Van Der Graaf Generator - NYC, June 21st, 2009

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Fresh off there NEARfest gig, this intrepid trio journeyed east to the Nokia Theater in Time Square NYC. It was not the nicest of days, grey skies, thunder in the distance, humid air, intermittent bouts of rain...but nevertheless I was quite excited to see my fourth favorite band play live, an occurrence I never thought I'd get to witness.

On this show they were supported by the Acoustic Strawbs. Not being familiar with the regular Strawbs I wasn't sure what to expect. The concert started at 8:00 PM, and although I didn't look at the time the AS took the stage I must believe it was pretty much on the dot (many people scrambled into the stage area as soon as they took the stage). They played for about 45 mins (again, I believe...I didn't check any timing device, so others that were there please correct me) and were a bit of a pleasant surprise. There were three people (names not known unfortunately) all on acoustic guitars (one playing acoustic bass occasionally) and vocals. Additionally, bass pedals and what sounded like recorded strings were also employed to widen their sonic palette. Unfortunately I don't recall the set list (mostly because I don't know the band, nor could I completely hear the lead singer announce the song names when he did), but they were better than I expected, and although their set was a little samey, the time passed quickly. There was also a nice little light show to accompany them, which added an extra layer to their performance.

Then, intermission. House lights came back on and people started to migrate out back to the bars/bathroom/other general areas of interest. According to someone I was with intermission lasted about 15-20 minuets. After this time the house lights began to dim and the crowd began to erupt with appaulse (and a standing ovation). Out walks Hammill, Banton, and Evans. They sit at their respective instruments and after the crowd settles down, the magic begins.

Here is the set list:

Interference Patterns
Scorched Earth
Every Bloody Emperor
Lemmings
Lifetime
All That Before
Childlike Faith In Childhoods End
Over The Hill
Man-Erg
Encore: Sleepwalkers

And man what a show it was! As most people seem(ed) to be, I was a little concerned how they would be without the sax man, but whatever apprehension I was feeling was soon alleviated. While I thought there were a few songs where a sax would have been nice, those moments were minimal and the three of them really filled the sound out. They never sounded empty or dull. They were loud (but not overly so), powerful, and rocked. The best song was perhaps Scorched Earth, with the instrumental section absolutely blazing. I don't think there was tighter playing throughout the whole set. I can only imagine the rest of the audience as entranced as I was during this time. Other contenders for best song are Lemmings (with a fantastic experimental opening section with some delicious drumming by Evans) and Sleepwalkers (with some fun interplay and rearranged middle bit that replaced Jackson's solo quite well IMO). This is not meant to write off the other songs, by any means, its just these three needed special attention. I also really enjoyed Interference Patterns, All That Before, Man-Erg, and (the end of) Childlike Faith In Childhoods End.

Additionally, from what I read about previous trio shows I was expecting Banton to steal the show. However, it is really difficult for me to say that. Not because Banton was off, but because the rest of the band was so good. Evans really impressed me especially. He was pounding away at the drums and really seemed to be getting into the songs like he was in his twenties. For me he was also the most consistent player that night. Banton was tremendous as well, with all his limbs moving around the organs keyboards, and the pedals underneath, rarely missing a step. Not to ignore Hammill in all of this, as his piano playing seemed right on and his voice still as good as it was years ago, but he often gets (well deserved) recognition. He also seemed the most excited, smiling often, really getting into the songs, dancing (or semi dancing) during Sleepwalkers latin bit, joking with the crowd a couple of times, and skipping at one point. Though, they all seemed very comfortable on stage. There were a few bumps along the road. Most notable was in Lemmings with Hammill on the guitar. Also Interference Patterns seemed slightly off at one point, but that could just be the nature of the song as its pretty jagged sounding as is. However, these minor gaffs were few, and compared to the moments of excellence pretty damn insignificant.

A minor sidenote must be mentioned about the crowd. From what I was told the theater was about 2/3s full (maybe a bit more), but it seemed much louder. Almost every song (and all of the classics) got a standing ovation from the better part of the crowd. Additionally, the crowd at times got slightly unruly. Multiple times between songs various members of the crowd would scream out song titles for them to play. (Someone even mentioned Theme One and The Necromancer!) But everyone was very appreciative of VDGG, and the band seemed very thankful for the ovations they received (and according to someone I saw the show with almost surprised at the amount of applause and hooting and hollering).

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening. I never thought I would get to see these guys play together, especially in America. Perhaps for that this review will seem a bit overzealous to some, but so be it. If you have the chance to see VDGG play take the opportunity. I'd give a show somewhere between 4-4.5 stars (and also would have changed the playlist around a bit ). Not the absolute best show I've seen but somewhere up there. 

Here's hoping they will return soon, and this time bring merchandise! 

Edited by Man With Hat - June 22 2009 at 22:58