Mick is a Shark

Last night was the big Dave Matthews Band/Rolling Stones show at Qwest Field. Despite the obviously expensive and expansive set, it didn't do much for the sound.

I didn't take the picture.

I love concerts, and this being my first time to a Stones show, I was excited to see if they are really as energetic as I'd heard. They are. Mick is nuts. If you ever saw the tv shows from the 60's when he was on, it's the same guy. The guy moves around so much that it appears that if he stops, he'll die.

Anyway, the set is massive. Probably 50' + high and 150' wide, designed to look like the exterior of a hotel, sans the windows, with white metal spandrel panels. What you don't see at first glance are the hundreds of lights at each level, which change color and glow to the beat of the music. The stage reached from sideline to sideline, and Mick used every inch of it. The most unexpected part of the night was when the 10' x 25' center of the stage rolled forward down the deck that split the seating in half. The band "rolled" to the other end of the field and performed three songs down there, delighting those who were originally far away from the stage.

So the acoustics in Qwest Field are aweful. I'm guessing the design is intended to keep sound in the stadium, which is great (Opponents Trying to Quiet Qwest Field) for football games but not so much for concerts. The sound reverberates throughout the stadium thanks to the clam-shell roof, and of course the high-pitched noises are amplified, which isn't good on the ol' eardrums.

I could go on and on about my pet peeves at concerts, but I'll stop here.

Aside from the sound not being ideal, the show was quite entertaining. Luckily Dave's acoustic guitar-driven sound is a lot gentler and less busy than the Rolling Stones heavily-instrumented fare. It was a good time though, and that's what really matters.