by xjsb125 » 7/27/2018, 7:22 pm
So, 5 out of 8 songs from the album have been performed live, and all got played on the Cross Canada tour. Ballad Of A Poet, Drop Me In The Water, Head Down, Hiding Place For Hearts, and Nice To Meet You all got performed and rotated. In Grand Rapids they played 3 out of 8, almost half the album. Raine expressed to me after the show an almost regret that they haven't played those last 3 tracks yet, and they are already in the process of creating new material. However, festival and Summer shows are notorious for not digging deep in the set. And while every single one of us agrees that setlists are a huge issue with the band live, I think there is a somewhat misguided sense that certain tracks have to be played at every show. On top of that, add in songs that are deep cuts that they just don't even want to play. Catching an OLP tour about 1/3 of the way or midway in is the real sweet spot for catching a great setlist from them. This was not the most well executed release they have ever done. Releasing a trilogy of EP's is the latest novel idea in music, but I think it really detracts from the overall picture, and usually bands end up realizing the vision has changed 2/3 of the way through it. On top of the marketing not making a lot of sense, at least to me, this was not a great release. I thought the music was really well done. Not over-polished or poorly performed. I think Raine's vocals were the best they've been since Gravity, and Steve once again came through as a shining star. I hope whatever music they release next is done with shorter gap in release dates, and a better platform for getting the album out to the public.
<nam_kablam> I'll be naked holding a ":O" sign while pumping their door