The End

The time has come for me to call it a day at BNE Live.

As you may have noticed, I haven't really posted much at all since the start of the year. To be honest, I've been putting off writing this post for some time now. I guess you could say I've lost the love for recording. Various reasons for this, primarily though, I have to sacrifice a lot of my personal enjoyment of a gig in order to pull great recordings and I'm tired of doing so.

I've had some great experiences over the years running this site, met some amazing people and I've made a collection of recordings that I'll cherish forever.

There are a few special thank you's that I want to make:

• Kate Miller-Heidke:
  My site has gained so much exposure thanks to you. You allowed me to record your spectacular performances on numerous occasions, you shared them via social media when I posted them and you even got me into an interview with Spencer Howson on ABC Radio.
• Spencer Howson: Being interviewed on national radio was certainly a first for me, and I truly appreciate you having me on and letting me show people what I do.
• Jac Stone:
  I found your music a few years back now and I'm so glad I did. Your music is so raw, passionate and beautiful and I never get tired of coming to your shows. Thank you for letting me record on occasion.
• The Grates:
  You dudes are the coolest people I know. You put on the most energetic and crazy shows I've ever seen. Personal highlight for me would have to be having Patience crowd-surf out to me at Red Deer Festival just to say hi. 

I'd also like to thank the Linkin Park community, especially the guys over at LPLive. Almost a decade ago that community got me on the path of recording and sharing concerts and it's been a great learning experience.  Also thanks to my host for allowing to keep my recordings uploaded free of charge, much appreciated.

So what now? I don't think this will be the absolute end for me, I'll probably still record on occasion. I made a few recordings a little while back but I think from now on, anything I record will just stay in my personal collection. You never know though...

I'll probably put together a little EP of my favourite songs I've ever recorded. Until then, I made a list highlighting a great recording for each year I've been active:

• 02.09.2010 - Washington @ The Zoo
• 21.04.2011 - Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals @ Bluesfest (Byron Bay)
• 30.03.2012 - Kate Miller-Heidke @ The Powerhouse
• 24.02.2013 - Linkin Park @ Soundwave Festival (Sydney)

Thank you everyone who has followed my site, downloaded my recordings and showed your support, this site is for you. I've had over 55,000 hits on my site and even if only one person had found my recordings and enjoyed them, that would have been enough for me. I am forever grateful.

So, until next time, take care and I'll see you at a gig in the near future.

14.02.2013 - Bruce Springsteen

I won't lie, I've waited a decade for this. Bruce Springsteen is a musical hero to me. He is a genius in every sense of the word. I had my concerns though, Bruce is now 63 years old, Patti Scialfa and Steve Van Zandt weren't joining the tour and the recent deaths of Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici were reason enough to be concerned that the Australian tour had the potential to be lackluster. Needless to say, I had nothing to be worried about.

Springsteen came out kicking (albeit late) launching into "We Take Care Of Our Own". Instantly the presence of Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave) was felt. The minute he started playing, I knew Bruce had picked the perfect replacement for Steve. Every second of the performance was flawless and full of energy. I was a bit shitty with the audio at stages, there was numerous times during the night where ear splitting feedback was heard, something I feel should not be present in such high level gigs, but anyway.

I didn't record the set, because I wanted to enjoy the night as much as I possibly could, however a person by the username of "pttanner" uploaded their recording to the Junglelands forum. Not the highest quality recording but very listenable and definitely a recording I'll listen to for years to come, so thank you.

Have a listen here!

OR

A YouTube video for people who don't like torrents..

22.02.2013 - Blink-182

I missed seeing Blink-182 back in 2004 and when the band went their separate ways only months later, I had massive regrets. In the years that followed, a lot happened. Mark and Travis went on to form +44, Tom formed Angels and Airwaves, Travis was involved in a tragic plane crash. So finally after all that time, Blink-182 announced their reunion and I knew I'd finally get my chance to see them live.

When Blink-182 were announced for Soundwave 2013, I grabbed a ticket as fast as I could. Then the sideshow was announced and I knew I needed to get a ticket for that too. Sadly a week out from the show, Travis Barker announced he wasn't going to tour with the band. Some people were angry and abused the shit out of him, most were understanding though. Personally I was just disappointed but I knew it mustn't have been easy for Travis. Regardless I was excited that I was still seeing two thirds of one of my favourite bands.

Now the show itself; it was a strong mix of old and new and even a few tracks off the Dogs Eating Dogs EP. The band were top notch, which I was grateful for as they can be hit-and-miss, particularly Tom's vocals..  Highlights for me included First Date, Dogs Eating Dogs, After Midnight and All The Small Things.

Now for a few complaints: The venue itself was a bit of a let down. The weather was far from perfect, with high winds and rain, the sound was negatively affected. There would be times where you could barely hear as the wind took away the sound. Also felt that for the size of the area, having only speakers on the front of stage instead of having additional speakers further back was a real let down. I'm not usually one to criticize people or make generalized statements, but on a whole, the crowd were assholes. There were so many people blind drunk, high, smoking in crowds and just being generally rude and aggressive. Comparing this night to the crowds down in Sydney where people were looking out for one another and being respectful (whilst still having fun and going nuts), it was just a real let down. I know some people will disagree with me and/or the area you were in might have been better, so that's fine, just my opinion.

The quality of this recording is far from my usual standard. If anything, I give it a C+. The wind and the rain, combined with the loud and drunk crowd heavily impacted on the quality of this recording. Overall the recording itself is decent but there are moments where things sound a bit off. If you're a Blink-182 fan, please go ahead and download it, its certainly listenable and a nice bit of memorabilia if you were there. However if you don't listen to Blink-182 much, maybe try and find a better recording elsewhere.

Setlist:

01 - Feeling This

02 - Up All Night

03 - Rock Show

04 - Whats My Age Again?

05 - Dogs Eating Dogs

06 - Down

07 - I Miss You

08 - Wishing Well

09 - Disaster

10 - Dumpweed

11 - Always

12 - Violence

13 - After Midnight

14 - First Date

15 - Hearts All Gone

16 - Man Overboard

17 - Ghost On The Dance Floor

18 - All The Small Things

19 - Josie

20 - Reckless Abandon (Acoustic)

21 - All Of This (Acoustic)

22 - Boxing Day (Acoustic)

23 - Carousel

24 - Dammit

25 - Family Reunion

Massive props to Brooks Wackerman of Bad Religion for filling some damn big shoes. Without you, this tour wouldn't have happened and I know fans all over the country appreciate your efforts.

DOWNLOAD HERE

As always, this recording is provided freely for fan enjoyment and is not to be redistributed or used for commercial purposes.

24.02.2013 - Linkin Park (Soundwave)

Just over two years since I last saw the Linkin Park boys. However this time I saw them down in Sydney as I missed out on Brisbane Soundwave tickets.

To say Sydney Soundwave was packed is an understatement. I don't think I've ever been to a show or festival yet with an attendance like there was that day. I'm not sure on the final attendance number, but it was over 75,000. Of those 75,000+ I can guarantee a fair majority of them were at Linkin Park.

Setlist:

01. A Place For My Head

02. Given Up

03. New Divide

04. With You

05. Somewhere I Belong

06. LIES GREED MISERY

07. Points Of Authority

08. Waiting For The End

09. Breaking The Habit

10. CASTLE OF GLASS

11. LOST IN THE ECHO

12. In The End

13. Numb

14. What I've Done

15. BURN IT DOWN

16. Bleed It Out

17. Faint

18. One Step Closer

Overall, a mixed set of old and new; which worked well for the festival crowd. Highlights for me were probably A Place For My Head and Castle Of Glass. It's worth noting that Points of Authority was aborted halfway through when Chester noticed a fan had been injured and was in trouble. Chester wanted to restart Points of Authority but the band ended up deciding to move on to the next song. For more set details, head over to LPLive.net.

As always, this recording is provided freely for fan enjoyment and is not to be redistributed or used for commercial purposes.

DOWNLOAD HERE

09.11.2012 - Ben Harper

This was my second time seeing Ben Harper live, however this time it was a solo performance.

There is plenty to enjoy with this recording. The concert itself went for three hours!
A solid mix of songs spanning Ben's whole career, there is something for fans new and old. Ben himself told many interesting stories throughout the show, most touching was the story of how his families music store came to be.

Unfortunately this was one of -those- concerts where every drunk wanker had to yell out their "hilarious" remarks, whistle, screech or in their drunken state they must have thought Ben was a jukebox and not a musician. There seemed to be a significant lack of respect among some members of the audience. Some of the banter was amusing though and Ben engaged with a few of the audience members.

The highlight for me was the cover of the Bruce Springsteen classic Atlantic City. Plenty of other great moments in this recording though, so give it a listen!

Setlist:

01 - Diamonds On The Inside
02 - Masterpiece
03 - Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye cover)
04 - Mutt
05 - Pleasure And Pain
06 - Blessed To Be A Witness
07 - Amen Omen
08 - Younger Than Today
09 - Forever
10 - I Shall Not Walk Alone
11 - Excuse Me Mr
12 - Happy Birthday To Ben
13 - With My Own Two Hands
14 - Fight Outta You
15 - Indifference (Pearl Jam cover)
16 - Another Lonely Day
17 - Walk Away
18 - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen/Jeff Buckley cover)
19 - Burn One Down
20 - Trying Not To Fall In Love With You
21 - Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen cover)
22 - When She Believes
23 - Waiting On An Angel
24 - Power Of The Gospel
25 - Please Bleed

As always, this recording is provided freely for fan enjoyment and is not to be redistributed or used for commercial purposes.

DOWNLOAD HERE

ABC radio interview & the legality of concert recording

I was interviewed on ABC Radio by Spencer Howson yesterday, which was broadcast this morning about my live recording of concerts. Spencer was put onto my website by Kate Miller-Heidke and he contacted me, wanting to know more, so I agreed to an interview.

We discuss how I came to do what I do, the artist reactions and more. You can listen to the interview here.

I've had a few questions and noticed a few comments on Twitter about the legality of what I do, so I wanted to address those here:

Firstly - what I do is STRICTLY not for profit. I make no financial gain from recording and sharing concerts. I don't hide in dark back alleys or market stalls selling copies of concerts. It's not the 70's anymore.. This is purely for personal enjoyment, increasing artist exposure and giving something back to the live music community.

Secondly - the majority of my recordings I have permission to record in some form or another. I usually contact an artist and/or management to gain permission (Examples include Kate Miller-Heidke and The Grates). If the artist has a pre-established taping policy (Examples include Ben Harper and Jack Johnson) I usually don't worry about contacting the artist as they have already made their views on taping clear. If an artist has an explicit no taping rule (Example - Meatloaf) then I won't record. In the event that I am unable to contact an artist or find their taping policy, if I record and publish the recording, I work on a good faith basis. If the artist/management is unhappy with the recording being made and/or posted, I instantly remove it from the blog, as I have done in the past.

Thirdly - Although it has yet to occur, in the event a recording I make would be in direct competition with a commercial recording of a concert, I will not record/share a concert. The exception to this rule would be if the artist still permits audience recordings. An example of this would be Linkin Park. They record every concert and sell them after the show, yet they still permit fans to make their own audio recordings. Pearl Jam would be another good example of this.

Part of the reason I wanted to do the interview with Spencer was to try and remove the negative stigma around taping. Back in the 70's and 80's the recording of concerts was a very underground and illegal happening, where individuals and businesses stood to make a small fortune. With the advancements in technology, in particular the internet, recordings are now more readily available, so tapers can now share their recordings for fun and for free, instead of people taking the recordings and selling them on the black market. If you get the chance to meet anyone in the taping community, you will find we are all normal, every day people who do what we do for the love of it - not for personal gain. We as a taping community frown upon those who do this for a profit, so if you see audience recordings for sale, ignore them and keep your wallet in your pocket.

And finally, support the artists. Go to the shows, buy the CD's, the t-shirts and more. Talk to the band and the fans online, let your friends know about them. Go out and have a great time.

Amendment:

If you wish to find out more about taping and the community I strongly recommend visiting the following websites

Live Music Archive 
Tapers Section
Authorized Live Bootlegs (Wikipedia)

As per the ACC document G022v07, as a creator of the audio material I have a moral obligation to attribute the person who performed the material. Any recordings I make are simply for personal and archival purposes, not commercial, and the original artist retains all rights. I maintain a defence of reasonableness and fair dealing due to the fact that the purpose and manner of the recordings is strictly not for profit and I have not changed the integrity of the artists performance. As previously stated though, at any time if an artist is unhappy with any recording of their performance, contact me and I'll be happy to remove the recording and issue an apology.

30.03.2012 - Kate Miller-Heidke

I've seen Kate Miller-Heidke numerous times over the past few years and each time I've been even more impressed than the last. So whenever I see Kate announce a tour, I get tickets straight away. 

I got in touch with Kate before the show and asked if I could record her set again. She was more than happy for me to do so and put me in touch with the right people to set it all up. I met up with her tour manager before the show (who even introduced me to Keir), I got to go in early and set up my stand and gear, even got to hear some tracks from Nightflight as the walk in music before the support band came on.

This time round the show consisted of Kate, Keir and Madeleine in an 'acoustic' style, rather than a full band show. I prefer Kate's shows this way anyway, in combination with the Powerhouse Theatre it helped to create a very intimate environment.

The show was a great mix of old, new and newer - featuring tracks from all over the years and the forthcoming Nightflight album. The tracks from Nightflight have a dark, deeper feel to them, which I love. The track 'Sarah' is particularly amazing.

The debut of the song Toowoomba was hilarious. It perfectly captures the city that is full of paradoxes. Other highlights for me included God's Gift To Women, The Devil Wears A Suit, Nightflight and Last Day On Earth. Kate was also full of hilarious anecdotes, if you want to learn how to correctly use the toilet, listen to this recording!

Setlist:

01 - Fire and Iron

02 - Politics In Space

03 - The Tiger Inside Will Eat The Child

04 - Caught In The Crowd

05 - Southern Cross Tattoo

06 - Can't Shake It

07 - The Devil Wears A Suit

08 - God's Gift To Women

09 - Nightflight

10 - Dreams (I Love You)

11 - In The Dark

12 - Toowoomba

13 - Shoebox

14 - Humiliation

15 - Last Day On Earth

16 - Sarah

17 - The Real Slim Shady

18 - Are You Fucking Kidding Me

19 - Words

20 - Space They Cannot Touch

This show was a total blast and I can't be thankful enough to Kate and her crew for being so accommodating with my recording.

DOWNLOAD HERE

NOTE: 01 - Fire and Iron has been removed at Kate's request

Just on another note, this is quite possibly the best recording I've done to date. It turned out fantastic, so have a listen.