Haken: The Alphabet of Me

[Twelfth Earl of Mar]

I went last night in Philly. The place (the TLA) was packed and the crowd was really into it. They only played for 1 Hour and 40 minutes, but they put a lot of effort in. Very good show. The opening act, Arch Echo, was pretty good as well.

[boilk]

I saw them in Toronto last Friday. They played about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and that seemed pretty fulfilling. They were energetic, and I enjoyed the set list and the music quite a bit. The new album is great.

There was one drawback though, and I'd be curious to hear if others experienced this at other venues. They were stupidly loud. Like, ear-splittingly, drums dominating other instruments insanely loud. I mean, I still enjoyed it, but was surprised at how loud it was, as although heavy, they are a band of some dynamics and nuance in the music as well. I doubt they themselves were even aware of the volume, as they were all ensconced in their private IEM world. Not an amp on stage to be seen.

Still a really good show, but a better sound balance would have made it much better.

Neil

[SteveSly]

I saw them in Toronto last Friday. They played about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and that seemed pretty fulfilling. They were energetic, and I enjoyed the set list and the music quite a bit. The new album is great.

There was one drawback though, and I'd be curious to hear if others experienced this at other venues. They were stupidly loud. Like, ear-splittingly, drums dominating other instruments insanely loud. I mean, I still enjoyed it, but was surprised at how loud it was, as although heavy, they are a band of some dynamics and nuance in the music as well. I doubt they themselves were even aware of the volume, as they were all ensconced in their private IEM world. Not an amp on stage to be seen.

Still a really good show, but a better sound balance would have made it much better.

Neil

When I saw them on Cruise To The Edge last year I thought they were a bit too loud for the indoor show as well. It was a 1200 seat theater, so pretty big, but the volume was really up there. I also saw their outdoor show which was also loud, but there was nothing for the sound to bounce off of, so not as noticeable.

[moecurlythanu]

US/Canada tour is now underway - who has gone and who is going?

They were same day as Elder in Cleveland, so I couldn't attend, but probably would have, out of curiosity.

[Twelfth Earl of Mar]

I saw them in Toronto last Friday. They played about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and that seemed pretty fulfilling. They were energetic, and I enjoyed the set list and the music quite a bit. The new album is great.

There was one drawback though, and I'd be curious to hear if others experienced this at other venues. They were stupidly loud. Like, ear-splittingly, drums dominating other instruments insanely loud. I mean, I still enjoyed it, but was surprised at how loud it was, as although heavy, they are a band of some dynamics and nuance in the music as well. I doubt they themselves were even aware of the volume, as they were all ensconced in their private IEM world. Not an amp on stage to be seen.

Still a really good show, but a better sound balance would have made it much better.

Neil

Yes, the Philly show was extremely loud also. And it wasn't a huge place - the TLA does hold 1000 people, but it's mostly a standing venue.

[polmico]

I’ll be at the Charlotte show this Saturday.

[Finch Platte]

I went last night in Philly. The place (the TLA) was packed and the crowd was really into it. They only played for 1 Hour and 40 minutes, but they put a lot of effort in. Very good show. The opening act, Arch Echo, was pretty good as well.

Wow, that's a great bill. I really like the Arch Echo album I have (You Won't Believe What Happens Next!).

[JohnG]

I was at the NYC show and didn't think they were too loud but the vocals seemed lost in the mix. I know Ross is a good singer from the albums but live he wasn't dominating at all. Because of that I felt a disconnect from the music which is unfortunate as the new album is excellent (they played 4 songs).

Another thing because the band were wearing Hawaiin shirts, Ross resembled Weird Al from a distance!

[polmico]

Haken are filming an upcoming show in London for a future release. Hooray!

[3LockBox]

I love Fauna. Hear a new proggy album that I absolutely love is not something I expected to do ever again.

[Crawford Glissadevil]

I love Fauna. Hear a new proggy album that I absolutely love is not something I expected to do ever again.

I also love Fauna. It's my favorite Haken album. I've spun it at least 50 times. The objective side of me considers The Mountain to be their best.

[boilk]

I also love Fauna. It's my favorite Haken album. I've spun it at least 50 times. The objective side of me considers The Mountain to be their best.

I agree for the most part, but still think that I prefer The Mountain by a hair. There is something iconic about that album, but Fauna is definitely top notch. And they did an amazing job playing the new album all the way through on the last tour.

Neil