REVIEWS OF THE 2 GREECE CONCERTS 15&16 JAN 1999 (from Makis)

Just a few things about the Greek concerts:


Friday 15 January 1999: THESSALONIKI, Milos Club:


Salonica was quite good though the somewhat lukewarm audience (approx. 250 people) and the poor sonics of the place didn't help much to make it special, which is not to say that we didn't get some stunners such as like Faculty X, Comfortable, Primo, A Way Out, The Gift of Fire (I'd never have imagined this one working so well)



Saturday 16 January 1999: ATHENS, Rodon Club:


The Athens concert was.. no words! I can't really pick any favourites from this gig. It felt like a veritable hail of definitive live versions (till the next time). For me it ranks among the most powerful pH performances I've ever witnessed. Certainly, the best in the 90s and a re-affirmation of the fact that he's a uniquely risky and passionate performer.


His interaction w/Stuart was adventurous, alternating between lyrical introspection and manic explosiveness.


The audience (about 800) was familiarly enthusiastic and, once again, Peter (and Stuart) seemed to have enjoyed this thoroughly. Everybody I talked with after the show was as delirious as I was. Well, maybe a little less cuz I was so high on the delirium scale that I lost the tape I'd been recording the show on.


I must have left it on the stage when I put a new tape in the walkman for the encores and forgot all about it : ( : ( : ( Now, it's probably the property of one of the kids that came to the rave party right after the show; I hope it changes his life!


The set was pretty much the same for both nights, starting w/The Siren Song and ending w/Primo, while the encores were A Way Out/Patient and Patient/Shingle Song in Salonica and Athens respectively. My memory might be failing me in a couple of cases but the song list looked something like this:


keyboard/violin:
siren song
just good friends
nothing comes
unrehearsed
tenderness
bubble
since the kids
too many of my yesterdays
faculty x (S )
a way out (S)
(A)

stranger still (A)


guitar/violin:

comfortable
nightman
material possession
the gift of fire
primo
patient
shingle song
amnesiac (S)
the birds (A)
time for a change (A)
Makis (still in a daze)
***