Steve Wilson Symphony Hall Birmingham

Last time I saw Mr Wilson was at the Wolverhampton Civic three years ago but last night he managed to get a slot at the best acoustic concert hall in Europe - the Symphony Hall Birmingham.

So how did it sound compared with Wolverhampton Civic? - LOUD but slightly more controlled and focused. Not sure the sound engineers had really used the acoustics to their best advantage and simply turned the volume up to 11. I am getting on a bit and want to keep what little hearing I have left intact! However I did enjoy the show very much. Mr Wilson's rapport with the audience was superb. He is a consummate entertainer and knows how to engage the crowd with sharp wit and dry sardonic humour.

Visually Steve had two projection screens, the first a very fine black curtain onto which he could project his usual slightly disturbing images but it was also transparent enough to clearly view the band behind. This gave the impression that images were suspended in mid air in front of you. The second screen was at the back of the band and was used for more film based material. Again lots of nice typical Steve Wilson imagery.

He was touring his new album, 'To the bone' and played I think four tracks off this album including a humorous tongue in cheek Disco track. Everyone was up on their feet at this point. The rest of the evening was spent exploring his back catalogue with some great jamming and extended versions of his older material.

The impression I left with was how tight and brilliantly skilled the band were. On some of the longer tracks Steve could crank up the power and grunge to even match Metallica for heavy rock but he also had a deftness of touch and artistry that left you in no doubt he was the master of control and composition.

Great entertainment, great music and a masterclass performance. Just don't forget to take your earplugs!:)

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Originally Posted by Jimbo

Last time I saw Mr Wilson was at the Wolverhampton Civic three years ago but last night he managed to get a slot at the best acoustic concert hall in Europe - the Symphony Hall Birmingham.

So how did it sound compared with Wolverhampton Civic? - LOUD but slightly more controlled and focused. Not sure the sound engineers had really used the acoustics to their best advantage and simply turned the volume up to 11. I am getting on a bit and want to keep what little hearing I have left intact! However I did enjoy the show very much. Mr Wilson's rapport with the audience was superb. He is a consummate entertainer and knows how to engage the crowd with sharp wit and dry sardonic humour.

Visually Steve had two projection screens, the first a very fine black curtain onto which he could project his usual slightly disturbing images but it was also transparent enough to clearly view the band behind. This gave the impression that images were suspended in mid air in front of you. The second screen was at the back of the band and was used for more film based material. Again lots of nice typical Steve Wilson imagery.

He was touring his new album, 'To the bone' and played I think four tracks off this album including a humorous tongue in cheek Disco track. Everyone was up on their feet at this point. The rest of the evening was spent exploring his back catalogue with some great jamming and extended versions of his older material.

The impression I left with was how tight and brilliantly skilled the band were. On some of the longer tracks Steve could crank up the power and grunge to even match Metallica for heavy rock but he also had a deftness of touch and artistry that left you in no doubt he was the master of control and composition.

Great entertainment, great music and a masterclass performance. Just don't forget to take your earplugs!:)

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I am seeing at The Sage Gateshead on the 25th. Can't wait.

I was a long way back and was getting 105db's on my phone meter, LOUD. Sounded good though and most enjoyable evening, M6 closed on the 1 junction I needed didn't help my Kegworth prep :doh:

I saw him on Thursday in Cardiff for the first time, I took earplugs so volume was ok, however I wasn't impressed with the quality, the drums were indistinct and the bass pretty flabby. And I was disappointed having only recently really started to pay attention to him through the Back to the Bone album and his Blackfield stuff...didn't enjoy the ballady stuff nor the long self indulgent prog verging on jazz stuff but I was in the minority I feel as the majority of the audience totally enjoyed it I believe. Although as Mr Wilson himself said he doesn't like seated concerts.

I'm a convert to all things Steven Wilson.

To the comments about taking earplugs though, I wonder where the excessive volume that sound engineers have promoted will end ? The first proper gig I went to was The Michael Schenker Group at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall nearly 40 years ago. It was of course loud, but it was clear and well balanced, all the instruments could be distinguished and it was enjoyable. The last gig I went to was Ozzy Osbourne at the O2 in 2010. Even though I was at the rear of the arena and left half way through I ended up with permanent tinnitus and experienced hyperacusis (commonly known as threshold shift) for about 2 years. The sound was beyond loud, any music being played was completely incapable of comprehension. It was louder than Motorhead when I last saw them in the nineties. I'm fortunate that actual hearing loss itself proved to be relatively small - around the same time a guy committed suicide after experiencing a similar problem following a Them Crooked Vultures gig. I know that there are decibel level readings to ensure compliance with regulations but there can be parts of a venue where the sound level exceeds these.

It perplexes me when I hear people talk about gigs by bands like My Bloody Valentine saying that they see people leaving the auditorium in pain, as if the volume is some sort of artistic statement and surviving the gig is a badge of honour. It's just plain stupid. Your hearing is a really sophisticated instrument and unlike many ailments, once it's lost it doesn't recover.

I'm pleased to see you guys are talking about ear plugs. My guess is that as with many bands SW and crew wear them religiously and it's the paying fan that gets the dirty end of the stick. But that doesn't explain why SW, a guy who is a real sonic architect, would buy into the volume game :scratch:

Pete