2011.01.14 - Honolulu, HI, USA @ Blaisdell Arena

Source A: Olympus PCM RecorderLineage: WAV > Audacity +1.5 db amplification > WAV > Format Factory > FLAC
Taper: xip187
Torrent: Yes
Gen: O

Notes by Galen 2024: This entry, among others during this era, was written by a dear friend who passed away during the Covid Pandemic. He sure could write some detailed analysis and he was a true fan of the band. He pulled a ton of great recordings, was very intelligent, had a wonderful sense of humor, helped out those around him and was an otherwise great individual. Miss you, man. So, I invite you to pay close attention whenever you see a Notes by Nameloc on CU.ORG.

Preface by Nameloc: This will be my very first official review/critique for CU.org, and I will state that I will attempt to be as thorough and accurate in my notes as possible. I will also be as honest as possible, which may (hopefully not) cause someones-somewhere- feelings to get hurt..which is not the intent...at all. Without 100% honest reviews by others, its possible that certain aspects of ones recordings may not be fully brought to their attention, more specifically exact details that may and could be improved upon.. I know this was the case with my own recordings..without some of the reviews here of my sources (and with some of the first ones, without my knowledge), I very likely would not have made the changes in my equipment and or approach to taping that I did...or at least, not nearly as soon. I should also note, I will be writing these reviews without knowing the exact details of the recording gear source beforehand..I want to remain 100% completely impartial in regards to taping gear,tapers,ect.

Notes by Nameloc: Well, even after about 25 years of obsessively listen to live recordings of bands..I still get the same feeling when I pop that cd in for the first time..and hear that roar of the crowd..and the yells and screams from the immediate neighbors of the taper who perpetrated the recording you are about to listen to. Theres that moment of excitement while you wait for the very first wave of music..even moreso, the anticipation of hearing the recording itself..whats it going to sound like..?? is it going to be one of those recordings that instantly grabs you by the balls and doesnt let go..?? will it be a total dud, and sound like it was taped from inside one of the urinals, in the restrooms, down in the venue basement..??  hopefully not-in that case.  The first thing that grabbed my attention when I put this cd in, besides the aforementioned details, was the "eh, eh, eh" right at the start of the show..after being subjected to a somewhat standard setlist for several years in the not-so distant past, it was a "breath of fresh air" hearing a typical "closer" being played at the beginning of the show. Now, as soon as the guitar riff kicked in, I noticed something else. Jones' guitar wasnt sounding as "bright" as it usually does..even though he plays very "dark" and de-tuned, his tone still retains a nice sharpness/brightness. The thought that came to mind ( and I should note, I am writing these reviews without looking at source info) was that this recording was made with some sort of recorder with "built-in" mics or with external mics, more specifically cardiods, with the capsules pointing down and or away from the sound source. I guess what i am trying to say it that it sounds slightly muffled and reserved. But this is only one factor is a much broader picture, so we will continue..  The music is relatively close sounding in this source and "above" the crowd, it seems the taper had fairly decent seats. One thing I *always* focus on when listening to a recording is, when you are listening where does it "sound" like it was recorded from..? If you close you eyes..where do you imagine yourself sitting at this show..? For whatever reason, and I may be completely incorrect, I imagine this taper sitting relatively close to the stacks on the lower side of the venue/bowl..which is not a bad thing.  Another thing I notice very quickly, is that Mr.Keenan is pretty bright in this recording/show..he sounds "above" the rest of the band, which as we all know, alot of times is not the case. The low end on this source is rather solid,although somewhat muddy or consolidated..or however you want to view it..but thats not to say this is an unenjoyable recording. The band seems to be playing pretty well..there are a couple of very minor things that I noticed, but they're probably not even worth mentioning.  One thing that is probably worth mentioning is the extended "Lateralus" which included part of Metallicas' "Orion"..*with* Metallicas' Kirk Hamett on guitar...or it wouldnt be worth mentioning if you are under the belief most of Kirk Hammetts improvised solos are boring, and over-saturated with wah pedal effects and treble..  what camp do you find yourself in?? All in all, this is a so-so recording..and I did find myself jamming out at times. I will say it seemed the taper managed to remain fairly stationary during the performance, and while the recording itself may not raise any bars, it is somewhat obvious he or she put some amount of effort into it..and made the effort to tape to begin with, which is commendable.

Setlist:

Ænema
Jambi
Vicarious
Eon Blue Apocalypse
The Patient
Flood
Schism
Lateralus
(Extended jam including 'Orion' by Metallica w/Kirk Hamett on GTR)
Forty Six & Two
Third Eye
Stinkfist

Source B: Apple iPhone (internal microphone)
Taper: Ckool17

Notes: OK honestly this recording sounds as good as you would think an ambient recording would sound using whatever iPhone this was back in 2011. It is incomplete, starting on The Patient. Bass has mild distortion and the rest of the audio is squashed between audience chatter and movement. I like the moment at the end of The Patient where (it sounds like) the taper's’ girlfriend says “put your arm around me” followed by a LOUD scream. Whew. The audio is not terrible but it is not great, either. I would put this in the for collector’s only category.