AMAZING GIG!

Loved the Ziltoid Radio song introductions in between Dev and Contrive, it was fantastic to hear the groans and insults coming from the crowd as Saturday Night Fever and Barbie Girl were blasted out, and I think that it built up the atmosphere attitude-wise for Dev's stage theatrics perfectly.

Sound-wise, I thought everything sounded fine (Mind you, I had ear-plugs in, so I can't be a good judge of whatever they were filtering out), the only part I can really think of that was noticeably out of place to me was the microphone volume during the end of Ki, but that's barely anything to complain about.

I've also noticed some complaints about Dev's on-stage theatrics, which I personally can't understand. You had the perfect balance of sincere moments where he expressed how he felt about the night and the tour, and the "go fucking crazy you nerds!!!" moments where you ended up being drawn into the pit and wanting to go nuts. I think that the atmosphere Dev created, with the extreme facial-expressions and on-stage antics etc. were executed perfectly and in a very professional manner; I cannot imagine being able to do a 2 hour set of songs and still retain such a visible vibrancy in front of hundreds of people.

all in all, a fantastic night that I enjoyed thoroughly. Thanks Dev!

It was a pretty good gig. The Ziltoid radio joke was funny at first but not so much four songs and 20 minutes later. Biggest highlight (by far) was Life. The crowd just went nuts for that one. ZTO and By Your Command were great too. Lowlights were the Addicted stuff (but thats personal preference, not a fan of that album), Deadhead (too long and boring) and Colour Your World. I think my dislike of Colour Your World had more to do with the pacing of the gig. I just felt a faster, shorter song at that point in the set would've worked better than a long, drawn-out one. Moreover, I think the song structure of the gig was off, it lacked that kind of ebb and flow his studio albums incorporate so brilliantly. All in all, too many Addicted and Ziltoid songs, not nearly enough Ocean Machine! (and judging by crowd reactions I reckon its a fair bet others there would agree).

I had earplugs so I can't really comment on the noise level. I reckon I've been to louder gigs though. Dev's voice was fantastic, extremely impressed at how closely his singing matched the studio versions of most of the more recent stuff. The older stuff was a little off but I completely expected that as it was the same thing the last time he was out here.

However (flame-resistant suit on), I know Dev's mixes are huge and its not possible to play every track live but at some points during the night it felt a little too much like Karaoke as the backing tracks were doing most of the playing. You could've almost told the bassist and rhythm guitarist to go sit out the back for a few songs here and there while the backing tracks covered em!

Lowlights were ... Deadhead (too long and boring)

never thought I'd read something like that on this forum

dude, you understood NOTHING if that's your honest opinion - but it's a matter of taste obviously, although I never thought it would come to that concerning Deadhead

I still wonder if Dev does a proper tour through Europe or if he just plays some festivals.

On a side note, I just had the time of my life at Devin's acoustic show! He showed us some awesome demos off Decon and Ghost. Can't freaking wait!! Devin is the nicest guy. Also, a photo disguised as stealth brag

I have to laugh at people who criticise imperfect sound at loud live Rock and Metal shows. It's LIVE. It's human beings playing and mixing, not robots or doof doof music. I like it loud, raw and completely in your face live. And this is exactly what these gigs were. Little imperfections add to the performance. If you want absolute perfection, stay home and listen to the albums....

Double.

You lucky bastards.. hope to see you some day live mr T

That acoustinc gig in Melb was fantastic.

Dev's ability to communicate his ideas, objectives and vision is engaging and very entertaining.

Hearing 4 demo tracks off Deconstruction and a couple off Ghost was even better!!

Deconstruction sounds like one badass record and I'm even more pumped for it to be released.

Thanks again Dev for making the time, not only for the merch signings and acoustic gig but for coming over here on tour. Look forward to seeing you again next year.

best gig ever for me. just absolutely fun, positive, hilarious, the crowd werent being aggressive wankers and the sound i wouldnt say was too loud. ive been to plenty of gigs where ive walked out with my ears buzzing like crazy but last night i walked out with nothing. my hearing was fine. i got to be front row center and i got to have a loooong staring contest with dev at the start of disruptr. that was fun as hell. i got the setlist too!

the acoustic show was awesome! my main man Anwar got me in early so we got to see him soundcheck. the acoustic stuff was great. he played a song called radio highway and was basically writing it in front of us which was cool as hell. then he played us a bunch of demo tracks from deconstruction and ghost... jesus. theyre both going to be fucking amazing. i wont go into detail about it so not to spoil it but you wont be dissapointed when its done.

also i have to say, dev is the nicest fucking guy. hes a real gentleman. i cant wait for him to come down again. what an amazing last 2 days

I have to laugh at people who criticise imperfect sound at loud live Rock and Metal shows. It's LIVE. It's human beings playing and mixing, not robots or doof doof music. I like it loud, raw and completely in your face live. And this is exactly what these gigs were. Little imperfections add to the performance. If you want absolute perfection, stay home and listen to the albums....

pffft,- man, for $70 a ticket it should sound fucking awesome. My mates reckon that venue is good as a doof club, some of the bass feel in parts of the gig confirmed that. I really got to feel the LIve feeling in parts, but just wasn't all encompassing. Nothing to do with the playing, just venue and sound/mixing gear setup.

People can complain all they want ... why not be constructive about it? Devy is pouring his heart into this tour, and we know that he recognizes aspects that need to be worked on, but in stead of saying "Deadhead is shit LOL!" why not offer a song that would be better live? Also, and this is definitely something Devy would know all about ... you can never please everyone, and, you can never please people who are never pleased. Be happy, guys, you just saw God in the flesh

In my honest opinion, the setlist was close to perfect, because it mixed it all up, but I guess there are three factions to devy fans, those who want it fast and heavy, those who want it low and mellow, and those who don't give a shit because they love whatEVER he throws at us.

Also, as for a live show not being paced like a studio album ... uhhh?

just adding my voice to the reviews for the sunday night gig at Billboard:

Negatives:
- As everyone's mentioned: Mixing
- - definitely too much high end, too loud (I know, complaining about rock/metal being too loud seems lame, but it's true and unfortunately I forgot to bring earplugs that night)
- - vocals were too loud in parts. I love the song Ki and was really pumped when Devin started playing, but then the end build-up was way too quiet and completely drowned out when Devin started the operatic type singing.
- - During Life and a couple of other songs there were moments when there was this loud monotone bass sound, not sure what happened there.
- - When Devin was doing lead stuff I could barely hear the second guitar.

- This one is more personal preference, but for me there wasn't enough of his old stuff in there. My three favourite albums by Devin are OM, Infinity and Terria. I really enjoyed hearing the tracks that he played off of them, I just wished he'd done more. I was sure Regulator would have gotten a play.

Highlights:
- I've only ever seen Devin with SYL so to finally see him doing his solo stuff was awesome.
- As everyones said: Devin's stage presence is wonderful, he brings the crowd to life.
- Generally flawless execution of the songs
- Many rocking songs that got the pit moving
- 2 hours!

It was without a doubt an awesome show, everyone was clearly loving it, the tunes were all rocking.
Someone mentioned how the show lulled at around the 3/4s mark. Personally I was hoping for even more of a lull as by that time I was pretty sore from the general rocking out and appreciated the temporary mellow out.

pffft,- man, for $70 a ticket it should sound fucking awesome. My mates reckon that venue is good as a doof club, some of the bass feel in parts of the gig confirmed that. I really got to feel the LIve feeling in parts, but just wasn't all encompassing. Nothing to do with the playing, just venue and sound/mixing gear setup.

...seriously?

For a club-level show the sound was good, especially taking into consideration how many layers/tracks are put into Devin's songs and the resulting "wall of sound" effect. I'd expect a solid and entertaining show for $70 (which everyone got last Sunday, no doubt), but not necessarily a "fucking awesome" sound. If it's a huge concern then you'd be better off standing as close as you can to the mixing desk.

Do people just not go out to local gigs in Melbourne to not have an appreciation of how bad things can really get?

Sunday was my first time seeing Dev perform live, although I did meet him at Gaslight for an SYL signing (couldn't afford show; oh well).

Pros: Aside from the band themselves, the setlist was beautiful. It would have been cool to hear Bad Devil or Vampira, but I suppose bands can't fit everything into their set, even the amazing 2 hour one supplied. Next time maybe.
The Ziltoid radio intro was funny as hell. To think, back in the 90's I would have paid NOT to hear most of those songs, and yet it was a perfect way to bring Dev to the stage.
His humor, good nature, and musicianship are something to aspire to, and it made the night totally worth it.

Cons: The Hi-Fi Bar would have made a better venue, as Billboard was either too loud or uneven. It was quite noticible early on as well, but I did my best to ignore it and enjoy the show.
Tall bastards my height (188 cm) or more getting in my way and blocking my view (I swear deliberately, or maybe it's just my frustration talking).
Not really gig related, but between swaying my back and neck trying to actually see the stage and not someone's head, my scoliosis decided to kick in and my back went out, forcing me to exit the crowded area and find a wall to apply pressure - which blocked my view even more and made me look like an idiot. At least I could still hear and occasionally glimpse.

O/A: Totally worth it, BS aside. If/when he returns for Deconstruction & Ghost, I will be there.

I guess most of my thoughts have covered here already. Fantastic show but was loud. I saw Chimaira there earlier in the year and they got a clear mix with a lower volume. But I have read Dev's post earlier in this thread so I can totally understand his situation. The Ziltiod songs came across really well in the live format and I enjoyed the comments from the fourth dimensional being himself. I think the shows where Dev will play the album in full will be awesome. The set was a good mix over most albums. Om was great to hear live, totally not expected. As someone else posted, the crowd was really cool. Not sure why some people didn't think much of the comedy value Dev adds to his shows. That is who he is.

Pro: Was fantastic to see Dev really enjoying himself. Seems like he has found peace with 'Dev The Performer'.

Con: Probably drinking two beers too many to remember the show properly. Serves me right for taking my alcoholic mate along.

And yes, I am one of those tall people (193cm). So sorry to those standing behind me but I am not exactly going to crouch down.

I have been seeing Dev play since he first come out to Australia in 1997 (yes I'm an old man). If I remember correctly, at the Hi Fi Bar show SYL played OMFG twice as the crowd was screaming for an encore. Dev came out and said that they have run out of songs but they would play OMFG again. Sweet! The show on Sunday night certainly ranks up there, but I do believe the best is yet to come from Dev.