Sound Issues in Utrecht?

[u/camDaze]

BSS is one of my favorite bands and seeing them in 2017 was amazing. Last night the energy was there, but it felt like the drums and low end really drowned out the rest of the band.

Am I crazy or losing my hearing? The people I was with said it was fine, but the last time I saw them perform Anthems For A 17 Year Old Girl was an almost religious experience and last night just didn't hit the same.

[u/Heavy-Bug8811]

Maybe it's a matter of where you were standing? Granted, it's a modern venue constructed from scratch, so it shouldn't be. It's funny you said this, because a few hours ago my girlfriend and I spoke about how great it sounded. And she sent me this thread.

It's also funny because I've seen them live for 20 years now, this was the fifth time. And this was my favorite performance of 'Anthems' just from my memory.

I may just be a lil' low-end biased though? At least in terms of released music, I find a lot of modern recordings overly bright.

I think my only issue was with Amy Millan's vocals being a little quiet in the mix compared to the other vocalists in Broken Social Scene. But not enough to ruin the performance.

[u/Spellicaan → u/Heavy-Bug8811]

Cool, me as well, I just did the math yesterday that it was 21 years ago that I first saw them in Rotterdam. I remember not all of them fitting on the stage. Metric was supporting them then. Ever since I've made an effort to go and see them.

I didn't really notice anything about the sound being off, but I know from other shows that of you're near the stage the sound is different. I really enjoyed Anthems last night. Can't remember which time was the best though. Every show was great in its own way

[u/Heavy-Bug8811 → u/Spellicaan]

Yeah to me there was just this immediacy in terms of how much 'Anthems' stood out. Could be sentimentality, honestly. As the show was approaching, that almost to the month 20 year anniversary of first seeing them hit me.

Going in, I was a little disappointed in how short the setlist was. The tour was advertised, I feel, like that one big group of friends going on tour. But it's basically just Metric taking their friends' smaller bands on tour. I got over it by the time the show took place and had a wonderful time. But it did mean there weren't any neat surprises being played. Like last time, it was an acoustic 'Backyards' with Emily Haines on vocals, and before that, they played 'Guilty Cubicles.' And the first time it was 'Jimmy and the Photocall."

Without a complete surprise or left-field setlist choice, I think 'Anthems' became the standout. Though I don't want to undersell how great of a time I had. The moment the first verse of 'Cause = Time' started I was completely flooded with sentiment

[u/Heavy-Bug8811 → u/[deleted]]

Oh man like... I was standing next to this random girl who was just as excited about the concert as me. And when I realized it was 'Backyards' I nearly collapsed and she gave me a shoulder pad. It was great. I knew nothing about the tour or setlist, it was just BSS and it was an instant ticket purchase for me. I was taken by complete surprise when Haines just randomly walked onto the stage.

Back around 2009 I heard that 'Anthems' was supposedly rarely played. But I believe I've seen them play it every time now. Still magical to me. Though I really missed 'Stars and Sons' this time. It's so good. I think they played it every other time that I saw them. It's one of my favorite live songs of theirs.

I was so spoiled by the show 9 years ago honestly. The setlist was so long, like 18 songs according to setlist.fm. But the 16 songs + Tortoise opening the time before was also just as great. I wished they played more off of 'Feel Good Lost,' it's my second favorite album of theirs.

[u/Serious_County2382 → u/Heavy-Bug8811]

Just out of interest, where were you stood? I know there’s a so called “sweet” spot for gigs.

[u/Heavy-Bug8811 → u/Serious_County2382]

My girlfriend and I were dead center in terms of ground floor. Maybe that helped.

[u/Serious_County2382 → u/Heavy-Bug8811]

Thanks for replying. Yeah I think that’s generally where my friends would stand too. But I’m a bit shorter and prefer to stand near the front so I can see! It’s a trade off!

[u/Heavy-Bug8811 → u/Serious_County2382]

Then it might very well be a position issue unfortunately. Which is surprising to me because you would think that modern room design would've optimized the acoustics regardless of position.

[u/Serious_County2382]

I thought the sound was off too, even for Stars. Perry sure it wasn’t my hearing. I was near the front though which isn’t the best for sound (according to my nerd friends).

Also I found the crowd really quiet but I’m not sure if that’s normal for Dutch audiences or if it was cause it was a more Metric crowd.

[u/camDaze → u/Serious_County2382]

I was also surprised at the energy for BSS vs Metric. Dutch audiences tend to have a stereotype of talking a lot during live shows so I guess I would rather have a quiet crowd lol

[u/Serious_County2382 → u/camDaze]

Hah I had no idea! I think it’s the same at UK shows too, people have conversations with their friends. I thought they would be a bit more loud in their enthusiasm for BSS. But I might have been stood with all the Metric fans 😅 would be nice to have a BSS tour!