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Somehow our local music guru guy (Jared of the CD Exchange and 101.7) talked dredg and friends into playing Pittsburg instead of Lawrence. I don't think he has lots of money, but he must have come up with something pretty good. Anyway, it's cool that I didn't have to drive to Lawrence to see this show, although I would have gladly done so. There were people in attendance from as far away as Columbia, MO, which is pretty rare for a Pittsburg show.
Setlist:
Movement I, Same ol' Road, Sanzen, Penguins in the Desert, Movement IV, 18 People in Harmony, New Heart Shadow, Triangle, Of the Room, Sorry but it's Over, Convalescent, Running through the Propellers, It only took a Day, Scissor Lock, Yatahaze, The Canyon Behind Her,
Movement V
Foxtown is our primary local rock venue (especially during the good weather months), and it is really a pretty nice place to see a show. Bands tend to enjoy playing the venue as well. There is a medium size stage with an awning that covers what would be the pit across from a restaurant and bar, and for some reason there is a fish pond with a deck around it in between the stage and the restaurant. Well it's Kansas, we have to amuse ourselves somehow I suppose.
Woven
The fish pond served its purpose during the first act as Woven didn't seem to impress many in attendance. With two drummers, a drum machine, and some interesting visual effects (aka a projector and a sheet), Woven seemed to be a little too much cake at one setting. I haven't heard their cd, but their live show could surely use a little refinement. Of course their sound was not an easy sell to a Pittsburg, KS crowd. It sounded as if they were aiming for a sound and artistic effect similar to that of dredg, but they were just lacking some key ingredients. They did have some catchy melodies that may be more accessible on the cd.
Strata
Strata was the black sheep of the group in that they didn't appear to be big on guitar effects and atmospheric sounds. They were pretty much straight up hardcore punk. I don't really like their sound on their cd, because the vocalist does this weird warble thing all the time that really annoys me. This wasn't as apparent or annoying in concert and Strata managed to transfer their energy to the crowd quite well.
Codeseven
Next came Codeseven, who have a rather unique sound. The guitarist uses a telecaster and a host of effects to create some interesting and spacey sounds. A rhythm guitarist and bass player offer more traditional rock sounds to round our Codeseven's sound. The singer does a nice job of flailing himself around on stage to keep things energetic looking and to display to all that yes, Codeseven is an eccentric and elite band. I was pretty impressed with Codeseven's sound, especially with the guy with the telecaster. I've just heard them on the radio, but I'll probably look into the cd after seeing this show.
dredg
If you're familiar with this site at all, you're probably aware that I'm pretty sold on dredg. They're one of the best bands I've heard in a very long time. People have compared them to Pink Floyd and to Tool among others. Those are big names to live up to. Unfortunately I'd never gotten a chance to see dredg live until this point and I was quite anxious to see if dredg's live performance would impress me as much as their album. The members of dredg are very friendly, down to earth, normal people. In the back of my mind I was doubting that these guys could pull off a really incredible show or even reproduce what they have done on the album.
Fortunately my presumptions were dead wrong. dredg's live show recreates the album beautifully while adding an enormous amount of impact. It is a sound that has really made me rethink the way I look at music and the ways it can be made; it is bigger than rock music...much bigger. dredg is at or above the level of Pink Floyd or Tool, seriously. I usually don't like to say things like that...it just tends to irritate people, but I want to express that dredg produces some high quality and thoughtful art.
dredg's sound is a colorful pallet of effects and techniques. The drums are amplified and bass is added to produce a very powerful beat. Both the bassist and guitarist use a host of effects pedals and the singer uses several different instruments and effects to add color and depth to the sound. I was standing in front of the guitarist and I was pretty surprised to see that he only uses one guitar, a Gibson SG. He has two of them on stage actually. I couldn't tell you everything he was using, but I noticed a couple delay pedals, one analog, one digital, an octave pedal, his marshall foot switch, and several other pedals that I couldn't quite figure out exactly what they were. Needless to say, they weren't there for show. The guy knew what he was doing with them. The singer does some interesting things too. He plays a lap steel type thing (I'm not sure exactly what it was) with various slides and hammers for different effects. Some interesting vocal effects are created when he sings through a trumpet into the mic. You kind of have to see it to believe it. The live show lacks some of the over dubbing and some of the more intricate effects from the album (although there is a lot going on in the live show) but adds volume and heaviness to the sound.
dredg gave an incredible performance with an amazing set (the majority of the set being from El Cielo). It's hard to pick out highlights of the show, because it was incredible from start to finish. My personal favorites were "It only took a day" and the climactic closer "The Canyon Behind Her". Really though, the songs tend to blend together to make up one amazing show. I spent a good portion of the show with my eyes closed, just absorbing the sound...something I'm rarely compelled to do.
I've experienced some great performances in my day, but this will certainly always be remembered as one of my favorites. I strongly recommend to anyone to get El Cielo and do not pass up the chance to see dredg live. You will not regret it...probably the best $12 I ever spent.
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