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Originally Posted by steamed eskimo
Saw the Boston show last night. Looking forward to hearing some of his most beautiful songs such as Blowers Daughter and Delicate. Imagine my surprise when he plays a joke version Blowers Daughter in death metal style. He later then says "Have you ever heard a more shi**ier version of Blowers Daughter?". No, I had to go home and listen to the CD to clear the atrocity from my mind.
The song Amie also ended with a very long, loud, noise improv of the spaceship sound effects. He must be totally bored with his older material, did not play Delicate.
The back half of the Orpheum was quite noisy with talking from the lobby, don't know why the staff could not keep them quiet (or maybe it was the staff talking). Could not hear much of Damien's dialog. He did say as people were calling out titles, "I have these ear plugs in so can't hear anything, it's basically a one way deal so I'll just play what I want". Nice way to connect with your audience!
So disappointing, way too much "rock band wannabe" and too little of the wonderful contemplative music I came to hear. Will not bother with another show.
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I am sorry your expectations were not met last night. Sometimes it is better to head to a show expecting nothing, then you won't be disappointed . . . It also sounds like the crowd put a damper on things. I know that is difficult sometimes to separate your overall experience with what the performer is doing on stage. The fact that people and even the staff were talking should not change your opinions on Damien. Neither should his comment, imo. As you may not know, there have been times in the past where Damien has stopped concerts due to people talking in the Crowd (Chicago 2004, I think, comes to mind). His in-ear monitors help him hear his band and insulate him from these talkers. I do not think that has a direct connection to his relationship with the audience; his comment should be taken with a grain of salt.
And while I was not at the Boston show, I wanted to say that it sounds just like a show I would enjoy. I do not feel he is being a "wannabee" at all when he decides to change things up and even fuzz out some songs. It is actually a breath of fresh air to my ears as it shows he is willing to open his music up and take some chances. I don't think it is necessarily boredom but rather a reinterpretation (have you ever listened to live Dylan and hear how he changes his standards?). I have seen a few Amies in the past where I have just been sucked in with the feedback (Bonnaroo 2004 and I think the Odeon in Cleveland are two examples). Maybe it comes from my background listening to improv-based music . . .