The Meridian. Houston, Texas. 10.12.04
Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:12 pm
Hi yawl. We're getting ready to head out to the Meridian. I hear it's a
new, really nice, venue. I hope the sound is good.... I hope they'll let me
get involved. Real involved. That's making a difference; I just need to
start mixing the band live. I did it for years. You just have to find the
right space for every instrument, know the vocals and how to produce it
live.... it's simple but you have to have my brain. If you're brain has
never heard the band, how can you're brain make sense out of Eisley?
So... we're excited about tonight. Houston is...well, where we came from.
In case you don't know, all of Eisley was born in Houston except for Jon.
Maybe there's some , kindred, phenom - right? I felt it last time when
Eisley headlined the Engine Room. We'll see. Our family that lives here
says that the radio has been pumping Snow Patrol like crazy so I imagine
that will be evident. Either way, look forward to meeting you guys and
hanging out a bit. Take care.
------------------------------------------
THE MERIDIAN
I find it refreshing that life often provides us with interesting
juxtapositions, contrasts, disparities, contradictories, etcs...and
sometimes I can't figure it all out.
What I can tell you is: that was Eisley's worst show of the tour.
What I can tell you is: the band said it was their best response.
What I can tell you - it was the band's funnest show.
I can also tell you that it was the Meridian's first sell out show.
How do I pull all of this together?
Troubles at the Meridian:
Everything was going perfect. The load in, the venue, the elevator (to get
the gear up to the second floor that wasn't working when Snow Patrol
arrived hours earlier), the people, etc. Everything was going so smooth.
Snow Patrol finished their sound check party (select people get a vip
laminate to get in to see them sound check) and Eisley loaded on to
stage.
1.5 hours later, there was still no mix in the f.o.h. and some of the
monitor issues weren't worked out. Input problems, feedback
problems...on an on. Without closure, they pulled the band off stage,
doors, food next door at Subway, an interview with The U of H Cougar
newspaper and it was showtime. I was worried so I stayed in the sound
booth with their very nice sound guy - Troy.
The band got on stage but Weston couldn't hear anything in his in-ears.
This is a major problem since he has to hear his click for the show to
work. Back tracks are synched to a click in his ipod... Without the signal,
he can't play the show. Major problem. They sat on stage for about 7
minutes while they solved the problem.
I won't go into detail but the entire show was a struggle... it wasn't good.
It never sounded good. It sounded bad. The technical problems bit the
band hard. After the show, Weston said he couldn't hear his click and
wasn't even sure if they'd been playing to their layered keys and
melotron tracks.
Sherri had NO monitors. Do you know how hard and lame that is? It
means you can't hear what's coming out of your voice and head. grrrr.
We work so hard to make this happen... so much work goes into making
their live show work... it's important to have a performance that merits
the anticipation and the money you guys lay down to see the band.
Did I mention that Sherri dropped her pick and stopped "Plenty of
Paper"? She totally can't play the song without a pick... she reached into
her back pocket, her front pocket... pulled out a dollar bill and... stopped
the song. Read posts here to find out more details about what she said.
Craziness. There were so many problems... monitors were cutting in and
out randomly. They thought they were being sabotaged.
I vow that Eisley will never have to use a house sound guy at a venue
again after this show. That takes nothing away from Troy - who was
super nice and did the best he could. Sometimes the technical just "bites"
you. In his defense, the Meridian is new and they are dealing with d.j.'s
and in-house gigs that happen around the big, planned shows like last
night. Apparently, those small shows reak havok on the system. Things
get out of wack. So... I'll get over it because everyone was so amazing at
the Meridian and we loved the experience - except for the sound. I would
go back tomorrow. The promoter (Clear Channel), the owners, the
production managers... everyone were super cool.
In fact, they said that they loved Eisley, loved our family... and that they
were going to call Eisley's agent today to talk about getting them back.
They said they got hundreds of calls from Eisley fans who knew nothing
of Snow Patrol... so, they assumed we had hundreds of fans represented.
I'm rambling. I have to get going. We have to drive to DALLAS!!
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