Devin Townsend v. Offer Your Posts

[cramx3]

Devin just posted the North American tour lineup on instagram... looks like it's the same as the European one except without the backup choir? That's a relief...

You expected a worse line up or you're glad there's no choir? 

His local show is insane on the secondary market.  I wish they'd move it to a bigger venue, clearly there is interest in this from the New York City area.  I may have to take a day off from work and go to the Philly show.

[Buddyhunter1]

Devin just posted the North American tour lineup on instagram... looks like it's the same as the European one except without the backup choir? That's a relief...

You expected a worse line up or you're glad there's no choir? 

I was worried about a worse lineup, given this discussion from earlier:

Huh, I could have sworn he said shortly after the dates were announced that the upcoming US tour would have the same band as Vol. 1 in Europe. Did I just imagine that?

I believe that was the original plan, but according to one of the backup vocalists, there's not enough money to bring the whole band on the US tour. https://www.reddit.com/r/DevinTownsend/comments/ebyus3/samantha_preis_empath_choir_posted_this_on/

[cramx3]

Yea, same.  Also he's back to calling it Volume 1 since it is pretty much the same line up and says there will be surprises. 

[cramx3]

Since the Brooklyn (most local show on a Saturday) and Boston (my back up destination) both sold out and are expensive, I have decided to take time off from work and go to the Philly show since it's not sold out.  Ticket purchased and room booked 

I will still keep my eyes posted for a decently priced Brooklyn ticket (being a Saturday, I can probably make it a game day decision for a day of ticket if possible) but I am glad I am locked in for a show on this tour.

[Adami]

Since the Brooklyn (most local show on a Saturday) and Boston (my back up destination) both sold out

What?!

Dammit!!!

[The Curious Orange]

So I'm a recent convert to the Church of Devin.

I bought Vai's Sex and Religion album back when it came out, so I've always been aware of him. I can remember having a mate who was into SYL, but to me at the time they just sounded like a bloody noise.

Over the last few years more and more people have been talking about him, and he seems to be ascending into the mainstream a bit more. I watched some of his stuff on YouTube, and got the impression it's difficult to properly appreciate outside the context of the album. I've been meaning to buy one of his albums for some years now. Last year I finally got round to it, and bought Empath when it came out.

It was a bloody noise and unlistenable. But then I found myself humming this catchy song in my head, something about Spirits Colliding and just remembering that you are loved? The more I listened to the album, the more it unfolded. No wonder there's a lotus flower on the sleeve, it's the perfect analogy for the music. I love it, it's one of the best albums I've heard in many a year.

I bought one of those "5 classic album" sets in the card sleeves - I didn't really like them that much, Infinity and Terria were the best, Physicist, Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution less so.

So I tried something more recent. Epicloud is bl00dy brilliant, so is Addicted!, and Transcendence is pretty good too. The Retinal Circus DVD is real fun.

So as a new convert, where should I go next?

[ChuckSteak]

It seems to me you covered almost all of his studio albums, so get the ones you still didn't listen. And if you liked The Retinal Circus, check out the Live At Royal Albert Hall and Ocean Machine Live At Plovdiv (maybe it will help you appreciate his debut more) and By A Thread (5 discs live). Very often his voice gets buried in the wall-of-sound of the studio albums and it helps to listen to it live.

[cramx3]

The Retinal Circus DVD is real fun.

  one of the best things ever

[Buddyhunter1]

Hopefully Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution grow on you more, those are two of his best albums IMO.

You could get Sky Blue (the first disc of Z2) if you want more Epicloud, basically. Or Ki if you're looking for something different. There's also Deconstruction, which is my favorite of his, but know that it's basically the noisiest bits of Empath blown up to an entire album, so it might not be for you.

Synchestra also gets a lot of around here (and if you really liked Terraria it might be one of your favorites too) but I've always found it to be one of his weaker albums.

[The Curious Orange]

Hopefully Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution grow on you more, those are two of his best albums IMO.

You could get Sky Blue (the first disc of Z2) if you want more Epicloud, basically. Or Ki if you're looking for something different. There's also Deconstruction, which is my favorite of his, but know that it's basically the noisiest bits of Empath blown up to an entire album, so it might not be for you.

Synchestra also gets a lot of around here (and if you really liked Terraria it might be one of your favorites too) but I've always found it to be one of his weaker albums.

Yeah, I was looking at Sky Blue, the few tracks from Ki I've heard online sound a bit... different. Which might not be a bad thing.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Hopefully Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution grow on you more, those are two of his best albums IMO.

You could get Sky Blue (the first disc of Z2) if you want more Epicloud, basically. Or Ki if you're looking for something different. There's also Deconstruction, which is my favorite of his, but know that it's basically the noisiest bits of Empath blown up to an entire album, so it might not be for you.

Synchestra also gets a lot of around here (and if you really liked Terraria it might be one of your favorites too) but I've always found it to be one of his weaker albums.

Yeah, I was looking at Sky Blue, the few tracks from Ki I've heard online sound a bit... different. Which might not be a bad thing.

Definitely get Casualties of Cool. It's my favorite Devin thing.

[cramx3]

also if you enjoyed The Retinal Circus, then you are alreayd familiar with a bit of Ziltoid the Omniscient so maybe just grab that one, it's really good.  The second one isn't very good IMO but you also get that full album live with the Royal Albert Hall concert so that's an option. 

Sky Blue is maybe the most like epicloud/transcendance/addicted, but it's also the worst of the bunch.  It's still really good IMO so you can just get that or get the package with Sky Blue and Dark Matters (which is Ziltoid 2 that is performed full at Royal Albert Hall concert).

[DoctorAction]

Another vote for Synchestra here. I'm still hrad over heels worth Empath and S has some variation.

I also loved Ki the most out of that set of 4 albums he did.

[cramx3]

Ugh why does the Brooklyn show have to be so expensive? Now I see this and am even more mad I didn't secure a ticket months ago

Devin Townsend
@dvntownsend
Discovering the nature of this tour now. It needs to be creative and free. I think we’re going to go without a setlist every night and just feel out the vibe. Learning a shitload of songs to pull out of the hat so that we can make something awesome. Volume 1 is a beautiful scene.
11:13 PM · Feb 24, 2020

[Ben_Jamin]

Ugh why does the Brooklyn show have to be so expensive? Now I see this and am even more mad I didn't secure a ticket months ago

Devin Townsend
@dvntownsend
Discovering the nature of this tour now. It needs to be creative and free. I think we’re going to go without a setlist every night and just feel out the vibe. Learning a shitload of songs to pull out of the hat so that we can make something awesome. Volume 1 is a beautiful scene.
11:13 PM · Feb 24, 2020

How do you think I feel, knowing I can't go to any of these shows. I bet he'll play one of my favorite Devin songs too, at the Denver show.

[Buddyhunter1]

They'll still probably play Supercrush and Kingdom

[cramx3]

Wooo they just released some tickets for the sold out show on Saturday and I must say its the first time I've really got to say thank you to Facebook.  Got a notification that the event organizer posted in the event page so I immediately clicked to see what they had to say which lead me to snagging two tickets  I'm so happy now.  Also been listening to Epicloud, Sky Blue, Transcendance, and Ki this week.

[axeman90210]

Good looking out my dude, pumped for the show on Saturday.

[Bentower]

This was pretty cool: The Prog Report doing Devin Townsend's top 5 songs, with Dev himself chiming in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WME37ybIwmM&t=5s

[cramx3]

His set last night wasn't much different at all from the Europe leg other than saying it started with an improvisation, and no Disco Inferno    He's got 5 shows in a row in the northeast.  Haken's set is also the same as the European leg it seems.

[cramx3]

He pulled out a Casualties of Cool song out last night apparently.  Although a shorter setlist, but some changes.  I am digging the setlists changing every day.  Never know what you are going to get and maybe get something unique.

Someone on reddit shared a message from management about the VIP:

As you know, we have a printed setlist in the VIP package but during rehearsals, Devin decided to throw the fixed set out the window and play a different set every show so I'm afraid you're now left with 'just' a piece of paper that has some random titles on it and a Devin signature. Hurray!

[Buddyhunter1]

Anyone know how long the openers play for? Do Haken and The Contortionist get equal times or does the "main support" get more?

[cramx3]

Anyone know how long the openers play for? Do Haken and The Contortionist get equal times or does the "main support" get more?

I think main support gets more.  But according to setlist.fm, Contortionist played the same set each night and Haken played a short set on the second show.  I'm not sure if Haken opened or if there were issues since Devin also played a shorter set. 

My guess, opener gets 30 minutes, main support gets 45.  I can share more after Saturday if I don't see anything more legit to answer that on the web.

Edit: just saw the tour poster which does say Haken was main support for both shows already, so I'm leaning towards something at the venue cutting the sets a bit shorter that didn't take into effect until after Contortionist did their full set.  Just my thoughts.

[cramx3]

Just got home.... WOW

[twosuitsluke]

Dude! Looks awesome. Man I had a great time seeing Dev on the tour last year 

[KevShmev]

I didn't think Devin was doing proper set lists here in the States now?

Also, a friend was at last night's show and said Disco Inferno was played (he even sent me a snippet of it he recorded), so that set list is incomplete.

[DTA]

I didn't think Devin was doing proper set lists here in the States now?

Also, a friend was at last night's show and said Disco Inferno was played (he even sent me a snippet of it he recorded), so that set list is incomplete.

Here's my issue with the "lack of setlist" approach...he's only going to feel comfortable playing songs that are in his recent memory, so the setlists are going to look pretty much the same as the shit he always plays anyway. If he'd made an actual setlist then there would be a possibility of rare or lesser-played tracks making an appearance because they were specifically rehearsed. I'd rather hear a tight setlist of new album tracks, plus crowd-pleasers and a couple rarities but that's just not gonna happen with this method with a full band.

[cramx3]

I didn't think Devin was doing proper set lists here in the States now?

Also, a friend was at last night's show and said Disco Inferno was played (he even sent me a snippet of it he recorded), so that set list is incomplete.

Yea, I was confused why there were official set lists after what he said, but I think DTA kind of nailed it.  His set is mostly the same as what he was doing in Europe so he looks to be sticking with what he knows but is adding some wrinkles so it's interesting each night. 

On setlist.fm someone put "Jazz Oddyssey" as the first song, and I have no idea if that's what it's called, but it seemed like some really awkward jam before going into Evermore.  Also not on the written setlist, but something different. 

So while he isn't touring with a the choir he had in Europe, Samantha and Anne were both in Brooklyn last night and performed during the encore and that's why Devin seemed to change it up and throw in Disco Inferno since he had the ladies with him.  It was AWESOME.  Love getting the special treatment in NYC.

So for the show itself... The Contortionist is not my thing.  A bit too mellow for my tastes.  Nothing of their set stood out to me.  Haken were awesome as usual, sounded really good.  We got their normal set (Montreal night 2 they shook things up) which sucks being only 45 minutes, but it was good none the less.  Funny hearing people not knowing how to pronounce them.  I know I was there once before, but you know these are new fans when they don't know how to pronounce the band.  During Devin's set, Ross actually walked right by me (I think he was going to the merch booth) and I gave him a pat on the back and some nice words.

Devin's set was so cool.  This band sounds very different than DTP IMO.  The whole vibe was a bit different than previous Devin shows.  Maybe it had to do with all the stuffed animals on stage  Which I actually couldn't see at all until everyone left, but something about the band's performance felt super real.  I think it was because of no backing tracks and clicks and just going off feel.  Devin screwed up multiple vocal lines and to me, it just felt like a true and real performance. Diego, che, the extra guitars, all added lots of layers to the music.  The setlist was really cool and filled with many songs I've never seen live before.  I hope he spices things up a bit more when I catch the show again on Tuesday.

Also, while chatting with Che, she asked me to take a photo of her and her father.  Really cool. She's like "This is my dad!" to me  as if we knew each other or something.  Told her I'll see her again Tuesday.  Honestly, if it weren't because Brooklyn is a bit of a hike for me, I would have stayed longer after the show to hang out, but I didn't get home until 2:30 as is thanks to a 2 hour subway/uber/train/drive home which was mostly a nightmare and a big reason why I never go out to Brooklyn.

Also was nice grabbing some beers with Axeman again before the show.  DUe to our will call tickets, we kind of were able to cut the whole line getting into the venue (they just let us in instead of making us go back in line since there were no actual tickets given out, just a checklist).  So we got in and was empty, had a great view, but after going to get some polish beer I never was able to get back to that spot.  Someone aso recognized me from youtube (that's a first) so I ended up chilling with that guy a bit in the back.  And about that polish beer... the place had some amazing polish food.  I had two serving of Peirogies, once during Devin's set and then again after the show.

And of course I had to get this cat t-shirt



A lot of my videos kind of came out shitty, so Im not putting any of it on youtube just yet.  I did get a lot of video but editing it this morning I had to cut a lot out.  I will mix it with the Phily show to make something really cool.  I do hope I get some better video there.

The Contortionist - Return to Earth @ Warsaw Brooklyn NY

[Ben_Jamin]

Now I'm a bit sad I can't attend the Denver date. Oh well, if it's Volume 1, surely there'll be a Volume 2 tour.

[KevShmev]

Nice write-up, cramx3. Glad you had fun! 

I wish Devin was coming here on this tour, but I will settle for seeing Haken on their own in 17 days.

[cramx3]

Now I'm a bit sad I can't attend the Denver date. Oh well, if it's Volume 1, surely there'll be a Volume 2 tour.

There will definitely be a volume 2 and according to his social media (I think he said it on twitter) Volume 2 will hit both Europe and NA and will go to spots Volume 1 didn't. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Now I'm a bit sad I can't attend the Denver date. Oh well, if it's Volume 1, surely there'll be a Volume 2 tour.

There will definitely be a volume 2 and according to his social media (I think he said it on twitter) Volume 2 will hit both Europe and NA and will go to spots Volume 1 didn't.

If he hits my neck of the woods. I'll likely do VIP. Here's hoping.

[axeman90210]

First and foremost, music aside, Devin is absolutely hilarious as a frontman. While introducing the rest of the band he also introduced a rainbow/tie-dye stuffed animal (a llama I think) that he dubbed 'Hammercock Sludgefucker" Overall I enjoyed the set more than I didn't, though the harsher vocals aren't my bag. It really is amazing, the range he has with his voice though. And the stuff without growls/screams I really enjoyed. Any recommendations for albums of his that are light on that particular front?

[cramx3]

I recommend this to all who want to start listening to Devin, check out Epicloud.  I think it has his full range of sound on it, has Anneke, and isn't too harsh.  It does have his second recording of Kingdom which is what he ended the show with and maybe is the harshest of the songs.  Also Grace is pretty harsh but Anneke really adds a lot to that song, specifically the intro. 

If you liked that softer middle part of the setlist, check out Ki.  That's what I was playing in the Uber.  Although he still manages to scream a bit on that album 

[Adami]

I recommend this to all who want to start listening to Devin, check out Epicloud.  I think it has his full range of sound on it, has Anneke, and isn't too harsh.  It does have his second recording of Kingdom which is what he ended the show with and maybe is the harshest of the songs.  Also Grace is pretty harsh but Anneke really adds a lot to that song, specifically the intro. 

If you liked that softer middle part of the setlist, check out Ki.  That's what I was playing in the Uber.  Although he still manages to scream a bit on that album 

I'd say Epicloud is definitely the beginning of the modern Devy era, though I still prefer the stuff that came before it. Mostly the big four, synchestra, and accelerated evolution. Epicloud is nice, but some of the stuff after is really hit or miss for me, with more misses than I care to admit.