Damn right I was happy as a child on christmas eve when rockblog assigned
me to go to Amsterdam to report on that show.
Added to that already great news, I also got a confirmation for an interview
with Trever and Scott!
That is something to look forward to, as it will appear on rockblog
in Dutch, and a bit later in English here.
It was a bit awkward though, seeing Face To Face without a support
band. I was told it was
venue-policy. Don’t ask me why, because
I’m quite sure that some young, local band would happily jump on the
possibility of opening for an iconic band such as Face To Face. If I were in a band, I definitely would…
I saw this band in the same venue, Melkweg’s ‘Oude Zaal’, two years ago,
so I knew the soundsystem was of excellent quality, and the remaining question
was in what kind of shape the band was gonna be in.
As it turns out, the venue fills up nicely by the time of the mentioned
starting hour. We have to be a bit more
patient though, and around and about 9 PM they enter the stage. Trever Keith, Scott Shiflett and Danny
Thompson, accompanied by Dennis Hill filling in for Chad Yaro.
During the pre-show interview, I noticed a slight hoarseness in Trever’s
voice, and he also mentioned the song Disappointed
had been skipped on previous setlists because of vocal problems. Truth be told, when he greets the audience,
and introduces his fellow Face To Face members to us, it is obvious he
is suffering either from a cold, or a bit of voice-fatigue. This phenomenon remains the same throughout
the first couple of songs, leaving us a little bit unsatisfied, even though
musically, the show kicks off solid as a rock.
By coincidence, there suddenly is a little break, because Dennis
is changing his shoes, as his first pair turned out to be too slippery on the
stage floor. That was a perfect moment
for Trever to make a bit of harmless fun of his partner in crime, and at
the same time, get a few laughs from the audience.
And believe it or not, that very moment was the spark this show needed to
really set off, ever since then, everything ran smoothly. Trever’s voice is back in shape, the
new shoes are much better, and the party can finally start.
Danny
Thompson on the drums, and Scott Shiflett on the bass. That is a feast for ears and eyes. In fact they took over from respectively Pete
Parada, now in The Offspring, and Matt Riddle, NUFAN member…
Not the least of names I think?
But without any problem, they make us forget about their predecessors,
and they take the entire rhythmsection to a completely new level, where most
bands, punk or other, can come and take a few lessons from. On purpose, I had positioned myself with a
view on Scott, and that is a decision I am still glad about!
Danny on the
other hand, is the motor, directing the entire set into a scorching pace. Some of the classic songs, A-OK, You’ve Done Nothing or Walk The Walk, to name but a few, don’t
actually need to be sped up.
But the
three songs we get to hear off the new album, really benefit from such a tight
pace when performed in a live set. One
of my fellow travelers even decided that this way, Bright Lights Go Down is in fact a really great song. Other outtakes from the latest record are 123 Drop, which is one of the biggest surprises on Three Chords And A Half Truth, and the deliciously rhythmic Smokestacks & Skyscrapers. Furthermore, we get to hear a set full of
classics, that features at least one song off every album, except Ignorance Is Bliss, and all of that with
an obvious focus on the first three albums.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind hearing more of the newer songs in their
set, but then again, if I would live to witness ten more Face To Face shows
with exactly the same setlist, I wouldn’t complain either!
The atmosphere in the audience is great from the first song to the last,
and for all I know, I think the crowd seemed more keen than two years ago. Was the turn-out also a bit higher? I think so.
From reactions gathered immediately after the show, and online in the
next few days and hours, I conclude that everyone left the venue thoroughly
satisfied. And I’m already looking
forward to the next opportunity to catch this far from rattling punkrockmachine
live again!
(note…: this report featured the rockblog.nl online zine, but as a matter of fact I took an even longer trip to Paris a few days later to see my second Face To Face show this tour… And that was also a memorable performance! And Trever specifically promised the French audience they’d be back within six months, so there again is something to look forward to…)
