Don’t learn to play the guitar, learn to use the guitar to make music.
And…that just sounded decidedly more Lifetime Original Movie than I had originally anticipated. (Of course, without the teenager trying to kill the wife of the guy she’s having an affair with. Uh…I mean……I’ve never seen a Lifetime Original Movie.) I stole it from a film; but in the film, the quote was about war. It sounded much cooler when it was about war.
However, despite my unfortunate attempt to sound profound and prove my poeticicity (well, if there was any lingering thought that I might be profound anyway…that just killed it), I still agree with the statement. Your sound increases exponentially the less you play your guitar, and the more you use your guitar to create music.
Splendid. (Except for the cheesiness. And the Lifetime reference. And uh…that’s most of the post.)
Karl.
And if you don’t believe me, go play your guitar. (Wait, I’m not finished.) Then go find an Irish song to listen to. Now go play your guitar again. Instant feel increase in your playing. Like hooking up an iv of Irishness to your guitar.
The unfortunate thing about this post is that I’m not even joking at all.
Splendid.
Karl.
P.S. And in case you’re wondering, the answer is yes……I am stalling because I blew a tube in my mic preamp and now I cannot record the rest of the pads tonight until I find one of those six-pointed star screwdriver things. (Why do they do that?) However, that has no bearing whatsoever on the fact that your tone does indeed increase the more Irish you become.
A lot of updates, and I figured they’d get lost in the mix if I gave them each their own post one after another in the same five minutes. So I squished them altogether. Like an Orange Squeeze compressor. Score. Tone joke. And a bad one.
First order of business is that some ambient pads are finally available for download. I figured that perhaps others might be able to find uses for them in their churches and venues as well. But, it’s still in the preview stage. So there’s only two pads up right now…I didn’t want to put a ton of time into them if there’s absolutely no interest. hehe But if there is some interest, I’ll be more than happy to finish out all the keys, and different versions of all the keys. Here’s all the info for these:
Secondly, I received some comments kindly pointing out the lack of chordal rhythm work in my latest Fulldrive/Tim/Liquid Blues Shootout video. I was appalled. My videos are perfect. Then I went back and listened to it. Yep, no rhythm whatsoever. I am a rockstar. (You’re reading the sarcasm in that, right?) So I have apologetically posted a second video of the same pedals, showcasing their more rhythmic qualities. And for some reason, I make the strangest sounds in between the different rhythmic passages. No, not cool ones with the guitar. With my mouth. It’s odd.
But you can check that post with the new additional shootout video here:
And lastly, for the first time since 1984, all is right with the world. I have never, ever wanted a piece of gear more:
It’s beautiful, really. Almost indescribable. Almost as if the world wasn’t really turning all this time, until you saw that picture. And if you’re not quite sure what is going on right now, allow me, if you will, to change your life:
Sorry, I couldn’t find a Spinal Tap clip with the actual ‘None More Black’ record reference, or the clip where they sign the black record with the black felt marker (hehe), but I’m pretty sure these will do.
Go to Gear Page and search, ‘Dumble.’ Or ‘D*mble.’ I guess the word is magical? Or maybe we all just like to think we’re important enough for the guy to sue us. But really…hours of fun. Literal hours.
Just whatever you do, don’t post in those threads! Many good musicians have been lost that way.
I’ve been wanting to do this shootout for so long. Now understand, I started doing these demos because my head was about to explode. Let me explain. The internet was a wonderful concept. I mean, information that we could get directly from each other? We didn’t have to rely on people with money? It’s fantastic. However, what they (everyone in power you just refer to as ‘they’) forgot to consider was that it appears the culture has been exposed to television for so long, that now if information comes off of a glowing screen, it is considered fact. So, I could write ‘Starbucks uses little slave children underground in all their suburban stores to manually grind the coffee beans’, and now that will turn up in search engines. And google will show a little snippet of that statement, and people will be too lazy to actually click on the site link, and then find out what I’m talking about, and hence…a new ‘fact’ is born: Starbucks harbors little slave children to make their coffee taste good.
(Right before one of the many shootouts in Three Amigos. You simply cannot tell me that you don’t like this movie…just a little bit. ‘We ride, we fight, we love.’ Classic.)
And that’s when your head explodes. When you can no longer distinguish fact from ’some guy wants hits on his website.’ Like me. Now anyone who thinks Starbucks is the reinstated Roman Empire will go to back up their opinion with the internet, search ‘Starbucks is bad’, find my site, and I’ll get tons of hits and a ravenous following. However, I used ‘Starbucks’ as my example, so as not to get hits, and to not become the very essence of what I’m talking about. Because no one in America will ever search ‘Starbucks is bad.’ It’d be considered heresy, and I honestly think you can be burned at the stake for distrusting Starbucks. See? I just proved they are the Roman Empire. How? The internet.’
And (sweet mercy, where am I going with this?) it’s the exact same with guitar pedals. You don’t want to have to spend money on an expensive Tim pedal to get great tone? Search the internet. You’ll find sources to back you up. You don’t want to own a Fulldrive because everyone and their guitar-playing second cousin has one? Search the internet. You’ll find sources telling you it’s a terrible pedal. But I warn you…do not search any deeper. Head explosion. As soon as you ask, ‘So how long did you have the Tim pedal for, to find out it wasn’t very good?’ You’ll get these answers: ‘Oh. Own one? Well, I’ve never actually owned one.’ Or, ‘Oh. I’ve never played one, if that’s what you mean.’ Or, ‘Ya, I’m just not a big fan of Paul Cochrane stuff.’ And how about my favorite, ‘I’ve been playing guitar for x amount of years. I don’t need to hear the pedals. They all sound the same.’ And suddenly you realize that in order to keep your head in the place on your body where you prefer it to be (i.e. not in tiny pieces scattered around your pedalboard…might help the tone, though…something to think about), you’re going to actually have to try the pedals out for yourself.
Which is why I do these shootouts. I’m trying to give an at least objective view on some of the incredible opinions out there. So then someone can ask, ‘Which is better? The Fulldrive or the Tim?’ And then I can not only give my answer, but say, ‘Here. Here’s a video. This is where my conclusions came from. Now listen to it. And draw your own conclusions.’ It’s a little thing I like to call ’science.’ ‘Science’, as it refers to guitar gear, is a big word for, ‘Believing something because you heard it from your amp, rather than hearing it from the guy who wants to sell you the Fulldrive.’ Or the guy who bought it, hates it, but it didn’t sell, and now has to justify having it on his board, even though it’s not cool anymore because it no longer has a waiting list, and you can buy it at Guitar Center.
(My favorite scene from Three Amigos: ‘It’s a sweater!’ Okay, I’ll stop now.)
Now are my videos the definitive answer? Absolutely not! Maybe if I didn’t play the same riff over and over, and could stop talking for a little bit. But no, they are not. They’re a reference to use as a tool to help you decide which pedal might help make your tone the stuff tears are made out of. But it’s always a good idea to try these things out for yourself.
So anyway, here we go. We’ve got the Fulltone Fulldrive 2, and the Paul Cochrane Tim. Two pedals that are constantly being compared, put down, lifted up, glorified, and trodden upon. I’ve seen literal fights break out over these pedals. (Of course, they were fights over the internet, which means that the climactic ending without fail is always the picking apart of each other’s grammar. Yes. I know.) And so it’s just been a matter of time before I was able to get them both in my hands, and hear things for myself.
And we’ve also got the newcomer, the Damage Control Liquid Blues. I haven’t heard much about how it compares to the other two. But Damage Control makes good pedals, it’s blue, it’s got two switches, I figured it was close enough.
The Players
–Fulltone Fulldrive 2, blue version, non-mosfet, with the three-way toggle switch. (There’s a ton of versions of this pedal.) Running at 12 volts.
–Paul Cochrane Tim. Running at 12 volts.
–Damage Control Liquid Blues.
The Base Tone
Prairiewood Les Paul (Woldetone Dr. V pickups)–>
Matchless HC30 (EF86 channel)–>
65 Amps birch cab (Celestion Blue and G12H30 speakers)
Possible Tonal Biases
–I’ve had the Tim the longest, so it’s more set to my rig. As you can see, I never even have to touch a knob on it. (And also, I’ve demo’d it before, and didn’t want people to get bored by me going through all the knobs again.)
–The Liquid Blues has tubes. Sometimes that sways me. I love tubes.
–The Liquid Blues also has interesting tonal options with its knobs. So it’s quite possible I’ve yet to tap into its full sound yet.
Possible Personal Biases
–Everyone has a Fulldrive. And I want to be cool by not having one.
–It sounds stupid, but the Tim fits really well on my board.
–The Liquid Blues is huge, and runs on 2 Amps of power. So, if it ends up sounding the best, I’d have to get a bigger power conditioner or sell a Timeline. (And I’m not selling a Timeline.) So I kind of didn’t want it to sound the best.
And the Shootout:
And the addendum, with more rhythmic playing, after some comments that I was face-melting too much in the first video. And by the way, ‘face-melting’ for me, is warm-up scales for most other guitarists. hehe
The Results
–Okay, whoa. The Liquid Blues not only sounded way better than I expected, but is also extremely versatile. If Damage Control was able to put their pedals in smaller packages, they’d be all over everyone’s boards. Wow. It can do compressed, searing lead tones, bluesy tones, but also just a warm pushing of your amp into it’s natural overdrive. Only one tone knob; but at least in my rig, it still was able to not change the tone of my amp, quite nicely. No control over the boost switch, though. It didn’t seem to matter, as it boosted the first channel audibly, but not over-the-top, but I could see that perhaps being a problem in some rigs. But just an incredible sound that really, really surprised me.
–And of course, the Tim never disappoints. It’s hard for me with the Tim, because it always sounds so good that sometimes I’m not excited by it anymore. It’s like, ‘Oh ya, the Tim sounds good no matter what. Whatever.’ But hearing it against the other pedals, it sounds good no matter what you throw at it in terms of your rig. Pushes your amp. Can’t say enough good about this pedal.
–And the Fulldrive. I was disappointed at first, because it did not bring out the natural overdrive in my amp like the other two did. However, once I found and started using its strong points, which seemed to be just by being a distortion on its own, it sounded very good. A little boxy, and it could have done with a better tone circuit. The one tone knob makes it very selective as to what amp it sounds good with. I would have liked to be able to dial it in to match the amp’s sound a little more. But overall, a very good pedal when used as a distortion sound on its own, and with a really clear and transparent boost section.
The Conclusion
As I like pushing my amp into its own natural overdrive, I’m going with either the Tim or the Liquid Blues. Sorry Fulldrive. And I’m going to be honest here. As much as I rave about the Tim, that Liquid Blues might actually be a touch warmer. But my rig already runs at about 11.5 Amps, and my power conditioner only handles 12. So the 2 Amps from the Liquid Blues would push me over the edge. So, we’ll have to see if I can come up with the money to get a Furman IT20. (And that’s probably a ‘no.’) But it did sound incredible. As did the Tim. It’s a tough choice. But as for the Tim versus the Fulldrive? In my hopefully extremely humble opinion, it’s the Tim, by a definite margin.
So there ya go. It’s on the internet. It must be true.
No, not the actual guitar. Being that close to that guitar. If the gift had been the actual guitar, that means that Edge and I would really have gone out for frozen yogurt. And I suppose then, to have given me that guitar, he would have had to have been really impressed by my knowledge of tone. And both of those things are of course, almost incomplete impossibilities. I really enjoy U2’s music; so I like to joke around about my obsession with them. But hopefully it’s clear that when I say things like, ‘I hope I meet Edge at True Tone’, I’m not actually expecting to meet Edge at True Tone. It just makes for much more fun and conversation-spurring posts. And I tend to like fun and conversation. At the very least, it’s a bit more fun (in my very humble opinion) than throwing up a twitter: ‘gearin’ up for the U2 show.’ I like to keep it interesting.
But in all seriousness, U2 is an experience. And I know that sounds kitsch and over the top if you don’t like them, and have never been to one of their shows. I’ve heard that said over and over again, and I thought I understood it. I’ve got the dvd’s of previous tours, and watch them a fair amount. But when I got there, and stood in front of Edge’s amps as he drove out perfect note after perfect note on ‘Breathe’, taking a rather normal base chord structure to levels you wouldn’t think it could go to, and as Bono quite literally sang his heart out, and 97,000 people for just 2 hours got to drop their learned inhibitions and allow songs to take them somewhere they might not otherwise be able to go……as over the top as it might sound, it is a spiritual experience.
So as much as I joke about the night not being fulfilled until security escorts me out for trying too hard to touch Edge, Bono, Larry, Adam, or even one of the stage crew, once you get there, it’s just about letting yourself go. Now, U2 is not for everybody. They’re obviously for a lot of people, but not for everybody. But I can pretty much guarantee you that if you were to go to a live show of theirs, and leave any preconceived notions at the door, you would at the very least feel something. Something you weren’t expecting. For me, U2 has a way of lending these orchestrations with the perfect mix of countering yet simplistic lines, to support a melody that aches and yearns as much as it gives joy. In fact, the joy probably comes out of the ache. And they do it with power and with passion, and it sings to people. Not to everyone, but to at least 97,000 people last evening at the Rose Bowl. To be able to sing with my wife with tears in our eyes during ‘City of Blinding Lights’. To be able to be crushed by 2490 fans in the inner circle jumping to ‘No Line on the Horizon’ as I in turn crush the 10 in front of me. To sing ‘No more!’ until you think you’re going to collapse, but it’s okay because thousands of other people from 5 years old to 65 years old are singing the same thing with the same intensity around you. And of course, to almost be able to touch Edge’s guitar when he leaned over the rail. And above absolutely everything else, to hear the untouched and pre-mic’d tone directly from his amps. Not to sound overly sentimental (as if the last few sentences didn’t take care of that already), but it was a special couple days.
So, the last post lays out everything in chronological order. If you didn’t read that one, I’ll give you the cliff notes here: we waited in a 2500 person mob for 12 hours, there was a stampede, and we ended up getting spots in the one place that mattered most. The inner circle, about 10 feet from the stage, directly in front of Edge’s amps. The sound system was incredible, but if I’m going to be there, I’m going to need some stage volume. I wanted to hear some of Edge’s tone from his own speakers. And it was glorious.
Here’s where we were, and the opening of the first song. And by the way, if you hadn’t heard, they not only filmed this concert in Pasadena for a dvd, but they broadcast it live over youtube; and as of now, you can still watch the re-broadcast. Way better quality than my little camera. But we still took just a couple videos for mementos. Here’s some pics, and the end of the opening song (and me screaming…just a little bit loudly):
(Where we were. With the amps facing us, and that’s about 15 feet from Edge…even though the picture makes it look farther. We’re almost right on the rail, but then there’s still a good five feet between the rail and he stage so that the security guards can glare at us…like the one on the far left there. hehe But they were cool. They even hit a couple beach balls back to us. Which is fairly rare amongst most of the shows I’ve been to. I was impressed.)
(And that’s what it looked like from another fan’s vantage point. Absolute craziness. Amazing.)
I have to tell you; hearing that sound and power coming from Edge’s amps…indescribable. Perfect weight, clarity, warmth, and focus. You could feel his sound rushing through your body. Seriously, people were responding to some of his guitar parts as if they were vocal parts. He sings with that thing. And to be right in front of it…an amazing experience, and a definite learning experience.
And then the world stood still. This is what the picture is from at the beginning of this post. On U2’s ‘Until the End of the World’, the outro just pumps my heart. It’s some of my favorite musical anything ever. (How’s that!) Edge just lets his fuzz go crazy, and he plays this killer riff around the 2,3, and 4 notes…never hitting the 5 or higher octave that is anticipated. And then just when you feel it has to go there, he hits the seventh instead, giving it this great aching and driving quality. I absolutely love it live. And then it happened. As he’s playing it, he’s on the bridge, to my right. And suddenly the bridge starts moving towards me. And he ends up playing it directly over me. And then, I don’t even remember it happening…his guitar is in my face, and he’s leaning over the railing of the bridge, looking right at me. I was about 3 feet from him. Now, the camera was in my hand. And I had pushed record. But that’s about it. So, I’ve got the video of it, but it’s just sheer craziness, and then whoa!…Edge’s guitar is right there. hehehe I laugh every time I watch it. But there are very few moments in life when you’re literally not thinking about anything. And that was this moment for me. By the time the bridge passed back over me and over to the second bridge that Bono was on, I realized that I was laying diagonally with my full weight on some guy, who was also laying diagonally, with his full weight on some other guy, and I guess the rest of the pit was just supporting us. It was awesome. Here’s the worst video ever of the best moment ever:
And some stills from the video:
So those are the things that I had to talk about in depth. And much as I’d like to go through every song, I’m sure none of you would like me to go through every song. But there was a ton to take in, and a ton to mull over, learn, and experience. So here’s the highlight reel.
The Good
The first thing was how intimate this show was…and then at times how much it challenged your senses. On certain songs, the band was all around you…on bridges, behind the stage, on the outer circle stage…and yet they would still connect musically and facially with each other. The end of Beautiful Day with just Edge and Bono standing next to each other improvising was amazing. Could have been two guys playing in a coffee shop. And the whole band standing around each other doing Still Haven’t Found. Intensely intimate.
Yes. I did cry. Literal tears. During Walk On, and the Amazing Grace intro to Streets. But my wife cried too, and so did a lot of other people around us.
The sonic power yet space they create is incredible. That makes no sense, I know. You have to see them live to get it.
Edge holds those songs together. He is doing so much…guitars, loops, backing synths, piano, vocals, and at times leading the band. The parts he chooses are just perfect for the textures of each song, whether the song needs something in the background, something structural, something driving, something to pull the band along, or to support it. And many times it’s not at all where you would expect a guitar player to go. But it’s just what the song needs. I’ve known this, but to see it unfold live right in front of you, is something else.
They played 24 songs. And believed every one of them.
These guys play as a band better than anyone I’ve ever seen. They play to loops and click tracks live, are moving all over the stage of 360 degrees and with an outer ring and two bridges, and yet still somehow manage to improvise. In at least 5 songs, Bono was motioning to the band to give certain dynamics and to hang on or cut out, and they followed and supported perfectly. It’s awesome to watch Edge at those times. He watches Bono like a hawk.
The passion that pours out of Bono. Say what you like about him, and I will too. He does do some dumb things on stage. But seeing him live…he feels the living daylights out of every word he sings. It’s inspiring to watch.
Edge’s sound is fantastic. I know, I know, I’ve said that before. But honestly, I was a little nervous hearing it live for the first time, in case it didn’t measure up. And it actually went beyond my expectations…even though I mentally prepared myself to be objective about it if it wasn’t up to snuff. The sheer weight of the tone coming from the amps…and yet still clear…but yet still warm…can tone be icy and warm at the same time? I didn’t think so, but I guess it can. Amazing.
Adam is cool. And every bass player should take a page from him on how well he supports the melodic lines of the other instruments.
Bono’s voice sounded incredible live! I know it’s changed from when he was younger, but last night it sounded crisp and full, and just grabbed you. He’s still got it, and in a large way. Some of the improvised melodies on With or Without You, Streets, Walk On, Magnificent…wow.
U2 has a lot of fun. It was awesome to see them just laughing with each other, playing around, to see Edge smiling and shaking his head good-naturedly at some of the dumb things Bono said, and to see Bono laughing at himself after saying certain things. Very, very cool to see, and gave the whole night a very natural and close feel…even amongst 97,000 people. At one point, Bono even caught Edge off guard. He was saying something about some random song they did a little piece of…I think it was Stand by Me, after Still Haven’t Found. And then he just off the cuff asked Edge if he had anything to add. And Edge just kind of said, ‘Oh! Uh…no…he’s great, like you said.’ And then Bono said something like, ‘Whoa. He doesn’t speak much; but when he does!’ lol It was great, and just set you at ease.
Larry is ripped.
I love seeing the mistakes. On the beginning of Beautiful Day, something went wrong with Edge’s guitar. The first few harmonics were incredibly low in the mix. And the look he gave his guitar tech, Dallas, under the stage…haha. Yikes. The best look ever as he motioned with his hand to up the volume. It was very funny.
The sound system was amazing! Everything was so well balanced. You could hear the backing vocals…but not too loud. You could hear Larry’s toms…but right where they should be. That was cool, and very refreshing, too.
I hate to harp on it…but what a ride on that wave of emotion, fueled by sound and melody. It was so rad to see Edge feeling that same thing too. I’d watch him as he played parts, just gaze across the enraptured audience, and then just close his eyes as he finished out his part, allowing the sound to come over him as well. Feeling like you and the band are one, and feeling the same things…now there’s an experience.
No Line plays really well live.
Being in a crowd like that, everyone just screaming the songs and throwing their bodies at the songs…wow. Humbling to be a part of something that big. I yelled constantly.
Their songs simply moved me. To a place I’ve never been before.
And get this. Tone is hugely in the hands. Gear is really, really important, too. Don’t get me wrong. But right before U2 came out, Edge’s tech Dallas came out and tested a few of his guitars, and all his different effects for each song. And I almost had a heart attack. The tone, from Edge’s exact gear, was thin, brittle, a little harsh, and yet also very unclear. It was still good tone, but it was far from the best I’d ever heard. And that’s nothing against Dallas, either. I’m sure he’s a great guitarist in his own rite. But on Edge’s gear, it just wasn’t Edge’s sound. And then Edge came out…and whoa. Immediate touch difference. It was a softer touch…almost as if he was coaxing the sound out of the guitar. And suddenly there it was. Edge’s sound. I also noticed this waiting in line outside the stadium when they were sound-checking his guitar. Through that awesome sound system, his sound just wasn’t that great. But…once he starts playing…there it is. Very interesting.
The live arrangement of Moment of Surrender is way better than the album version. Album is decent. Live is goosebumps and open-heart surgery.
Like I said, Bono does some odd things for showmanship. And I have most of their live dvd’s. I know his antics. But live? This is gonna sound weird…but they work live. It’s almost as if he turns off the filter of thought, and just acts on sheer adrenaline and emotion from the particular song, and just goes. And some of the stuff that watching back looks dumb, is actually really, really fun live. And it really gets the crowd engaged. Even if it’s laughing and hooting. Definitely something to learn there.
Larry is the tightest drummer I have ever heard. Perfect.
On City of Blinding Lights, towards the end, something must’ve gotten bumped on Edge’s delay setting. Because it was ever so slightly off. (Or maybe I’m just crazy.) But he realized it, and started playing off the beat ever so slightly to compensate. It was amazing. And that is a beautiful song.
I almost lost it so many times. The soul on the solo of Unknown Caller, the candor of In a Little While, the love of Streets, the ambience of Magnificent.
Oh, Edge’s sound.
Not even joking, earlier this year, my wife asked me what were the songs that I hoped they’d do but that I was sure they wouldn’t. And both Ultraviolet and and Unforgettable Fire were on my list. And they did them both. It was incredible to be there with her.
The Bad
U2 is not perfect. (Much as I’d like to think they are.) But I tried so very hard, and ended up succeeding, in just for one night, turning off my critical mind, and allowing myself to be taken somewhere. It’s extremely therapeutic to allow that to happen to you every once in a while. The trouble is finding something worthy enough to have that happen with. So I didn’t notice too much bad. And I watched back most of the youtube broadcast afterwards…and there really wasn’t much bad anyway! Just a special, special experience. But the little things, mics not being on, Adam on the wrong string for a couple notes, most of that was absolutely lost on me, and the rest of us in the pit. I was way too busy just singing my heart out, jumping on people, yelling loud enough to scare myself, and letting the music take me. I highly suggest it. Just for a night. I’ve never felt better.
And if you’re looking for some bad reviews, feel free to check the internet. There’s plenty. They don’t run around enough/they run around too much and it’s not intimate enough. The crowd wasn’t into it enough/people were too into it and squished me. They played too many songs from x album/they didn’t play enough songs from x album. Bono’s not a good enough showman/Bono’s showmanship annoys me. It’s too loud and muddy/it was too soft and tinny. We’ve all got opinions, and many of them are valid. But this whole post was more so about letting go and feeling the music. Some incredible music.
So…as is my regrettable custom, I start off by saying something is beyond words; and then I use a ton of words to describe it. So I should probably stop now. But here’s the rest of the pictures and videos. Terrible quality video, but it’ll be out on dvd soon.
And lastly, my favorite picture of the night. It’s like, the perfect personification of how Edge exists in my mind:
hehe Just a brilliant white light. lol This was not planned…it’s just an extremely oddly symbolic picture. haha
I am so sorry, but nothing else does this evening justice: a spiritual experience.
Well, I’m not sure if anyone will read this post, as this is about the time leading up to the concert, and I’m posting it at the same time as I give a review of the actual concert (see the above post). However, the time leading up to it was just as exciting and experiential as the concert itself. No, that’s a lie. But in its own rite, important. So here ya go:
Saturday, 4:30 PM.
We got to the Rose Bowl in the late afternoon, on the off chance that we might see a member of the band, hear a soundcheck, or be able to make friends with a security guard or something. Of course, none of that happened. But we did get to stroll around the stadium and get a good idea of the layout of the grounds…the last time for a long time that we’d actually be able to see ground. And we got to see the top of The Claw, as they were still building it up. And we saw the people already camping out. Awesome. We thought about camping out, but in the end, I really wanted to shower in the morning, because we knew that this concert was going out live over youtube and getting filmed for a dvd. And of course, you’ll be able to make out my showered or unshowered body in the sea of 96,999 other people. Hey, I like to look good.
Saturday, 7:00 PM.
We made it to True Tone in Santa Monica. No Edge. But the chances of actually seeing Edge there were pretty small. Okay…really small. It’s more an excuse to go to True Tone, and for my wife and I to hang out at the 3rd and 4th Street Promenade. Mmmm…True Tone.
Saturday, 9:00 PM.
Stuck in an underground parking structure off of La Brea. Ya, we forgot some stuff and had to go shopping. And it’s difficult to park in LA on a Saturday night. So, we’re in this structure, and all of a sudden lines just start to back up. It looks like the computer-controlled exits all went down at the same time. And then the actual people (you know they still hire some of those?), won’t let anyone out by just lifting the gate arms, even though the first hour of parking is free and the main store there is Target. You don’t stay in Target more than an hour–they don’t sell guitar gear. How much money could you possibly lose just lifting the gates while you reboot the system? Obviously more than I would think, I guess, because they didn’t. We finally found the one lady who was letting people out. My life flashed before my eyes (I don’t think that phrase really works here), as I thought I might spend the U2 concert in a Target parking structure. Ya, the concert wasn’t until the next day. I guess I can get a little bit dramatic when it comes to music. Can anyone say buffer versus true bypass? hehe Hey. It makes a difference.
Saturday, 11:00 PM.
Yard House in Pasadena. My last meal before the next evening. When I get excited, I can’t eat. Yep. It was that bad.
Saturday, 11:30 PM.
At our hotel in Pasadena. And I am of course, freaking out, and quite ecstatic about the morning.
Sunday, 6:00 AM.
Awake. At this point I checked online, and found out that 550 people camped out at the Rose Bowl and were already in the GA line. GA stands for general admission, and is access to the floor of the stadium. However, how close you are to the stage, from first row to the very back, is first come first serve. So at least now I don’t have to freak out about getting in the first 50. The concert is laid out with a ring around the main stage, with bridges to it from the main stage. And that outer ring creates an inner space, with more of a club atmosphere. We heard they were only letting 2500 into that space, so we figured if we showed up by about 9:00 we’d be good.
Sunday, 7:30 AM.
Packing up the hotel room. We had the tv on, and there was a cowboy holding a gun to someone’s head, but I guess the guy with the gun to his head can make earthquakes with his mind? Or, at least make the camera shake in a very soap opera-ish fashion. And now it looks like the young kid in the bad cowboy crowd is saying goodbye to the girl he loves in the town his gang has taken over. He knows he should stay and help, but it looks as if the bad cowboy gang is the closest thing to a family that he’s ever had.
Sunday, 8:00 AM.
At a Starbucks for breakfast. I don’t like coffee. But Starbucks has fantastic water. And my wife adores pumpkin spice.
Sunday, 8:25 AM.
Getting lost. They shut down the 210 west. Which is a big deal. Apparently there’s going to be a lot of people in Pasadena today? Not sure the logic of shutting down a freeway to help the traffic, but…I am not a person who runs Pasadena.
Sunday, 8:45 AM.
In the parking lot, and walking to the Rose Bowl. The Claw is enormous. And you gotta remember that the Rose Bowl has two decks. You can only see the upper one from the outside, because the lower one and the field are built below ground level. And we can still see the Claw.
Sunday, 9:00 AM.
In line. Absolutely crazy. U2 doesn’t go on for about 12 hours, and there’s already over 1,000 people ahead of us in line. What idiots.
And everyone in line has ez-ups, coolers, lawn chairs, ipod docks, barb-q’s (yep), blankets, umbrellas, sunscreen, and board games. We brought some crackers and water. That’s right. You’re not a real U2 fan unless you’re in the pit, completely sunburned and heat-stricken. Rock ‘n roll.
And they played ‘Zest for Love’ about 8 million times. Must be their system check song for some reason. But it was amazing to hear it keep getting clearer and clearer. Amazing sounding system in there. Even from outside the stadium, you could hear every instrument crystal clear…best sounding cd you’ve ever heard. I was very impressed. And I have this weird urge, too, to love…zestily.
Sunday, 12:00 PM.
Well, they numbered us!! We are going to see U2!! And we’re in the first 1250, which is supposed to be the first wave into the stadium, and first shot at the inner circle of 2500 people. So we’re stoked! Supposedly, they’re going to let in five sections of 250 for the first 1250. Rock. Edge, watch out.
Sunday, 1:00 PM.
And the madness begins. There is no more golf course, no more ground anywhere. We’re 1201 and 1202 in line, and then the line wraps behind us about 3 times, and then into another golf course, and we can’t see the end of it. Has to be at least 5,000 people by now. But it is so awesome to be amongst a bunch of other U2 fans. And not just because it’s U2. There are very few opportunities in life just to be with people who are united with a common goal, and common interest. There was a huge energy! Well, and then that energy was balanced back out by the 90 degree heat, and sitting in the sun for the last 4 hours. But people are cool. The people in front of us even let us use their blanket, seeing as we…ya…brought none. I guess I was just counting on my love for U2 to carry me all day. Oh! And every other car was having a tailgate party and playing U2. So rad! But almost every one was playing their B-sides. Almost as if we were all trying to prove to each other that we were the coolest and most ‘indie’ fan of this multi-platinum artist. hehe And there was ‘the guy’; the one trying to audition for Bono’s role during every U2 song played from someone’s ipod dock. Very loudly, and with much vibrato. People rock.
Oh, and the sound-checking guitar is obviously not Edge. I gotta say, I am amazed how much tone is in the hands. That’s his rig, but not his tone.
Sunday, 2:00 PM.
They have now given us all wristbands, in addition to the numbers on our hands. I don’t know why. But it makes me feel more secure. I must see them.
Sunday, 3:00 PM.
Waiting.
Sunday, 4:00 PM.
Still waiting.
Sunday, 4:30 PM.
Oh, sweet mercy! So, there’s only so long, I suppose, that you can control a crowd of 20,000 people. Jamianne and I went off to find some water somewhere so as not to die. As we were coming back, we decided to walk up the GA line just to see everything, maybe meet some interesting people. So as we walk by the front of the line, we see them moving the first group of 250 closer to the entrance gates. Awesome, we think. They weren’t supposed to do this until 5. So maybe all the groups will get in early. Apparently though, no one told the next group of 250 what was going on. Or they did, and they just couldn’t take it anymore. Or people were jumping in line. I did talk to a couple who thought for sure that showing up at 4 meant they were going to get in the inner circle. They were more than a little disappointed when I said they’d been numbering us since 8 in the morning, and that the line stretched for probably 5,000 to 10,000 people by now. Whatever the reason, as we’re walking back to our spot, right when we get to it, we look to our left, and the entire line just starts stampeding. So, as any good citizen of any big riotous mob would do, we jump in and start running too! It was like racing through a refugee camp. People just up and started running for the gate. Lawn chairs, clothes, food, barb-q’s, full ez-ups, all just left, and then run over by the mob. When the next 250 started moving, I guess, it just started a chain reaction, nobody knew what was happening, and the safest thing we all figured to do was just to run with the mob. Here’s what it looked like when we stopped, and there’s more people after where it looks like it ends. It doesn’t end there, it’s just a rise in the hill:
Ya. So those numbers on our hands? Yep. Didn’t mean a thing. But it’s totally cool. I mean, in a way, I was stoked on the energy of this crowd. It’s a rock ‘n roll show! (And you might disagree, and I hear ya. But 10,000 people right then sure thought it was a rock ‘n roll show. ) There’s only so much crowd control you can do with a line of 10,000 people (and about 30,000 more milling about the grounds and having tailgate parties) without very large guns. And about one trash can and one portable toilet per every 500 people outside the stadium? And the promise of U2 once you got in the stadium? Yep. It was more than the angry mob could handle. hehe And they’re allowing 2500 people in the inner circle, and then there’s even more incredible places on the outer circle, as U2 spends tons of times walking around during the show. So it’ll all work out, and we’ll all get great seats. We saw some higher numbered hands in front of us; but we also saw some lower numbered hands right next to us. So no worries. Apparently not for everyone. hehe Lots of interesting and colorful conversations. But for the most part, this is a 97,000 person rock ‘n roll concert. You just gotta enjoy the ride.
Sunday, 4:45 PM.
Okay. To make matters worse, U2 starts to soundcheck ‘Magnificent’ right as the mob comes to a halt. And this is the first time we’ve heard the actual band playing, not their techs. So as this one event staff tries to instruct the mob using what had to be the smallest megaphone known to man, everyone is paying absolutely no attention; but instead screaming ‘It’s Bono! That’s Bono!’ So finally…I don’t know if they just put out the word to find the biggest security guards in the Pasadena area who could make it to the Rose Bowl in a half hour or what…but all of a sudden the hugest security guards were out, and of course cops started lining the mob, and we went in, in not so much numbered waves, as random clusters.
Sunday, 5:00 PM.
In the gates. Some security are saying run, there’s too many people for us to move slowly. Others are saying walk, there’s too many people for someone to go down. Most people followed the first advice.
Sunday, 5:10 PM.
Alright. For all my nonsense about touching Edge, and getting pulled on stage by him, none of that is really possible. I know it’s odd, but Edge actually doesn’t know me. I know. Shocker. So in reality, all I cared about was hearing stage volume from his amps. I know the house system is amazing, and I know he knows how to mic his amps, but it does not matter. If I am going to see him play live, I want to hear some sound pure and direct from his speakers. And we did. We got into the inner circle, about 5 feet back from the front rail, in front of Edge. His amps were facing directly at our heads. Perfect placement.
Sunday, 5:30 PM.
Pandemonium. We’re packed up like sardines in here, which is awesome. It’s a show, and we need to be close to feel the collective love from each other. But we are so close to each other, and there are people leaving for food, drinks, and beer, and then coming back and expecting their spots to still be there. hehehe And then there are people sitting. And others falling on top of them…because when you sit in a mob of people, from anywhere other than where you are sitting, your spot looks like empty space towards which everyone else is trying to get. And then there are my favorite people. The ones criticizing how dirty it is amongst all those people, and how rude it is for people to touch them, and how it’s too noisy. Amongst 2500 squished in, sunburned, bedraggled music fans. Hey. You gotta hand it to their optimism, I suppose. They apparently, truly thought the mob would be well-mannered.
Sunday, 7:15 PM.
Black Eyed Peas. And you know what? My respect grew for their musical abilities. Some catchy melodies and beats (mixed with some really terrible stuff, in my humble opinion), and I liked the melding of urban music with actual instruments. Pretty cool. But my respect for the band itself? Not so much. They had Slash come out, and they did the longest and worst cover ever of Sweet Child of Mine. And Fergie danced up on Slash while he was solo’ing. And it was awkward. He could be her grandfather. And actually, the only time the crowd went crazy for them was when she shook something. And she’s got a good voice, too; she shouldn’t have to do that. And they all know that they are really, really cool. Oh. And too many male pelvic thrusts than I normally care to see in an evening. But their drummer was extremely talented, in a very minimalistic way. Cool. Oh, and there were definitely some dancing radios. Awkward:
Sunday, 8:35 PM.
The world stops. Edge’s amps are revealed:
And the rest is just pure bliss. hehe And bliss in the post above. And of course bliss in my heart…forever and ever. Childish? Yes. But so is standing in a living heat stroke for 12 hours to see U2…absolutely worth every minute of it.
There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who embrace the beauty, and those who lie. And as usual, I’m kidding…just not very much. U2 somehow manages to sneak into so many posts here, that I try very hard to do precious few (the emphasis being on ‘precious’) posts solely on them. But this weekend I must make an exception. For they will be in Southern California. This is where I live. They will be close to me. How close, however, is dependent upon a few things:
How little sleep can I function on?
How many cops will be surrounding them?
Is getting a chance for the Edge to tell me the secret to great tone worth a few nights sharing a small, barred room with the wonderful citizens of Los Angeles?
If I do get close enough to Edge for him to tell me the secret to great tone, and he says, ‘it’s in the hands’, how many years of depression will I suffer?
Adam Clayton will probably have no security. Perhaps he’s a better target…I mean, mark. Nope. A better person to casually hunt for. Ugh. Um, to hope that perhaps there is an off-chance I might see?
Will Edge visit True Tone Music in Santa Monica?
Probably not.
But if one of his ‘76 Explorers mysteriously ‘goes missing’, will he then have to visit True Tone for a replacement?
Will Edge let me hug him? (Bono probably would, but that’s a different thing entirely.)
So in order for these things to come true (except for the stealing of an Explorer…Edge, I will not do that…but the hugs? Oh most definitely), my wife and I are leaving tomorrow for the great ‘Edge Watch’ in Hollywood. We’ll scope out True Tone, Vintage Gear Hollywood, Guitar Center (I guess…my respect for Edge will significantly go down if I see him there, hehe…no…it won’t), and maybe Amp Shop in Ventura. My goal is to find him in a guitar shop, silently usher him towards a bench in front of a Matchless, hand him a Gibson ES335, and say, ‘Go.’ And then I will watch, and there will be much rejoicing. (Oh, and we’ll probably have to stick a Damage Control Timeline delay in that 335–>Matchless chain somewhere. I’ll just keep that in my back pocket for when the time comes.)
But in all seriousness, Sunday will be a wonderful day. I’ve never seen them live, due to some previously unfortunate personal musical tastes, two of their tours ago, involving finger-tapping, pinched harmonics, and Tourniquet; and then on their last tour, I had a little problem with my finances (meaning, I had none). So I’m very, very stoked. And expecting my life to never be the same again. And it must be said how incredible a wife I have. Those of you who are as of yet unmarried, should you happen to meet a girl who, when accidentally overhearing of a big boy crush you may or may not have on a certain band…should she actually be okay with that…marry her now. My wife not only bought the tickets for my birthday, but she is also traipsing around Hollywood with me tomorrow as I try to spot Edge (you thought that one was a joke, but oh…it is not), and got us a hotel room by the Rose Bowl so that we can get in line early enough to be in the inner circle during the concert. Either she really, really loves me, or she’s planning on getting a really, really nice anniversary getaway from me later on this year. I’m going with both. (I love you, Sweetheart.)
And to add to the gloriousness, they are filming this concert for a dvd, and broadcasting it live over youtube Sunday night. Now, as much as I joke about it, I do understand that there are people (inexplicably) who do not dig U2. However, go ahead and watch the broadcast, and look for me. I promise I will make it worth your while. Granted, it will still be more worthwhile to U2 fans, but hey. Here’s how to spot me:
I’ll be in the inner circle, Edge’s side (of course), and sweet-mercy-I-hope-so, in the very front.
Look for the cluster of security guards.
Listen for probably the only expressions of love and adoration coming from a male voice.
Watch for blue Herdim picks being thrown at the Edge, in hopes that he will actually use one that has touched my guitar.
Look for the glistening tears reflecting the ‘City of Blinding Lights.’
If you hear someone yelling, ‘Edge! Face-melting solo!’ , it is definitely not me.
Oh, and I do plan on leading the crowd in chants of ‘Please! Get up off your knees! Now please…’ right before the first encore. And I fully expect them to just burst into it. ‘So you never knew love…’ Oh. I am getting excited.
I will try to post updates throughout the weekend here on the blog as much as I can (and maybe actually use that cursed little thing called ‘twitter’…which I vowed never to use), but for the most part, I’m just going to enjoy myself, and my time with Jamianne. But ya…if Edge actually does walk into True Tone, and we go have frozen yogurt and talk shop, you’ll definitely hear about it. (Kind of sad that in my wildest fantasy, I’m having frozen yogurt with another guitarist.) U2 is another type of experience altogether. And I plan on being close enough to catch some stage volume from the Vox’s.
Splendid.
Karl.
P.S. Ambient pad and loop, free downloads will be up soon, as will a Diamond Memory Lane demo, and a Tim/Fulldrive/Liquid Blues shootout. I understand that the last few days have been some probably fairly useless and perhaps slightly annoying posts. So my apologies. I’ve been trying to keep the blog going, while playing a full schedule of churches the last two weeks, recording pads, and getting ready to see U2. Oh, and keeping my normal job going, and watching my little sis get married. I try not to go into too much personal stuff here, but just so it’s clear that it’s not that I’m losing interest, it’s that life itself has just been extremely interesting lately. As always, thanks for reading, and I truly hope that in some small way, this blog has been able to help at least a little bit with finding new and passionate ways to glorify our Creator through two of His greatest creations…music and life. Cheers.
I don’t have a doorbell. I live in an apartment. I chose gear instead of a house. I figure, I have plenty of time to get a house. But that original version Damage Control Timeline (I’m pretty sure there’s only one version, but if you say ‘original version’, you’re technically not wrong, and it sounds way cooler); now the auction for that was ending in like, two days. You do the math. Gear. So then, why is this post called something about a doorbell? Well, my wife was just listening to that White Stripes song, and it’s like the catchiest ever, and this is a post about what I’ve been thinking lately. It is very difficult to sift through my head sometimes. And as difficulty tends to not be easy, and I tend to like easy things, I just don’t sift. But then I had the problem of having no title for this post. So then I listened to the appalling catchiness coming from my wife’s computer speakers, and hence, ‘I Been Thinkin’ About My Doorbell.’ Not much sense to be had, I get it. But then again, let’s be honest; do you actually come to this blog because I ever make sense? Ya. Guessing no on that one. So here’s what I’ve been thinking:
Strymon is coming out with a new delay. I do not need another delay. I want it.
Edge is about six hours away from me at this very moment. Mmmmm. (I apologize if the ‘mmmmm’ frightens you, but, it’s kind of the only sound the human body is capable of making when lathered in the lovely droves of delay, Edge’s melodic mind, and about 7 amps, including 2 1960’s AC30’s. So, my apologies, but……mmmmmmmm.)
Jack White is really good!
The other night I was old. Some kids wanted to sell me something at the ‘insane’ hour of about 8:30 PM (I know), and I wished I had a doorbell, because they were pounding on our apartment door. I griped for a while. And then another while (what in the world is a ‘while’?). And then I realized that at 25, I have become old. What happens when I’m 85?
Meg White? Ya…not so much. (That’s probably horrible to say, and I’m sure you’re a lovely person…but those drums…)
I went outside tonight to see if I could hear Edge’s guitar from Phoenix. I have this theory that his tone is so real, integral, and uncompromised, that it will actually be able to travel from Phoenix to here, because the sound waves are so steady, and ringing at the exact right frequency, so as to cut through the ‘mix of life.’ (I’ve put my whole theory on this into documentation, complete with the mathematical equations, algorithms, and of course accounting for the amount of delay on his guitar; except without the equations, algorithms, or documentation. But I did account for the delay!) I am almost positive that I could hear his tone. It was a little hard to tell, though, if it was his tone from Phoenix, or his tone from my ipod dock playing U2. (Hey, ‘Breathe’ was playing, and I couldn’t turn it off right before the solo! Psshh. Come on! ……Hmmm, ‘psshh’ doesn’t seem to work right when written. Or maybe even said.)
I wish I was John Williams.
Fedex is the worst.
I’ve fallen into the habit of subtly ‘promoting myself’ in general conversation. You know, steering the conversation towards things I’ve done, and towards my self-inflated and quite actually non-existent pedigree. Nasty and gross habit.
I love bass players. I’ve said it before, but us electric guitar players cannot do anything without you guys anchoring the harmonic structure.
Okay, this is not a joke. As I’m writing this, my wife is watching a youtube clip of Judy Garland as a little girl in some movie, singing to a picture of her ‘hero’, Clark Gable, ‘You Made Me Love You.’ And my wife just leaned over to me and said, ‘Is that how you sing to your picture of Edge, when I’m not around? ‘You made me love you!” This happened about 19 seconds ago. That is not made up.
There is a lot to do in this world. And I waste a lot of time.
Change your tubes.
Is it bad when you find yourself not paying attention to the message, because you’re gazing past the pastor, lovingly at the lights on your amp on stage, and then you can’t remember for how long that’s been going on?
I used to sing a song in Sunday School that just said, ‘Read your Bible, pray every day.’ And for all the ‘deep spiritual concepts’ and ‘contextual-Biblical-armenian-free-will-determinism-leadership-what-not’ that I feel I’ve learned about, it’s almost always the simple stuff I learned in Sunday school that makes the most real world difference.
I can’t imagine life without music.
When people comment on how big my pedalboard is, I usually pass it off with some joke about how most of the pedals are not even plugged in, but I just keep them on the board to look cool. I just looked at my pedalboard while typing this (and yes…there was all the tenderness in that look that you’re afraid there was), and realized that I actually do have a pedal on my board that has not been plugged in for about a month. But it does look really, really cool right there!
I love gear. Very much so. More than many other things in life towards which my love would be more rational. But there are times…precious few times, but there are times…when gear can be left behind, and beautiful music still happens. This is one of those instances. Full band, huge sound, no sound reinforcement. No amps, no sound system, just them. This is the best thing you’ve ever seen. (I thought about not saying that, but then I decided to.) The whole thing is good, but skip to about 2:20 for the start of the splendor:
Fantastic. And I was going to put all my gear up for sale after watching this, but then I realized that they were using natural echo as a form of delay. And all was once again right with the world.
But no, they are not. They’re a reference to use as a tool to help you decide which pedal might help make your tone the stuff tears are made out of. But it’s always a good idea to try these things out for yourself.
