Big gig coming up this weekend - gratuitous gear pics!

[wateroftyne]

Hey gang

 

I'm doing a couple of sold-out shows at Newcastle City Hall this weekend in the house band for the Auf Wiedersehen Pet 40th anniversary celebrations. 21 tunes, most of which I've never played before, all of which are bangers.

 

We've been in rehearsals all week, with everything laid out as close as it will be in the night (albeit in a different venue).

We're getting monitor mixes and FOH mix as close as it can be, so there shouldn't be a whole lot of work to do when we have production rehearsals in the hall tomorrow.

 

Usually with gigs like this keys and arrangements can be rather fluid, right up to the show itself, and this one is no exception. It keeps me on my toes, especially as a non-reader. A few scribbled notes, a decent memory and a following wind will see me through.

 

Gear-wise, I'm using what I use down the Dog and Duck... Handbox R-400 head, TKS S212 cab, and '71P with flats, and a Maruszczyk Jake with rounds (haven't decided which will get the nod yet), and an LR Baggs Venue DI (used only for silent tuning).

 

FOH is getting the cab mic'd with a Beyer M88 and a DI from the R-400. I'm told a 50/50 mix is being used.

 

The band are a bunch of great lads, and it's been a pleasure so far.

 

Tomorrow, we're moving into the City Hall. I'll post updates when I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Jamie. Jamie's a mixing GOD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitors...

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2024 by wateroftyne

[Old Man Riva]

“… that’s livin’, alright”!

 

 

[Mykesbass]

Have a great one!

[Mickeyboro]

As a fellow ‘71P with flats player, I’d say you’ve Nailed it!👏

[PaulThePlug]

Looks like a 'do'...

Mate, whats wiv the autistic guitar wiv the Sierra hub cap?...

Edited May 9, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[Doctor J]

What sort of hours have you been putting in, morning to... early evening?

[diskwave]

Ah takes me back...What kind of tunes?

[Beedster]

Look wonderful, have a great couple of gigs Michael 👍

[police squad]

pedal steels? lovely

any of the crocodile shoes stuff in the set?

[Cat Burrito]

That amp looks great. It all does, but that amp... 

[AndyTheBassBison]

Everything about this looks excellent. Enjoy!

[dmccombe7]

Nice one Michael, have a great weekend with it and keep us posted with updates as and when you can.

Always appreciated.

Dave

[toneknob]

kudos for Relayer laptop wallpaper

 

[Downunderwonder]

On 10/05/2024 at 10:43, PaulThePlug said:

Looks like a 'do'...

Mate, whats wiv the autistic guitar wiv the Sierra hub cap?...

Gots to be some Dire Straits in an AufWeidersen bash.

[wateroftyne]

First show done…

 

[paul_5]

Vans? Shouldn’t you be wearing crocodile shoes?

[Reggaebass]

Very cool, good luck Michael 

[LukeFRC]

On 09/05/2024 at 22:22, wateroftyne said:

 

 

Netflix and chill 😎 

[bassace]

Great stuff Michael. All us bass players stuck in the corner deserve a ‘good stage’ now and again.

[wateroftyne]

Hello! Right, I've come up for air. It was a VERY late night last night 😄

 

On 09/05/2024 at 23:44, Doctor J said:

What sort of hours have you been putting in, morning to... early evening?

 

Rehearsal days were 10-7. Show day was 9am-2m (as it turned out!)

 

On 10/05/2024 at 07:50, police squad said:

pedal steels? lovely

any of the crocodile shoes stuff in the set?

 

Yep - here's the set list:

 

 

So, the songs all have some sort of connection to Auf Wiedersehen Pet and / or Jimmy. The character Oz was a big Merle Haggard fan, so that accounts for their presence, and that of steel player and all-round lovely bloke Mel Duffy, who is an absolute wizard. He's currently touring with Squeeze.

 

We had various cast members get up during the evening to sing songs (the principal ladies sang Boots and Stand By Your Man, for example).

 

Rehearsals were relatively painless - we'd all done our homework in advance, and there were only the odd arrangement tweaks to account for. It was a busier time for me as I was also vision editor, responsible for creating the 70-ish videos seen throughout the show on the massive screen. 

 

The shows themselves went fine, with only the odd flub from any of us that Joe Public wouldn't notice. The smooth execution was aided by one of the best crews in the biz.

 

The shows were a massive success - 4,000 attendees in total, raising a shedload of money for charity. And I got to meet Bill Paterson.

 

It was shot with a view to possible release at some point, but I don't know way more than that.

 

Here's some pics!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The AV room, where the director makes sure the cameras capture every little nuance....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snorkie635]

Excellent! 'Nuff said!

[dmccombe7]

@wateroftyne you do love that bass rig. Having heard it and played thru at your house i have to admit that tks cab is sublime and matched with the HB its just pure heaven.

Great to hear the show went well and many thanks for sharing with us mere mortals 

Always appreciate your posts Michael.

PS I'm back using my HB WB-100 for gigs with a passive Godin PJ bass and its absolutely superb.

Dave

Edited May 12, 2024 by dmccombe7

[Mykesbass]

Nice to see the Chronicle liked it. Story and review came up on my Google news feed this morning. Congratulations.

[gjones]

Bill Paterson is a nice fella. He came up to me at an afternoon gig I was playing at The Virgin Hotel in Edinburgh a few months ago, to say how much he enjoyed the music. The band I was playing with were definitely' background music' and I suspect he wanted to assure us, due to the lack of response from the posh clientele, that somebody appreciated us. 

[wateroftyne]

^^^ He's an absolute gent.

 

Here's a clip from the show. Phone mic quality, etc.