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Unicorn
Sunday Nov 30, 2003
34 degrees. Evanston, IL. The clock is glowing purple. Rob Newman and Jeremy Round together again.
Though I was hoping for more of a professional style show, a lack of preparation coupled with a lack of appropriate gear made for a more casual style performance. However for all of the shortcomings I felt the event had the audience still seemed very impressed. On to the assessment.
Grades:
1. Guitar: A - , Though the gear we were playing with was a step below what I was used to working with through the rest of the tour, my friend and old bandmate Will Dannen tweaked the guitar sound to the warmth and eq that I like to hear. This made for an enjoyable guitar playing event and as a result I played the best I did all tour. Woo hoo.
2. Vocals: A , I did not nail everything I wanted to, but I had some moments that I am so proud of that I went ahead and gave myself my first A of the tour. When Rob and I performed our original work, Disillusion, I really rocked the microphone. He had a really wonderful mic that responded well to my vocal range. Anyway, I was happy with my work in the vox dept.
3. Rob's Playing: I , Rob and I decided that since he was unable to perform on several songs due to equipment mishaps that we would give him an incomplete for this category. However he did play very well on the songs that did function. There were a few miscues, but nothing you wouldnt expect from a band playing a set for the first time.
4. Rob's Singing: A, Rob's voice has really matured. He sounded AMAZING on Let it Be. Also Disillusion was a masterpiece! Good Work!
5. Venue: B+ , A warm place on a cold night. Good food and beverages. Cooperative staff. However, managers once again withheld the information of our arrival. We were simply unexpected. Though the venue was probably my favorite on this short tour, you've gotta dock points for miscommunication.
6. Techincal Difficulties: B - , Technical difficulties had a pretty strong showing. He was able to mess up Rob's keyboard for several tunes and distort my vox. But I loved the sound of the guitar and the vocals so he did not destroy the show as he had intended. So for partial success the low B has been awarded to Mr. Difficulties.
7. Rob Overall: P, Also discussed with Rob was his overall grade. He felt he didn't really get to show what he was made of due to technical difficulties. When he did perform, he did quite well, so he receives a well deserved Pass.
8. Jeremy Overall: B+, I was much much more attentive to the audience. I however lost composure a few times due to coffee shop noises, technical difficulties, and the need to switch up the set list. I did however get a real sense of how strong my performance will be able to be when I am part of a band. My energy was very different, I was able to have more fun with my vocals, and play guitar the way I want to. The Unicorn performance was a perfect precursor to the band era about to begin. I had fun, I got butterflies, I sold a good amount of CD's, and I felt ready to move on.
Chicago overall was a great success and a great trip. I was able to spend a lot of quality time with friends and family. The CD's are being very well received and are selling well. Though it will be a very busy December I look forward to creating the band and moving forward musically into 2004.