Quoting this from the CT concert thread to bring more exposure...
Speaking of sound(s), does anyone know what the box is on James' mic stand? I know there was this thing-y that He flipped down after The Alien, I assume that was something to do with the effects, but there's a black box about halfway down the mic stand, and I'm curious what that's about.
I took this picture last night, maybe someone knows what this is?
anyway, here are some more pics from last night:
as for the two shows I saw... really great concerts! Thought the live sound was pretty good both nights. CT was from the last row, NJ was from the front row. Up front I would say Myung was a bit louder in the mix, but no complaints from that. I didn't notice any of the piping in vocals in CT, but they were much more noticeable in NJ. It didn't really take away from my enjoyment, just actually noticed it at one show and not at the other. Could be a few things like my location or the venue's sound/mix for that evening.
The setlist is interesting, but works pretty well. Ministry is not a very popular DT song, but kind of works in that near end of show spot. I love how they didn't play anything from Scenes or I&W as those have gotten the spotlight recently. The new songs are pretty good live. Awaken the Master is not one of my favorites from the new album, but it's pretty strong live. I feel like About to Crash got a good pop from the crowd both nights. Solid pick from the back catalog.
Being up close, I got to make a lot of eye contact with the guys and feel some of the vibe. Other than JM, the band really seemed to be into the show. JP was constantly coming over by me shredding in my face. JLB pointed at us (myself and the guy next to me who was rocking out hard) a few times and put the mic near us for the WHOAS at the end of the Count (which btw is an excellent encore closer). I noticed a lot of JR and MM interaction, usually with smiles and laughs like they were joking with each other. JR when he came up with the keytar was probably the highlight, that instrumental section of Endless is one of the best moments on ToT and seeing that right in my front of me was face melting. I could have played his keys!
All in all, another awesome double DT concert experience (I usually try to see them twice each tour). Not sure how this compares to the others, but being up front definitely makes it special.
Also, no ushers at either show! Maybe they've cooled down on this and everyone was standing up front for both shows. This is how rock concerts should be (IMO).