|
Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO (USA)
Denver, 20 July 2001: This review has been long overdue, but maybe time was needed to soak in
the experience of Sixteen Horsepower live in concert. Even though both my
wife and I have seen them many times since discovering them first in Germany
(only later to find that their roots are in Denver, Colorado ... which
became our home nearly 2 years ago ... another story in itself), they never
fail to leave us in awe after seeing them live. And yes, both of us are
happy that they are taking a rest from their trecherous trails they've been
making on their tours ... we know that soon enough they'll be back with a
vengance and new music to delight us all! Enjoy the time off guys ... it's
rightfully deserved!!!
Anyhow, onto the review ... that was what I was writing ... right?
Sorry ... let me begin. It was on a warm Spring Day in Boulder,
Colorado ... April 27, 2001 to be exact. The venue this time would be the
Fox Theater, which has a history of its own, but doesn't really compare to
the atmosphere of the Gothic Theater ... at least, in my humble opinion. As
we filed in we were met with a darkly painted hall with the instruments of
the evening setup on stage ... awaiting human hands to play upon them.
Before entering the Fox Theater, my wife and I had read an article in the Boulder
local paper, the "Colorado Daily", about that night's show with 16hp. A
favourable preview of the show and thoughts on the music, complete with
comments from Jean-Yves Tola. Reading the article made us feel
as though the band were finally getting some due respect for their efforts
here in Colorado, which can be sparse at times (the respect, I mean) ... the
band hardly ever gets the press/news coverage they deserve. And finding out
through the article that David Eugene Edwards had lived in Boulder during the mid 80's and
played in a band called "Adada", made it feel as though this might be a
personal triumph for David. Having a gig in the town where he lived and
played in a band years ago? Could some of those people now be in the
audience who knew him years ago? Perhaps ... we'll never know, but it was a
thought that ran through my head as we prepared for this gig.
Familiar faces began to be seen as people continued filling-in the hall.
The temperature also rose along with the amount of bodies filing in to view
the band at, what I believe to be, it's prime. As I perused the area for
possible new 16hp-flyers, etc., not to mention I was also looking for
relief from the heat by getting a beer at the bar, I was pleased to find a
brand new sticker from the band. Wow! They must have noticed my observant
eyes on David's battered and worn bandonean case, upon which an old 16hp
sticker resides.
As we took our places, the lights dimmed and we suddenly heard music coming from behind us. "What was this?" we asked ourselves. Devotchka was the warm-up band and were parading their way to the stage with their instruments ... a tune very reminiscent of Eastern Europe. Their slot was very well accepted by the audience. Unusual instrumentation that really worked ... a real delight to hear and see! In between them and 16hp we looked behind us and noticed that the hall was jammed full of people. Where had they all come from? My wife and I always wonder to ourselves how people hear about the gigs (seeing as how there is so little publicity on the band here in their hometown), but we all know Ing keeps us well-informed as to the whereabouts of the band ... thanks Ing! We had seen Bob Ferbrache earlier walking around and were pleased to see that as the lights dimmed once again and 16hp took the stage, he was there to help David with his guitars. Knowing this, made us confident that the sound wouldn't be second rate as it's so oftentimes been in the past (in particular, the LoDo Music Festival last year here in Denver). We had a prime spot to view the show and witnessed a very strong beginning to the performance. The band carried into the evening playing various long-extended intros to certain songs ... one in particular, "Silver Saddle" struck me as being quite brilliant on Pascal Humbert's part. Reminiscent of his solo work, he coaxed sounds out of his stand-up bass which stunned all in the audience. A beginning intro and ending outro really set the mood for the song ... imagery of the "locusts rasping back and forth" sprung into mind. I can't mention enough of Steve Taylor's wondrous outro to "Wayfaring Stranger" ... excellent Steve!!! Before I sign-off I'd like to make a comment on David's performance for the evening. Perhaps the presence of his wife caused it, but I found him to be a bit more casual, relaxed and actually comical in parts. Almost as if he were mocking the audience/songs? One will never really know, but certainly in a mood I've never quite see him in before. A comment also on "Poor Mouth"; I really enjoy the energy of this song and the fact that David's on-album acoustic guitar part (heard on the album in the back during the break where David is singing, "In which he dwells ... Livin' from hand to poor mouth ...I see my secret south ...") is accented live makes it all really special. The mix of Steve's western big toned guitar in the beginning of the song up against David's droning guitar is a perfect match! Jean-Yves, during the entire show was a steady as ever ... constantly keeping the trot/stampede going on in the background. Steve was also spot-on with his perfect oncue notes that always add that bit of depth to the music that keeps it interesting and on-edge. All-in-all, a very impressive performance, one that seemed to give one the impression the songs were growing into new forms to make them interesting not only for the audience, but for the band as well. Keep it up guys! We can't wait for the new stuff! By Chris Read the Denver Post’s preview of the show, including a short interview with David Eugene Edwards. Read the Colorado Daily's preview of the show, including a short interview with Jean-Yves Tola.
Setlist:
   
|
