During this concert I intended to publish the review below.
boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom Secret society boom boom boom boom boom Future boom boom boom boom boom boom - mute -- "boom boom boom" (medley) earplugs out....But then I thought this would be very disrespectful to the artist which I devotedly admire for 40 years this summer. But what Todd showed us (sorry... me, let me speak for myself) was that respectful to his fans? Read more about my very mixed feelings.
"State" as an album is a reasonable collection of catchy and sometimes just funny and remarkable loops/tunes. Todd changing into very loud live dance music is it "serious" or a parody? A parody on what or on himself? That kept me wondering during the concert. By the way, I like EDM. I have about 50 dance albums in my "off line hard copy collection". I hoped this would be a danceable concert. Whatever can you do/desire when dance tracks are performed? After seeing the first set lists on the internet, I was thrilled. Finally a Todd gig where you can dance onto all night. Away with the modest ballads, let yourself go. Let's dance!
The stage looked cool and I had memories of the daring interactive concert at Amsterdam Beurs van Berlage 1994. The same technocratic set up of keyboards, computers, electronic drum kit, controllers and... yes! a genuine guitar.
After a few songs I unhook. The sound was much too loud, hardly bearable and exhausting. Every time Prairie hits his bass drum it felt an air displacement in my midriff. Like you're on a bicycle and you're overtaken by a very huge oncoming truck. There were a few songs in which the outburst was bearable: Secret society, Future, No world order and World wide epiphany. Prairie Prince sometimes also seemed unhappy with his devaluation to a human drum computer with a very monotone rhythm. Varying from 86 bpm till 128 bpm. Especially when there were some technical problems. Fortunately the were few comparing to other State gigs. Jesse had a great time because he could show all his technical skills on (synthesized) guitar. I liked his ''Moog sound solo" on Serious.
Literal Todd wasn't a DJ during this State gig as he pretended to be. No turn tables, no improvising with a DJ controller depending on the mood of the crowd. Almost everything was based on pre- recorded tunes/loops. A few times he pushed a button to start a loop, a fill in or a bridge.
The most I'm disappointed about was the lack -- very Todd unusual -- of contact between him and the audience. Sometimes a few words, mostly about the equipment. Maybe it had to do with the gentle almost polite reaction/applause of the crowd. After his breathtaking (not meant positive) encore medley he polite thanked the audience. No shaking hands, no after show contact at the stage like he did elsewhere. It was a bit ungrateful towards the Paradiso fans. The venue were the last two years he got the opportunity to perform with the great Metropole Orchestra in such a dramatic (meant positive) way. Made possible by his soul brother Co de Kloet.
I will buy the VOD code of the Huntington concert and review that also. Maybe I can rediscover the soul of Runt watching that concert at a reasonable sound level.
