The show just... ended. I almost got the vibe that Tom and Ed were a bit pissed off about the whole thing, because usually Tom goes off at the end with the synths and what not, but this definitely was not the case.



Luckily, I was able to catch The Chemical Brothers in Coachella the next night, but I almost wish I didn't go to the Oakland show.

MadPooter Escribi�:

The show just... ended. I almost got the vibe that Tom and Ed were a bit pissed off about the whole thing, because usually Tom goes off at the end with the synths and what not, but this definitely was not the case.

It was weird... Almost right after I noticed that Tom had started the synth-rape outro, it was over. Lasted all of thirty seconds, if that. And the fact that he just walked off after whispering to Ed without even waving to the crowd indicates to me that he was indeed very pissed off. Totally different from the other times that I've seen them, when they lingered long afterwards, mouthing thank-yous at the audience, waving and bowing, perhaps even smoking a cigarrette. I think Tom and Ed are too cautious and reserved to ever really express much in the way of anger - ever notice how diplomatic they always are in interviews? - I'm certain they had to be upset but Friday's fiasco.



Now I've gotta ask, how the hell did you pull off the Oakland/Coachella double-header? Did you fly down there? I'd half considered that, and if I wasn't saddled with homework at the time I just might've done it if I'd been able to figure out the logistics. It seems that just about every time the Chems of Underworld play Coachella, they also play a gig in the Bay Area immediately preceeding the festival, and I can assume they'll both be back in the future, so I'd like to figure out how to get a double-dose...

I feel twinges of pain in my heart when I read about this Oakland performance. It's such a let down for the people there who wanted so badly to be into the set.



The Chems seem to have always fared well in the Bay Area - maybe this particular show was, like others have said, just a bad case of opening act syndrome.



I just hope the warm and loved up reception at Coachella makes them feel good about being in the U.S.



They are more than welcome here...

Wow, I realy feel sorry for the way audience recieved chems in Oakland. It must've been such a dissapointment for Tom and Ed after so many excellent concerts in Australia, Japan and Europe.



But I think that Chems were partialy responsible for this as well. How?

Well, they simply should not have been an opening act for any band, especially not for a band that plays a totally diffrent style (well almost) of music to them.

If most of the older people, NO fans, came there to listen to nice, cruisey, chilled out romantic songs, what are the chances they'll enjoy track like Acid children, It doesnt matter, Under the influence and such.



I think Tom was probably aware of this, but he did it anyway out of the respect for Bernard and New Order. Oh well, live and learn

If you really did then you should have come up and sang with them on OOC

Not fair. These guys have to prepare for their show as well. You probably haven't got a clue what happens before a band enters the stage. Especially a band like that. So stfu.

I forgot to add: you can't blame New Order for people not liking The Chemical Brothers. After all, most of them came to see New Order, not the Chems. So most of 'm don't give a flying fuck who's playing.

This is true, Slipvin, you have a point. It would've been brilliant for Bernard to sing Out Of Control, but it just wasn't meant to be - perhaps another time, another place.



Also agree with you to a degree on the other point brought up (even if it does make me sad to read that the Chems weren't having a good night.) It wasn't long ago that people were standing around with their arms folded when the Secret Machines opened for the Chems...

whirlygirl Escribi�:

The Chems seem to have always fared well in the Bay Area - maybe this particular show was, like others have said, just a bad case of opening act syndrome.

It's really weird. Every show that I've seen so far in the Bay Area has had an excellent crowd. Electronic music and othewise. Great responses to the Chems, Underworld, Orbital, and Tricky. And I've always seen a good, appreciative turnout from the aged hipster crowd. I really think Friday *had* to be the result of opening act syndrome.



I also wonder if the fact that the show was in Oakland, not SF, had anything to do with how things turned out... In addition to Oakland just being less "cultured" than SF, the concert being in Oakland could have deterred some people. San Francisco is a pedestrian city. The trek over to Oakland could be troublesome for a San Franciscan without a car. Yes there's BART, but if a show has the potential to get out after midnight and the last train back across the bay runs at 12:15, that's pushing things a bit too much. And do the buses even run once you get back across the bay at 12:30 or 1:00? Just hypothesizing...



Now I also recognize that the Chems could *maybe* have anticipated the occurance of opening act syndrome, I understand that the opportunity to open for one of their favorite bands from their youths could have overridden any reservations. I mean, the Chems opening for New Order is comprable to, oh, one of us opening for the Chems. Would you turn that down? Also, I suspect that coming from a British perspective, they - the Chems and New Order both - might've anticipated less of a difference in their listenerships...

This is weird reading this, at the wolves gig the secret machines came on played a song and a half. no one was really into the and they just stormed off.

In brixton people were quite into it , some people really danced and they got a good applause!

The Chems just shouldn't open for oldies nostalgia acts.

toomuch'stash Escribi�:

The Chems just shouldn't open for oldies nostalgia acts.

are u talkin about NO?

Boy with the Golden Eyes Escribi�:

toomuch'stash Escribi�:

The Chems just shouldn't open for oldies nostalgia acts.

are u talkin about NO?

Yep.



Not to sound like a dick or anything, but New Order stopped being relevent roughly 17 years ago. IMO, of course.

a band can't always be relevant. i highly doubt the chems ever will be as relevant as they were from 1993 to 1997. same with new order, some years earlier. chems are still excellent and make perfect music. same with NO.

I'm betting that The Chemical Brothers will always sound like the soundtrack to the 31st century. They will always sound like the future.

toomuch'stash Escribi�:

I'm betting that The Chemical Brothers will always sound like the soundtrack to the 31st century. They will always sound like the future.

*remembers some parts from CWU and says* no. not always

I was talking to a guy last night who went to the oakland show and he said that it was really a blast he said that like from the people he met, like 75% were there to see the brothers. he said that alot of people were disappointed because they played before new order.



I'll post the entire convo because there's alot of details

Sorry to come in late on this one, but I was at the Oakland show as well and wanted to echo a few sentiments and offer a few new ones.



First off, a big thanks for to Tom and Ed for playing a full set (except for HTL and TPPR). Being an opening act, you usually get away with playing an abbreviated set and not using your full lighting/visuals. However, the Chems came on at 8pm sharp in order to get through their entire set before having to hand the stage over the NO roadies and allow them to get in their full headliner set before the county's 11:30 noise curfew (from what I hear, NO just beat deadline). I think that the absense of TPPR was simply b/c they had run out of time, and playing just TPPR alone would have been another 10-15 minutes. I was intensely worried that we would only get 60 minutes of the Chems, but they've shown once again how they love to come through for their fans.



As for the crowd, I agree that it was a bit subdued for a Chems show. However, I fully expected this because I was certain that the majority of the people there would be showing up for NO, and not necessarily the Chems. For the most part, the people in my area (about 25 yards from the stage and just off the Chems right) were pretty animated. Were they as animated as I've seen them at past Chem shows? Not even close, but they were by no means standing with hands in pockets. If anything, the quiet ones ended up being caught up in the show and eventually found themselves in the air as much as on the ground, just like the rest of us.



So why so many NO fans? Bad promotions for the show. There was only the occasional radio spot on the local "alternative" station. No ads in the paper, no posters, nothing. If I had not been on the Chems email list and a frequent visitor to their site, I would have had no idea they were in town. NO had more publicity mainly b/c all of the local alternative newspapers ran stories on them to coincide with their new album and show. Chem fans can't show up if they have no idea that they're in town, and I doubt the majority of Chem fans visit their site and message boards as frequently as we do. Astralwerks needs to put more time into their street team efforts as well.



As for the Chems set itself, I agree that the sound was off (seemed low and muted) for the first few songs. HBHG did not have the usual impact as a result. But by the time they drew back the curtains to reveal the widescreen Galvinize visuals, they had seemingly resolved the glitch and were hitting on all cylinders. Highlights included, but not limited to, Surface to Air live, a performance of Believe that I can only describe as a flood of sound and fury that left me dazed, the march of the robots during It Doesn't Matter, Acid Children, and a version of Golden Path without the annoying Flaming Lips lyrics (works much better as an instrumental IMO).



In regards to the SF/Bay Area reaction/love of the Chems, I would say that Tom and Ed are smart enough to know that the Oakland show was an exception to what I believe is a great artist/fan relationship. I was able to see the Chems in SF for the CWU tour, and then a little over a year later when they played a DJ set at an SF club (Mezzanine) in support of their singles album. Both sets drew big and gracious reactions from the crowd. Their DJ set took place on a Tuesday night, and the place was as packed at 3am when they finished as it was at 11pm when the began. If/when the Chems come back and headline later this summer, I'm sure they'll be reminded.



One last thought: It was the first Chems show for my brother (a huge music fan and percussionist) and my wife. My brother was a casual Chems fan before the show, and really came to see NO. But after the Chem set was over, my wife and I were going to head back to SF and asked my brother what his plans were. His reply: No one, and I mean no one, can follow that show. Anything will be a let down at this point. I'm out of here too.



And I'm sure that there were more than a few NO fans who, after seeing and/or hearing the Chems for the first time, went out and picked up a copy of one of their CD's. This is how the family grows. Focus on the ones that reacted, not the ones that didn't.

tmosnow Escribi�:

One last thought: It was the first Chems show for my brother (a huge music fan and percussionist) and my wife. My brother was a casual Chems fan before the show, and really came to see NO. But after the Chem set was over, my wife and I were going to head back to SF and asked my brother what his plans were. His reply: No one, and I mean no one, can follow that show. Anything will be a let down at this point. I'm out of here too.

That's exactly why we always only do day 1 of Coachella.

I think one of the reasons why NO was way better in Oakland compared to Coachella was because Bernard pulled a muscle in his leg it sounds like during the gig according to the guys at the NO board.



And from what there saying over on the NO board about the show was that the chems set was okay but most of them wish they didn't play at all. I was just kinda shocked by that.



also.....I know throughout the chems gig I smelled the waft of pot in the air but did anyone notice that when they used there smoke machines it smelled like....chocolate (tiramasu maybe...). Is my nose just screwed up



more afterthoughts about the show. It was a good night still but I'd still want to see chems in north america headline a show.....I should've gone to the Seattle show too. If I had the time to I would have.