Devin Townsend 11 November 2023 Enmore Theatre Sydney, Australia
01) Hevy Devy greets the crowd 02) Lightworker 03) Kingdom 04) Hevy Devy discusses touring economics post-pandemic 05) Dimensions 06) Deadhead 07) Hevy Devy discusses tenacity 08) By Your Command 09) Hevy Devy discusses hair care gifts 10) Deep Peace 11) Hevy Devy navigates life 12) Spirits Will Collide 13) Hevy Devy discusses audience requests 14) Almost Again 15) Aftermath 16) Hevy Devy discusses grammar nerdery 17) Why? 18) Hevy Devy discusses his ageing body 19) Truth 20) Bad Devil 21) Down and Under 22) Ih-Ah! 23) Bastard 24) It's James Leach's birthday! 25) Love?
After a long absence from our shores, a long overdue visit from Hevy Devy was just what the doctor ordered. Heavy metal's all 'round entertainer with both his musicianship and incredibly wit had his audience totally captivated. And he's such a good sport with his interactions, having fulfilled a fan's request to perform "Bastard". Definiely a fantastic night and backed by some absolute monsters in the business, with James Leach on bass, the ever-versatile Mike Keneally on guitars/keys and Darby Todd on drums.
Technically, the sound guy was somewhat asleep at the wheel. Overall, the volume was low against the crowd cheering. The guitars had no presence at all. Devin's vocals were somewhat hidden away as well. It was just all drums, and for me (a drummer) to complain, that's saying something! I've tried to pull some tricks with Ozone 10 to really pull a better balance but it was just another exercise in compromise as every other recording. As is usual of his acoustic pieces, I had to bring up the volume because either the sound guy is under Dev's instruction or makes his own decision not to bring up the volume about 6dB. Devin's pieces are very dynamic and the quiet parts get lost, even more so when amplified in the post-processing, because it also raises the room noise with the air blowing around from their air conditioning. That's why I have, once again, performed spectral repair to de-hiss the acoustic set. Then there was the matter of me getting to the venue a bit too late to get a prime vantage point, so I had a number of exuberant audience members around me clapping, constantly walking past (creating phasing issues), talking (please shut up!!) and singing along, which takes away from the quality of the recording. But hey, the vibe was electric, as one would expect of Devin, and that's the main reason why we go see him!
Overall, I give this one a D. As usual, listen to the samples and be your own judge.
...and please, don't sell this bootleg, otherwise you're just plain old scum. That and Dev will smother you with his lard (listen to the recording and you'll understand).
1 CD Starclassic Audience Core Sounds Cardioids (pointed towards line arrays to minimise crowd noise) -> Sony PCM-M10 (mic-in, 48kHz 24 bit) -> Izotope RX10 Advanced Spectral Repair (De-clapping) -> Soundforge 17.0 w/Izotope Ozone 10 Mastering Plugin -> Izotope RX10 Advanced Spectral Repair (De-hissing for acoustic set boost) -> FLAC Level 8 Starclassic FLAC 01:42:36 B+
