1/10/99

The 1/6/99 Universal Amphitheatre Concert, the Search for "EP", and Review of EP

I started the day on 1/6/99 by calling the Amphitheatre box office to determine whether they would allow cameras. It wasn’t until 4 PM that their production orders were available and they could say OK. Never having had Pit tickets before (these are the only general admission tickets in the Amphitheatre), Ron and I decided we had better get there early. We also wanted to stake-out the new EP since we were trying to buy 28 of them. We stood out in front of the entrance about 2 hours before showtime. Ron tuned up his digital camera (Ron says "unsuccessfully as it turned out" - he is sitting next to me right now since I am writing this on his PowerMac) with a picture of me under the sign while we were waiting:

After they opened the gates, we proceeded to the ticket-takers where our cameras were examined to establish that they were suitably non-professional. After substantial discourse, they allowed Ron’s camera. We were also wrist-banded like a couple of wild birds (the colors were very much Culture Club-ish).

We then proceeded to the merchandise area to find the new EP and make good on Ron’s Christmas presents. I didn’t catch her name, but the lady behind the counter was a gem. We asked how much the CD was after we had found it and she replied $12. I then asked her whether there was any limit on the number we could purchase and she looked rather puzzled. I told her of the Berlin Page and what Ron was wanting to do and that we needed to purchase 28.

She said she would have to check with their merchandiser but that she would remember us and we should come back after intermission.

I also asked whether she would still be there after the Culture Club show since we had pit tickets and I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of getting back in once we were out.

She said sure. (We would have gotten them at intermission if she had said no, not being that keen on the whole Culture Club scene.)

We then waited for the doors to open and raced down to the pit at the front of the stage. We were right up against the crash barricade and slightly right of center stage.

Richard Blade, of local KROQ fame, gave Terri and Berlin a very nice introduction stating that the last time they had played the Amphitheatre was 1984.

With our cameras armed and ready (along with those of at least a half dozen professional photographers in front of us around the stage), Berlin started playing the intro for Masquerade without Terri on stage. Terri came out to what I would call a very warm welcome.

Relative to the last three shows Ron and I had seen (described elsewhere under the "Reviews" button) there was a new addition to the band, Charlotte, who was a back-up vocalist, and a different keyboardist. (We missed you, Ray!)

As best we can recall, after Masquerade, the play list included No More Words, You Don’t Know, I Can Love, Now It’s My Turn, Steps, The Metro, Take my Breath Away, Confession Time, Sex (I’m A…). (Hope we got it right.)

As in the past shows, Terri and the band were excellent. I turned around to look at the back of the theatre (which was full except for a few seats in the balcony) and the place was going nuts! From small venues to large venues, to everything in between, Berlin gives one heck of a performance!

Terri made several comments during the performance. One was related to the Metro not being able to "emerge in London Rain". (We always knew Berlin was a forward-thinking band!) Craig had mentioned in the "Comments" portion of Rob’s site that Terri said something to the effect that she had sworn-off dessert.

On a more personal note, Terri also stated that she had found "someone special" at a time when she really wasn’t expecting to. She said his name was Paul (unfortunately, not this Paul, but I’m happy for you, Terri!) and dedicated Take My Breadth Away to him.

Sound quality at the amphitheater was excellent, having what I believe to be the cleanest, high-SPL sound system of any large LA area venue. I suspect there are many Watts and many drivers in their reinforcement system to produce the kind of low-frequency, high sound-pressure levels that they do with a minimum of upper midrange distortion. Some of the very low frequency synthesized bass, especially during You Don’t Know and Sex (I’m A…) was extremely enjoyable. (You Don’t Know is my all-time Berlin favorite… I even welcome the sound of leaf blowers now since their distinctive whine at a distance reminds me of the intro to this song.) Such bass is generally not as audible at some of the smaller venues without significantly more distortion. (I must say that this luxurious deep bass contributed somewhat heavily at times to my camera-shake problems, even with 800-speed film since we were standing in front of some low frequency drivers under the front of the stage!)

As a side note, the LA Times had a review of the 1/6 Culture Club/Berlin show. It was very favorable to Terri’s vocal talents, but critical of the "cheesy electronic edge" which the reviewer felt "sounded dated". The reviewer also commented on the adaptability of the band with their new ballad, I Can Love. She further commented that the song "substituted a bluesy, almost trip-hop rhythm for the outdated synth-beat of the older material." It is my personal opinion that this reviewer is calibrated for Rap. (God save us from rap!) I must commend Terri and the Band for not modernizing their classic material. Most people don’t consider Mozart or Miles Davis as out-dated, rather as classics! The reviewer also missed Steps as new material.

After Berlin completed their performance, Terri made some comments that this was a shorter set than usual due to the double bill. (Ron and I wished Berlin would have played the full set which we had grown accustomed to at the previous three shows we attended, but it was cool.) Terri invited the audience to attend the upcoming Coach House shows. (We will be at the Santa Barbara show on 2/5; see you there, Craig!)

Ron promised you some pictures that I attempted. I must give credit to Ron for his Photoshop post-processing to help with some of their shortcomings. I am no expert at flash-less photography with a non-professional automatic camera! In fact, some really killer shots didn’t turn out but Ron tells me he feels I captured a lot of Terri’s stage presence in the ones that did. I also got a few of the other band members, but they were generally too far away from me for anything decent. Anyway, here they are:

I also had some 200 speed film in the camera that I though I might as well use up prior to loading the 800. The results were somewhat less than stellar, as can be seen from the example below:

Ron also took some pictures with his digital camera that I thought were definitely good enough to include:

After Berlin finished we stayed for Culture Club. Although neither one of us are into the Culture Club Scene all that much, the band was tight and they gave a very entertaining performance in addition to modeling a very eclectic wardrobe! (We have a few pictures to prove it.)

Back to the Quest for the new EP….

After Culture Club finished we went back to the merchandise area to determine whether or not we were going to be able to make the Berlin Page’s readers dream come true. True to her word, the sales lady remembered us. She brought out a box of the new EPs and said it was OK for us to buy them, but there may be a problem if we wished to pay with a credit card. We said no problem, we got the cash, as we continuously pulled $20 bills from our pockets. (We didn’t have much money left to buy anything else!!!) About this time, the guy next to me asked, "How many are you guys buying?" At which point, I launched into my spiel about how we had seen Berlin 4 times in the last 4 months and that they were the greatest thing since sliced bread!

After the salesperson had counted the money, she started counting the CDs and examining all of them. At that point, Ron said that we trusted her and she didn’t have to show us all of them. She said, "No, I am checking to see whether all of them are signed."

I looked at Ron and said, "Signed??!!" Gee, I hope we didn’t miss an opportunity to meet Terri while we were getting "Cultured" by Boy George and Company!"

At this point, we grabbed our treasure and discreetly tried to exit the amphitheatre. We headed to BB King’s Blues Café for a while to let the traffic

dissipate, still reeling over the fact that the EP’s were all signed by Terri!

Just recently, Ron has completed sending all of them out. I just contributed a few bucks, Ron deserves most of the credit for all of the associated effort like handling the email traffic and the mailings.

(Some may ask why we did it. I guess I would like to say that I wanted to give something back to Terri and the band. She always gives 210% at each performance and I think I speak for Ron too in saying that the House of Blues show, and every show since, has blown us away! What better way than to put the EP in the hands of some of their most die-hard fans while the fan club is being set up? I also know what it is like to want something fairly badly and have to wait for it. I drove everybody at the Hard Rock/Vegas crazy trying to confirm the 12/19 performance! For those people in the rest of the country and our friends and allies in the Great White North who haven’t been able to see a recent Berlin show, the EP ought to help ease the pain!)

Now for some comments on the EP…..

First, I think it is excellent!!!!!!!!! I have played it repeatedly since I have really grown to like the new material. I have a fairly high-end audio system and the quality of the recording is exceptional, especially with recent advances in digital audio technology.

It contains, like most Berlin discs, a good mix of head-banging rock and roll complete with the "synthesized beat" we all know and love (except the LA Times reviewer), as well as the kind of killer ballads that almost caused my knees to give out the first time I saw Berlin at House of Blues (see "review" entitled, "A Few Berlin Shows 1998").

In the head-banging or hard rock category, we have Steps and perhaps Cobwebs. I really enjoy both of these songs, remembering that Steps usually evokes Terri’s rotating head and the resultant flying braidlettes. It is also a great stress reliever and was a killer song at the show.