Tough for me to review Tuesday's set. I'm not myself at the moment, so I don't want that coming out in how I saw the show. But I will say it was good to see The Alarm playing pretty much exclusively fresh material. I know the debate continually rages about New Alarm vs. Old Alarm, but these guys certainly have made enough music by now that they don't have to rely on the old standards. The Crash Mansion show (portions of which will be televised on a show called Fearless Music in the next few weeks) was a coming out of sorts, where the New Alarm got to stand on its own without the ghosts of the past looming.
I thought it was about time. I wrote here a year and a half or so ago that I thought it should have happened at The Gathering as a way for the band to move forward. Who knows if this was the start or just a one-night departure, but the setlist was (except for 68 Guns at the end) entirely made up of songs from In the Poppyfields, Under Attack and Guerilla Tactics. I will say I still think the newer version of Situation Under Control is inferior to the original, but I've heard similar refrains about Be Still and a couple of other songs that have been reworked. My only complaint with the new songs is that none of them utilize the word "cards." Hopefully, that will be resolved on the next album.
The only drawbacks I saw were the tiny stage and the drum kit being behind an enormous sheet of plexiglass, which was explained as necessary for some sort of "spill over." I don't know what the hell that means because I'm certainly not a music nor a tech guru, but I'll just blame it on television. Steve poked at the plastic several times with his drumsticks and looked like a man playing in a cage. Mike at one point started pounding on the plastic as if he was trying to break Steve out. And Craig spent the first two songs futilely signalling to the sound guy to significantly raise the level of the drums before turning his microphone sideways so he could see Grantley.
Due to the small size of the stage, James was very conscious of where Mike was going and had to pull his guitar back on several occasions to avoid collisions as Mike was his usual animated and energetic self.
One bizarre moment came during My Town. As Mike was singing, the microphone stand came apart as he lifted it, leaving the base part on the ground and leaving Mike with the pole and microphone in his hand. Mike took the microphone out of its holder and tossed the pole to his left. Nice job with something unexpected that should never happen. But then, maybe 20 seconds later, the cord came out of the microphone. So Mike waded into the crowd and we helped out with our strong voices.
On to the setlist...
Three Sevens Clash
Superchannel
Loaded
Kill, Kill, Kill
Fight Back
My Town
Be Still
Situation Under Control
Right Back Where I Started From
The Alarm Calling
It's Alright, It's OK
Drunk and Disorderly
Without a Fight
45 RPM (Simmo gave me a good shaking during this one. Better than being knocked down, I suppose.
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68 Guns
Love Hope and Strength
Finally, one last personal note. I wanted to thank the members of The Alarm family for their support on Tuesday. For anyone who doesn't know (probably most of you) my Dad passed away last Sunday and I had just gotten home from California less than 48 hours before this show. So thank you to everyone who expressed their condolences and asked how I was doing. Also, special thanks to Jules for putting me on the guestlist for the show, as I wasn't sure how long I would be in California, or even if I would be able to attend. That was very gracious and much appreciated. I only add this to express my gratitude to all. Please use the space below to comment on the show. I'd rather this thread be about the band than my situation.
Tim
Nothing lasts forever is all they seem to tell you when you're young
