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Post by bmac on Apr 14, 2016 21:43:39 GMT
This question is for the folks who have already attended a show, although it makes sense for those who haven't gone yet to chime in as well. While I am happy beyond belief that Jeff is touring, and the reviews for the shows have been beyond what I think any of us could have expected, the length of the shows have been less than I would have hoped. My question for those who have gone is this. When you were leaving the building after the show were you thinking that you could have used another half hour or so of music, or were you so blown away that it didn't really even occur to you. Perhaps you felt that Jeff's music plays better in a shorter time span. I am a big Springsteen fan and his shows are generally 3 and a half hour marathons. But he has a lot more songs to choose from, his band has been with him forever and his music seems to go well with longer shows.
Nowadays shows generally last from two hours onward. I know for sure he has enough songs to choose from to stretch the show out a bit. Perhaps he wanted the band (and himself) to get comfortable before adding to the show.
The above is not a knock on Jeff at all, just curious what other people thought.
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Post by sparky123 on Apr 14, 2016 22:21:08 GMT
I was happy enough with the length of the show, he played the songs I wanted to hear plus some more so even though it was only 1.5 hours long it didn't feel lacking, not for me, obviously a few more tunes wouldn't have gone amiss. What did surprised me was he didn't engage with the audience much, I thought he might have and there were some lengthy pauses between songs.
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Post by dillwyn on Apr 14, 2016 22:31:00 GMT
the man is pushing toward 70, hasn't toured for 25+ years, he has signed up to something like 20 date tour...physically 1.5 hours is more than enough!
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Post by fourlittlediamonds on Apr 14, 2016 22:45:33 GMT
More like 35 years. Jeff is, by nature, I think quite a shy bloke and was happy to let Bev come down and do the announcements and chat with the audience in the old days. I'll admit, given the ticket prices, I would have liked a longer show but let's face it, we're lucky its happening at all and it won't spoil my anticipation and enjoyment of what looks like a great show.
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Post by ShardEnder on Apr 14, 2016 22:52:51 GMT
The fans I feel most sorry for are those who saw ELO on either the Time Tour or their handful of shows in 1986, where Jeff especially seemed to think it was better value for money if so many of the hits people wanted to hear were played through at break-neck speed, often in heavily truncated forms as part of larger medleys, with some concerts barely passing the hour mark before the house lights went up...
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Post by wilko on Apr 14, 2016 23:20:31 GMT
The fans I feel most sorry for are those who saw ELO on either the Time Tour or their handful of shows in 1986, where Jeff especially seemed to think it was better value for money if so many of the hits people wanted to hear were played through at break-neck speed, often in heavily truncated forms as part of larger medleys, with some concerts barely passing the hour mark before the house lights went up... I saw them on the Time tour and agree that the medley was very frustrating but I was just overwhelmed by seeing my favourite band at last. Jeff never has really engaged with the audience though, has he? It's not an age thing - I saw Leonard Cohen recently and he played for over 3 hours - I just think he wants to get it over and done with as quickly as is reasonably possible.
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Post by eldorado on Apr 15, 2016 7:57:37 GMT
Just glad it's longer than the Porchester show. Felt pretty gutted at the set length (and choice of songs) that night. I'm not seeing an arena show til next Friday but I suspect as a Springsteen fan, it will seem short to me
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Post by eldorado on Apr 15, 2016 7:59:17 GMT
Mind you, just thinking about it; will it be longer than Porchester. Probably not by much actually.
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Post by jackpunch on Apr 15, 2016 10:33:23 GMT
It's actually about 1hr45, and if he could bring himself to chat a bit more, it wouldnt be far off 2 hours. I havent heard anyone complain at either of the gigs I been to, just lots of very very happy people.
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Post by bmac on Apr 15, 2016 17:26:22 GMT
Just glad it's longer than the Porchester show. Felt pretty gutted at the set length (and choice of songs) that night. I'm not seeing an arena show til next Friday but I suspect as a Springsteen fan, it will seem short to me It will feel like the old days when Bruce would have an intermission and then go out and do another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You'll be asking yourself why everyone is going home.
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Post by queenofthehours on Apr 15, 2016 21:05:56 GMT
No ELO show is ever going to be long enough. I could quite happily have sat there all night listening to Jeff and the band but getting what you want is mostly never healthy.
I thought the length was fine. It didn't seem at all like a short show to me. Perhaps because there was no lag, no filler, no time to look at your watch. It was as if the whole night was one long ELO megamix that totally immersed you in another world. The lights, the music, Jeff's presence - it was all like eating too many sweets, a huge tooth-tingling sugar rush. Any more than the run-time that was chosen would probably induce a headache. I was quite satisfied by the show length, ELO quit while they were ahead. I think the length was judged just right.
As to Jeff's engaging with the audience, his very presence was magnetic enough. I don't remember much of what he said at Liverpool because I was too high to pay sufficient attention, but I remember what he did say as being to the point. The main thing I love about him is that he doesn't do anything that's expected of a star, he's his own person with no need of the meaningless generalities other live performers come up with. I remember him saying a few things about playing live again and how kind Liverpool was being to him. Everything he did say was said in such a way that it was meaningful and as if he was talking just to you.
It would have been nice to hear more from Jeff as he's a great bloke to listen to. I love listening to performers engaging with the audience. Gary Brooker of Procol Harum loves to talk and listening to his stories is just as good as hearing the songs but Procol don't have ELO's pressure to make the tour a success nor their intergalactic light show which I think really did the speaking for Jeff. The lights and the songs held enough engagement for the audience as they stirred such deep emotions. The songs spoke for themselves. All we really wanted anyway was to see Jeff sing those songs we love in front of us and that's exactly what we got. And it's what he enjoys, simply playing his music, we wouldn't want him feeling awkward chatting if it isn't his thing to speak at length.
I thought the pace was comfortable. Not rushed but fairly well paced with no tiresome gaps between songs. I think Jeff is pacing himself, he looked very comfortable yet also like a man in control - it's a long tour to start with after all these years. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes more animated towards the end of it.
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