General Discussions and Links about Brendan Perry  »   When you saw Brendan Perry or DCD perform live...

Hey Xaviers! How's it goin? I've been sleeping for a while here. Just thought I'd check in. Nice question!

I saw DCD in 2005 in Seattle. The venue was gorgeous! A Victorian masterpiece of architechture, rescued from destruction by a local millionairess, resplendant with red velvet, chandeliers, golden ornate bannesters and moldings. I wore a long red dress, had two of my favorite men with me, my hubby and my cousin. I was wowed and bowled over by how good Brendan and Lisa's voices sounded. Not faded with age, NO! They were rich, clear and true. Loud and expressive. Touched my soul. But Lisa did go on a bit. Too much of her for my liking. To be honest I've gone off her in the last 12 years. I think she's a bit creepy, and I'm not into her glossolalia or motherly attitude toward the audience. I really wanted to see and hear Brendan. I was surprised by his shaven head and few extra pounds, I hadn't expected that. I thought he'd look like he had in the Toward the Within video, but I guess that was a long time ago. Actually, with the gotie, he reminded me of Peter Gabriel's current look.

Also the other musicians weren't the same as the video. I was looking around the stage for Brendan's brother and the bouncey guy with the pony tail on drums. Didn't espy them though. There were some hick ups in the music, perhaps a bit surprising, but the audience hooted and hollared and cheered loud and appreciatively (and trying to get onto the live recording that we all ordered before the show!) between songs. We were all, silent, still and spellbound during the songs. There was a comradery between audience and band. Lisa said we were all beautiful people at the end. She was very flattered by our appreciation. Brendan I'm afraid may have flubbed up on the hurdy gurdy a bit, but heck it's live, a real mistake any of us in his situation would be just as, or more, lival to make. Saltarello was a blast. He introduced it as a bit of medieval rock n' roll. That was fun. I don't think anyone got up out of their seats... There were cameras up taking pictures and recording vid clips.

Most of the audience was dressed in goth attire, which was fun to look at. Some was classy, some was not. All in all it was a once in a lifetime experience that I feel VERY fortunate to have had, having narrowly missed them in London in 1996. I only wish I had a picture of hubby and me outside the theater in our special duds. AND, that we'd known Sigur Ros were playing in the same venue two nights later, and that we had had tickets for that!! Another narrow miss!

I have to admit I had the chance to see DCD only once, during the reunion tour which happened in... I forgot, was it 2005? It was in Milan at "Teatro dal Verme" (Dal Verme Theatre).
It was a big place with a good sound and I was completely astonished, broken, submerged, atomized... whatever, hard to find the words.

I was there, comfortably sit on a chair, and they were singing, sometimes we were singing along, and it all just felt so comfortable, so natural, so... like I was home.
The worst part of it all is that I didn't have a chance to go there with friends. Not with my boyfriend (who probably wouldn't have fully apreciated the experience anyway) and not even with one of my cloesest friend, another big lover of DCD, who was busy in Spain at the time.
This is my only regret, not being able to share those feelings with anyone.
It was such a mixture of terribly strong feelings all spiraling inside of me that it was hard to contain it all. I felt I was about to explode in an outburst of uncontrollable emotions. I know this sounds stupid, but I really felt too little to contain all the feelings I had inside of me at that moment.
It's like, hmmm hard to make a comparison.
Know when you're experiencing something that puts you on the edge of crying (not necessarily tears of sadness) but somehow you control yourself? Yet you feel you're about to explode, about to start crying unable to stop?
Don't know if you ever experienced that, but I felt that way several times during that show.
I was so happy, so full of emotions I couldn't understand but only experience, and I felt I couldn't contain them all inside of me. My regret is that of having been unable to share them with people I care for (and who, like me, could have fully understood and felt the same feelings)

Ok I guess I went to generic, this kind of description (did it even describe anything? lol) is probably not what you were looking for, let's try to get more specific


The Place
It was a big theatre in Milan with good audio and good positioning, I was around in the middle of it all. At the entrance there were some gadgets (mini-book of the tour, t-shirt, and information on how to book for the official bootleg, I got mine ;) two disc set, wonderful!)
Sadly I couldn't buy the t-shirt, I was out of cash :((
There were warm lights on the theatre, but they all went down during the show, only to illuminate the stage with several effects from a "bright background" like a flowing wall of water, to evanescent and very mild lights illuminating only small areas of the stage. Colours went from green to blue to red to a reddish yellow (pardon my oxymorous :P)
Sound was great.


The Show
Don't really remember the whole list but I have it home if you want. You can probably check it if you surf the net.
It was really big, I think the show all in all lasted more than 2 hours? Which is unusual if you ask me, most shows I go to usually last around 75 minutes.
There were a lot of instruments (alas, not all the typical DCD instruments we're used to, but most of them definitely) and they came back on stage several times afer what was supposed to be the end of the show. I think at least two times?
They even improvised a short version of Black Sun, since so many people were asking for it (one of my all-time favourite tracks after all). No trumpets on stage of course.
The artists playing with Lisa & Brendan were all extraordinary, as much as probably they weren't as many as on famous DCD shows like the one in ... New York? The one on the "Towards the Within" CD. This was probably a "small show" compared to that, anyway. Drums were absolutely awesome :)
I was particularly moved by the live voices of Brendan and Lisa. I already knew their voices were good even live (can't be said for all artists), but still I didn't expect them to be THAT good. I was particularly reluctant to believe that for Brendan's voice. Instead I found in front of me an incredibly powerful voice. Deep, impressive, passing through you from side to side and shaking you from within. Really an incredible experience. Lisa's voice was instead more soothing, warm, cuddling you in an ethereal embrace of sounds.
Two noticeable things that made me melt completely:

1) Lisa sung a song I never heard before, in english (can't remember the name now, is it "Goodnight"?) and at the end she cried a couple of tears, feeling completely the emotions feedback from the public back to her, and said "I love you, you're all beautiful!" with such a tiny, kitty voice... I still feel something inside my throat each time I take out that memory out of my brain :)

2) Brendan making a small mistake singing The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove, and recovering with an instantaneous improvisation, without losing a single nanosecond of the rhythm. It's like he was made of rhythm instead of flesh, like he was shaping all the sound around him from within himself, in perfect syncrony. I know this may be the standard for all long-time musicians, but still I found it impressive. Also, being able to experience such an unpredictable event made me think again about the random nature of the whole universe, and about how completely random things can be incredibly powerful and emotionally moving. It was good to see even another human, warm aspect of Brendan, and at the same time I felt so small, such a small, insignificant particle of this limitless univese, but in a good way. I wasn't feeling lost, but somehow it was like opening my eyes and feeling reassured.

Ahaha guess this all sounds like bullshit, sorry but it's very hard for me to explain these things with words. It would be hard even in my mother language, it's certainly even harder to do it in english :)

All-in-all a really incredible experience, I wish there could have been more!

Yes, I guess at least I shared it with other people sitting there with me and enjoying the show :)
About the "on-the-edge-of-crying" thing, I wasn't really close to that, it was just a comparison lol.
The feeling that you experience in that situation (u're about to cry, but somehow you get a hold of yourself, yet you feel you could explode at any moment, unable to contain what you have inside anymore) was similar to how I felt during the show.
I had a lot of emotions, of feelings running inside of my mind, inside of me, and it's like I was feeling too small to contain them all, feeling this need to kinda... dunno, kinda like letting them out of me somehow.
Yes, it's definitely a hard feeling to describe and explain :D

Perhaps getting up and dancing would have relieved that need to get the feelings out. I have found in other circumstances that does the trick!

Yes, I think our brains are wired to think of such things as imaginary and mystical, of the spiritual realm. And it sometimes goes horribly wrong, because beople are not gods, though what they say is spiritual and has a real importance and effect on our lives. William Shatner wrote an excellent song called "Real" in which he tells of fans who expect him to be able to save the world, but he says, "though there's a part of me in that guy you see up there on that screen, I am so much more. And I wish I knew the things you think I do, I would change this world for sure. But I eat and sleep and breathe and bleed and feel. Sorry to dissapoint you, but I'm real."

Oops, was I going Star Trek again...

Michael Hutchence also sang, "I'm counting on you to count the fingers on my hands."

The worst part of it all is that I didn't have a chance to go there with friends.
This is my only regret, not being able to share those feelings with anyone.

I know how you feel, Akumasama.
I have often thought it strange...but, it is simply a fact that when I share an experience with people I know, I get much more enjoyment out of it. I will laugh more at a comedy, when friends are there laughing with me. I feel more deeply, when people I know are experiencing the same drama I am.

And then...there is all the sharing and talking about the experience afterward. Reminiscing, or reliving the experience with others who were there, hearing their take on it, sharing yours. So, I know exactly how you feel.

Know when you're experiencing something that puts you on the edge of crying (not necessarily tears of sadness) but somehow you control yourself? Yet you feel you're about to explode, about to start crying unable to stop?
Don't know if you ever experienced that, but I felt that way several times during that show.

I have experienced this phenomenon a number of times, usually in the context of a religious experience, but I have also felt in listening to music or a movie that invokes a strong emotional response.

I certainly appreciated your description of the concert. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I hope to write about my own expeience when the tour comes through the Americas.

The first time I saw DCD (Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco) I was immediately struck by how refreshingly unpretentious Brendan's stage presence was. He was wearing what looked to be a comfortable knit sweater and had no "rock star" affectations. Unfortunately the show was plagued by frequent technical problems. The amplification completely dropped out several times (which given the intimacy of the venue, wasn't that much of a problem. Particularly when Lisa sang a capella, it was almost better to simply hear her strong voice without needless amp.)

However, the recurring problem clearly frustrated Brendan to the point of anger. The impression was that this was a man who cared very intensely about the quality of the performance. At one point he became so upset that he threatened to throw a pair of drumsticks at the men on the sound board, although he did restrain himself before doing so. At another point, upset by another band member taking too long to tune his instrument, he cut a song short and just glared at the other guy until he was ready. Although we in the audience were very sympathetic, Brendan's intensity was frankly a little intimidating, and was controversial among attendees for some time after the show. However, that personal intensity turned into a major asset during a generously long encore, during which there was a truly intense percussive jam. Brendan was playing with a concentrated fervor like nothing I saw in any subsequent performance. It was then that I realized that he was the rhythmic genius of the band, someone with a gifted sense of syncopation and rhythmic counterpoint. The jam felt like an intentional compensation for the prior technical difficulties, for which Brendan gently apologized at the end of the show. No apology was necessary as the issues were clearly not the band's fault, and because the performance was exceptional in spite of them, or perhaps because of the extra effort to overcome them.

The next time I saw DCD was at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. It was a much more tight and polished performance, which I had mixed feelings about. I liked the raw edge of the prior one, but was grateful for the improved sonic balance and overall professionalism of the show. There was one moment at which the keyboardist seemed to be lagging, for which he got that "Brendan glare." Lisa walked over to him, touched his arm, and seemed to ask if he was okay. He nodded and the performance resumed without further incident.

The final time I saw them was on the reunion/farewell tour, at Oakland's lovely Paramount Theater. There were no "intense Brendan" moments during that show. Indeed his presence seemed to be much more authoritative and confident. His voice was in top form, powerfully expressive and seductive. Although the acceptance that this was their last tour was bittersweet, at least it was a fine note to end on.

I hope it's clear that my frank accounts of these "moments" is respectful with an eye to what made the band fascinating to see live, not intended as gossip or character criticism. Again, my impression was that those moments occurred because Brendan cared very much about the quality of the performance, and as such were justified.

Because this is his forum I won't go on as much about Lisa except to say that she has an endearingly gracious stage presence and that when one hears her sing live, it's obvious that the talent is very real, not the result of some sort of studio enhancements.

There was a funny incident associated with that show. The newspaper ad for it included an old woodcut illustration of a "danse macabre," skeletons dancing. Somehow, some Grateful Dead fans assumed that it was an ad for an "underground" Dead show. At the time, some of San Francisco's better-known bands would perform in small venues using different names, so the misunderstanding wasn't entirely stupid. Plus danse macabre illustrations had long been associated with the Dead. The Dead's telephone hotline had to put a message up to let fans know that it was a different act. Apparently the band knew about the incident, as one of Dead Can Dance's band members wore a Grateful Dead t-shirt during the performance. :-)

Aha, that's great! I'll share the story's denouement with my friends who'll remember the show. I'm sure they'll enjoy the anecdote. Thank you again.

My my, now THAT's something to tell! I'm talking about the Grateful dead "incident".
Ahaha really funny ;D

I could't get tickets for Warsaw 2005,such a pity...but I'm lucky anyway,as Quivvy is just around the corner now :)

Thanks Rainsford. What a bummer. That's gotta be frustrating.

Wow! 5 times! How nice to have them be such a big part of your life.

I consider myself very fortunate. I've seen Dead Can Dance at least 15 times, plus Lisa and Brendan at least once on every solo tour they've done.

The first time for me was 1986. I had just moved to London, my girlfriend of the time had just run off with my best friend and I was in need of some cheering up.

I saw that Dead Can Dance were playing and I knew they were a 4AD band, so they must be at least OK, right. Dif Juz and the Wolfgang Press were also on the bill, along with some people calling themselves the Heavenly Bodies. The doors would open at 17:00, if I remember correctly, so that was a lot of music for the price of one ticket.

I was intrigued by the singer of the Heavenly Bodies and wanted to hear more from her. I didn't have to wait long, because she came back on with Dead Can Dance for the main act. It was, of course, Lisa.

I remember standing there, transfixed for the duration of Dead Can Dance's performance. I had never heard anything so bewitching, so enchanting as Lisa's voice. Equally compelling, though, were the vocals and musicianship of the man with the Shakespearean haircut. He had the demeanour and outfit of a poet, and lyrics profound, erudite and mysterious.

The combination of Lisa and Brendan was mind-blowing. The very next day, I went out and bought all of the records, which was easy, because back then there were only two albums and a 12%22 single.

Since that day, I have gone to every Dead Can Dance concert that I have been able to get to. I managed 15 before the band finally called it quits for good. It should have been 17, but two gigs I turned up to were cancelled, due to Lisa's being sick.

Another special memory for me is the second time I saw the band, at London ULU in 1986. This was the first time I'd heard Xavier and it blew me away with its soaring vocals and dramatic score. I can still recall the profound effect it had on me.

Anyway, here's a list of the gigs I can remember attending. Perhaps there were more, but I think this is all of them.

1986:

08.06.86 Town & Country Club - London - England
21.11.86 University Of London Union - London - England

1987:

06.08.87 Tower Ballroom - Birmingham - England
09.08.87 Town & Country Club - London - England
29.11.87 Sadlers Wells Theatre - London - England

1989:

30.04.89 Town & Country Club - London - England

1990:

11.11.90 Town & Country Club - Kentish Town - London - England

1993:

30.09.93 Muziektheater - Amsterdam - Netherlands

1995 (Lisa):

25.09.95 Carré - Amsterdam - Netherlands

1996:

28.06.96 Carré - Amsterdam - Netherlands

1999 (Brendan):

19.10.99 Melkweg - Amsterdam - Netherlands

2005:

06.04.05 Barbican Centre - London - England
07.04.05 The Forum - Kentish Town - London - England
21.09.05 Paramount Theatre - Oakland - USA
22.09.05 Paramount Theatre - Oakland - USA
25.09.05 Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles - USA
27.09.05 Humphries - San Diego - USA

2007 (Lisa):

20.04.07 World Forum - The Hague - Netherlands
30.10.07 Schouwburg - Rotterdam - Netherlands
13.11.07 Elisabeth Hall - Antwerp - Belgium

2009 (Lisa & Klaus Schulze):

20.09.09 Melkweg Rabozaal - Amsterdam - Netherlands

2010 (Brendan):

20.03.10 Botanique - Brussels - Belgium

I first saw DCD at the Town & Country Club in London in 1986 (the same gig as ianmacd above) and it was a great show. There were The Heavenly Bodies, The Wolfgang Press, Dif Juz, a film by 23 Envelope's Nigel Grierson called Maelstrom and DCD. I just remember it being a lovely hot sunny sunday afternoon. DCD were awesome and I really regretted having to leave before the encore (The Trial?) as I had to catch the last tube home. I was already in love with the music from the records but it was amazing to see it all performed live. I saw them again about 7 times after that.

Fortunately I was able to get to Brendan's show in Paris last week - it was fabulous. I really like the new songs but it was great to hear some of the older classics like 'A Passage in Time' and 'The Arcane' get a run-out again - Brendan's songs are so timeless they never date and it all sounded very fresh. I particularly like 'Love on the Vine' and 'The Golden Rule' so I'm really looking forward to the album after Ark already!

Love and peace
N