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Post by EvilNerfherder on Apr 11, 2006 17:31:01 GMT
As the Live Tour kicks off tomorrow, I thought it would be a good idea to start a special comments and reviews thread. That way, if anyone doesn't want to know what they are going to see when they go, they can avoid this thread.
So, anyone who goes, please post your reviews and comments here.
Thanks.
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Post by potatoprince on Apr 13, 2006 8:10:21 GMT
I drove back to Kent straight after the dress rehearsal last night, didn`t get home before 3.30am, so was a bit knackered and have yet to upload any of my photos to the computer yet, but for now all I`ll say is "Bu**er me it was fantastic!" There were a couple of bits and pieces that didnt work on the night(Jeff told me what they were at the meet and greet.. more on that later!), and Russell Watson didn`t turn up so we had an understudy step in who was actually really good. But there`s one person in the show who is the right one for the job, and that was Alexis James as the Artilleryman. He really did come across as the man for the part, and like they say in the programme, can hold the audience for a good 12 minutes. I have a feeling we`re gonna see more from him. Tara Blaise has a really beautiful voice as well, the perfect choice for Beth. At the meet and greet, I got to meet all of the cast, as well as Jeff himself. I`m a little nervous about meeting famous people, and he was so nice to speak to he had me at ease straight away, he was telling me about the production, how heavy the fighting machine was (nearly 4 tons), asking whether the surround sound worked from where I sat and being genuinely interested in my feedback (which was all good anyway!), he said there were a couple of things that didn`t work, and there`s a nice little quip at the end involving Burton`s head that didn`t work 100% when the cast are being brought out at the end. If you see it you`ll know what bit i`m on about (wink wink, there was something that you should have seen then that didnt work). Chris Thompson came over when he saw I had my copy of Spartacus clutched in my hand saying, Oh My God I`ve not one of those for a while, and we spoke about his work with the SAS Band, another of my live favourites. I also met Gary Langan, who answered something I`d been dying to know for years about the Art of Noise! And spent a while chatting to Gaetan Schurrer about some of the keyboard and equipment used. Lets just say he was on "Ulla!" duty and was doing them with a sample of the original, with the infamous talkbox connected to the sampler so every one was half live half sampled. I`m getting into making my own computer music so to speak to the guys who re did the mix of TWOTW was amazing. I came out of the whole thing with a massive smile on my face, with the feeling of "Lets go do it all again!" And for those of you who haven`t seen it yet... you`re gonna absolutely love it. The band is note for note perfect, and the orchestra extremely impressive. The acoustics sound great especially with the surround sound. The FM is very intimidating and takes you by surprise when you walk through the door into the auditorium, and the Burton Head works perfectly (he even occasionally blinks when he`s not in use!) The CGI is mixed with the live action and works superbly. And when you hear the strings kick in with Eve of the War, then you just go "WOW!".. I was also told that because the BIC is a smaller venue, the Fighting Machine wasn`t set up at full size.. you`ll see that at Cardiff and Wembley.  and sadly if you go to the BIC tonight, the FM does get in the way of the screens a little sometimes, but then again, when you see The Big Fella on stage, you`ll see why it was hard to hide. The BIC isn`t that big, so I guess they had to make do with the space they had. Luckily, it doesn`t ruin the show for you and the CGI works well on the massive screen behind. I`ll get some of my photos uploaded later and let you have a look when I get five mins later.. for now, its back to bed for a bit  |
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Post by EvilNerfherder on Apr 13, 2006 8:24:19 GMT
You lucky person you! Roll on next Wednesday! |
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 13, 2006 9:16:14 GMT
Thanks for the review PP, and we certainly will look forward to seeing your pictures of the event. And to start the ball rolling, this from a previous posting of stage essembly and testing.  |
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Post by potatoprince on Apr 13, 2006 12:30:53 GMT
Nerfy.. you`re really gonna love it! When you`ve loved listening to an album all these years and you get to see it live, especially the way the show is done, its something else I`ll bet you`re finally looking forward to meeting Jeff, you`ll probably want to ask him loads of things but can never think of what to say when you get there, but he`s a really nice fella, I`ve never been starstruck before (and I`ve met a few names), but he made feel at ease very quickly and you can see how much passion he has for the production from the response you get when you tell him how much you enjoyed it. Thats the kind of people you want to see in the music industry rather than these people who are just there to make money. Enjoy it all! I wish i`d got tickets to see this more than once, but i`ll wait for the DVD! I think I got filmed for that at the meet and greet last night so maybe i`ll have that look at on there. Mind you, they`d need a wide angle lens on it H_C - which show are you going to? I`ve not seen any threads where you mention it? |
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 13, 2006 13:14:00 GMT
Nerfy.. you`re really gonna love it! When you`ve loved listening to an album all these years and you get to see it live, especially the way the show is done, its something else I`ll bet you`re finally looking forward to meeting Jeff, you`ll probably want to ask him loads of things but can never think of what to say when you get there, but he`s a really nice fella, I`ve never been starstruck before (and I`ve met a few names), but he made feel at ease very quickly and you can see how much passion he has for the production from the response you get when you tell him how much you enjoyed it. Thats the kind of people you want to see in the music industry rather than these people who are just there to make money. Enjoy it all! I wish i`d got tickets to see this more than once, but i`ll wait for the DVD! I think I got filmed for that at the meet and greet last night so maybe i`ll have that look at on there. Mind you, they`d need a wide angle lens on it H_C - which show are you going to? I`ve not seen any threads where you mention it? Unfortunately I have drawn the short straw and will be unable to see the show. As from Monday 17th, I will be in hospital and unsure after that to when I will be well again. |
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Post by potatoprince on Apr 13, 2006 14:55:51 GMT
H_C sorry to hear you`re going into hospital again mate. That`s a real shame someone like yourself that has contributed to both this and the official site doesn`t get to see it. Although I saw a camcorder filming the whole lot from a fixed point at the lighting desk, which I presume was for JWM testing and for Jeff to go through the next day. I think you should pull some strings and maybe get them to send you a copy to watch in hospital Wish you all the best and get well soon again mate |
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Post by Stuuullaaa on Apr 13, 2006 15:45:38 GMT
Fu****g hell mate, so, so, sorry - BLOODY GET WELL SOON!! |
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 13, 2006 20:51:22 GMT
That's life Im afraid, and thank you for the kind words . . . . Oh well, atleast it's heading for DVD.
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 13, 2006 20:55:35 GMT
I have been sent a review from a Mr Baldrick about the 'war'. . . . It reads as follows . . . Boom boom boom boom, boom boom boom boom, boom boom boom boom, boom boom boom |
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Post by EvilNerfherder on Apr 13, 2006 22:44:05 GMT
I have been sent a review from a Mr Baldrick about the 'war'. . . . It reads as follows . . . Boom boom boom boom, boom boom boom boom, boom boom boom boom, boom boom boom ;D What- no 'WHOOOSH'? Mr Baldrick's poetry really is going downhill these days. |
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Post by rozzer1971 on Apr 14, 2006 15:22:14 GMT
Awesome. Absolutely awesome. If anyone has ever enjoyed the original album and can still get tickets - do so. You’ll regret it for the rest of your days if you don’t. I won’t go into the details of the actual performance because basically it is the album, in it’s entirety. The new 7 disc set gave a glimpse into the many months, weeks and hours of rehearsal, unused footage and sheer hard work went into creating Wayne’s original masterpiece. Well last night at the BIC, a marvelous and highly talented group of musicians did what I thought would be impossible. In a little over two hours played the whole thing, near flawlessly, completely uninterrupted save for an interval at the end Act One that gave us chance to get our breath back. The stamina of some of the musicians was unreal, a more dynamic show I've never seen. There was little chance for applause during the night simply because they just did not let up. After some of the solo performances you couldn’t but show your appreciation so deserved was it. Gazing around the auditorium there were feet tapping and heads bobbing everywhere. I think all present left the venue buzzing and rightly so. Words really cannot express how well it all came together, not to be just a concert, but a complete experience. An aural and now visual masterpiece. And what made it all the enjoyable was at the helm of it, Jeff Wayne himself, conducting a group of his friends performing his life's work and obviously having a whale of a time doing so. I’ve uploaded a selection of images from the night here but anyone who has or is maybe thinking about going might want to wait until they’ve seen it for themselves. There’s a DVD coming in November but that won’t reproduce the chill you feel as the dulcet tones of Richard Burton lead to the famous opening to a night I’ll never forget. "No-one would've believed..." wrote HG Wells. I didn't, but I do now. Thanks Jeff. |
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Post by EvilNerfherder on Apr 14, 2006 15:46:22 GMT
Top review Rozzer! Damn, I got another four days to wait...  |
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Post by FALLINGSTAR on Apr 14, 2006 18:32:19 GMT
Well I was hoping to book last minute [ usual bad planning on my part ] and go and see the show at the nearest venue to me in Cardiff this weekend - but due to circumstances I don't think I'm gonna make it. Still, I can watch the dvd!
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Post by EvilNerfherder on Apr 14, 2006 22:46:11 GMT
Not this time round. But if Jeff is looking to take the Tour abroad and he has said he would like to do more UK shows afterwards. No idea when that will be yet, though.
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Post by Stuuullaaa on Apr 15, 2006 7:38:15 GMT
awsome pictures rozzer1971 - couldn't resist a peek! Im going to the BIC tonight (Saturday) with a couple of mates - thanks for the run down!  |
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 15, 2006 10:57:46 GMT
Those are some excellent pictures Rozzer, thank you for kindly sharing them with us.
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 15, 2006 11:02:21 GMT
H_C sorry to hear you`re going into hospital again mate. That`s a real shame someone like yourself that has contributed to both this and the official site doesn`t get to see it. Although I saw a camcorder filming the whole lot from a fixed point at the lighting desk, which I presume was for JWM testing and for Jeff to go through the next day. I think you should pull some strings and maybe get them to send you a copy to watch in hospital Wish you all the best and get well soon again mate As much as a good idea that is, I know for sure they would not send me anything on those lines, even considering all that I have done over the last couple of years. . . . Just have to wait until November for the (hopefully) DVD release. |
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Post by the Donal on Apr 15, 2006 11:36:14 GMT
H_C- utterly sorry that you can't make the show- but you're health is clearly so much more important- I hope you well on the road to recovery soon.
I really can't wait now- just over a week to go! Reminder- must pull the CD out and have a good few listens... I've not heard the album for a little while so now's a good time!
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Post by jeffwaynefan on Apr 15, 2006 12:53:52 GMT
One neat touch I like with this live show, not only are the stage actors and singers dressed in period costume, but so are the musicians.
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and sadly if you go to the BIC tonight, the FM does get in the way of the screens a little sometimes, but then again, when you see The Big Fella on stage, you`ll see why it was hard to hide. The BIC isn`t that big, so I guess they had to make do with the space they had. Luckily, it doesn`t ruin the show for you and the CGI works well on the massive screen behind.
