1999/09/23, 9:30 club, Washington DC, USA

Written by Mary O. Rogers (rogersmo@jmu.edu) for The Sisters of Mercy Tours site

I attended the To the Planet Edge show in D.C. It was incredible, although the opening DJ left something to be desired. After he went off, there was a 40 minute wait as smoke was pumped onstage to fill every corner of the club. Great atmosphere. :)

The band (Andrew, Mike and Adam) came came on around 10pm, exploding through the smoke with Vision Thing. Andrew had on the sunglasses, black boots, black pants, black silver studded belt, and a bright yellow jacket. The jacket came off shortly, revealing a white Sisters shirt with the sleeved ripped off and a multicolored silk shirt over it.

Some of the technical highlights of the show was the pink/yellow/strobe effect during Amphetamine Logic and the smoke going from red to blue to purple during the lines in Ribbons "her eyes were cobalt red, her voice was cobalt blue / I see no purple light crashing out of you." Very cool.

The band played the songs very hard and fast; some songs were hard to identify until he started the lyrics. Flood I was of course a fantastic surprise, and even more so when they did Flood II as well. Andrew opened Ribbons with the line "So just walk...on in..." and then crashed in the heaviest, fastest version of Ribbons I've ever heard. Dominion was great with heavy audience participation -- Everyone screaming "Stuck inside of Memphis with a mobile home" with almost religious fervor.

Andrew seemed to be in a good mood throughout the show, lighting a constant stream of signature cigarettes and moving all around the stage, very into the music. After Dominion, he said "That was for the Democrats, this is for the Republicans," which I found very entertaining. He also announced that "The Sisters are available for weddings and bar mitzvahs...you think we're kidding."

After "closing" with Temple of Love, Andrew reappeared with a humorous "Shut the f*ck up." He had changed into a white high-neck shirt and black leather jacket, which promptly came off. After a sing-along of Something Fast, Andrew announced "We still have time for one more" and ripped into First and Last and Always. The final encore was This Corrosion, and the band left without formalities.

One of the highlights for me personally was acquiring a numbered (000462) and autographed copy of "Postcards from Above the Chemist." :)

Written by Karinn (nnirak@hotmail.com) for Dominion mailing list

My two cents... (and maybe a few more)

I've spoke with quite a few people who are hesitant at buying tickets for this show because of what happened at the last scheduled Sisters [DC] show. Many were quite disappointed. I, however, purchased my tickets the day after they were available. It is the Sisters after all. How often do we Americans get to be graced?

I thought the show was amazing. I got up closer this time than I did at the Philly show a few years back. Better view of Mr. AE, still sporting the blonde hair. Although a little longer and less kept than I remember at the last show I went to. He came out a bit... quiet?, but he got quite fierce. Very good.

Smoke and the smell of cloves (god, I hate those things) made it hard to breathe and got me a bit light-headed before they came on stage. The lights were good, heat was good. That really tall bastard in front of me wasn't so good.

Something Fast in the encore... nice. A bit disappointed they only did one encore though. I was waiting for them to come back and do the Comfortably Numb thing. No such luck.

Was it just me, or did it seem too much a fashion show? Everybody in their little goth getups and all. The guy in the red corset-like dress and the 5 inch spiked heels... where did he find those in his size?!

Overall, I think you people still waiting for the Sisters to pay your little town a visit have a wonderful thing to look forward to. I was loving it.

Written by Robert Hedengren (rwednesday@bellsouth.net) for Dominion mailing list

Excellent excellent show. I TOUCHED ANDREW!!!!!! The rowdy people up front were next to me and he came over and shook our hands. They REALLY cheered him up. He was in a great mood.

Bei Mir - new song - was kind of slow and uneventful without much patented Andrew screaming. It sounded really raw. The two guitarists were watching each other to get the changes right. It'll sound great on the album though.

I missed the guy in the red dress, but I was right by the four people in the front who didn't smile or clap. Oh, well one of them snapped in approval. OoooHhhh. Spooky.

The conversation with the girl who wasn't dancing was something like "Hey why don't you smile." She said something. He said, "Are you embarrassed now? Not as much as me." Then her boyfriend stepped in.

Man, I fucking let myself go. Even got some eye contact and a smile from Andy. I got to shake the guitar players (Adam) hand because the rowdy guys who were up front (who were very nice and I plan on hooking up with them in Orlando) were totally into it and he would lean in let us touch his guitar. He handed us his picks at the end of the show, but I gave mine to some one else who looked sad.

Yeah! Smile damnit!!!

(The picture in this text shows Andrew trying to communicate with the described sad sad girl)

Written by Rich Goldman (rgoldman@hermes.icrc.wvu.edu) for Dominion mailing list

The DC show was fantastic. I was extremely pleased with the crowd.

On any other night, I might have enjoyed Tube, particularly with a nice rol onl. But definitely not the night I was full of anticipation for my very favoritest thing ever - Sisters live.

Something about the live version of This Corrosion didn't impress me this time around. Granted, stuff had to be changed given no chorus, etc. But the new guitar stylings didn't do it for me. I'm willing to accept, however, that the mix wasn't doing it justice.

Was it just me, or did Von seem in genuinely good spirits... and to be seemingly enjoying himself? I've never seen him so... glowing.

I drove 4 hours there and then four hours back, immediately before and immediately after the show. The adrenaline never stopped on the ride home. The man positively glowed, and it is so becoming on him.

I wonder if a lot of people might have feel like they've put a lot of effort and money into seeing them last time they were supposed to play DC, and were really badly disappointed. Many just might have felt like enough is enough. I know after the 5 hour drive last time, the money to secure a hotel room et al, I was really reluctant to make another investment like that. But alas, it's the Sisters...

Written by LstatShaft@aol.com for Dominion mailing list

1) Great lights, including a positively otherworldly strobe selection. Unbelievable strobes.

2) Lots of newer material.

3) Only one encore (opening night jitters?)

4) Andrew seemed a touch hesitant for the first 1/3 or 1/2 of the set, but after that, the ferocity came back. Very pleasant, joked with several people in the audience, invited a girl onstage to dance (she declined). Gave bottles of fruit juice to two people in the crowd.

A pretty satisfying show overall. The opener, a drum 'n' bass DJ named DJ Tube, was very high-energy, lots of fun, and actually entertained me, despite the fact that I don't much care for drum 'n' bass.

The major bummer was the stuff they played after doors opened but before DJ Tube. I expected Manuel Noriega and David Koresh to come out and surrender.

Robert Hedengren:
> No, I missed the guy in the red dress, but I was right by the four
> people in the front who didn't smile or clap. Oh, well one of them
> snapped in approval. OoooHhhh. Spooky.

That finger-snappin' guy was so close to getting the beating of his tragic young life. I would have paid any amount of cash money for a distraction long enough to divert the security guard's attention away while I pounded his pretentious little head into the steel barricade. And he was rude, though lucky for him and my as-yet unblemished criminal record, he wasn't rude to me personally.

Sorry. Needed to vent.

Written by Judy Renee Pope (coyote@spookhouse.net) for Dominion mailing list

I was at the 9:30 by 5, just in time to see Eldritch pop out of the club for a quick smoke while wearing the World's Worst Shirt. Yes, even worse than the one he was wearing on stage....

LstatShaft@aol.com
>4) Andrew seemed a touch hesitant for the first 1/3 or 1/2 of the set, but
>after that, the ferocity came back. Very pleasant, joked with several people
>in the audience, invited a girl onstage to dance (she declined). Gave
>bottles of fruit juice to two people in the crowd.

All very much so. He was trying so hard to get some response for that girl; tried to get her to smile, anything. Didn't work, she had her studied "I'm so goth" face on, and wouldn't budge. There was also the long and elaborate (and silent) conversation betwixt Von and the blonde girl to my right about why they couldn't do what she so very badly wanted him to do.

I was about three people down from the Weird Woman in White With the Fan; she spent all night fanning herself (we figured she must have had a bionic wrist since the tempo never varied) and staring at the stage as if there were some performing mice on it.

>A pretty satisfying show overall. The opener, a drum 'n' bass DJ named DJ
>Tube, was very high-energy, lots of fun, and actually entertained me, despite
>the fact that I don't much care for drum 'n' bass.

I'm happy with it, I thought it was well worth my $35. I agree with you here on Tube--didn't really care for what he was doing, but he was having such a good time that it was infectious.

>The major bummer was the stuff they played after doors opened but before DJ
>Tube. I expected Manuel Noriega and David Koresh to come out and surrender.

LOL! You thought that, too? What WAS that? I kept waiting for it to segue into some track about field stripping machine guns...

> No, an f'ing 11:30 PM curfew. Does anybody know if that's a neighborhood
> thing or if it's a self-imposed Nightclub 9:30 policy?

I've always figured the metro hours are the main reason behind the 9:30's attempt to have shows over by 12, at least it's the reason they give you when you ask. Of course, some still run over, but it's not like the days in the old 9:30; I still recall the night Red Lorry Yellow Lorry were delayed arriving in town, and didn't even get onstage until past 2AM...

Written by scarecrow@ix.netcom.com for Dominion mailing list

Excellent show. Even more lights and smoke than before. Lots of merchandise including several shirts and an "autographed lyric book." I think that one was something like thirty-five bucks.

Strange DJ guy opened. Charming, but we would've preferred Otis Lee Crenshaw.

Nice crowd. Probably not sold out, but close. Somewhat rowdy, particularly down front. Seemed to warm Andrew up a bit (go figure) as the show went on.

10:00-11:40 set. Strange ending. Expecting second and third encores that were never to be. Probably due to their lame 11:30 curfew. Took forever for the lights to come up. Nods of apology from the stage crew.

Written by Hugh Clifton (hclifton@carma.com) for Dominion mailing list

The DC show followed pretty much the same format of recent years.

Andy's hair is longer and less platinum blond tho still blond. My girlfriend said he looked like Sickboy of Trainspotting. Hair is longer and not combed back any more (wore a sleeveless white sisters shirt)

Andy appeared in rare form -- lotsa talking with the audience and sharing his drinks with the audience

That's about it.

Written by Jeremy Coffey (coffeyjt@hotmail.com) for Dominion mailing list

> No, an f'ing 11:30 PM curfew. Does anybody know if that's a neighborhood
> thing or if it's a self-imposed Nightclub 9:30 policy?

Actually, the curfew law was passed some time ago, but the courts only recently ruled that it can be enforced. And the curfew is 11 p.m. so that's not the reason. And I seem to recall other concerts (haven't been to 9:30 in some time, tho) having to end early. the metro is a more likely (but probably not THE) reason -- the last metro train leaves at 11:49 (and talk of extending metro hours until 1 a.m. will only be for Fridays and Saturdays starting in November for an 8 month trial period, thus sadly wouldn't affect mid-week concerts).

The real reason is probably either noise restriction or a condition of their liquor license. Neighborhood types aren't always keen to benefit themselves from the economic and cultural opportunities inherent in rock concerts. Go figure.

My only excuse for knowing all this is that I'm working for the city council.

All pictures on this page were taken by Elizabeth Victoria Bouras (evb@psychotica.net) in the Washington gig and used by kind permission; full versions are available at http://www.psychotica.net/evb/sisters.