Se ptember 21 1994 _Other Press No one moody or blue leaving Deer Lake Vancouver Symphony Orchestra perfect aural complement for old-time rock and rollers _ by Paul Andrew Picture yourself in the perfect setting for a concert. You are outside on a beautiful clear night in a huge park. You have your own lawn chair, necessary provisions to quench your thirst, and your favorite companion by your side. Everyone at the concert is cool. The lights go down and you hear...an orchestra? Waitaminute! Is this a rock concert or Beethoven's fifth symphony? The answer is... YES. Let me explain” The concert in question is the Moody blues with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra(VSO). Before you jump the . gun and think to yourself that this is a ~ concert for your mom and dad, think about it from another angle. For years now, rock bands have been using symphony sound to fill their studio recording so there will be full sound rather than hollow acoustic gaps that would otherwise be hard to fill. The difference at Deer Lake Park on Friday was that the Moody Blues brought the orchestra with them. This is, to say the least, a highly technical endeavor which requires perfect timing from both groups of musicians on stage. Plexiglass barriers between the VSO and the Moody's had to be used so that the music on stage was not mixed with the orchestra behind them(a recording tactic usually reserved for the recording studio). Also, if you have ever been to aVSO concert, you may have noticed that the music from the orchestra is purely acoustic and never amplified. That all changes when you throw in a band like The Moody Blues who rely almost totally on amplifiers and state of the art technology to enhance their sound. However, the sound men at Deer Lake on Friday night made it seem like they do this kind of thing every night! The Moody Blues also made it look as though it were second nature for them to perform their music in front of a fifty- five piece orchestra. A clear, windless night also made the sound that much better as the Moody’s went through all of their most popular tubes, including Nights in White Satin, The Question, and Tuesday Afternoon. Keep in mind that this was a two hour show, and almost every song the band played required full symphony sound to back it up and make it work. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but none of them were quite like this! The Moody Blues were part of the original British Invasion back in the mid- sixties, so these guys are old. Nevertheless, The Moody Blues front-man, Justin Hayward, sounded as though he has not aged a day when he was singing the tunes for the band and playing his trade mark riffs on a beautiful red Gibson hollow- body guitar. Add to that two key-board players and two drummers in the main band on stage, and you will get the picture. There was no holding back at this concert. I am for the most part a hard-core rock fan, but I must say that it was refreshing to hear such crisp delivery and well timed execution from such a large group of musicians on one stage. I was impressed. When the show was finally over(after two encores lasting about half an hour) we simply picked up our lawn chairs and headed for the exits. Perfect! Chestnutt enthralls Lowry Room crowd by Peter Howitt Vic Chestnutt isn’t a good guitar _ player. He isn’t really a good singer. He's crippled... But none of that really matters. ~ He has so much charisma that he could have talked for three hours and been just as entertaining as he was playing his music. Chestnutt played to a full house at the Malcolm Lowry Room Friday Sept. 16. The show was free (!!) and it was a great place to see an acoustic concert. A victim of a drunkdriving accident, Vic played his entire set in a wheel chair. In a white dress shirt, Vic started his set around 11:30 to an overcrowded venue. I would call his a “southern gentleman”, but his obsession with sex.) would void this. For example, I submit the lyric, “the - nude girl on the cross / will be here in a minute / I wish she was / I was gonna wank” Charming southerner, just the same. His music is very soulful, sad country folk (it reminds me of Hank).The sound quality was good. He played a classical guitar with a distortion/clean pattern. After three songs, he declared, “I think all the people talking should go outside and all the people outside should come "Vic played music from all three of his recordings (which were sold at the show). The room was hot, the crowd was restless, and so wasVic. After a while, he started to say, “Well I am going to quit now, I am starting to suck.” The crowd instantly cheered, as we wanted to hear more. Okay, check this out: we don't have a Chestnutt photo to go with Peter's review, and | can't remember when and where Triple Joy (above) is playing. But they are, playing that is, somewhere close, and soon, and you should go. Really. Also soon: Smog, Refrigerator, and local wankers good horsey play the Anza Club (3 W.8th Ave, Vcr.) on Sept 28. Ruins, Hedgehog, and Roughage play the Anza Oct 3. GO QUT HAVE FUN GET BLASTED SLEEP WAKE UP DO IT AGAIN ee bo 55 - 8th Street, ew Westminster, B.C. V3M 3N9 (604) 526-7935 a 15% off for students with vaild student ID ‘the Other Press office, room 1020, « or tox to 527- : 5095 (Attn: Other P ress Hockey Poet)