Subject: NYC Review
To: roses-list@best.com
Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 11:57:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: "EL CAPO" <cotner@eniac.seas.upenn.edu>

Hello fellow Rosers:

Like many of you, I was at the Roses gig on Saturday night and I thought that I would post a review, like everyone else.

Let's see, where do we begin. Well, I guess I first have to admit that I analyze concerts too much, especially musically and so this proves to be a bit of a downer. However, one thing is apparent, John Squire NEEDS a rhythm guitarist. This is not to say he isn't a God...he is as his solos during Begging You indicate quite clearly magnificent. 

Unfortunately, I fell in love with his guitar-playing because of his incredible ability to be wonderfully fluid and quick....not his ability to play heavy, overly-distorted bar chords which he has to do during the gigs to 'fill' the sound. For example, during Breaking Into Heaven, where were all those beautiful, wah-wah induced licks?? He needs a rhythm guitarist to let him roam the scales and play like we all know he can. This is the main reason they don't play Elephant Stone or Bye Bye Badman...it's just not possible. 

I know they played Elephant Stone in 89/90 but if you hear the bootlegs, it's a bastardized (but brilliant!) version.

Anyway, back to the gig. The venue was fairly good....acoustic were a bit lacking......the ceiling was too high creating an echo. They started, as everyone knows, with the intro to Second Coming. Mani comes bouncing out folowed by the rest of them. John looks especially relaxed and ready to roll. You can't see Robbie thru all the smoke and Ian looks as bored as ever....what do you expect....United lost the league and the FA Cup!!

I Wanna Be Adored: What can you say about that bass line. It means so much to every die hard fan who have waited so long for this moment. Magic. The crowd goes wild. Everyone is jumping up and down. It's an unrivaled moment......John squeals into the song.....Robbie makes Reni seem like a distant memory. Mani is grinning and his hair is flying around like Burgess (Charlatans) when he shakes his head during a gig. WOW !!!

She Bangs The Drums: Please oh please just play song after song from the old album. Another glorious moment. Side note: could barely hear John.

Waterfall: First signs of Ian's voice wavering...he's been perfect up till then. An all-time great tune.......finally, I get to see where John actually plays the bloody song on guitar!! The pit is getting REALLY packed.

Ten Storey Love Song: Well, hum, this was not a highlight..they messed up a couple of times. Not the hight point.

Daybreak/Breaking Into Heaven: Definitely one of the highlights even though Simon Dawson was screwing up the mixing. It was a blistering version of both songs. These were not songs performed to copy the album..they were two tracks expected to elicit a huge flow of energy from the crowd....and the crowd responded. Mass hysteria. Great, whopping licks from John, no space for solos....pure power. Great stuff.

Your Star Will Shine: Great song, jsut like the CD, Robbie was quiet, John was great, Ian shone.

Tightrope: After Ian decided he was singing too fast, he started this one up again. Here, Ian shows he really can sing. Not a note out of place in this one. [For everyone at the show, I was the Indian guy wearing the black Roses t-shirt on top of someone's shoulders for this tune. That was great fun!!!]

Elizabeth My Dear: Short and sweet. 'Nuff said.

I Am The Resurrection: As I'm sure Nigel will agree when he sees the SF show, this song is the Roses signature tune. An emotional masterpiece that leaves you breathless, both on the album and live. It was a blurry version, if you know what I mean. It sort of whizzed by. It is wonderful to sing along with hundreds of people.

I'm not sure about the order now but here goes.

Begging You: Squire's high point. Some UNBELIEVABLE solos. WOW. WOW AGAIN!! Great song. It ROCKED!! Very differnt from the album. Much less digital and much more power.

Good Times: Sucked. Ian's vioce really started to go about now. Shitty version. They didn't do the jam at the end and John's guitar sounded like it had bronchitis. Mani, BTW, has been stupendous THROUGHOUT the gig....kudos to him.

Made of Stone: Good to go back to the old stuff but the lingering effects of Good Times were clear. Could have been better. Bass needed to be louder.

Love Spreads: The absolute rock bottom worst song BY FAR!!! John couldn't catch the slide. Ian couldn't hit the note. Robbie couldn't reach the speed and Mani couldn't be heard. Slow, pathetic, lazy. GET RID OF IT!!!

Driving South: Well, I don't like this song. It was quite a rampant version tho'.

ENCORE: Fools Gold: WOW!! What a great version!! It was just beautiful. My only complaint is that it didn't go on longer and John didn't take what seemed to be a multitude of opportunities to jam uncontrollably. Still, a timeless CLASSIC!!

Well, there you have it. Please don't flame me for my views. These all all just my humble opinions. I was disappointed when I left but in retrospect, I was expecting too much and was too critical. 

When I think about it now, I just keep thinking, "FUCK, I saw the STONE ROSES!! They ARE brilliant and they ARE the best band in the world. Live, however, they still do better with their old stuff.....even though John claims the new album is more of a live album.

Tonight, all these views may change as I'm just gonna go in there and ENJOY every bloody dripping moment. Please do give me a shout tonite, I'll be weargin the Roses t-shirt with the lemon on it. I wear glasses and am Indian. I'd love to put faces on e-mail addresses!! 

See ya there!

Cheers,

Sujay.