Dweezil Zappa World

fantastic show at the sage,i took along my 15 year old jonathan for educational purposes,although he knew the lyrics to muffin man aged 5 there was still a very slight chance that if i wasnt careful hed end up listening to some sort of modern day crap,he didnt get nursey rhymes,it was zappa all the way.well iv now created a fully fledged zappa fanatic...anyway gig was great was a nice touch finishing with muffin man just topped it off nicely,thanks for coming to gateshead dweezil,and thanks for signing your autograph and letting your very pleased fans sneak a photo.

Thought the show at the sage was amazing. I brought my 12 year old son who also loved it. Incredible band, great set choice and good sound. I saw FZ in Birmingham in 1988 and it has always been one of my favourite gigs but great to hear some of these tunes played live and by such great musicians.

Yes! I don't think any of us thought that the band had any responsibility for the lighting!

In answer to a question elsewhere, I sat dead centre of the balcony front row. In fact directly above the mixing desk. Lovely, lovely sound. Can't wait for next year.

Totally agree with Charlie R wth regards to lighting comment.I would turn up with a torch.

nice set list!

Anyone know who the tweezer deliverer was? 

Great gig, thanks for a superb concert. I wore my T shirt purchased on Frank's "Broadway The Hardway" Tour in April 1988 - Still fits me like a glove...a very fat glove. Glad to hear you say you'll be back next year. Good luck for the rest of the tour.

-Phil.

Mmm, Tweezers.

Thanks for taking the time to reply Dweezil as I realise you are pretty busy at the moment!! I seemed to have started a little 'lighting discussion'.  I did that kind of work for 25 years so my eyes are tuned to spot that sort of thing (most people probably didn't even notice the lighting) and I know that it's a tough gig as the lighting operator if you don't know the music and I realise it's difficult for you as the artist as you don't know what you are getting when a venue supplies a lighting tech.  But you could instruct future lighting techs : 'one or two state per song,  only move 'moving lights' if you have a reason,  NO chase patterns please' ... As a lighting tech in a venue it is perfectly accepable to recieve that kind of instruction from the performer and the high quailty of the show and music you produce doesn't need flashy lights to enhance it. 

I did only mention it as a little gripe and please be in no doubt that that I still think it was a night of near perfect  magic and I could have sat there listening for days (even with the lighting as it was!!) I only mentioned it in the hope that something could be worke…Read more

Dweezil, band members and the crew.  A big thank you for the show at the Sage last night - an excellent night!!!  About the lighting - so what; it was the music that gave the night  that Xtra factor!!!,  Already looking forward to your return. 

By the way are you venturing into mainland Europe this time?  I have friends in Brussels and Belgrade who are big fans.

Thank you to Dweezil and crew for a great night at the Sage. This was our third ZPZ tour.My daughter aged 17 is a hugh Frank and Dweezil fan.

Only wish I had been one of those lucky folks in York who got some Carolina Hardcore in the encore. Although I am still lovin the Baby Snakes.

Counting down the days until next time.

Gary

Totally agree with you on those points. I don't attend gigs for "great light shows". I go for the music.

Though I did have one thought while watching, the screen could be utilised by using webcams to relay live shots of the musicians e.g close up of the keyboards or percussion instruments. Its a cheap option.

As far as where DZ talks of Lighting, I hope fans can take each live experience for what it is. The band brings the music and if it were done Lights Out or ala Laserium, when it comes to the performance it all talks of the integrity of the composer.

In the case where the cameras are rolling such as HoggBreath preview of G-Spot Tornado, while the lighting on that occasion was subtle, the live performance, audio and visual textures, the video editing, the audio mix, it really lets the composition speak more so than lighting gymnastics in multi million dollar shows.

Let's Take Roger Waters The Wall for example, I am not complaining of what Roger is touring, that was/is a great multimedia show but it is clear that what Dweezil is doing with Frank Zappa the American Composers music, pound for pound, we are getting the finest live and taped performances ever done. If someone has a hundred million or so pounds or US Dollars to donate to DZPZ I'd have no problem asking for The Wall form of production.

Dweezil many thanks for reply. I certainly agree regarding variables of sound within a venue setting.  Having attended many gigs over the years, small, large and outdoor you take it for granted there will be variables wherever you sit/stand.

I have been to other concerts at the Sage in the stalls and the sound obviously was excellent. Perhaps my expectations were to high of the Sage experience who knows or perhaps the tinnitus has started to make an appearance. For a purpose built venue whose selling point is the sound system I just expected better. Will not put me off attending further events there.

It did seem to me there was a definate improvement further into the concert. Wish I could get to one of the later gigs to compare notes but sadly costs prohibited that option.

Regarding Jamie's Solo, cheers for the clarification, it certainly set the touch paper alight for the whole band. In my humble opinion.

Reflecting on 24 hours later, the bad points are subsiding, leaving good memories.

I will be back when you next come to the Sage, this time in the stalls! Good luck for the rest of the tour.

Yes Dweezil, we did thankyou.

For the best possible sound in any room from an audience perspective, surely the best position would be either just in front or just behind the mixing desk. I am fortunate enough to be able to attend more than one show on the tour, and I have chosen some seats close to the stage, others further back in the room but centrally located.

At The Sage, I was front row centre, and knew before I arrived I wouldn't get the perfect balance of the whole band, but gladly traded that for my bird's (worm's?) eye view. The fascinating thing for me, was having Jamie's onstage amps louder than anything else where I was seated. It was a great opportunity to discover the complexity of the parts the individual instruments play, and increased my respect for the composition and the execution of the music. Also in case anyone was wondering, Jamie is so good it's scary.

Apart from just loving the music, I always get something new and exciting from every show, and The Sage was no exception. Loved every second of it.

We never carry a lighting director on tour. It's not something we can afford. House lights are done by someone local to the venue.. They do their best but most likely are not familiar with the music.

As far as the sound, it's always a question of where you're seated and how effective the PA speakers are at reaching you. There are so many variables.

Also just for clarification Jamie Kime played his solo in Chunga's revenge which came after the Apostrophe album.

We do like playing at the Sage though. It is a very nice venue. Hopefully people enjoyed themselves.

out of interest Dave where were you sitting?

I managed to book my favourite Sage seat, and from my position the sound was as excellent as ever. Fantastic gig and lovely to meet a few people who normally live inside my Laptop.

My only issue (rather like another punter) was the lighting. I remain convinced that someone had sneaked in with my eighteen month grandson and let him crawl all over the lighting controls.

Attended the show last night, overall a good night but not excellent (im sad to report). There were a couple of issues, concerning the sound. My seat was on level 2 west side of the Sage. For at least the first 6 songs, the sound was very muddy. Dweezil's guitar just wasn't cutting through.



Ben and Scheila's vocals were also muddy and at times Scheila's vocals were lost in the mix. I was not the only one to comment on this. A guy three seats down said exactly the same thing to his mate. For me one of the appeal's of Zappa's music apart from the phenomenonal guitar playing are the lyrics. From where I was sitting you could barely hear the lyrics and at times the vocals were just lost. This continued throughout the performance.



I did wonder if the ceiling speakers either side were working at one point. I started to think I would have to write this off as a bad idea to attend the concert but suddenly in came a Jamie Kime les Paul solo round the time of Cosmik Debris or Exentrifugal Forz, from then on Instrumental sound improved.



You could not fault the musicianship and Dweezil's guitar playing was incredible but the sound issues tarni…Read more

I went with my wife and daughter neither of which could have been discribed as Zappa fans but both have heard plenty of his music over the years (thanks to me and loud hi-fi's).... they both said that after seeing the show that they both 'got it' and finally understand what I've been harping on about for years.... phew,  at last!!

The show was great,  so sad when it finished,  it had been two and a half hours but seemed like a lot less,  which is a good thing, time just stopped and we could have sat and listened for hours more,  great venue and stunning sound.  One gripe ... I assume that the lighting operator was from the venue and not touring with the band,  because the lights were terrible,  this used to be my trade (so I notice those things) and trust me they were embarassing (moving lights that waggled about with no purpose and out  of sync chase patterns etc etc...urgh),  but that wasn't Dweezil's fault and the quality of the musicians and music on show quickly took my mind off the lights....gripe over..... this isn't a gripe but it would have been nice if the screen had been used to show the band as well as Frank ... but I …Read more

Just posted a few photos on my homepage. Absolutely fantastic show, and great to meet up with a few friends; Tom Waring, Dave Smith, Tom Cole and his family.

Absolutely superb venue, really hope the band make this a regular stop on future tours. Glynn Wood who is ZPZ sound man, describes The Sage as one of his favourite places to play in the whole world!

tweezer glint

The band were absolutely on fire tonight. How can they keep getting better every time you hear them? The fun they have onstage is fantastic to see as well. I don't know if Dweezil ever sees it, but often when he is soloing his socks off, Ben, Scheila and Billy are grooving like crazy. Magical stuff!

Have a good and safe night all.

There are 3 bits of music that have brought a tear to this jaded old git's eye ... the 'Yo Mama' solo 'Sexual Harrassment in the Workplace' and 'Watermelon ..' .... Who said Frank couldn't play the blues .... I don't suppose there's any chance ...etc etc etc .  Have a great show,  I worked in a local venue at the time it was built and I remember the fuss that was made about the Sage and it's acoustics (designed for the best),  I'm looking forward to checking them out.