Bill Callahan
2014-08-12
Mojo Club
Hamburg

Sound Professionals SP-CMC-8 Cardioids > Sony RH1 (PCM-mode) > Hi-MD > Sonic Stage > wav > Audacity (level adjustments, trackmarking, some leveller for loud clapping) > TLH > flac level 8

recorded 4 meters from stage, center

time: 123:40 min

01. Summer Painter
02. Spring
03. America!
04. The Sing
05. Jim Cain > band introduction
06. Universal Applicant
07. One Fine Morning
08. Small Plane
09. Drover
10. Ride My Arrow
11. Too Many Birds

- encore -
12. Our Anniversary
13. Rock Bottom Riser
14. Say Valley Maker

Bill Callahan - vocals, guitar, harmonica
Matt Kinsey - guitar
Jamie Zuverza - bass
Adam Jones - drums, percussion

I may have liked the early, lofi Smog albums more the recent and more successfull ones, but live Bill Callahan never disappointed me. I left every show I attended fully satisfied. This one was great again and maybe he'll even learn how to play the harmonica in the years to come.
A very relaxed performance, a perfectly tuned band, Matt Kinsey standing out on the guitar, Adam Jones playing the drums mostly with his hands, only Jamie Zuverza had a rather boring job responsible for the rhythmic backbone and not much else.

And Bill Callahan gave not the impression of a tortured depressive as sometimes in the past but seemed very relaxed as well, enjoying himself and the show, I counted 9 and 1/2 smiles, and communicative, at least 15 "thank you", "thank you very much", even a "thank you.....VERY much" plus a couple of profound one liners, what I liked best was the answer to a question ("and who are you") after the band introduction "If I'd have known I would have told you".

The mix was excelent, the club rather full but not sold out, the audience one of the most respectful I've seen in a long time, virtually no chatter (and if in very hushed voices), the bar far enough away, I was in the sweet spot 4 meters from stage, central, the recording came out very nice - only a slight hum between the songs, I don't know if it was the ventilation or rather an amplifier plus a few handling noises.

Due to the changes in volume I had the levels rather low, turned out exactly right, lowered a couple of volume spikes, raised the overall levels by 3,2 dB and a few songs by 0,5 - 1 dB, applied hard limiter to lose clapping manually, no equalizing, no compression.

Not only a beautiful show, but an exceptionally long one as well, the md ran out just after the last "thank you", about 1 minute of the encore break was lost due to md change, but no music. A generous encore as well, he was set to play two songs, thought a long time thinking about with which to finish the show, decided on "Rock Bottom Riser" and aborted that one after five minutes, unsatisfied with his tuning, so there was "Valley Maker" instead as show closer.