. The final number, which featured Amanda on double cowbell and later the GTO dancing was a riot of laughs as ’80s electro something (whatever Kraftwerk were) got a bizarre tribute at once mocking and loving.
We were then treated to two pieces by Jherek Bischoff, one third of The Grand Theft Orchestra and a composer. I admit the one thing of his I heard on YouTube was not to my liking, but these pieces were good. The first was a bass guitar solo so what’s not to love? The second was a version of something he wrote for the Kronos Quartet – which is pretty huge when you think about who they are in the Classical music world. He played it on the instrument he composed it on, the ukulele. I kid you not, he composed a string quartet on the uke – and listening to that rendition … I did not know the ukulele could sound quite like that.
Earlier in the day I’d said to my wife, ‘I wonder if they’ll play the Grand Theft Intermission as an intro while Amanda comes on stage’, so I was pretty chuffed when the band came out and started playing it. It was the beginning of an amazing set. They shot through the three biggest singles off the new album right at the front, then played a mix of older songs, covers and some Dresden Dolls numbers.
It was fascinating seeing the different dynamic of Amanda with the GTO and hearing the songs done by them as a group. I first saw her solo with some support from Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen and they backed her up brilliantly but there was no sense of an organic whole, they were backing her up. Then I saw her with Brian Viglione as the Dresden Dolls and it was incredible how in synch they were. The Counting Crows can react in an instant to a subtle hand gesture from Adam, those two could communicate with a look.
With the GTO it was an organic whole, but more like the Counting Crows, Amanda did at times communicate with a hand gesture – I think anyway, I’m sure I saw her do it, once. But simply the instrumentation and the personalities altered the entire feel of the songs and the performance which was alive and electric. Chad on guitar was sometimes a little scary and if you don’t believe me ask the guy who copped shrapnel from a guitar when it played up, but he was right into the music. Which is how it was for them all, the music was the thing and with the waves of energy and love coming off the audience they rode that music.
I should not forget the powerhouse song by Amanda’s flat mate Mali, the vocalist for Jaggery. It was intense and rhythmic and a nice balance to the show as a whole. And her vocals during the encore performance of Sweet Dreams were amazing.
As I mentioned in my last blog Amanda did a signing after the show – why? Because she loves her fans dummy. I got separated from my wife who was in front of me in the queue, she didn’t want anything signed but had made a card for Amanda to thank her for everything she and her music has done for her. Touched, Amanda stood up, leant over the table, lightly held her head and kissed her gently on the cheek. I told you she loves her fans.
In the end I handed her my ticket because it felt silly to get up there without anything, but I just wanted to thank her and tell her it was an awesome show. She smiled and touched my arm gently in acknowledgement. I smudged the autograph within seconds but that really wasn’t the point – we have Amanda’s autograph on several things including a pair of coasters anyway. My niece did a similar thing, I don’t know what she said though – but for someone unfamiliar with Amanda’s music she seemed to have a really good night and chair danced a few times too.
So I guess I found the words, or rather they were already there I just had to start putting them down. There’s a lesson there.
I think the other lesson of the night, or something I take from Amanda in general, is that honesty and connection are powerful things. No hiding behind the shell, no hiding behind bitter resentments and negativity – that just leads to more bitterness and an endless loop of nothing actually happening and no-one being happy. Approach with honesty and love, accept people as they are and find the connection. Then magic can happen.
Keep dreaming.
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