Saga back in South America

Beitragvon Tillmann » So Nov 15, 2009 11:32 pm

Oh no... :hut: How many mistakes can you make?!

I'm sure the most people didn't know about Michael left the band and Rob as new singer... And by knowing this at least you have to give those fans all the 80ies classix :hut: I'm sure SAGA are proud of their new songs, but the fans (esspecially the fans wich pay money to hear all the Queen classics) wanna hear the good old stuff!

SAGA need a special Festival setlist for nights like this, or still coming festivals as in Hamburg...

Like this:


Careful Where You Step
Step Inside
How Long
No Regrets
Kick ass drumsolo
The Flyer
The One
Don't Be Late

Ur Not Alone

Wind Him Up
On The Loose


Thats it, the crowd would be happy, 100%!!!!

Damn... I hope SAGA will take their (maybe) last chance next year and will give the people what they wanna hear...


:hut:
Benutzeravatar
Tillmann
 
Beiträge: 7914
Registriert: Mo Jul 11, 2005 7:31 pm
Wohnort: Suhl

Beitragvon alexander » So Nov 15, 2009 11:43 pm

Thanks a lot. Now, I have an idea. Maybe Rob Moratti can learn something from that. Hopefully he doesnt try to be too nice. Well, I now know Saga also played old stuff, so, the audience should relax. and honestly the queen cover band didn´t sound that good, alt least what i heard from the youtube videos. Anyway, thanks alot.

Yours Alexander
simplify your life
alexander
 
Beiträge: 68
Registriert: So Okt 14, 2007 10:12 am

Beitragvon Tillmann » Mo Nov 16, 2009 12:06 am

Well, it's clear that a Queen Cov band is making more party than SAGA, because Queen had so many hits everyone can sing a long... It's not fair, a cover band a real band with own songs... SAGA & Journey, or SAGA & Foreigner, thats fair...
Benutzeravatar
Tillmann
 
Beiträge: 7914
Registriert: Mo Jul 11, 2005 7:31 pm
Wohnort: Suhl

Don´t worry

Beitragvon alexander » Mo Nov 16, 2009 1:54 am

Hi Tillmann,

just don´t worry. Honestly, I am quite confident that Saga was much better than the Quenn cover band. Maybe the audience likes the cover band more. However, if you had been there you would have liked Saga more. Just check the videos on you tube. By the way, I hear audience giving good applause to saga.

Yours Alexander
simplify your life
alexander
 
Beiträge: 68
Registriert: So Okt 14, 2007 10:12 am

Saga concert in Caracas

Beitragvon sibarit » Mo Nov 16, 2009 4:25 pm

Hi there!

Even though I have checked this forum several times I never wrote anything before. I’m from Venezuela and I attended the Saga concert last Thursday, so it seems to be a good chance to share my impressions here even knowing that it may not like to some.

Since their first visit to Venezuela back in 1983, Saga became quite a popular act here. No other rock band has visited the country so many times like they did, always performing sold-out shows in large venues. This was the fifth time they were playing in Caracas, being the last one during the House Of Cards Tour in 2001. Back then, they put out their best show ever, playing a well balanced list of songs focused mainly in their early albums but sparkled with several tracks from House of Cards, Full Circle and even The Security of Illusion, and people just loved it. That concert was the last they played in Caracas with the “classic” line up, so the expectations around this new visit with a new drummer and a new singer were high.

I’ve been a Saga fan since 1982 and except for a few albums like Wildest Dreams, The Beginners Guide to Throwing Shapes, Steel Umbrellas and The Pleasure & The Pain, I love their work. When I listened The Human Condition I liked very much the songs because they sounded tight and powerful, but I really wasn’t that impressive about Rob Moratti’s voice. He sounded just ok to my taste but that didn’t make me to like less the new album.

So, as I said, the expectations were high. When Saga entered the stage the audience was crazy, but things didn’t start well for the boys. The sound was terrible. As they were playing “The Human Condition” followed by “Wind Him Up” and “Careful Where You Step” the drums and the guitar were way too loud while the keyboards and the bass were inaudible. Fortunately, after a while things started to get better and they finally got the right sound. But there was something else disturbing the quality of the concert, and that was Rob Moratti. Trying to be objective about his performance I can only say that it was mediocre. He seemed to be more interested in being accepted by the audience than in actually doing his job. It was like he didn’t have control over his voice. Sometimes he sang out too loud, sometimes too low. Sometimes he was out of tune and sometimes failed to reach the higher tones, most notable in songs like “The Flyer” and “On The Loose”. He didn’t connect with the audience, except for the people on the front rows, spending half the concert posing for photographs, shaking hands with the guys and getting kisses from the girls there. But beyond that line he didn’t reach anybody else. And one more thing, he didn’t interact with the rest of the band. It was like he didn’t fit there.

About the rest of the boys, I have to say that they were fantastic. Brian Doerner is a great drummer; he plays with both power and precision giving the songs a much harder edge. Ian Crichton was, as always, incredible with his guitar, so flashy and intense, a real guitar hero. Jim Crichton provided a solid base like he always does and kept himself animating the audience all the way. And Jim Gilmour proved that he is one of the greatest keyboard player on rock scene. His fantastic solo, followed by an emotive rendition of “Scratching the Surface” gained him a stand up ovation. That was, in my opinion, along with the performance of “Corkentellis, where the band really shined, the highlights of the concert.

The set list was the same as the Montreal concert. I was happy to hear songs from Trust, 10.000 days, Network and even The Human Condition, but most of the audience wasn’t familiar with those songs. I even hear a lot of people asking if they played the whole new album. They just didn’t know what they were playing! The last Saga album that was easy to find in Caracas was House of Cards because they don’t have a good distribution here, so a lot of people didn’t knew most of those albums. And yes, they wanted to hear more song from the early days. No one could believe they didn’t play “basic” Saga songs like “Humble Stance” or “You Are Not Alone”. So, at the end, they got bored, and considering the price of the tickets (around $100) they were quite disappointed. A lot of people began to left the venue after “Don’t Be Late” and didn’t wait the encore (by the way, I think only one song for the encore is not quite enough), and as people were leaving all you could hear was them complaining about the same things: the singer and the set list.

I have mixed feelings about the concert. On one hand, it was good to hear and see that Ian, Daryl and Jim are in such a good shape with a perfect companion in Brian. But, on the other hand, I felt very disappointed with the new singer. This was the fourth Saga concert for me and without a doubt the only one I didn’t enjoyed as much as I wanted.

Saludos desde Venezuela
Zuletzt geändert von sibarit am Mo Nov 16, 2009 7:34 pm, insgesamt 1-mal geändert.
sibarit
 
Beiträge: 2
Registriert: So Nov 15, 2009 7:31 pm

Beitragvon Acai » Mo Nov 16, 2009 6:49 pm

Thanks, sibarit, for this great statement/review. I enjoyed reading your article a lot.

The online press reviews for Saga after the show in Caracas were extremely negativ without giving too much details. Thanks to your thread it becomes quite clear what exactly went wrong that night. It´s a pity!

At least some good news: Corkentellis live! The didn´t play that in Europe. I share your opinion about the musicians, especially Ian and Daryl are really ways over the top! And Corkentellis is a great song to demonstrate their skills.
Acai
 
Beiträge: 45
Registriert: Sa Jun 28, 2003 2:23 pm

Beitragvon Norbert » Mo Nov 16, 2009 8:14 pm

Hi Sibarit,

I`ve read your statement concerning the latest concert of SAGA with great interest.
I visited the human condition tour in May here in Germany and I completely agree to your
opinion. Rob is not the kind of showman tsking the audience in his hand. Reading your article I was interested in the development of Rob on stage, but as I see, there is none.

Maybe he can`t identify himself with the SAGA songs before his entry in the band, maybe his voice does not fit to these songs - I don`t know the reason.
I really like the new album and I`m glad that SAGA still exists, because the musicians are very, very good, also the songs they create.
So I still hope, Rob does a better job in future, not the same as Michael did, but lets say with more power and - as you said more including the audience.
Norbert
 
Beiträge: 135
Registriert: Di Nov 04, 2008 5:40 pm
Wohnort: Nurenberg, Germany

About the opening band that night

Beitragvon sibarit » Mo Nov 16, 2009 8:49 pm

Reading several post I’ve notice the indignation that comes from reading the press releases that claims that God Save The Queen was better than Saga and I have something to say about that.

I don’t really think that when the people got the tickets for that concert they did it thinking about the Queen Tribute Band. It was Saga the band that moved the 3000 persons that gather there that night. But it’s true, God Save The Queen made a good impression among the audience. The band wasn’t bad, but only the singer was really above the rest doing a nice imitation of Freddy Mercury, but that’s all. Saga, as a band, was undeniable much better and I’m sure that any true Saga fan liked Saga more despite the things that went wrong that night. Tillman was right when he quoted in a previous post that the tribute band appealed more to the audience because they played all those Queen’s hits that everyone can sing a long. Saga only played six songs from the old days and people reacted to them singing too. If they had played at least four of five other tunes of that era the attitude of the audience would have been totally different. They didn’t play anything from the first two albums and songs like Humble Stance, The Perfectionist, It’s Time and You Are Not Alone (just to name a few) are absolute favorites of the Venezuelan audience. Probably the set list they played that night would work in places like Germany or Canada where they play frequently and probably people get tired to hear the same songs time after time, but last time they were here was eight years ago and everyone wanted to hear the songs they have loved for such a long time. That why a simple tribute band got more applauses from the audience.

Saludos desde Venezuela
sibarit
 
Beiträge: 2
Registriert: So Nov 15, 2009 7:31 pm

Beitragvon Tillmann » Di Nov 17, 2009 12:42 am

THANK YOU SO MUCH SIBARIT!!!!

You made a lot of things clear! And it seems like SAGA learned nothing after 30 years... I mean, it's great that SAGA are still recording new songs, most of them are awesome, I love the new stuff!!! But, esspecially in Venezuela, where they are once in 10 years, they have to play CLASSICS picked with maybe a handful new songs...


What a pitty... :(


Hope they'll make it better next year...
Benutzeravatar
Tillmann
 
Beiträge: 7914
Registriert: Mo Jul 11, 2005 7:31 pm
Wohnort: Suhl

Beitragvon Pitchman in a Maze » Di Nov 17, 2009 12:46 am

Hola sibarit,

Saludos desde alemania.

It's sad, that your posting fits to the review at the newspaper. But I also had the feeling when I visited the show here in Germany. Although the sound was good and the Setlist differnet, I missed the Contact of the singer within the audiance. I can really understand if the people are disappointed when a band after 8 years of disappearing showing many new songs, specially when there was a better Playlist in Europe.

Hopefully the boys are taking this for a chance to make it next time better. I really waiting for a second chance to Rob, because I don't think it is really easy to compare with Michael.
Unser Leben ist viel schwerer als das unserer Vorfahren,
weil wir uns so viele Dinge anschaffen müssen,
die uns das Leben erleichtern.
(Gabriel Laub)
Benutzeravatar
Pitchman in a Maze
 
Beiträge: 608
Registriert: Fr Mai 26, 2006 2:46 pm
Wohnort: München

Beitragvon Tillmann » Di Nov 17, 2009 1:46 am

The only problem is: The boys are at a point in their career where they won't have a lot of new chances... The second chance next year might be the last... I could cry while writing this, but with things like that (wrong setlist, not the best sound, contact) they don't really make me feel that they will use their few last chances... :cry:
Benutzeravatar
Tillmann
 
Beiträge: 7914
Registriert: Mo Jul 11, 2005 7:31 pm
Wohnort: Suhl

Baaa Humbug

Beitragvon Harmonia » Di Nov 17, 2009 3:14 am

Baa Humbug..........


All I known about what I saw in Brampton was the complete opposite a mere 4 days earlier .

Also what pics I did see from South America show him interacting with the band and that 4 days earlier when He sang "Don't Be late" it was so good that I had tears in my eyes because the performance was awesome!!!!


and that is in my humble oppinion. :eg: :angel: :saga: :cool1:
You look, good to Me.
Harmonia
 
Beiträge: 88
Registriert: Fr Mär 07, 2008 4:15 am
Wohnort: Nobleton, Ont

Beitragvon Norbert » Di Nov 17, 2009 12:33 pm

Hi Harmonia, nice bottom !!!

I really hope that most of the fans see the things about Rob the way you do.
I really love these boys for their great music, expanding their tours to Canada and North America IS the right direction.
Maybe they loose some fans and gain others, I don`t know.

The only thing I know is this: much more CDs in future, please!!
Norbert
 
Beiträge: 135
Registriert: Di Nov 04, 2008 5:40 pm
Wohnort: Nurenberg, Germany

The only thing I know is this: much more CDs in future,

Beitragvon Harmonia » Di Nov 17, 2009 7:06 pm

Here Here!!! :sing: :prost: :laola: :thanx: Norbert :yourock:
You look, good to Me.
Harmonia
 
Beiträge: 88
Registriert: Fr Mär 07, 2008 4:15 am
Wohnort: Nobleton, Ont
Vorherige

Zurück zu Tour 2009

Wer ist online?

Mitglieder in diesem Forum: 0 Mitglieder und 2 Gäste

Persönlicher Bereich

Wer ist online?

Insgesamt sind 2 Besucher online: 0 registrierte, 0 unsichtbare und 2 Gäste (basierend auf den aktiven Besuchern der letzten 5 Minuten)
Der Besucherrekord liegt bei 281 Besuchern, die am So Jul 15, 2007 10:16 pm gleichzeitig online waren.

Mitglieder in diesem Forum: 0 Mitglieder und 2 Gäste