Godspeed You Black Emperor! gybe2022-03-06
2022-03-06 The Phoenix Theater, Petaluma, CA
Title
Godspeed You Black Emperor! Live at The Phoenix Theater, Petaluma, CA on 2022-03-06
description
Aidan Girt – standing drums and percussion David Bryant – electric guitar Efrim Manuel Menuck – electric guitar Mauro Pezzente – electric bass Michael Moya – electric guitar Sophie Trudeau – violin Thierry Amar – electric bass, contrabass Timothy Herzog – sitting drums Karl Lemieux - 16mm film loop projections https://cstrecords.com/pages/godspeed-you-black-emperor https://brainwashed.com/godspeed/ - North American tour for latest album, G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! (released Apr 2, 2021, Constellation Records) - 2022 world tour announced on Apr 7, 2021 https://youtu.be/rnCjYwN9uSM - Manas (Tashi Dorji and Thom Nguyen) opened Show Notes Third, final, and (perhaps) “rowdiest” of three Bay Area gigs supporting the excellent “G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END” release. While the other two shows (in Berkeley and SF) were at relatively classy digs, this one was at the Phoenix, a scrappy youth center with graffiti and skate ramps lining the walls. In hindsight, maybe the Phoenix was the most appropriate venue in which to see a mysterious, anti-establishment collective performing noisy Post-Rock; the band certainly responded to the vibe, giving an occasionally ragged but fiercely energetic performance, and shaking up the setlist in a big way, opening with “Moya” following the drone, closing with an earth-shaking, 25-minute run through “Mladic”, and, notably, busting out the classic “Monheim” for the first time since August 10th, 2018. A fun and memorable performance, to be sure. About the Recording Full disclosure up front: This is a flawed tape. The show volume was exceptionally loud, even compared to other Godspeed shows I’ve attended, and, owing to a need to avoid obnoxious talkers in the crowd, I ended up way closer to the stage than originally planned. Even with inputs set low, the noise was too much, so there is clipping on the louder passages. Normally I would never share a clipped recording, but it appears a better source is not forthcoming for this show, and, given the high quality of the performance and setlist, it seems appropriate to share this out for those who want a document, warts and all. So, here ya go. Luckily, I was using decent mics (compared to an iPhone, anyway), so the recording remains quite listenable in spite of the distortion, which I’ve done my best to minimize. I was basically right on top of the P.A. stacks, so the capture has a very full, in-your-face quality that, IMO, matches the overall mood of the show. You’ll occasionally hear some meathead behind me shouting “FUCK YEAH!”, but otherwise, crowd noise is minimal.