inconvenience store

saraswati favour me again

help me unlock the secret words that will turn the people on

oh i want to open up and let everything out

because everything is moving so fast now

and i’m rushing towards the end

and voices in my head clamour to be heard

and if i could so energise myself

in one great burst of creativity

i could succinctly nail it for once and for good

so i never had to again

so i could let it go where it wants

no more laziness no more doubt

my crown will be flooded by the cosmos

and all the greatest artisans from the old days will flow thru me

let me access that place

let me rifle thru the library of mankind

let me listen in on music never written

let me see the taste of the sound

i want everything at once

my ambitions exceed my meagre talents

the things i dream of are dazzling and monstrous

but somehow reality defeats us

and we work in shadows

and we struggle needlessly against life

and the fingers and voices that translate what we find in the void

are incapable of the subtlety and finesse

and our minds which should be hard as diamond

focusing the beauty of the entire earth and its history

thru the prism of a song or painting

a song which sings itself so to speak

something so fucking obvious no one could even see it !

so i’m searching through my mind and heart

trying to find whatever it is i need

some element some ingredient

some unthought of combination

i talk in my head with unknown persons

a committee of disembodied voices

whispering and shouting out their various trips

me : i’m just a vessel

i take what i can get

i get what i can take

but something animates me surely

forcing me to go on until i finally hit that golden nail

so i stumble along imagining things all over the place

life is full of marvels there is no shortage of subject matter

night falls in australia

autumn closing in

its already march

wow!

http://ghostrider42.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/the-church-b-b-kings-nyc-wish-i-knew-what-you-were-looking-for/

“Textures. Beyond the brilliant songwriting, it’s the sonic textures that make the church my favorite band on the planet. You can tell how much attention they pay to getting the right sound for every song. A dazzling blend of guitar tones from Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper, astute drumming by Tim Powles and sharp bass playing from Steve Kilbey waxes and wanes from melodic to dissonant to ethereal and back again; it’s stunning ensemble work that frames Kilbey’s distinctive baritone voice as he intones a rush of imaginative lyrics that wander from wry to surreal: the church sound like no other band, and create a memorable flow of music that resonates deep in my brain.

Thirty years on, the Australian band (though as Marty will tell you, there’s only one Aussie in the group) is still reaching new peaks of recording and performance. They are at their best on their current Future Past Perfect tour, which crossed the U.S. this month and came to New York for two nights. As on their previous Intimate Space tour, the show marches deliberately backwards through time, this year with performances of three full albums: Untitled #23, their latest neo-psych gem; Priest=Aura, a masteripiece of surrealism from 1992 with dark currents running through it; and Starfish from 1988, one of their most accessible and melodic albums, which catapulted them out of Australia and put them onto the world pop charts with the single Under The Milky Way.

the church gave their enthusiastic New York fans three full hours of music in a nearly four-hour evening, with two short intermissions. It’s a fascinating way to stage a show: if you’re a serious fan, you walk into the evening knowing exactly what the setlist will be; there are no surprises there, though you know you’re going to hear songs that the band has never performed in concert. Everything hinges on the performance itself, and they brought it off spectacularly.

Steve, Peter, Marty and keyboardist Craig Wilson are all multi-instrumentalists; the stage manager and another hand were constantly handing off Rickenbackers, Fenders, other guitars, basses and a mandolin, sometimes in mid-song so that someone could add the right texture at the necessary moment. On Anchorage, towards the end of the first set, both Peter and stage manager Wes Gregorace played bass, with the other three on guitars, each playing a distinctive part to build a huge work of sonic architecture, with “the divine Tiare Helberg,” per Steve’s introduction, adding a whispery female voice to the complex textures for just that one song. She is also the band’s tour manager; The Church is an ongoing effort where everyone plays multiple roles.

Marty handles the bass on a number of the songs, with Steve either playing guitar or simply declaiming the songs and working the stage. He’s developed a unique style of gesture, maybe a blend of modern dance and what seem to be a sorcerer’s incantatory passes, that paints an appropriate mood for the lyrics when he works the stage. As front man, he also delivered bits of amusing patter (“The strength of your New York charisma has made my instrument go out of tune!”) in between songs.

There were new approaches to many of the songs. From Starfish, Peter played a softer version of the burn-into-your-brain riff that underpins Destination. Milky Way was more driving and authoritative than the recorded version, Reptile hissed and slithered, propelled by Marty’s sparkling high-note arpeggios on a black Rickenbacker. Hotel Womb was made heavy and dramatic, reimagined to be a great show closer with passionate vocals from Steve.

Peter’s fluid, intelligent playing shone all night, but seemed particularly to come to the fore in the Starfish set. Tim Powles’ drumming was wonderfully crisp, a model of playing to enhance every song. As on their last tour, Craig Wilson filled out the sound on keys, guitar and occasional percussion.

There were so many highlights, I’ll never get them all. Steve’s dramatic front-man intepretation of The Disullusionist, from Priest=Aura, gave the song a new edge that was sharpened by the ferocity of the band. Ripple, a fan favorite, was sublime, with Marty giving the crowd a wicked dose of lead guitar. Chaos is a ten-minute epic that shows that the church can do art/damage/noise with the best of them; the live version was intense, with Steve acting out the song, crouching, stumbling and covering his ears as if the sounds of dissonant feedback were driving him mad during the instrumental sections..

A note for musicians: the entire Priest=Aura album performance on this tour featured a six-string bass that looked like a customized purple Fender Broadcaster. Steve played it using a pick, occasionally wandering into the high notes to get distinctive tones for certain passages. He handed this special instrument off to Craig Wilson for The Disillusionist and a couple of other songs.

These were epic performances of deeply rich music, inspiringly conceived and executed by a band and a crew with a rare sense of focus. For my money, we won’t see anything better until the next time the church returns to our shores.” – by Anton Tibbe

http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews39_06/page27.cfm

The Church shimmer in historic performance
by Jessica Price – SGN A&E Writer

“Adjectives are plentiful when it comes to Australian band The Church, yet a tidy summation is elusive. Over the years, they’ve seemed a bit like sculptors shaping the evolving landscape of their sound. ‘Neo-psychedelic’ and ‘progressive’ don’t completely jibe with vocalist Steve Kilbey’s free-association lyrics paired with the cascading interplay of sometimes up to four guitars (courtesy of Marty Willson-Piper, Peter Koppes, and touring protégé Craig Wilson).

The Church is definitely a band heavy on the atmosphere, but just as easily inspire grown men and women to air guitar. I witnessed this myself at The Triple Door last Monday, as The Church presented three essential albums back to back: Untitled #23, Priest=Aura, and Starfish (each marking one decade of their career). To convey the experience is to view it through the lens of the albums, and the albums are mighty.

Diving into a four-hour commitment with any band is questionable, but The Church presented the evening’s selections concisely so that the subterranean Triple Door was a fitting way to sit back and soak it in. Kilbey and company started with 2009’s Untitled #23, crystallizing the album’s undulations without going off the rails into 10-minute jam sessions with hours remaining. ‘Pangaea’ and ‘Happenstance’ shimmered; the band looking a bit older and wiser, but ultra-cool – Kilbey wore what suspiciously appeared to be leather trousers (or perhaps slightly iridescent black jeans).

‘I’m deliberately minimizing my incredible charm so as not to derail the flow of the record,’ he said, leading into ‘Space Savior.’ ‘Anchorage’ was momentarily plagued with sound issues; Marty Willson-Piper’s monstrous pedal board apparently had a faulty Big Muff (purchased in Portland, he was quick to point out).

After a brief intermission (and ‘costume’ changes for all) came Priest=Aura, considered by many to be the crown jewel of the band’s career. ‘Ripple,’ ‘The Disillusionist’ and ‘Kings’ were standouts. The layered ‘Chaos’ deftly moved from raucous into delicate, and back again. Thirty years of playing together has perfectly distilled the connection between the original members, plus longtime drummer Tim Powles. It didn’t feel like a nostalgia tour or an older band cashing in on the accomplishments of the past. The Church never broke up – playing together is what they’ve done, and done expertly, for years.

Though Priest is critically lauded, Starfish remains one of the most flawless albums of all time and was the evening’s high point. Born of the frustration of living in L.A. and relating to an alien environment, Starfish is foreboding, prophetic, shimmering, deep, and desolate – a masterpiece from the ominously gorgeous ‘Destination’ to closer ‘Hotel Womb.’ Seeing Starfish in its entirety was an incredible thrill. ‘Under the Milky Way,’ their biggest hit, is ageless, and through fan favorites ‘Reptile’ and Marty Willson-Piper’s ‘Spark,’ The Church loosed their remaining energy.

Historically, by the time ‘Under the Milky Way’ became a runaway hit, the band already had four albums under the belt – 1988’s acclaimed Starfish was merely a quarter of the way into what currently totals over 20 albums. The Church release records continuously, with never more than a three-year gap in between (which has only happened twice since 1986) plus a healthy dose of extracurricular recording projects. They’ve persevered through label interference, ill-advised producer pairings, personality conflicts, and unbelievable tangles with a bankrupt U.S. distributor. The Church has prevailed and come out on top with Untitled #23 and the winding discography of a career band.

Most tours with pre-packaged, former albums done in entirety seem like a thinly veiled attempt to win back a lost audience; The Church remains light years from being a nostalgia act. Their fans remain dedicated because the band’s sense of self-discovery is still shining and intact.”

http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x449518218/The-Church-fills-the-pews-at-Foxboro-theater#axzz1FRcslJea

the church Fills The Pews at Foxboro Theatre – 18th Feb 2011

Three members of the church visited Wolfgang’s Vault in San Franciso CA to perform 3 songs (Pangaea/Already Yesterday/Swan Lake) on the 4th of February,  just prior to the recent USA Winter Tour.

Click on the link here to watch this footage – http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/the-church/concerts/wolfgangs-vault-february-04-2011.html

http://www.concertphotosmagazine.com/2011/02/church-at-trocadero-2011.html

http://blurt-online.com/features/view/816/

BY ROBERT DEAN LURIE

“It has become fashionable in recent years for bands to hit the road performing “classic” albums in their entirety. Whether it’s Concrete Blonde doing some Bloodletting, the Flaming Lips delivering The Soft Bulletin, Roger Waters re-erecting The Wall or Rush putting up Moving Pictures, artists of all calibers and stripes are joining in the stampede to exhume their past glories for fun and profit, not necessarily in that order. It makes sense on a number of levels. In our current stagnant economy, a run-of-the mill tour may not be viable. Cash-strapped fans are apt to take a pass, rationalizing that they’ll catch ‘em next time when there’s more money in the pocket. To combat this quite understandable frugality, a tour in 2011 must be an event, a “this one can’t be missed!” spectacle. Next, there’s the nostalgia factor. You may not have listened to the band for two decades, but the fact that they’re trotting out your favorite album might be incentive enough to find a babysitter and get out of the house for a rare night on the town. Lastly there’s curiosity: Do the old boys (or girls) still have it? Can they recapture that elusive spark that made you take notice in the first place?

Australian rock band the church is the latest to climb aboard the bandwagon, but typical of these left-of-center underdogs, there is an intriguing twist: they have opted to perform not one, but three albums in their entirety, one for each decade of the band’s existence. Each performance begins with 2009’s Untitled #23 and progresses backward through 1992’s Priest=Aura to conclude with 1988’s Starfish, the album that gave the band a brief taste of international success via the hit single “Under the Milky Way.” (Tour dates can be found here.)

Three full albums in one night. We’re talking a Springsteen-length concert here. To my knowledge the only other band to have attempted something like this was the Cure, who did a series of Trilogy concerts comprising the albums Pornography,Disintegration, and Bloodflowers back in 2002. The key difference is that the Cure is a spectacularly dull live band. The Church, on the other hand, is known for expanding and improving upon its album work, often using the songs as launchpads for inspired flights of improvisation.

The actual three selections for this tour are interesting and quite shrewd. Anyone who was listening to “modern rock” in the late eighties remembers Starfish, so the inclusion of that record was a must. Yet there is nearly unanimous critical (if not commercial) consensus that the band is actually doing its best work right now, as borne out by the many 5-star reviews Untitled #23 received both at home and abroad. It stands to reason that the lapsed fans – the Starfish aficionados making their way back into the fold to rekindle their cherished memories for one night – might enjoy (and perhaps even want to purchase) the new material. Then there is the curious case of Priest=Aura, a space-rock epic that was ignored and/or drubbed at the time of its release but has since grown in stature, possibly due to subsequent albums by other artists (Radiohead’s OK Computer being the primary example) that seemed to tap into its vibe. To include Priest as the middle section – the very core – of the show is a daring move, one that turns what might be a satisfying but unambitious exercise into something really substantial. Nothing less, in fact, than a comprehensive dissertation on the church itself, for it’s impossible to walk away from the concert with anything other than a full picture of what the church is, was, and will be. At that point you can accept or reject based on comprehensive knowledge.

I was in attendance at the February 7 show at the Triple Door in Seattle, during which the band faced the added hurdle of having to perform to a dinner theater with waiters circling the seated audience like flies, cock-blocking the music. Or that was the danger, anyway. the church dispatched this threat by simply ignoring it and focusing all available energy on blowing the roof off the place. And in that endeavor, Priest=Aura proved to be the secret ingredient: a magnificent, dark, intoxicating trip with plenty of surprising twists and turns and lots of danger. Some of the more subtle songs such as “Swan Lake” and “Witch Hunt” had surprising heft and power in the live context, while “Chaos” gave The Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray” a run for its money in terms of sustained atonal freakout. The other two sets were not quite at this level, but both still had enough moments of transcendence to validate the trilogy concept. Think about it: the battle scene at the center of Lawrence of Arabia would not be nearly so effective without the slow, careful buildup, or the equally crucial denouement.

Of the “men behind the curtain,” Marty Willson-Piper owned the performance. Apart from some equipment challenges during the first set, he was on point from start to finish: stabbing out his guitar lines and driving the rest of the band with constant eye contact and cues. He wore a happy grin that said: I love my job and I’m thrilled to be here. His “Spark” (from Starfish) was one of the highlights of the evening. Drummer Tim Powles, also, never flagged. He absolutely demolished his kit – not in the literal sense of kicking it down and throwing it into the crowd a la Keith Moon – but more in terms of a sustained, unrelenting siege. Think the bombing of Baghdad with eardrums the only casualties. Guitar magician Peter Koppes cycled through a bewildering array of both stringed and non-stringed instruments and delivered another high point with “A New Season.” And hired wunderkind Craig Wilson filled out the sound with additional keyboards, guitar, six-string bass, mandolin, percussion, and vocals. Wow. He looks all of fourteen. Hopefully we’ll hear more of him.

This brings me to the man on whom rested the heaviest burden, the man who had to memorize reams of his own stemwinding lyrics and regurgitate them on command: singer and bassist Steve Kilbey. What he brings to the table is a cracked piece of stained glass. Approach from one angle and you’ll see beauty, from ugliness. If you don’t look closely enough, you’ll miss it entirely, but if you focus too hard your eyes will bleed. If, however, you move the whole arrangement just so, Ahhh…you’ll catch a glimpse of that dreamworld he’s been sneaking off to for decades. And then you’ll be hooked. You’ll keep coming back no matter what.

I have written previously about Steve’s Jekyll and Hyde persona; how there is “New Steve,” the norm in recent years: warm, affable, generous and very funny; and “Old Steve”: dark, cynical, bitter – or as he describes it in his own words: “tired n emotional.”

At the Triple Door we got a little bit of Old Steve, which is to say, a little bit of an edge, a bit of the old caustic energy. But with a very important distinction: in the past, Old Steve gave the impression of being detached from the whole thing: a grumpy god annoyed by the inconvenience of having to descend from the clouds (or climb up from hell; you take your pick) and sing for his supper.  But this Steve, the Triple Door Steve, fully appreciated his audience. He didn’t say much else but he continuously thanked the crowd. Detachment had given way to an almost frightening engagement with the “angry” songs in the set. He snarled his way through “Anchorage,” “Mistress,” and “The Disillusionist” with something approaching Kurt Cobain ferocity. “Anchorage” set the tone:

Darkness returning
My torch keeps on burning for you
In the life you keep on spurning
Everything is hurting me

And “Mistress” seconded the motion:

Everything is going wrong
All my songs are coming true.

During songs in which he was less engaged he would literally and figuratively recede, giving up the reins to Marty. At some points he even put his hand to his head as if the whole thing were causing him pain. Yet never once during the show did he stop playing the shit out of his bass.

As for where the anger was coming from, I imagine Steve would say that that’s irrelevant; the music is supposed to be a Rorschach test into which we’re supposed to read our own rage. Sometimes the church’s music is water, sometimes it’s fire. Tonight it was fire. He wanted us to burn with him.

There. Have I convinced you yet? You have the opportunity to see one of the best rock bands out there sweat blood for you. This ain’t the Craptacular Black Eyed Peas at Superbowl halftime, this is the genuine article. This is loud rock n roll in a small, enclosed space where the stakes are very high. Get on a plane if you have to. Just get your ass in one of those seats. Now.”

Robert Dean Lurie is author of No Certainty Attached: Steve Kilbey and the Church, published in 2009 by Verse Chorus Press.

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20110216_Aussie_band_gives_its_all.html

Philly.Com – Arts & Entertainment

Aussie band gives its all

By Sam Adams

FOR THE INQUIRER

Gig date: 15th Feb 2011

http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-church-band/great-philadelphia-concert-review-by-randy-lemasters-probably-the-best-review-of/10150090934271156

Chaos Reigns In Philadelphia – 15th Feb 2011

I’m about a week late, but I wanted to share some of my thoughts on The Church live in Philly last Tuesday, February 15th.

I’ve seen a lot of concerts in my day. Well over 500. A lot of times after a show I’ll think “that was incredible! That had to have been one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen”. Then, after a bit of time passes and  excitement and buzz wears off, I’m able to put the show in to perspective and admit to myself that I’d seen a great concert, but probably not one of the best I’ve ever seen out of 500 plus concerts.

However, last Tuesday night was not the case. The Church concert at the Trocodero indeed WAS one of the best shows I have ever seen! Easily in my all time top 10. Quite possibly in my top 5!

Why, you may well wonder?

EVERYTHING about the concert was SPOT ON.

The venue was fantastic. A wonderful old fashioned theatre (I understand it was an old burlesque house). Great site lines no matter where you were (I was 5 rows back on the floor) and the sound was mixed SUPERBLY. I can’t remember how many times a concert I¹ve been to was spoiled by poor sound. Not at the Troc. And kudos to the theatre for putting chairs on the floor for us. Standing for over 3 and a half hours would have been an ordeal (especially for us older folks!. The venue and whomever was at the sound board both get an A+!

The crowd was terrific. I know there were concerns about ticket sales several weeks ago, but the venue was pretty well jammed. The balcony was really rocking. It was definitely one of the best (the best?) attended Church concerts I’ve been to since 1998. I understand that without the folding chairs on the floor that the venue hold about 800 people. There had to have been 400 to 500 (probably closer to 500) fans. What a great turn out!

And the fans were AWESOME! I was STUNNED by the amount of younger fans at the show. I’ve seen 27 Church concerts since the 1980’s, and this had to have been the first time since those heydays that I’ve been surrounded by younger fans. I saw a few kids that were under 12, and a lot of people in their 20’s & 30’s. I met a wonderful young couple that drove in from Columbus. If you’re reading this please drop me a line! I truly think I witnessed a new generation of fans that have come into the fold because of “Untitled #23” and all of the incredible press the album received. The band must be thrilled to see so many new, young faces in their audience!

Everyone in attendance had a great time and showed it with their applause, screams and yells. A good loud crowd that was respectful and attentive throughout. I don’t think I can count the number of standing ovations the band received that night! It was a privilege to share the experience with everyone in the room!

One of the very best moments/sensations was when the band came out and started playing “Priest =Aura”. The looks on everyone’s faces were simply PRICELESS! We were all positively beaming; radiating with incredible joy and excitement to finally hear this album played on our shores. I will treasure those faces and the glee we were all feeling for as long as I shall live!!!

Oh, and there’s the matter of this band we all love called the church …

Can there possibly be another band that plays and sings better NOW, 30 years in to their career (!!!), than when they were young pups?! I can’t believe there is, or ever will be.

Marty and Peter have always been incredible players. They seem to have a telepathic ability to know what to play, when to play, and when to hold back. But they’ve really honed their skills over the years to what is close to PERFECTION as any two players sharing a stage will ever achieve They are both a marvel to watch and listen to. Their talents are truly stunning, and their playing this night in Philly was some of the best guitar playing I’ve ever heard! I loved how the guys all switched between guitar and bass all night. What versatile players! I think Marty really enjoys playing bass (and he’s wonderful at it).

I know that there is a lot of love on this list for Richard and Jay Dee, but in my opinion Tim Powles is HANDS DOWN the best drummer The Church have ever had. What he brings with his talents in the studio are well documented on record, but the man and his many talents need to be seen and heard live on stage, most especially with the full on electric Church experience, to be fully appreciated. He has just the right touch on the drums. Nothing flashy; Tim doesn’t need to be that way. For this band his playing RIGHT on the mark. And his vocals have brought a whole new dimension to the band since their “comeback” on the “Hologram Of Baal” tour (on which I witnessed 6 concerts!). Tim is a perfect complement to Steve as a backing vocalist.

And young Craig Wilson is a great addition to the live line up. He really is a “jack of all trades”. He played keyboards, sang back up, and used a multitude of guitars (and mandolin) during the show. And A+ to both him and for the band for recognizing what he brings to the live experience.

Finally, Steve. He was always a “star” during the concerts back in the 80’s and 90’s. You always wanted to watch him. The guy is like a magnet! But nowadays Steve is a front man of epic proportions. It’s hard to takes your eyes off him. You want to hear and see every little nuance he brings with his vocals and his performance. Steve’s voice has gotten BETTER AND BETTER over the years. He sings better live now than he ever did way back when. Again, how often can you say that about a performer?! Steve has become one of the most theatrical front men in music. The man is simply CAPTIVATING!!!

Finally, the performance. It was SPINE TINGLING!

“Untitled #23” went down really well. Not everyone in attendance was familiar with it, but everyone was spellbound by the performance. The album is really meant to be listened to as a whole rather than as individual tracks, and to experience it live in it’s entirety was a treat I will always treasure. Steve sang unaccompanied by his bass for several numbers. These were some of the highlights of an evening full of highlights. ‘On Angel Street’ was my favorite moment of the first set. The band turned it in to one of their live epics. Steve’s performance was incredibly moving. You just couldn’t take your eyes off him. WOW! ‘Anchorage’, with it’s “cast of thousands”, was another awesome moment. I’m going to attach a link below so you can see and hear for yourself. Steve exudes rock and roll in this clip!

“Priest=Aura” not only lived up to every expectation I had coming in, but the performance EXCEEDED my wildest hopes! The band came out in different clothes (Steve with his skull shirt!) and the band was bathed in red light for much of the set; very apropos for the album. Behind the band psychedelic colors (again lots of red) pulsed and radiated. ‘Aura’ had everyone transfixed. It was a real thrill to hear ‘Feel’ live after waiting 18 years! The band played it so very well. I’ll never understand why it wasn’t a hit all those years ago. I hope the guys will add it to their live set in the future as it went down extremely well with the audience. It received one of the many standing ovations of the night. And yes, ‘The Disillusionist’ and ‘Chaos’ were everything you could possibly hope for in a live setting. They were my personal highlights of the night. Steve’s performance of ‘The Disllusionist’ was one of the greatest spectacles I’ve ever witnessed. The extended lyrical ending was awesome. Again, the words spell binding come to mind. ‘Chaos’ was the band at it’s best. The guys were working at the peak of their powers. Words cannot adequately describe these two songs, so again I’m going to attach links to the performances. Turn them up loud and enjoy!

The crowd was extremely pumped up by the time the guys came out for “Starfish”. A lot of fans came aboard the ride with The Church when this album came out in 1988, so there was an incredible amount of emotion during this set. The band really fed off it. Again, a change of clothes (Steve looked especially dapper in a dressy outfit). Wish I had a good picture I could share. Almost every song received a standing ovation. The crowd went wild for ‘Destination’, and the first standing “O” came after ‘Milky Way’. Lots of people got up and danced and swayed. ‘Blood Money’ was a real treat to hear after all these years. The place went bonkers for ‘NSEW’ and ‘Reptile’. Again, many of us danced along with ‘Reptile’. Marty received one of the loudest ovations of the night for a fantastic version of ‘Spark’. I’ve NEVER seen Peter smile as much as he did after singing ‘A New Season’. He was BEAMING from the crowd reaction! The whole band was beaming after a killer ‘Hotel Womb’. It’s obvious the band love playing this song. I was surprised at the thundererous reaction the crowd gave “Starfish”. I thought everyone went bonkers for “Priest=Aura”, but the third set really took things to a new level. The looks on everyone’s faces (band and audience) were priceless. Worth the price of admission, as they say (and worth every bit of my 12 hour round trip drive).

This show was much more special than my mere words can convey. The band and audience were one, and the church really delivered. The guys fired on all cylinders. What a way to end the 30th anniversary celebration! I dearly HOPE AND PRAY the band will release a DVD so everyone who couldn’t attend one of these shows will get to share in the experience!” – Randy LeMasters, Pittsburgh PA

http://www.crestofthewave.com/blog/

Crest Of The Wave

22 February 2011