2013.04.17 - Monterey, CA @ The Golden State Theatre

[Leviathant]

As of March 2005, the auditorium is restored to one room as it should be (http://goldenstatetheatre.com/). All atmospheric lighting is again working. A new screen and higher wattage projectors are installed. The downstairs has all new Irwin seats. The loge section of the balcony will soon be getting its new seats, bringing the seating capacity up to around 1200 +/-. The filthy and intrusive concession stand has been removed from the lobby.

[Wretchedest]

And it was just purchased and revamped last year. Its very small, about the size of two movie theaters. Its well decorated, and something of a local historic artifact.

Is anyone else planning to be there? This is pretty exciting for me....

[Wretchedest]

Sold out so fast... i guess ill have to try friday...

[geoggirl]

Sold out so fast... i guess ill have to try friday...

Not sure if you know but tix are still available...the HTDA pre-sale rolled over to a pre-sale on Ticketmaster. I have a ticket, just need to rearrange some travel plans to make this.

[Wretchedest]

I figured that out! Thabnk god!

[TheDavidMurphy]

Checking in! See y'all there. :D

[Wretchedest]

Im doing some work at the theater tonigh, so im right around the block when i got my tickets. Apparently thyre pretty good. At the front of the balcony.

[geoggirl]

Im doing some work at the theater tonigh, so im right around the block when i got my tickets. Apparently thyre pretty good. At the front of the balcony.

The view from the balcony is fantastic...I saw Mumford and Sons from the front row of the balcony last year and they were some of the best seats.

[NotoriousTIMP]

Got my tickets too! :D See you guys there....

[Ruined]

As this show gets closer, it's hard avoiding "spoilers" and I'm debating whether or not to watch the Coachella stream. I think I'll just stay away from videos and allow the show to be a surprise. I'm excited to be able to attend the Monterey show, in less than a week!

[Ruined]

Just a little over 24 hours before tomorrow's concert. Getting pretty excited! Although I took a peek, here and there, I managed to avoid watching more than a a few moments from the many youtube videos of recent HTDA performances. Heh, trying to not be like I was with NIN, when I read/watched everything before a concert I was about to attend. Also, checked my seats on the HTDA site and, wow, I'm 3 rows from the front, dead center. I cannot wait!

[Wretchedest]

It's on!
I'll be there, and I'm going to try to bring my DSLR and my recorder and plug into the board.... if I can't... I'm sure it will be great either way.
I'm going to arrive relatively early, so if your bored of standing in line like me, don't be stranger and say hi! I'm a big dude with long curly hair and I'll be wearing a green shirt and a green overshirt. Don't be a stranger!

[Erik]

The marquee says HTDA. That's a first for the tour.

[Zipfinator]

The marquee says HTDA. That's a first for the tour.

Nope. They were labeled on the marquee at their first show last Wednesday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shelleproductions/8639585232/in/set-72157633218933236/

[Erik]

No it says HTDA not How to Destroy Angels.

[Wretchedest]

Im here! The line is four small with numerous wandering types. Its cold. Wait till doors unless you want a poster.

[Wretchedest]

Theres been a somewhat bullshit handling of presale tickets - not the venues fault. Some presale tickets are "presale tickets" somehow mine are regular tickets even though i got them in presale?

[Erik]

Poster #3 debuted tonight. Limited to 1 per person. Progress. Battery too low for cellphone photos.

[Erik]

Wretchedest Did you have physical tickets or a printout with you? If so, that was the ticket seller presale that happened after the HTDA one. Still a presale but no early entrance perks. Confusing but not the venue's fault.

[Wretchedest]

Yeah thats exactly what i was sayong. Presale perks seem null anyway now that were actually in. Presale seating on the other hand? Corner balcony?

[Erik]

Check your pm wretchedest please.

[Wretchedest]

This was so legit. Completely changed my view of HTDA very very good live act.... more later.

[NotoriousTIMP]

All I can say is fuck anyone who constantly feels the need to yell/scream/woo constantly throughout a show......ugh.....

[Ruined]

Just got back from the show. Still amazed at my seats (3rd row, center). Still high from it all...Mariqueen is an excellent front-woman: Very intense and great voice. It was one thing watching bits of the light show from youtube, but, in person, wow. BTW, Mariqueen seems to have successfully wrestled the tambourine from Trent (for all but one song, at least). Funny side-note: The old guy taking our nice, personalized souvenir HTDA tickets did not merely scan them. No, like a carnival ride attendant, he tore part of it, as we walked in. Heh, it looked like he tore mine with his teeth. I'm grateful I was able to get to see HTDA, live, in a smaller theater. Great memory!
Edit: One other thing I thought was a nice touch--They provided tubes for posters. I remember past NIN shows where we often debated whether or not to bring tubes for our collectible posters.

[NotoriousTIMP]

Anyone else feel that the venue acoustics sucked?

[Ruined]

No, I thought the acoustics were fine. Hell, the rumble of the bass-lines on the wood floors were something I had never experienced at a show, before. Seriously, from the visuals, to the rumble, to the clear, strong vocals: A truly immersive experience from where I was watching the show. I love how some songs seemed to merely be Mariqueen's voice and little else.

[Wretchedest]

I thought the acoustics were really nice, and I usually don't like them from as close up as I was.
Many, many thanks to Erik for improving my seating situation, it was a rare and baffling act of kindness that made a huge difference for my wife and I. You are super cool dude!
I have to say that the powers that be handled seating very poorly. While early buyers got terrible akwardly placed seats, The entire front row wasn't booked at all and much of the middle balcony was untouched.. My friend Alex sat in the very front middle, and was the only person in the front row for the first five songs, before more people caught on and took those seats anyway.

Let me restate that: My best friend just sat there with the single best seat in the house, undisturbed for the entire show. We were supposed to be in the corner of the balcony.

It came to a head when people started rushing the isles for the last three songs, which sort of killed the vibe. I thought just sitting down and taking it in was a great change of pace for a show like this.

That made it awesome actually,and in for the majority of the show the audience was MOSTLY really respectful and quiet compared to what I've come to expect at a Nine Inch Nails show.

The band itself is so much better live than on the recording. They have a lot more energy in this setting and the impressive visual element makes everything more exciting. Impressive visual element doesn't begin to describe it. I tried to explain to a friend, who had the opportunity to just walk in towards the end, what it was like and he was said he'd seen light shows before... It was like being inside of a broken 3DS. That shit is too futuristic for Star Trek comparisons. Totally a mindfuck.

It was great to see this at the Golden State Theater. For us in Monterey this was a really big deal. The Golden State Theater has only just got up and running with shows like this, and How to Destroy Angels was a serious proving point. It made the whole vibe of the show better, this sense of a community growing and becoming stronger during our mutual love and enjoyment of this artist. There was some serious excitement from our local entertainment industry/ show hoppers that was rare to see in among people who grind through live performances everyday. I suppose its hard to explain, but it was something extra special for us here in little ol' Monterey

[Ruined]

It was great to see this at the Golden State Theater. For us in Monterey this was a really big deal. The Golden State Theater has only just got up and running with shows like this, and How to Destroy Angels was a serious proving point. It made the whole vibe of the show better, this sense of a community growing and becoming stronger during our mutual love and enjoyment of this artist. There was some serious excitement from our local entertainment industry/ show hoppers that was rare to see in among people who grind through live performances everyday. I suppose its hard to explain, but it was something extra special for us here in little ol' Monterey
Being born and raised in neighboring Salinas, I relate to the whole Monterey music scene pride thing. In all my years, this was the biggest show, by far, for our community. It seemed that all the greats played there before I was born (e.g., the Monterey Pop Festival made famous by Hendrix's iconic lighting his guitar on fire). In high school, if we wanted to catch a decent show, the nearest place was Santa Cruz and/or San Francisco. When I saw Monterey initially listed as one of the stops on the HTDA tour, I had to do a double-take. By the way, I hadn't been to that theater since it became a concert venue. The last time I went there, it was to see a movie. I love that they preserved that old theater. It seems the line-ups are growing: I saw that "Dead Can Dance" will be there this Thursday. Wish I could go to that. Hopefully, the scene will continue to grow; it's a great city. I have a lot of good memories there, including tonight's show.

[Erik]

Something new for the Monterey show, Trent did band member introductions before We Fade Away.

Trent's keyboard is definitely a Nord Electro.

I also took some photos. You can likely make out a lot of other instruments in them.

They are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shelleproductions/sets/72157633269995011/

[fillow]

Same setlist?

[Erik]

Same setlist as earlier shows with same encore.

[Wretchedest]

Re: setlists, i talked to one of the projectionist about how the effects work, and some of them are programmed on time code, because of that im figuring it would be difficult to change the set on the fly.

[TheDavidMurphy]

I confess, I thought this was going to be the weirdest goddamn venue when I got in — something about sitting for an entire concert is a wee foreign to me. That, and the fact that it felt as if there was barely anyone there when Diiv went on.

That said, the show ended up being rather amazing. I enjoyed the effect of having those huge-ass projectors' light beams streaming over me noggin, creating a kind of "ceiling of light" above the seats that was rather fun to behold. The only slightly odd thing was that the projectors, when cranked up, washed the small room with a ton of light — it would have been better, I think, if there was a way to get the same projector effects but have a darker stage / audience, which one likely gets in a larger venue (or at least, was my experience at the Pearl this past weekend).

The small stage also somewhat impeded the... panels'... ability to spin around quickly (more noticeable on songs like The Loop Closes). I was pleased with the relative restraint the audience had when it came to smartphones and/or standing (at least, where I was, which was about right in the center-middle of row G or so). Audience right was pretty standy — I'm glad I wasn't over there, as my 6'5" self would have pissed off about six rows' worth of people behind me, similar to the one uber-tall guy who felt that standing right in front of the first row for a song was the best course of action. Glad they tossed him out of there.

http://distilleryimage10.ak.instagram.com/fc901e3ca7e611e290d522000a1fb852_7.jpg

( http://instagram.com/p/YO-cX8N0gy/ )

[richardp]

So regarding the signed posters, has it been the same at each show so far? 40 signed, and 60 unsigned? Or has it been varying?

[Erik]

richardp The only night that they posted the numbers of signed/unsigned posters was the first show in Pomona. There are definitely a limited number of each but having a limit of one poster per person definitely helped them last a bit longer last night than in Vegas or Pomona.

If you're interested in a poster and are going to a show, I'd suggest getting there early and sidewalk camping for 90 minutes or so to insure you get in and can get a poster before they run out. The first items to sell out will always be the signed posters at each show.

I'm hoping to acquire Poster #4 tonight in San Francisco but there will forever be a hole where Posters #5 and #6 should be... Can't do any more dates this tour!

[richardp]

Awesome, thanks for the info! I was already planning on getting in line at least a couple of hours before doors in Chicago so I should be safe! Love that they implemented a one per person thing.

[TheDavidMurphy]

Love that they implemented a one per person thing.

Seriously. Especially since there's one on eBay right now for the low, low price of $799. Lordy.

[Wretchedest]

Oh jeez.... Also glad they gave it to you in a tube. IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS! I've spent too many shows guarding a fragile but awesome poster with total vigilance. When I saw those posters it put my mind at ease.

[ScreamingSlave]

do they give you a tube or should i bring one also is it only signed by Trent ? thats kind of odd I figured it would be signed by the whole band.

[Erik]

ScreamingSlave if you get a signed poster it comes with a tube and is signed by all five band members.

[Erik]

ScreamingSlave if you get a signed poster it comes with a tube and is signed by all five band members.

[ScreamingSlave]

@ScreamingSlave (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=682) if you get a signed poster it comes with a tube and is signed by all five band members.

Excellent Thanks !!!!! I got in on the presale so ill get in early probably get the poster first thing :)

[ScreamingSlave]

How have the pre sale entries been anyone go in early etc?

[Erik]

HTDA presale holders get first entry, first crack at merch and seats/space if GA every night. They make sure all of those folks are in before letting others in.

[NotoriousTIMP]

So I just finished listening to my recording of the Monterey show and I must say, its pretty "meh." I had a group of four people move down to the row in front of me and you can hear them talk all throughout the 2nd half of the show. :( We had upper tier seats, 2nd row, on Rob's side of the stage so the speaker racks were kinda distant and the recording suffered from this factor. Either way, I will still release it once I finally get the tracks edited and tagged.....

[NotoriousTIMP]

*pssst* The Monterey show has seen the light of day......

[Ash512]

On behalf of TOIOU/RITC for our HTDA live video : If you shot anything at the concert you'd like to share with us, please email me : ppchevigny@filmssix.com
We are most specifically looking for higher quality footage (1080p minimum, shot with DSLRs or pro cameras), closeups if possible, to help us cover for angles we may have missed in Chicago. I think we'll refrain from using iPhone footage but you can still let us know if you shot anything. It's sometimes hard to tell what you shot your YouTube videos with so I'll just let you contact me.

We would need you to be able to upload the whole original, uncompressed data to your own DropBox account (or any hosting site for that matter) and then send me a link with your full contact info (name, address, email, telephone).

[Ash512]

LAST CALL

The editing process will soon begin on RITC/TOIOU's project (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/threads/1463-2013-04-23-Chicago-IL-The-Vic?p=82924#post82924). If you haven't sent in your footage yet, please contact me : ppchevigny@filmssix.com
You can upload any footage you have on DropBox or WeTransfer and send me a link. We need the original, uncompressed data.
Please include your full contact info so we can get in touch if we need to : name (or username if you'd rather remain anonymous), full address and phone number.

[Wretchedest]

for whoever cares it looks like this was the one of the last big shows at this theater before it was shut down and it's owners evicted. Sad stuff.

[Ruined]

for whoever cares it looks like this was the one of the last big shows at this theater before it was shut down and it's owners evicted. Sad stuff. Damn, I was really excited for its future as it was a great show, and location. I have many memories of that place, back in the day, when it was merely a movie theater. As a local, definitely sad news.

[Darkwing]

This post is very late, but I was at this show and as "meh" as you feel your recording was, NotoriousTIMP, I'm happy to have audio from a show I attended, so thank you for capturing it! We tend not to get acts like this (or many at all) around the area, so I was happily confused when they scheduled this one because I would have expected them to just stick with the SF show. I'd liked HTDA enough before the show to want to see them, but their live show made me appreciate them and Welcome oblivion so much more. Definitely cool to be part of a short run of shows, and such a highlight of the shows I've been to this year.