Church

An inspired show by an inspired group of musicians! Enjoyed the stories between the songs & the humour.

I waited over 20 years to be in the right place and time to see this band. When I bought the ticket, I did not know it was going to be a semi-acoustic performance. I would have preferred a full electric show. However, I was very pleasantly surprised at just how good these guys are live. Kilby's voice sounded just as it does on any record. Marty's guitar work was nothing short of virtuoso. The sound was rich and clear. This was one of the best examples of musicianship I have seen in years. The Church is a band with integrity - I wish there were more of them around. Thank you - you lived up to my expectations.

Upon arriving the venue I was handed a 27 page program & a 5 Track CD ("Deadman's Hand") ...as far as I was concerned, at least half of my ticket price was already compensated for! Another wonderful surprise: most of the viewing area was arranged with tables (and no one stood in front or in-between them during the sets)... I'm an old man who likes to sit down at shows; the perfect layout for me! The format of the show had the band performing one song from each of their main releases, in reverse order (which they mostly followed; they kind of cheated by using two recent albums that has acoustic versions of their previous material). No opening act, two sets, two encores, lots of great in-between-songs-banter & stories. My favorite tracks of the night: Space Needle (MUCH better than the recorded version; they added a 60's Pink Floyd-ish jam near the end), Invisible (they took this from the original gentle sleepy track into one of the most aggressive moments of the night), Metropolis (I only mention this track because it was nice to hear it without the lead guitar lick that gets repeated after each line in the recorded version), Disarm (a Smashing Pumpkins cover, which I thought was 100 times better than the original; Kilbey's best vocals of the night), Almost With You (a solid performance of one of my favorite songs), and Grind (perfect-ultimate-blow-out finale). There were also a few lulls in the set: Reptile (they decided to do a Jazz version of this song, which made an otherwise great song exceedingly dull), The Unguarded Moment (not sure how to describe this other than "not made for an acoustic performance"), Appalatia (the recording of this song reminds me of early Love and Rockets; this rendition took away all of it's character and left a very generic track), Space Savior (not terrible, but this is one of my favorite songs by The Church, and the rendition was really lacking that perfect Velvet Underground vibe found in the recording. My standards for this song are probably too high). Overall, an amazing show, definitely one of the best I've seen in years. The idea of working backwards through their set felt like the musical equivalent to the film Momento... in a really, really, good way. First Set 01) Pangea (Untitled 23, 2009) 02) Space Needle (Uninvited, Like the Clouds, 2006) 03) Reptile (El Momento Siguiente, 2007 & Starfish, 1988) 04) Ionian Blues (Back with Two Beasts, 2005) 05) The Unguarded Moment (El Momento Descuidado, 2005 & Of Skins And Heart, 1981) 06) Appalatia (Forget Yourself, 2003) 07) Invisible (After Everything Now This, 2002) 08) Louisiana (Hologram of Baal, 1998) 09) Comedown (Magician Among the Spirits, 1996) 10) My Little Problem (Sometime Anywhere, 1994) Second Set 11) Mistress (Priest=Aura, 1992) 12) Metropolis (Gold Afternoon Fix, 1990) 13) Under the Milky Way (Starfish, 1988) 14) Already Yesterday (Heyday, 1986) 15) 10,000 Miles (Remote Luxury, 1984) 16) Fly (Seance, 1983) 17) Almost With You (The Blurred Crusade, 1982) 18) Tear It All Away (Of Skins And Heart, 1981 & Too Fast For You, 1981) First Encore 19) Disarm (Smashing Pumpkins Cover) 20) Space Savior (Untitled 23, 2009) Second Encore 21) Grind (Gold Afternoon Fix, 1990)

What an unbelievable Intimate Space (as billed), acoustic guitars literally filled the hall majestically. They were personable and at the end I couldn't believe it was over, i so wanted them to play more! And that was after 3 encores! If you missed this show, you missed an experience to be treasured, along with a free cd and program! Almost speechless!

The Norva venue is always one of my favorite places to see and listen to some great shows, and having the Church perform there was beyond expectation! The intimate setting only added to the experience and the band's vocals and musical talents have only gotten better through the years. They are a consumate group and if you ever get the chance to see them you won't be dissapointed.

This is the third time I've seen the church and they never disappoint. The show covered there 30 year career and its amazing how there catalog is still as great as ever. Can't wait to see them again. They gave out an EP and program with the ticket, that was a bonus. Just an over all great vibe!

EXCELLENT! This is a great show regardless of how familiar you are with the band's catalogue. The Church gave the BEST live performance of any band I have ever seen. The guitar rifts will blow you away, and the vocals are as strong and clean as they were recorded 30 years ago. The program approach, a reverse chronology with one song from each album going back in time, was intimate and enchanting. After a 2 hour show and 2 encores, we still wanted more. Guess that's why they gave colorfully informative programs and a free cd to everyone when they came in the door. This band knows how to entertain and left the crowd very, very satisfied.

It was amazing! I've followed The Church since the late 80s and this was my third show. A truly unforgettable experience. The set list was an extremely unique experience and I'm pretty sure Marty Wilson Piper sold his soul to the Devil to play like he does.(I would) One of the greatest and most under rated bands of all time. Thank you for everything.

First time I ever got to see these guys after being a fan for many years. Great musicians, and the banter between songs made them seem like guys who you could hang out with and knock back a few. Although I wasn't familiar with the newer stuff, they were great songs that I'll have to look up. Enjoyed hearing classics like Under the Milky Way and Metropolis. The EP they handed out was a nice bonus as well as the chronology of all their albums.

I loved the unique approach of an acoustic concert incorporating one song from their extensive library of albums. The music itself was excellent and I especially enjoyed the band's interplay with the audience between songs which brought a greater degree of intimacy to the event. This band is a hidden gem that is not to be missed.

The Park West was a perfect setting for the Church Thursday night. The dimly lit ambiance, along with the star-speckled ceiling, seemed to go hand in hand with the Church's accoustic, nuanced set list. They played a song from each of their albums, starting with the most recent, and traveled backwards to the beginning 30 years ago. The music was excellent and we had a memorable time lounging and listening to a band that is unmatched in depth and originality.

The Church were AWESOME to say the least! I loved the whole retrospect theme. Steve Gilbey has such a beautiful voice that really hasn't changed with the years. Marty Wilson-Piper was a phenomenal guitarist, his hands moved so quickly for long periods of time, you can't help but marvel and enjoy! I loved the way the band members were so adept at moving around and playing everyone else's instruments. this in itself shows true musicianship.

The church have gone all in for this tour, giving fans a taste of every album, and every era, of the band's incomparable career. They sounded gorgeous, tight, and the crowd at the packed Fine Line would've stayed and cheered through another two beautiful sets. And another two after that. OK, we would've taken as much as they were willing to give. And they were willing to give a lot. A lot of music, a lot of truly funny banter & backstory, and a lot of great new memories of this amazing, underrated band. The guys picked an eclectic set list, with some standards and some surprises. Hearing the selections from the first few albums was unbelievable -- these songs haven't lost their luster after all those years. They hold up so well, and the guys played them with such passion and poignancy you might feel you tripped and fell into your own hot tub time machine. So, so very glad I went to this show (and in my case, it was a six-hour drive from Omaha). Not to be missed, whether you were/are a casual fan or hardcore.

Damn good show! The Fine Line was/is a great venue, Great sound not overbooked great line of sight loved it!!

The Church is an amazing group. The electric and acoustic arrangement presented in this tour is fascinating. It is almost like being in on a jam session where the guys are sitting around having fun. There is no way that the excitement is diminished just because the stacks and amps are missing. And if you re thinking the quality of the show would be anything less than superb then you don t know The Church. This veteran group of musicians is pure pleasure from the first to last note. The show spanned their entire 30 year collection of music with a song from each one of their albums played in reverse chronological order. I was especially moved by their selection of the song Mistress from the album Priest = Aura. The rendering of Reptile in a jazzy format is pure fun. Louisiana was also a pleasant surprise. No Church show would be complete without Under the Milky Way and not to worry the beautiful performance will bring a tear to your eye. I just can t say enough to emphasize that this show was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The chemistry the band members have between themselves spills over into the audience and will pull you in allowing you to feel close to them. All around me was a sea of smiling faces basking in the sound and glow of stage lights that filtered into the room. The venue was intimate, civil and absolutely stress free. After coming back out on stage for three smashing encores, we parted ways and dissolved back into the world outside satisfied, charmed and moved. If you miss this show then you better have a note from your doctor or something: a psychologist I would presume because you d be crazy to skip out on it.