USA Fall/Autumn Tour 2014

[AllC392Was]

They sound checked All Hope is Gone

[agny]

Well then, all hope is not gone for AB III songs

[anguyen92]

Well then, all hope is not gone for AB III songs

Hahahaha, if only that rule really applies to Fallout.

[anguyen92]

I see a tweet with a picture of them (I think it's at the current show) with the hashtag #findthereal. I'm not saying it means something.

[psycosquirrel789]

Just got back from the Worecester show... it was too fucking loud. Awful show. Two songs in Mark ripped out his ear pieces and threw them on the ground. The show was a mess.

Myles messed up lyrics, Mark's guitar fucked up, sound was TERRIBLE, same old songs... not impressed at all. The volume was so unbelievably high, even for AB. People left half way through because of volume, I didn't stay for the encore. What a dud. I expected more from them.

[Andy92]

That sucks man. I always thought their shows were too loud even with ear plugs in, but this sounded rough if it was enough for people to leave.

[anguyen92]

Well, that gives me a lot of high hopes.

[uctalum01]

Same old songs? What show were you at? We got Fortess, farther than the sun, find the real, all hope is gone, NO before tomorrow comes. I always wear ear plugs and I had no problem. Yeah there were other issues, but shit does happen whether you like it or not. I can't wait for NJ and LI!!

[Andy92]

Find the Real isn't much of a new song...lol

[psycosquirrel789]

Same old songs? What show were you at? We got Fortess, farther than the sun, find the real, all hope is gone, NO before tomorrow comes. I always wear ear plugs and I had no problem. Yeah there were other issues, but shit does happen whether you like it or not. I can't wait for NJ and LI!!

Ummm they've been touring Fortress for how long now? They played 1 "out of the ordinary" song. We got Fortress, yeah, a complete mess of Fortress. And not doing a song that they've been doing every single show for the past 5 years isn't a highlight. Find The Real? Are you joking?

Shit does happen, and I didn't like it, which is why I stated my opinion of the show. It was a mess and very outdated. Myles has been doing the same exact antics for years now. Same exact gestures, same participation at the exact same moments in the exact same songs, same dodging of notes... its old. They were very off tonight. Whether you're too much of a fangirl to see that is your problem.

[Timotheus]

That sucks, man. I think "outdated" is a pretty accurate way to describe their shows. Hopefully them being off was just a one-night-only thing. Their sound is always awful though.

All negativity aside, it's nice that they played All Hope Is Gone.

[chtimixeur]

I still can't believe they're not addressing the sound issue that fans have been talking about for years now.
When so many fans complain again and again about a concert being too loud, just fire the incompetent guy and hire someone who's capable of doing his job. Or you know, just turn the volume down :p

When you look at their setlist and sound issues, it's like they don't even want to try and make an effort.
How hard is it to play a couple of different songs each night, and play them at a decent level that won't give you permanent ear damage ?
Come on, AB, show us that you care a little bit about your fans !

[psycosquirrel789]

It was really upsetting. This was my fifth show. Every other show has been incredible. But I didn't enjoy a single second of this one. It was actually kind of miserable to sit through. When Myles would try to hit high notes, it would pierce right through your ears like a needle from both sides. Cry of Achilles when he says "eyes" in the chorus, I wanted to punch the sound guy straight in the jugular. It was like the old iPod headphones a level with the volume at 1 billion. It was so distorted and muffled.

But the other 2 bands didn't sound like that at all. California Breed's vocalist was clear and his voice was very powerful. So it wasn't the venue. It was specifically AB's sound team.

I'm not sure if this was just a bad show, or if they have lost a bit of their passion for AB. Or maybe I have, I don't know. Maybe they are too busy with other stuff to get it right. But they were just going through the motions last night.

[AHart96]

I still can't believe they're not addressing the sound issue that fans have been talking about for years now.
When so many fans complain again and again about a concert being too loud, just fire the incompetent guy and hire someone who's capable of doing his job. Or you know, just turn the volume down :p

They can hire me I sound edit at my local radio station and am a monitor engineer and front-of-house mixer at the 2nd largest church in the US. That would be my dream job working with AB

[nickgordon]

I think it was just a one show thing. The sound at the Bethlehem show was the best ive ever heard at an Alter Bridge concert. I could hear everything very clearly. Definitely the best concert ive ever been to. Sounds more like a problem with the sound system at that venue.

[austinjhnsn]

I hope it was a one time thing, cause Detroit sounded pretty damn good... Mark was probably pissed..

[Dan Dando]

Maybe it's worth thinking about all this a different way. Is it possible that the guys decide their setlist based on the lyrical and thematic content of all of their songs and how that would effect the general atmosphere/vibe of a show?

I like the way you're analyzing this and I'm sure it's part of the picture. I'm not sure I agree on the specifics. Bands usually have to think about crowd energy - though I'm not sure Alter Bridge always prioritizes that.

I think Calm the Fire is as much a call to action as the Blackbird cluster.

If they needed to be true to the lyrics, the happy love song atmosphere of Watch Over You would go away - it's a depressing song about leaving behind a self-destructive person. It also doesn't make sense as a duet to me (Cristina, Lzzy, etc.)

If Myles' emotional involvement was a limiting factor, he wouldn't do Blackbird live.

I think AB III and Fortress are realistic and cathartic, not depressing. But that's me.

You're right, perhaps I was stretching a bit when it came to the specifics. Cheers for the reply though, mate. With 'Watch Over You' though I kinda like it as a duet - for me it works that way if you think that the relationship itself is self-destructive instead of the one person and that both parties are potentially as bad as each other... for each other... so to speak. That last line "And I'm long gone." sung by both a female and a male has a mutual separation vibe that I kinda like.

And I'd agree that AB III and Fortress are more realistic and cathartic than depressing but I was thinking in terms of what the average listener who isn't really an Alter Bridge fan (and has maybe been convinced to go to one of their shows) might think. I have some experience with this myself as I work with a fellow who is very much into his rock-music and he detests Alter Bridge because he thinks they're... "Too depressing."... and I've always disliked that rather simplistic view. He also once told me that he doesn't like the song 'Blackbird' because it's too angsty (sigh)

[AB4Lyfe]

How have you not killed your coworker yet for that last statement?

[Timotheus]

It's just not for everybody. My ex didn't like to listen to Blackbird because it gave her nightmares about people she'd lost. She still really liked Alter Bridge though.

[One Drew Remains]

I'm jonesing about All Hope Is Gone. Never seen them play it live. That bridge is easily one of the top 3 musical moments of AB III. I'd love to hear it in St. Louis.