1999/10/15, The House of Blues Orlando, Lake Buena Vista (Downtown Disney), FL, USA

Written by Ken Springhetti (kz1000@hotmail.com) for The Sisters of Mercy Tours site

One word: Perfection!

After such a good time at Avalon, Erin and I decided to fly down to Florida for another show. I've not felt such a compelling need to go to a show that badly since Floyd was in town back in '94. I was surprised to see that the Sisters had been booked inside Walt Disney world, but hey, stranger things have happened. We arrived an hour or so before the opening act started. The HOB is a good sized place, with a very high ceiling. The balcony on the second floor consisted of single rows of old church pews, which I thought was fitting.

Tube played for an hour or so, I liked him, but the crowd again seemed indifferent. Anticipation was building for the main event, and a few drunken spectators were vocal in their desire for the Sisters to replace Mr. Tube.

At about 10:30 the lights dimmed, and the intro began, The band emerged to "Ribbons", which seemed to please everyone. "Welcome to Disney World" someone shouted, "your welcome too" Andrew retorted, with a laugh. They played basically the same set list as last time, mixing new songs "Come Together", "Romeo Down", and "Suzanne", with the old favorites. "Don't worry, you'll get used to them" he shouted...

I was standing on the floor, to the left side of the stage, and, for of the show, so was Mr. Eldritch. This time the band was a lot more animated. Andrew cracked a few jokes, and danced a bit wildly on stage. Lots of guitar picks came flying out to the crowd, and for a moment it looked like the guitar player was going to jump into the crowd.

At about midnight the band took a break, and the crowd was making about as much noise as possible, stomping feet and whistling, Andrew re-emerged donning a fresh NHL Team Jersey, and with a sly grin, knowing he had the crowd mesmerized in his gaze. "Please remain standing for the national anthem" (Vision Thing, of course). They rose the roof for the rest of the evening with all the classics, and brought the evening to an end with "Something Fast" and "This Corrosion". The band was all smiles, and it was nice to see that they were feeding off of the crowd as much as we were them. The atmosphere was perfect, the lights, the sound, everything went off without a glitch.

I should have taken more time off and gone to Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale :-)

To anyone who has the opportunity: go, go as many times as you can, you wont be disappointed!

Once I get hold of a scanner, I'll send photos/ticket stubs. WARNING TO TICKET MASTER TICKET STUB HOLDERS: Tickets are now heat/light sensitive, if you put them in a photocopier or scanner, they will turn black! Take a picture, scan that!

Written by Garrett Barnwell (gbarn@ufl.edu) for The Sisters of Mercy Tours site

First off, enough cannot be said of the venue. Even though the location (Downtown Disney) may have been the subject of countless jokes, it was in reality, the perfect setting for a Sisters show. Think about it, bombast meets bombast. Lights! Action! Made no difference if you visited the chemist before the show or not. Way ample parking, as well as that patented Disney "feeling of safety."

Upon arrival, I overheard that all but approx. 150 tickets had been presold. This was apparent upon entry, as the placed was jammed to hear the sounds of opener TUBE. I personally couldn't see what the fuss over Tube was about. So bad, I thought it was the SSV disc playing on the PA, until I saw the lights going off.

But then, around 11 pm, the lights dimmed, the fog machine sprang to life, as an apparently new atmospheric track (in the "Afterhours" vein) pulsed from the speakers. After a few minutes that seemed like eternity, the dark shapes of Pearson and Varjak could be seen getting in position just as Dr. Avalanche began "Ribbons." Then, the man. Eldritch appears. I may have passed out at that point, or more probably, began screaming like a baby. So began the show.

From there, the set list was very similar to the Braga, Portugal show. Standout tracks included "Train/Detonation Boulevard" "Giving Ground," and the one that sent me RUNNING to the floor, "Temple of Love." Of course, "Dominion" got aired out, as did "This Corrosion." Kinda weird was "Logic," which was speeded up to at least twice the original speed, making it near thrash. Weird. Also quite a strange take on "On the Wire." It was great to have the inclusion of some b-sides in the set to separate the real fans from the Marilyn Manson crew in attendance. Also, I have to say that while not my favorites, the new songs like "Come Together," "Summer," and "Will I Dream?" were not shabby, either. Kinda makes me hope they can get a record out sometime in the 21st century, at least.

I learned my lesson about merch also. When I arrived, I spied out a couple of way cool Sisters shirts I had to have. A friend convinced me to wait until later to buy, so I wouldn't be carrying a shirt around all night. So guess what happens then? Being the last show of the tour, all the merch except for two shirt designs sold out! Leaving me with a too-small new logo tee, instead of the "planet edge" design I had my sights on. Doh!

As an aside, the Damned with Patricia Morrison on bass played the same venue three nights previous, and one month later, on November 15th, Wayne Hussey and the Mission UK will hit the same stage. This could only happen at Disney World, right? O.K, back to the show.

Needless to say, Eldritch owned the crowd. At that point, I finally accepted that the Sisters ARE Eldritch, and vice-versa. To be brutally honest, it doesn't matter who plays with Eldritch in the Sisters. Wow! I never thought I'd say that, being a "classic lineup purist" and all. This is the End. One encore, which left the crowd still hungry. Then, the house lights come on.

Concert Review in one word? Wow.

Written by Luiz Felipe Perrone (perrone@cs.dartmouth.edu) for Dominion mailing list

It started out a bit strange, IMHO. So they opened with Ribbons, which in my opinion, was not the best song to kick start the show. There was some energy missing... they soon kicked into Train/Detonation Boulevard, the combo I heard them play so fiercely in Boston. Not the same, though. It was almost like Eldritch was a little out of it, or something.

Of course I couldn't stop comparing to the show at the Avalon, where he seemed cheerful and friendly from the beginning. This time, instead of pacing back and forth in a cat-like stance, he was doing a lot of the "spread legs wide and shake hips like one with Parkinson disease" thing. It took him a while to warm up to the audience.

Well, I can't really blame him. It was a great crowd, extremely receptive, don't get me wrong. When I saw the percentage of goths, I got a little concerned: I was afraid the people front-stage would just stand there looking bored. Not so. They danced, they jumped, they screamed along. Maybe sunny goths are a little more lively.

A little to the left of the stage, there was a small bunch of people apparently with this big guy in punk attire, and they seemed to think that telling Andrew "fuck you" and giving him the finger was something good to do. At one point, they finally got noticed and this look of angry disapproval surfaced to Von's countenance when he spit out: "You're welcome too." I'm not sure he was talking to his punk fan (and real fan he was given how much of the lyrics he knew), but anyway he didn't seem too happy.

Someone yelled: "...rock the Disney World" and I couldn't catch Von's reply. He seemed to fake amusement at this line and to bite his lips not to say something really appropriate in reply.

His voice showed some signs of exhaustion, not the same as earlier in the tour. The screaming did come, but it took quite some time. The audience eventually started to resonate with the band and went nuts with many more songs that just Dominion and This Corrosion. Vision Thing set people yelling like crazy. Even FALAA had quite an effect on the people around me.

In Boston I noticed Von pronouncing Bei Mir's "schoen" and "wunderbar" as a German speaker would. Next, in Orlando, he was singing very much like the Andrews Sisters did: schoen sounded line "shine" and "wunderbar" had anglicized and stretched out r's.

When time for the first encore came, Eldritch seemed quite satisfied with the band's accomplishment. They had really rocked Disney World. They came back twice and at each extra song the crowd roared with happiness. Of course This Corrosion shook the place. Varjak even did the countdown to "hey now now" thing. I kept hoping I was finally going to hear CN/SKoS live, but it was not to be. They teased us with the possibility of a third encore for a couple of minutes, but the lights went on and The Doors music came out blasting from the speakers.

Written by Stephen (sin@leading.net) for Dominion mailing list

I still haven't recovered from my trip back as the designated driver thru 3 hours of hurricane weather (gee, never saw a fire truck flipped over on the highway before...). Anyway, Irene was still off blundering in the distance during the show which was at the House of Blues in Disneyworld. I saw very few beautiful people but a helluva lot of bad makeup jobs. The opening guy was animated and did a lot of head bouncing during his set, and while he was generally politely received, there were a few rude little sh*ts who loudly and repeatedly told him to go home.

After a few generous belches from the smoke machines, Andrew appeared in his yellow shoulder padded leather jacket and black pants with the mandatory assorted rings, zippers and tags hanging off them. He started out with Ribbons without much energy or coherency which quickly segued into a luke-warm Detonation Boulevard. There were a lot of Hail Marys from the crowd as they sang along but I got the impression nobody was really certain what they were singing or why their hands were up in the air. It was not until Giving Ground that he and the crowd finally seemed to connect up; it was then that the Voice came, like some vast uncoiling thing resonating thru the smoke. Accuse me of hyperbole or fawning overstatement, but I felt it and I think the crowd did too. With Temple of Love things got a little transcendent: Andrew and the crowd were obviously enjoying themselves.

Adam looked quite the awesome and inscrutable machine with his "controlled fury" delivery on guitar. Plus his yellow zip up jacket looked quite natty. Andrew even flashed a bit of the belly for any admirers. Mike was dogged and thorough but had a brief flash of air guitar bravado when Andrew gave out credits. The end came about in a business-like enough way: toss the ripped up set lists out to the mass of black rats teeming down below and close the curtains.

L. Felipe Perrone:
> A little to the left of the stage, there was a small bunch of people
> apparently with this big guy in punk attire, and they seemed to think
> that telling Andrew "fuck you" and giving him the finger was something
> good to do.

Yeah I saw this wanker. Somebody in that little brotherhood got muscled out of the pit by security later in the show. Somebody held a video camera aloft recording the people in the pit from time to time - tho such gear was "expressly forbidden."

Once, early in the show and in between songs, Andrew backed up as if taking stock of the audience. The crowd, unsure of what was coming next, momentarily quieted, and I howled out "WELCOME TO DISNEYWORLD..." I must've put ten years worth of pent-up greeting, longing, angst, happiness, and General Personal Disaffection And Loathing For Lots Of Things into that scream. I had thought about it for weeks: here I was going to see Andrew Eldritch for the first and maybe last time in my life; it was the last stop on his U.S. Tour, and he was ending it in of all places Disneyworld. Yes, America, the very place he had so fondly called a kind of "Ultra-violent Disneyworld."

Looking down at that sea of cartoon faces I'm sure it was understood. There was amusement in his voice and his probably sarcastic reply (Oh) I like Disneyworld... was spot on. Not a big deal but a pleasant little bit of dialogue nonetheless and about all there was. To prove the point he's prolly in Disney right now enjoying himself on pleasure island and counting his take of the U.S. till before he heads for Mexico City next week for the really good liquor.

Written by Chris Sampson (Chris@cgs123.demon.co.uk) for Dominion mailing list

Orlando was a surreal experience. Slap bang in the middle of the Disney complex, and one wonders what the family value cretins wearing Mickey Mouse ears must have made of, say, Vision Thing (vicious in Orlando) thumping out of the House of Blues. This was a better performance by the band, and the sound and lights were improved. The crowd were a tedious bunch, no movement, little energy. Summer is just gorgeous: the lights, the time-changes...fantastic. I was disappointed that we didn't get a third encore, the crowd were up for it and as it was the last US date, surely Sister Ray or Comfortably Numb was required? And what the hell has happened to War On Drugs, possibly the best of the new songs? This beauty surely can't be left on the shelf just yet.

Stephen:
>The crowd, unsure of what was coming next, momentarily
>quieted, and I howled out "WELCOME TO DISNEYWORLD..."
[...]
>Andrew Eldritch obviously got the reference.
>
>He looked at me, smiled and said into the microphone: I LIKE
>Disneyworld......"
>(loud raucous applause).

Stephen mate, I must have been standing about 6 feet away from you and could have sworn Von's reply was "Yeah, you're welcome to it...".

> Yeah I saw this wanker. Somebody in that little brotherhood got muscled out of
> the pit by security later in the show.

Simon Wadsworth was apparently in the thick of the punch-up and claims the guy got thrown out for being on the receiving end of a head-butt. Full story in due course, no doubt.

> Somebody held a video camera aloft
> recording the people in the pit. from time to time - tho such gear was "expressly
> forbidden."

This is Dean. He's allowed.

Finally, thanks to everyone who bought GPS on the tour. I'm really pleased with the response, or would be if that mad Scottish geezer hadn't legged it to Mexico with the cash.

Written by martiangirl@planetmail.com for Dominion mailing list

Stephen:
> Looking down at that sea of
> cartoon faces I'm sure it was understood. There was amusement in his voice and
> his probably sarcastic reply (Oh) I like Disneyworld... was spot on. Not a big
> deal but a pleasant little bit of dialogue nonetheless

I hope it pleases/amuses him to realize that just about every line he's ever uttered in interviews etc. has been committed to fond memory by us out here. I know that if I had been in your audience, I would have laughed in great pleasure at hearing that remark - made to Dave Kendall (and do I miss him!) on 120 MINUTES something like 11-12 years ago, for word's sake!! - handed back to him at such an appropriate time and place. =)

> To prove the point he's prolly in Disney right now enjoying himself on pleasure island

WHAT a mental image...

Written by Michael Jordan (mdj2670@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) for Dominion mailing list

>To prove the point he's prolly in Disney right now enjoying himself on
>pleasure island

I enjoyed the encounter I had with him outside of the Star Wars store in downtown Disney. He was wearing a St Pauli shirt and was smoking (of course) waiting for his girlfriend who was shopping. Most amazing part of this was his girlfriend was holding up merchandise and he pulled his sunglasses down to have a better look. Seeing the eyes was quite amazing. On a different note I was pleased to see the crowd as large as it was. Was also pleased at the show and the cheery mood of AE.