Aside from the total excellence of the sound balance at all the Leonard concerts I have attended (probably best in Manchester but that is an opera house) - I must also comment on the volume. Nearly all the reviews have commented about how "quiet" the show was. My husband who dislikes loud noise didn't think it was quiet at all, he thought it was absolutely at the right level and so did I. I have been to too many concerts where the sound is far too loud (including Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris at Wembley) and you strain to hear the words. I am a big fan of Steve Earle but have given up going to his concerts not just because of the political harangues, but because the wall of sound which hits you destroys the ability to hear anything. Indeed some critics say you should not expect to hear any words at a concert or else wear ear plugs. In one article it says Leonard and friends had to put in ear plugs at the Bob Dylan concert they went to in Canada, it was so loud.
Why has it got like this? Since when did this massive volume of noise, when you can't hear yourself think and certainly not hear the words of the songs, become compulsory for singer songwriters like Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris or even Steve Earle. So well done Leonard and engineers on getting it just right.
Incidentally the one remaining great singer songwriter from the 70s I would like to see tour is Jon Mitchell.
How loud is too loud?
September 21 - November 30, 2008. Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
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