Kate Bush - Before the Dawn - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Finnforest View Drop Down

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Posted: August 26 2014 at 22:05

...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"

TheGazzardian View Drop Down

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Posted: August 26 2014 at 23:25

so jealous of all these fans, so mad that I slept through the 15 minutes before tickets sold out ;_;

Damn working until 11pm, then sleeping through my 2am alarm

richardh

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Posted: August 27 2014 at 00:59

Looking at some of the fans I may have to think about my wardrobe . Drab blue Chinos and plain t-shirt isn't going to cut it Embarrassed

chopper

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Posted: August 27 2014 at 02:59

Slightly disappointed that there's nothing from the first 4 albums, would have liked Suspended in Gaffa for one, but still looking forward to it. Reviews are looking good so far.

chopper

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Posted: August 27 2014 at 03:00

hellogoodbye wrote:

Apologize, guys, it was 80 000 tickets for 22 concerts.

So what was all this about the Stade de France on 13th June? Confused

yam yam

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Posted: August 27 2014 at 07:21

Teamrock (Prog magazine)'s review of the first night: http://prog.teamrock.com/reviews/2014-08-27/first-look-kate-bush-live-before-the-dawn.

chopper

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Posted: August 27 2014 at 07:42

Tut tut, someone ignored the "no filming" rule -

Not great quality and I'm sure the show will be a lot better than this suggests.

refugee

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Posted: August 27 2014 at 11:57

chopper wrote:

Tut tut, someone ignored the "no filming" rule -

Not great quality and I'm sure the show will be a lot better than this suggests.

Even this small clip made me cry – in a good way!

He say nothing is quite what it seems;
I say nothing is nothing
(Peter Hammill)

richardh

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Posted: August 28 2014 at 02:50

Well I doubt I can do any sort of justice to the show I witnessed last night. Split into the 3 distinct segments (well 4 if you can count the encore)

First segment is what I expected the whole show to be. Band equipment set out along the back of the stage in very conventional fashion.Kate comes on to near mass hysteria and performs some obvious crowd pleasers including Running Up That Hill and culminating a stonking version of King Of The Mountain. Not exactly a greatest hits package as there is no Wuthering Heights or Babshooka but this is just a prelude to what comes next THE NINTH WAVE. This surely must be the main reason she has come back to live performing. At least double its album length this is presented as almost a mini play but is certainly one of the most boldest pieces of live rock theatre ever attempted. It tells the story of a ship going down and woman lost at sea. She goes deep into her mind falling abck on family memories and surrounded by strange sea creatures before finally being rescued. When the DVD finally arrives you will be able to see just how good this is. I've never seen anything like it!

After the twenty minute break they do something else I've never seen before and that the whole of the band is shifted to the left hand side of the stage and are now facing right as you look at it. This enables another unique set to be unveiled with among other things a giant door , trees and the moon as large as life. This is the Aerial part of the show and the use of back projection film of birds in flight is beautifull. I have to admit that some part of this to drag a little but the finale makes up for it with a thumping version of the title track Aerial. Kate is literally flying by the end!

The encore includes a nice song at the piano and then Cloudbusting. Not much to say about that and its probably the only ordinary part of the show but then what can you do with an encore anyway? Ok she could have done Wuthering Heights but to be fair nobody was screaming 'Cathy'. In natural fact the warmth and respect towards Kate is something that is hard to believe exists with anyone else. I believe that music took a wrong course in the late seventies but somehow against the odds emerged this beautiful unique young lady with an artistic palate not bound by some dull notion of social change. She is our own unique national treasure. Hale Kate.

Edited by richardh - August 28 2014 at 02:53

chopper

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Posted: August 28 2014 at 06:28

richardh wrote:

Well I doubt I can do any sort of justice to the show I witnessed last night. Split into the 3 distinct segments (well 4 if you can count the encore)

Thanks for that Richard, now I'm really excited. Can't wait for The Ninth Wave section.

I see she's getting flack in the press now for not doing Wuthering Heights and Babooshka.

AEProgman

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Posted: August 30 2014 at 21:15

Such a voice, always mesmerized by her. Wonder of any news of a US tour?

Finnforest View Drop Down

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Posted: August 30 2014 at 21:19

Jim, don't hold your breath. Kate doesn't like to fly. Big smile

...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"

stonebeard View Drop Down

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Posted: August 30 2014 at 23:13

I guess I'm not old enough or English enough to be nostalgic for any of her stuff before Never For Eve, but that set list sounds amazing. True, it would be best to have a couple songs from that and The Dreaming, but to me Aerials and Hounds are her best albums overall. What a time.

edit: .....it would be.

I didn't go there, of course.

Edited by stonebeard - August 30 2014 at 23:14

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richardh

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Posted: September 01 2014 at 09:40

chopper wrote:

richardh wrote:

Well I doubt I can do any sort of justice to the show I witnessed last night. Split into the 3 distinct segments (well 4 if you can count the encore)

Thanks for that Richard, now I'm really excited. Can't wait for The Ninth Wave section.

I see she's getting flack in the press now for not doing Wuthering Heights and Babooshka.

I'm a bit envious that you've still got it to come Smile

I note Tim De whathisface ( one of those horrible self conscious punk loving critics) gave the show a 3 star (out of 5) in the MOS magazine and was critical that she didn't perform a greatest hits package. Talk about missing the point entirely.

chopper

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Posted: September 01 2014 at 09:58

richardh wrote:

chopper wrote:

richardh wrote:

Well I doubt I can do any sort of justice to the show I witnessed last night. Split into the 3 distinct segments (well 4 if you can count the encore)

Thanks for that Richard, now I'm really excited. Can't wait for The Ninth Wave section.

I see she's getting flack in the press now for not doing Wuthering Heights and Babooshka.

I'm a bit envious that you've still got it to come Smile

Yes I saw that yesterday. Most of his criticism seemed to be based on the narrative of the two long pieces. Admittedly they're not that easy to understand but that's hardly the main point of the show.

Edited by chopper - September 01 2014 at 09:58

moshkito

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Posted: September 01 2014 at 15:54

Hi,

I'm already thinking that by the time this show gets done 5 times, it will make "The Wall" look like a cheap rock show!

The pictures are magnificent, and what a treat. And it is nice to see someone not be afraid to do their own thing, and do it well!

Maybe we should reconsider the idea of "progressive"!

Edited by moshkito - September 01 2014 at 16:01

Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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memowakeman View Drop Down

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Posted: September 01 2014 at 18:51

Wow, it is beautiful to see the pictures and reviews, but my heart cries because I cannot be there in one of her shows, it would be a dream come true.

Follow me on twitter @memowakeman

Slartibartfast View Drop Down

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Posted: September 01 2014 at 20:28

I hope we get a DVD out of this. Big smile

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

Finnforest View Drop Down

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Posted: September 01 2014 at 21:42

^
You ain't kiddin' Slarti, I'm right there with you on that. I can almost see it on my shelf already Big smile

If anyone reads something concrete/official about a DVD, please link it here. Thanks.

...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"

chopper

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Posted: September 06 2014 at 06:53

SPOILER ALERT! - don't read if you're going to the shows and don't want to know what happens

==============

Saw the show last night. After all the fuss about security on the tickets, with the named ticket holder having to have photo id etc, I asked the security guard if he wanted to see my id and he just shrugged and said "nah, can't be bothered"!

The set list has already been published here, one or two surprising choices in the first 6 songs but all brilliantly played. The band was seriously good - John Giblin and David Rhodes being the best known names - and the drummer was amazing. Kate got the biggest cheer for someone walking onto the stage that I've ever heard.

After the first 6 songs we got "The Ninth Wave", starting with a short film explaining how the woman ended up in the sea and then another of Kate singing the opening song in a flotation tank. The whole thing was very theatrical, from the opening "waves" to Kate being rescued from the ice - you had to watch all the stage to avoid missing something. Bertie is excellent in the little "sausage" narrative before "Watching you without me". I was most looking forward to "Hello Earth/The Morning Fog" and at first I thought they'd blown it when Kate was carried out of the theatre at the end of "Hello Earth" but the whole band came to the front of the stage for a slower, Cajun-folk style version of "The Morning Fog" which was the highlight of the show for me.

After the interval came "Sky of Honey", again very theatrical with Bertie playing the painter (for some reason Rolf Harris was unavailable). The puppet of the artist's model was brilliant, despite being told to "piss off" by Bertie at the beginning. Musically the whole thing was a big improvement on the album and included a new song about the moon sung by Bertie. The finale was brilliant with the artist's model coming to life, two giant trees dropping down, one right through the grand piano and Kate taking flight.

The ending was a very emotional "Among Angels" sung by Kate alone at the piano which reduced some people to tears, followed by a sing-along "Cloudbusting". Elton John was in the audience but he must have sneaked out early to avoid the crush at the end.

Best show ever? - without a doubt. Nobody else can put this kind of theatricality into a perfomance. The decision to play at a smaller venue was without doubt the right one. Kate's voice was amazing throughout (the only person I've heard whose voice can command a venue like that is Guy Garvey of Elbow) and the band were brilliant. This just confirmed my opinion that there's Kate Bush and then there's everyone else.

Criticisms? - not really, I would have preferred "The Big Sky" to end on but that's just me. Now I just have to wait for the live album and blu-ray. If you have sell your mother or your house to get a ticket then do it.

Sneaky photo taken before the show started.

Edited by chopper - September 06 2014 at 06:57