Think about the difference between production from '81 to '89. Massive over just 8 years. Or even from '89 to '97. Or '66 to '69. I don't think much has really changed since Bridges to Babylon in '97 (my favorite stage, btw) for any musical act. For 20 years it's been kinda the same type of shows.

I guess when rock itself died, it coincided with really notable progress in how rock shows look. Makes me think of how the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70', 80's, 90's had distinct identities as decades but '00 to '18 is kind of an indistinct blur (I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way). I dunno, anybody have anything interesting to say about this topic that is probably boring.

not so much about production but what i would say about pop/rock music in general is that it hasnt really had a different identity for over 2 decades, yet the 50,s to early 90,s period changed its identity every 18 months or so. its like certain songs could only ever be made during that short period of time.

Well it think it changed pretty much in the last decade.
Lights are now made with new technology like LEDs. Less heating, less energy consumption.
Stage decors have also changed. Much less solid decors, inflatables etc
What we get now is screens screens and screens.
Image quality has widely improved compared to the Bridges or Licks tour screens.

I love the current stage, which is way better than the one used for 14 On Fire and for the Ole Tour.

[doctorstonesblog.blogspot.com]

Biggest improvement of the last years is in the audio experience.

This, at least, with the top acts I've seen, Stones being No. 1

What you hear at a gig nowadays is a blast, it hits you in the chest, it is something that cannot be experienced at home, not even with the best equipment available.

Video screens also are something else now. The B2B stage video stands to the spectacle of the No Filter tour like an old Nokia to a modern smartphone.

Best screen show I've seen was Radiohead last year.

C

Ac dc and guns roses also great sound systems. Acdc also dave natalee i think

I like large concerts and good visual productions. I mean I like small intimate venues as well. But I see this as two completely different things. Regarding stadium productions. I'm a bit divided on these new large LED Screens.

Some bands, like U2 for example purely rely on big screens. I thought the last Joshua Tree Tour was pretty boring in terms of visuals. Also btw. in the recent years Bono looks and acts on stage like he's about to fall asleep. I'm asking myself if he's ok ?
On the other hand I really like the No Filter Stage. This is for me a good mix of both, where the screens and lightshow as a whole work very well together. Then there are acts that use screens in a very minimalistic way and yet have a great visual show. For example Depeche Mode, Rammstein or David Gilmour. I saw Gilmour in Vienna and "Mr Screen" with all those lights around it to me is the single most impressive visual stage element I have ever seen. Depeche Mode in general have very minimalistic visual yet very effective.
Guns'n'Roses for example have a lot going on with Screens and many lights but it felt a bit, not really well coordinated to the sound. Finally there is Bruce Springsteen who turns on the Stadium lights once it gets dark but delivers one hell of a show for three and hours.

In general I think the need of a good visual show depends on the charisma of the frontman. The more charisma the less visual show is needed.

The BANG stage was the worst they've ever had.

U2's JOSHUA TREE tour last year not only sounded incredible (the Louisiana Superdome is, generally, brutal for rock shows) and the screen was fantastic.

The stage is now more a screen based entity as was noted. Inflatables and confetti now would seem dated and tired .. and cheezy.


The sound was spectacular for 2015 Zipcode. They sounded 'huge' but at the same time I could hear every little guitar lick and instrument as if they were playing in a garage with me. The audio in turn literally had the best of both worlds. It was a raw sound .. very big wall of sound ... but all the while it sounded stripped down as well. I can remember hearing each band member clearly and concisely. Ya just had to be there to experience it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-05-31 05:27 by IanBillen.