Gazpacho - 2015-10-31 - Zoetermeer, NL (AUD/FLAC)

(Audience FLAC)

Gazpacho 
2015-10-31 
De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 

lineage: 
AUD (by Jerry(19)70, 2 meters from far left of stage) > Aiwa stereo mic > M-Audio Microtrack II > WAV 16/44 > Audacity (hard limit on applause, normalize R/L independently, fade-in at start, fade-out at end) > FLAC 16/44 level 8 

01. intro / Algorithm 
02. Park Bench 
03. Choir of Ancestors 
04. The Walk (Part 1 / Part 2) 
05. Defense Mechanism (with two false starts) 
06. The Wizard of Altai Mountains 
07. Death Room 
08. Hell Freezes Over (III / IV) 
09. Know Your Time 
10. Winter Is Never 
11. Chequered Light Buildings 
12. Upside Down 
13. Molok Rising 
14. Desert Flight 
15. Vera 

total time: 130:29 

notes by the taper
Again a tour at the same time the album was released. Due to an error with the record company they didn't have the vinyl at the merchandise desk so I still don't have the album. Isn't it weird to have a tour while nobody knows the new album except for a few previews and trailers or is it just me? 

Anyway, De Boerderij was packed. A lot of people apparently came to see the opening act, iamthemorning, as well. That was definitely not something for me. In case you are wondering: no, I did not record the opening act. 

The sound in the venue was, I have to say, below par. At the start of a gig the mix can be less than optimal, but usually that is worked out after a couple of songs. Tonight it wasn't. The mix was very heavy on the bass. At the beginning of Defense Mechanism, the singer heard only the bass and not the toms so didn't know when to start. I got the impression the sound engineer was too stoned to even hear it. A shame. Things got slightly better. 

I was not too eager to start working on the recording but when I did I was rather surprised at the quality and how much of the higher notes still got through! I must thank my Aiwa mic which has been a faithful companion to my taping activities since the early 1990s when I used it to record on cassette! Never had an overloaded recording and, as in cases like this, the mix was even better than what I heard in the venue. Could have something to do with my ears and hearing getting older, but I do hear the improvement on the recording! 

As for the show, it was a very good one. The audience, including me, was having a great time. The choice of songs did show a preference for vocals in lower keys, though. I didn't mind. The one thing I do mind is that they skipped Valerie's Friend. Again. My favourite Gazpacho song! Next year Night will be 10 years old, maybe they'll do something special for it and finally play it again. The current drummer also wants to play it and I spoke to a lot of people who want to hear it again, too. Death Room was great, the middle section was fun to watch and hear. They used old instruments and the singer was 1 meter away from the mic, which made it sound like it was recorded decades ago. Nicely done. On the recording, however, it might sound a bit weird and soft, but it was how it happened!