It’s really difficult to write an objective review of last night’s gig as the sound issues were so bad it took so much away from the great show that the band were trying to put on.
Cue some bad puns. To say I was buzzing before the gig would be an understatement and when we arrived there was a real buzz about the place and we were really glad to bee there. Sadly for us the buzz was very real because every time Eliza clicked her guitar pedal on a loud buzz appeared fully amplified from the stage. Initially I had hoped that it was some teething issues which you can often get on the first number or two as the acoustics of a room change once the crowd are in. This however was not the case as the room was sparsely filled and it persisted through songs three and four. At that stage I had had enough and approached the sound man who shrugged his shoulders said it was electrical and there was nothing he could do. Clearly it does raise the question of why this was not spotted during sound check as the issue was clearly linked to her guitar pedal and was not affecting the other guitarists.
The issue was clearly affecting Eliza too as she referenced it a couple of times and stopped midway through one song referring to it as being a problem of the venue being close to a railway line. I have been to the Dome many times and have never heard this noise before at this or indeed any other venue in over 800 gigs I have been to. I am returning to the venue in a couple of weeks’ time so let’s see what happens then but as another member of our party said we won’t return if this is the new normal at the Dome.
So all that aside back to the music itself. It’s difficult to review the show in the round because on the quiet songs with just Eliza and guitar the buzz was so obtrusive you couldn’t appreciate her great voice and it sucked any intimacy and soul from the performance. The only redeeming note was once the band kicked in and started to rock a little they would drown out the swarming bees into the background. In those rare moments you glimpsed what a great band and show it could have been.
I can’t pick any true highlights and what should have been a beautiful delicate encore of ‘The Man I admire’ was just a sad example of what could have been.
My final comment was this was just the wrong venue on the night and not just because of the sound issues but also it was barely half full and so maybe The Lexington or Omeara would have been better fits.
So it’s a one note rating for the venue but a four for the band who continued to soldier through and give it their all in spite of the issues.
Keep on rock and rollin y’all