1998/02/01, The Warehouse, Toronto, Canada

Written by Tony Beck (tbeck@videotron.ca) for Dominion mailing list

So the cop car was double parked in front of our car, it moved and we squeezed past the fire truck, and around the ambulance -- I hope it was nothing serious. For me it was the end of a great day.

3:30 pm
I show up in the parking lot of The Warehouse, find out where the entrance will be (behind a great big garage door thing) and where the line starts. I sit on the ground and read.

4:00 pm
It is cold, people start showing up, by five there are about thirty of us, by seven, few hundred. Some efficiency-minded people show up at four thirty with no coats. My car and luggage are across the street (if I waited in the car I would have been second, or even fifth, and that would not do now would it :), so I loan them sweaters.

There are now hot dog vendors setting up. Adam and Mike are puttering back and forth between inside and the tour bus parked in the lot, Eldritch shows up at 5:30 and is whisked inside (to keep out of the cold). Out of the twenty or so people I talked to in line only two are from Toronto.

At around five a tall guy in black drives up, when asked he says he is from Virtigo, the openers (he has a British accent). At around six, Virtigo leaves, we figure we have to eat or something.

7:45 pm
The coats and sweaters get stored in the car. We shiver violently for 15 minutes.

8:00 pm
First one in! There is a square man in a security jacket and no hair pulling on rubber gloves. He says "I am going to have to search you now." snap go the gloves, security with humor, what luck. Brief patdown and into the main room, walk to the stage, stand in front of it. There is no opening band and so we just wait until 10:30ish

10:25 pm
The stage fills with smoke, solid. The intro starts, then touches of Afterhours, then...

First and Last and Always
Great opener, different sound. This one is a little blurry as I am still shocked that He is five feet in front and above me, singing. I can see he eyes through the shades when he looks at me. This is just foolishly good.

Ribbons
By this point I am actually listening to the music, it sounds REALLY good. I know some people didn't get good sound, but center stage between the soundbooth and the stage seems to be good. Where I was it was the best sound I have EVER heard at a concert. If I had to find fault, it could have been louder, but not much.

Listening to this song it seems as if these guys are really getting together, all four (the nurse for the Doktor could be seen every now and then in a bright orange first-aid parka) musicians here are doing their jobs really well, and mesh perfectly. The song was performed with lots of energy, those of us in the audience who where going to get into this show got into it. A lot of the audience seemed immobile though.

Come Together
Philadelphia was the first time I heard this song. This time I recognized it right away. The guitars were great and it was here that the light show really hit me (possibly because I was too dazed before this point). Amazing. The "show" aspect was pulled off incredibly, all the aspects fit.

Train/Detonation Boulevard
The part of the audience that recognized Train cheered, Doktor Avalanche was omnipresent. All I remember is looking up and seeing a sea of red and Von singing.

Amphetamine Logic
This one was received well, those of us who had heard the speeded up version before surged right away, others caught up. They seemed to approve the speed -- to say the least.

War On Drugs
He seemed to be enjoying himself, wandering around the stage smiling. A lot of the audience was annoyingly stagnant, not just not dancing but stone faced -- but a fair percentage were joyous and singing along and moving, and he was singing to us, a great time had by all. I don't know how they reacted to this one, as I was trying to hear some lyrics (couldn't). I do like this one, it is much fun, and the tempo and energy up-turn at the end comes off really well. Fever pitch as it were.

Giving Ground
What can I say. AMAZING doesn't do it justice, I love this song and they did a great job. Incredible. At one point I was singing along, I looked up and was staring straight into the video camera. What happens to those tapes anyway?

Suzanne
New song for me. I liked it a lot, I would really like to hear a studio version.

On The Wire/Teachers
Very well done. Adam and Mike in top form on this one, and I know I was not the only one singing along. The transition to Teachers was beautiful, masses of blue green smoke flowing over the music... stunning.

Will I Dream
Another new one. Very good. I wish I could remember the tune, looking forward to the single and/or album this one is on. I remember enjoying the chorus (even if I can't spell it). The lyrics sounded promising.

Dominion/Mother Russia
"No no no... this is a different Dominion" was his response to the cheers for this song. The energy in the room jumped. The crowd pulsed. His mike stand swept over my head as Mother Russia rained down. Thrilling, stunning, and other good stuff. I can still feel this one.

Summer
The lights... The flow of music drowning me... This is what was in my head the ride home. He sang this impressively.

Anaconda
Dedicated to Heavy Water Factory who were turned back at the border. Adam does it good. The crowd screams SHE WILLLLLLLLLL. The world is green as it wraps itself around her. GREAT SHOW.

Romeo Down
A bass guitar, a Good song. Although I want to hear it again before I get any solid impressions. I WANT the new album, whenever it may be.

Flood II
Intro is spoken before the guitar whines/roars/screeches in. We raise our arms! There are some girls to the right who are going insane and he likes it. A bra is thrown on stage. :) The music is everywhere, the stage is blue, the waves come down.

Temple of Love
Missing the intro, but the energy is carried on. The crowd and the band are into this one in a big way.

<intermission>
Much screaming and stomping and kicking the barrier from all.

Comfortably Numb/Some Kind of Stranger
He does a really good job on this one, the highs are high enough, not to harsh, the lows, perfect. I hear at least one person go completely insane when she recognizes it. Big Floyd fan caught unawared?

Some Kind of Stranger is very powerful song that loses something when combined, but the transition is very well done and the song soaks into me. I think that if at this point I had been shot I would stay standing simply because I wouldn't notice the wound. I have no idea what happened during this one, they played well very, very well. The vocals where perfect. This was so good it hurt, but I am biased and my fiancé is in France.

I don't remember the next intermission either but I can guess:

<intermission>
Much screaming and stomping and kicking the barrier from all.

Something Fast
Again I remember the lights the red lights -- and it struck me again how well they were playing together.

This Corrosion
Before this AE conferred with Adam, they nodded, Adam signaled the nurse and it started. We ALL sang along! He was alternating: one half of the crowd one chorus, the other half the next. Waving us forward, counting the beat for us -- one, two, three, four -- and we SANG!!! This was it. It was great!

Then the lights went out again, screaming, yelling, stomping, kicking, smoke filled the stage. More screaming. The lights came on. Shit. Wrong lights.

It was over, but it was brilliant. I was not moving until I got a setlist -- I was joined by a likeminded soul and we politely badgered all roadies. Then the tour manager (I think, he had on a red blazer. That's him? Anyone who was there...) listened to us and got three, one for him one and for me, and then I was gone.

Leaving everyone was happy that I could see, but not euphoric, as far as I can tell they must have some deficiency. I got a hot dog and a coke and we were off, on the road for five hours. It was more then worth it.

If you are out there: you did a great job, and I will willingly give you lots of money to experience it again :)

Written by Sebastian Cluer (CLUER.NTT@sympatico.ca) for Dominion mailing list

Q: If Andrew and God had an arm wrestle, who would win?
A: Trick question, Andrew is God.
(and I'm delusional)

THE CYSTERS OF MURKY
01.02.98
TORONTO-WAREHOUSE
(All-ages show, standing-room only, open bar)

21:00
We're lined up around the block waiting for at least 45 minutes to get into the Warehouse. The few and far between have gathered to embrace the music of the legendary Sisters of Mercy. Possibilities of Murphy's Law to take it all away from us hangs over our heads. The inner ear infection, border problems, ODs etc. Until we see Andrew emerge from the dry ice, then we'll believe in this unfolding reality.

Virtigo was supposed to open, supposedly with former member of Platinum Blonde ("arrrrggg!"). They got booted from the bill (there is a God), or so a Jar-Headed security clown professed to be the case. Later Andrew dedicated a song to Heavy Water Factory who supposedly got stopped at the border. To say the least, there was no opener, which came to no one's personal disappointment.

Aprox. 22:30
The lights begin to dim, dry ice has intermittently been pumped onto the stage for the past half-hour, the electricity builds as the crowd begins to drone louder and louder. Shrill waves of sound stereo back and forth as anticipation climaxes to hemorrhaging proportions. Fog fills up the front of the venue. The beginning of AFTERHOURS fades in as the crowd debates the logistics of their own sanity (oops, I should save this part for my psychologist).

This proves to be a mere tease as FIRST & LAST & ALWAYS charges in, full force. Being veteran Sisters fans, it did catch us by surprise, as the guitar work was quite skewed from the original and even more recent (c. '93) versions. I would say it was more of a Garage Band, Rock-guitar version than our familiar melodic, 12-string renditions we're all used to.

RIBBONS comes next; it's too quite drastically beefed up with reverberated and distorted guitar work. The Doktor provides the heavy drum beats, but the familiar sequenced synth background was hard to detect -- if it was there at all.

COME TOGETHER came off in quite a different way than in recent live performances. The rhythm guitar was in the forefront with very little command descried in the lead. The tempo was fairly exhilarated, whereas the chorus wasn't given its full freedom to unfold.

TRAIN/DETONATION BOULEVARD, a staple song of late, came off sounding hard and heavy, well done boys!

AMPHETAMINE LOGIC, fierce and very well executed. Justice is done.

WAR ON DRUGS - not bad, but hard to follow without a reference point. The guitar wasn't spectacular; I anticipated its conclusion.

GIVING GROUND - a likely contender for a re-make Giving Ground '98 as a b-side to one of these new singles coming out soon? The bass is quite unnoticeable here, which is a shame, as this element is a key driving force behind the strength of this song. Nonetheless, we liked it, particularly the guitar work at the end.

(We Are the Same) SUZANNE, one of my favorite new songs, came off beautifully live. The studio version will definitely deliver the goods.

ON THE WIRE/TEACHERS was probably one of my favorites of the evening. Superior to the studio take, this one rocks!

I remember nothing of WILL I DREAM. Big problem with not knowing the new material. Right over my inebriated head.

DOMINION - Von E. quips "No, no, no, it's not that Dominion". The crowd finally begins to show signs of life. More hands in the air, clapping etc. One of the more stimulating songs of the set-list. Sounded very good live.

SUMMER - not bad; can't wait to hear it in my CD player.

ANACONDA. Fucking great!

ROMEO DOWN, complete with Andrew mock-pissing during the appropriate lines of the song. Adam Pearson, wearing a bass-guitar. Not as "menacing" as had been hyped to be, but a damn-good song to say the least. As with all of the other new songs, will be far easier to enjoy knowing what to listen for following official releases.

FLOOD II. "And her hallway, moves, like the ocean, moves, like, like the sea." And so our hero intros this ditty in a most fashionable manner before the music starts. Another classic, cherished by all and thoroughly enjoyed throughout.

TEMPLE OF LOVE. Harder to hear the individual pickings of this song, it came off as more power-rocked. No complaints however, it sounded very excellent and made me feel good inside.

First encore:

COMFORTABLY NUMB/SOME KIND OF STRANGER - we hoped for it, and it came to us. Could do us no wrong.

Second encore:

SOMETHING FAST. Depending on whether or not you like the album version of this song to begin with, it was played exceptionally well with added solo intact. One of the few Vision Thing era songs performed this eve.

THIS CORROSION. Andrew became very animated during this final song enticing full audience participation. He did a good job, as people began to wake from their daydreams and actually begin to move! Flashing many-a-smile, Andrew seemed to be enjoying himself quite thoroughly during this one. Not bad for a 38-year-old rock star.

The lights go out and more fog fills the stage. A 3rd encore in the works? Nay, 'twas a smoke-screen to fool the crowd, while our shady crusader stole off into the night. Not a dry eye was in the house.

Andrew sounded amazing! The pipes are in top form! Well oiled with _____.

It was disappointing to see the crowd being so unenthusiastic. For the most part, they were just standing there like they were in a gigantic line-up or something. Ensuring the time-honored tradition of maintaining the Canadian reputation of extreme audience politeness. With the exception of that asshole doing "the Easter Bunny hop" from the back of the crowd to the front of the stage without regard for anyone. Andrew heard between songs: "Anyone who comes up here on stage will be punished severely."

The video camera was there; probably taping live footage for videos in the works for the new songs. There were no back up "Shu-bop" girls, and I think we can all be thankful for that. The absence of a bassist was mourned, though the Doktor definitely picked up the slack with surgically precise bass-line strikes. I hope this situation is remedied by the time the "official tour" begins.

I was skeptical of the abilities of the new 'guitarists of the week' and of their ability to play the songs convincingly. I'm more than convinced they did a fantastic job! What ever that bald "nurse" guy was doing up back with the Doktor, he was doing it right.

The sound was excellent (depending on where you stood); midway and Center seemed to be the choice place to be for maximum listing enjoyment.

The new material seems to lack the epic-quality of the Floodland-era material and seems quite on par with the direction Vision Thing was headed. Wherever that may be.

Written by Eva 'Evil Spice' Zaleska (ezaleska@acs.ryerson.ca) for Dominion mailing list

All I can say is ouch, my feet! After standing in line for an interminable amount of time, then standing around waiting for the show to start (second row, just left of center, whiffing all that dry ice, woohoo) with the guy in front of me jostling and spilling my drink down my sleeves, then the show, then standing around waiting to get out, then dancing at Limelight, well, I am in pain. And I got three hours sleep. But enough about that.

THE SHOW WAS FUCKING BRILLIANT!!!

No opener, which IMHO was a good thing, after standing around for something like two hours with these annoying people next to me, breeding in public, my back was starting to give out and I did not feel like standing through an opener.

Anyway, the Sisters hit the stage, and the pain all went away. Opened with FALAA, it was good. Then they went into Ribbons and I tell you of all the many versions I've heard, this was the first time I've ever heard it anything near doing the studio version justice. Brilliant, absolutely amazing, if lightning had struck I would have died happy. Amphetamine Logic got really sped up, but I like it better that way. War on Drugs had better get released soon so I can go to a club and dance to it, it's good, I like it anyway. Dominion got a good reception (of course) but damn I don't like that one, oh well. Romeo Down is nice and malevolent, sort of slow, like an Afterhours part II. Flood II sounded really good live for the first time in (my) recorded memory. They only did the second half of Temple of Love though.

Went off stage, left everybody yelling and screaming (an aside: when people scream "More!" at Sisters shows, do they mean the song, or just more music in general?) came back for a fabulous rendition of Comfortably Numb/Some Kind of Stranger, left again, came back with Andrew in a Motörhead t-shirt and did Something Fast while we drunks up front were yelling for Ace of Spades (which would have been classic), then This Corrosion which actually came across okay, though I didn't hear a lot of people singing along. And then the lights came on and I felt free to die. But I'm okay now. A friend of mine gave me Spice Girls gum.

I agree with you all about the unresponsiveness of the crowd, though there were a few people up front dancing around, a lot of Woohoo's and Eeeeeeww's and Whoooo's. And then there were those who are so fond of the human race that they feel the need to perpetuate it during the show, and much of the smoke had a suspicious smell to it, if you know what I mean. <sigh>. Some people...

I found out from the tour manager that there's nothing silly on their rider, just booze and cigarettes, and he says Andrew has eyes but then he's paid to say that. No, I did not get the glasses. Ah well.

The sound was pretty good from the second row, though it could have been a bit louder. But some of my friends and acquaintances were near the back and said they couldn't hear a thing. One of the sound guys from the Warehouse explained it to me this way (whilst trying to pick me up at a bar): (1) the Warehouse is a warehouse. The acoustics suck. (2) Since SoM were not promoting a new record, this was simply a "Take the money and run" mini-tour, they used the house PA. Which also sucks. (3) The "snake" (some really big cable, I don't know, I'm not a sound guy) was fucked up, they were using European equipment with different voltages, everybody was running around trying to get the stuff they needed, which, as the show fell on a Sunday, was difficult to find. (4) Due to the difficulty of finding said necessary stuff, half an hour before door they still hadn't soundchecked. (5) Feedback. Probably due to Von's illness ("well, he's a junkie, eh?" the sound guy said, well, duh) his voice wasn't projecting properly, so they had to turn his mic way up, and got a lot of feedback.

So there you have it, somewhat of an explanation for the crappy sound in Toronto. Don't know about anywhere else, I guess you'll just have to find a sound guy and stand around the bar hoping he tries to pick you up, casually mention the Sisters and hope for a long story about the hell he went through while you were drinking screwdrivers on the subway on your way to the show.

Written by Speedy Dave (dave@the-nunnery.demon.co.uk) for Dominion mailing list

> So there you have it, somewhat of an explanation for the crappy sound in Toronto.

Toronto wasn't as bad as NY though, credit where its due.

Written by Chris Sampson (Chris@cgs123.demon.co.uk) for Dominion mailing list

> I found out from the tour manager that there's nothing
> silly on their rider, just booze and cigarettes, and he says Andrew has
> eyes but then he's paid to say that.

Robbo is also ex-SAS and a trained killer, so I hope you were on your best behavior. Von does have eyes, but after you've seen them you kind of wish he'd kept the shades on.

Written by Kris for The Sisters of Mercy Tours site

Before I present my review, lemme say for the record that we've been listening to the band for about 10 years. We're big fans, but we're nowhere near the level of some of the real die-hards. This was the first time we had seen them live, and our expectations were pretty high, given some of the reviews we've read from the earlier gigs on the tour.

The pre-show, no-show.
AE was supposed to drop by the sponsoring radio station (CFNY) on Sunday afternoon for an interview, but he didn't show. The Jock said he had no idea why AE didn't show up. Hmmm.

The crowd.
It was a packed house dominated by black leather, latex, and eyeliner. The goths outnumbered the non-goths by about 500 to 1. These people may be die-hard fans, but you'd never know it. No one danced. Hell, it didn't look like any of 'em was animated enough to tap their toes. There's a hard core fan base in Quebec (Montreal and Quebec cities, both) and things would have been 100% different had the show been held in dance-happy Montreal instead of Toronto, the land of the automatons.

The bootleg.
Some guy was video taping the show with what looked like one of those first generation video cameras -- great big thing held up by one shaking arm over the guy's head. Too funny.

The smoke.
Enough with the fog machine, guys. The lights were used to good effect, though.

The sound.
To be frank, really, really poor. I think it was the guys on the mixing boards. The guitars were so muffled, they sounded like they were being played underwater. And worst of all, it was almost impossible to actually hear AE's vocals. As well, it just wasn't that loud. Again, because of the muffling it wasn't loud enough to get the full defibrillating impact of those grinding guitars.

The set.
Given the poor sound quality, it was impossible to recognize some of the songs -- even the old favorites. And there was a tendency for each song to sound suspiciously like the last -- everything kinda muffled together. But from set lists I've seen of the New York show, I think it was pretty much the same. There was no between-song bantering with the crowd (not that they would have responded or noticed anyway). And they closed with This Corrosion. Sadly, no Jolene (or Gimme Shelter - a personal fave).

My 0.02.
I enjoyed the show, in spite of the crappy sound. But the total lack of response from the majority of the tight-ass spectators embarrassed me. I wasn't surprised at the brevity of the performance. And I actually felt bad for AE and the band, especially if he really was sick in DC.

Written by Liz Loree (dv102@freenet.carleton.ca) for Dominion mailing list

> C you all there! I'll be easy to spot; I'll be the one NOT dressed in black. :)

So was I. Not dressed in black I mean. I was the one in the big poofy white skirt. The short one trying to get a glimpse over people's heads. (Kill all the people that stood in front of me. And the very drunk couple that was dancing around together, and then went right in front of me and proceeded to be overly mushy together. Damn you all! Well, the ones that irritated me.)

Let's see, things that stood out for me that night: