Just saw Leno ...

[Tinuviel Girl]

It made me mad ... we could talk to James Wood or w/e about the girls he's chased but we couldn't talk to or hear more songs out of NC, heck even the 6 year old playing would have been better than talking to that pig.

[Sneezy II]

But how was Nickel Creek?

[flutegrl71]

They did well, although I wish that we could have gotten a sentence or two from them after the performance. The performance seemed a little...taut? Like they were forced to really squeeze it in. Still!! It was awesome to hear.[noise]

[BtwnGreenGray]

I agree...it didn't seem like they could be Nickel Creek....it seemed mellow and I didn't feel like they felt like they could put their all in it....if that makes sense...
There was just something about it that wasn't typical, live Nickel Creek.
I was, on the other hand, very happy to see them...it's been a long time...and they all looked really great!

[elbereth]

Totally, I agree the first half an hour was a bit of a waste of time.
But NC was great as always. I just saw the re-run of when they were on Austin City Limits. They are always so fun to watch. Tonight they seemed not quite as on fire, as alive as they usually are. Maybe it was just the context or maybe simply they have just had a big day. I don't know what do you people think ? [think har

[SnakeEyes]

Something seemed off tonight, not sure exactly what tho.

[Tinuviel Girl]

They sang a lil out of tune ... but at least we know they were live that way!!! Funny, I just made this thread like 3 minutes ago ... still mad though ...

[Sneezy II]

Did they have fans in the audience or was it random? I wonder if they aren't a bit tired. I saw them last Wednesday at Largo and they were on fire. So Why should the fire die.... ?

[Sneezy II]

I still have two and a half hours to go....

I assume they sang When in Rome. Out of tune eh? Sounds like the kids were a bit nervous.

[BtwnGreenGray]

For some odd reason I'd say that Chris wasn't feeling well....
He just didn't look like his normal, on fire self...and plus he had layers on...maybe he was sick...?!

[elbereth]

I think the general consensus is they were just not themselves!

On the close ups of Chris he just looked tired. Everything look kind of forced, like it just wasn't flowing.

[Tinuviel Girl]

The only thing I heard any of them say was Chris telling the 6 year old he was awesome ... Ok ...

Nickel Creek is talented, intelligent, heck (excuse the crude teenybopperness) they are even WAY better looking that James Wood er w/e ... but yet ... UGH I can't even finish ... oh wells ...

[ncwfh]

I just got back from seeing them at the release party at Amoeba records on Sunset. The sound was expectedly horrid. the crowd was huge - couple hundred at least and very quiet so we could all hear. I assume this was after taping Leno for sure. Chris was hidden away , Sarah was coughing horribly and - by gawd they sounded awesome !!! It was a real appreciative crowd and pretty funny, even the stoic salespeople starting clappin and a stompin. They only plpayed an hour and it included some oldies as well as newbies. Popped the CD in the car for the hour ride home and ive got to say - my expectations were very high - and Im amazed to say that not only were they met - but once again exceeeded. Unbelievable album. Raw yet polished - cute but not cliche - extreme creative going on - kudos - cant wait to see ya at the Wiltern kiddos ! <<with a couple largos in between >>:->

[Sneezy II]

ncwfh: Glad to hear they sounded awesome despite possibly being ill.

I saw the Leno performance and because I was prepared for bad showing, I was pleasantly surprised. When in Rome is something of a downer song despite the foot stomping & Celtic tone.

I thought they looked great! Wonderful closeups of Chris and his huge eyes. Sean looked really great with his hair a bit longer than it was a week ago at Largo. And Sarah beautfiul as always.

To me a great sign was that I detected much more applause at the end than when they were introduced. That may mean they didn't have NC fans in the audience - but got some new ones. :) That may well have made them a bit nervous. They accustomed to performing for NC fans.

Then there's following that 6 yr old playing Mozart. That is just too freaky that when they get a big break like this, they follow a classical pianist who is 6 and a real wise cracker. That was bad luck for them I think.

Still I'll bet they sell some CDs off the presentation. It was really much better than some in here indicated.

[NJlowe]

I missed the show-even forgot to tape it...

Nancy

[Jimmie]

They were good, but not great. They were stiff. Probably for many reasons.

First of all, they had to follow the six year old. NC are used to being the kids on the bill, now the tables were turned!

Secondly, they had to squeeze their performance into an extremely tight window. And they had to do it in the middle of the afternoon (when the show is taped). So they weren't at their best.

Finally, they are used to playing a full concert in front of an enthusiastic audience. Here they had to play just one song for an indifferent (at the start anyway) audience.

They did their best. They looked like they were sort of going through the motions. Chris was trying to do his usual bouncing around the stage thing, but he didn't really look like he meant it.

I did notice Chris talking to the youngster just as the show was leaving the air. That came as no surprise - Chris is always trying to encourage younger people to make music. In fact, that was the most natural moment of the entire performance.

When In Rome is a very powerful piece of music on the album, but it's going to be difficult for them to recreate that in a live studio setting. It should come across better at their live shows because their sound guy will have complete control over the sound. But in a TV studio, they are subject to the limitations of the broadcast sound crew, who almost certainly are unfamiliar with their music.

They looked good, they sounded good. All in all, it turned out just about as I expected. And the HD broadcast really looked great!

[e-rock2]

Did Jay introduce the band? On our broadcast, it seemed like they cut right to the performance. I hope they at least introduced them and held up the CD. It's extremely difficult to be totally on for just one song. Most people need time to get warmed up. I thought that under the circumstances that they weren't feeling well too, that they did great. I loved the close-ups of Chris' eyes.

[elbereth]

Originally posted by ncwfh
<<with a couple largos in between >>:->

Lucky Duck !

I would give anything to see them (Sean and Sara) at Largo! I have streamed afew of their Largo shows, you can tell that it is a GREAT venue. I could only see them there under a blue moon, I live on the east coast. Those would be very expensive tickets. ;)

[ncwfh]

Aw dont be too sad
1) You Have Martin Sexton on the East coast - he almost never makes it out west
2) you could travel and see several NC shows on this upcoming tour
3) the obligatory meal really sucks at Largo :-)

[Lolly691]

Originally posted by Jimmie

When In Rome is a very powerful piece of music on the album, but it's going to be difficult for them to recreate that in a live studio setting. It should come across better at their live shows because their sound guy will have complete control over the sound. But in a TV studio, they are subject to the limitations of the broadcast sound crew, who almost certainly are unfamiliar with their music.


what's being broadcast through tv and what you see live at the taping are two completely different things. i think the sound people at leno had nothing to do with the effectiveness of the sound from when in rome i doubt that they're less competent than most other sound crews.

i'm just pointing this out because i saw the late show live and when alicia keys performed it was just simply awesome in terms of sound. it reall woke me up to what our crummy tv systems can take away from seeing a good band perform.

[fiddlegirl]

I think that on Leno they were just really nervous...voices a little shaky and all that. But still, at their not-quite-best, they are amazing!

[guitarslinger]

Does anyone have a video of this to put online? I missed the performance and I'd love to see it.

[Friendly]

I, too, thought that they did not seem themselves. Their enthusiasm and energy has shined through on previous tv appearances, so I don't think it was the tv thing in general. Who knows? The only time Chris really seemed himself was when he said Awesome to the little piano guy. I wouldn't think that following him had anything to do with it.

And to the people lamenting the brevity of the spot, that's just standard on these late night talk shows. Rarely does the host chat on air with the musical guests.

[obsessedwithNC]

I knew it was gonna be a weird show when in the beginning Jay chatted for at least 2 minutes about the six year old and then goes Our musical guest, Nickel Creek;OH! The Dukes of Hazzard are gonna be here tomorrow BLAH blah blah! I'm thinking, like, wtf, how can you just blow off the best band in the world like that?

I liked the performance. They all looked great. :)

[Lolly691]

i'm working on a video -- not super good quality, but it's better than nothing for those who didn't see it

just gimme a couple days (but most likely today)

and also, i read on the leno website that the episodes usually air again a week after they've been shown i think at like 230 in the morning. check your local listing for whatever you guys do for that.

but it's what the site says :shrug:


but i agree with you all.. they looked and sounded good, just a bit pale [guilty] and a bit sick :(

[Tinuviel Girl]

Originally posted by e-rock2
Did Jay introduce the band? On our broadcast, it seemed like they cut right to the performance. I hope they at least introduced them and held up the CD. It's extremely difficult to be totally on for just one song. Most people need time to get warmed up. I thought that under the circumstances that they weren't feeling well too, that they did great. I loved the close-ups of Chris' eyes.

Yes they did, Jay showed their CD, and he said blah blah new album ... here's Nickel Creek!

[Jimmie]

Originally posted by Lolly691 what's being broadcast through tv and what you see live at the taping are two completely different things. i think the sound people at leno had nothing to do with the effectiveness of the sound from when in rome i doubt that they're less competent than most other sound crews.

My point isn't whether or not they are competent, my point is that they don't know the music well enough to do it justice. They will do a competent job of putting it on the air, but they can't make the kinds of choices that Nickel Creek's own sound guys would make to get it to sound its best. Their work is generic enough to fit any musical guest.

Remember, I'm a broadcast audio engineer myself.

As for the limitations of the broadcast medium, remember that I'm listening on a high-performance system that is being fed by the digital audio stream from NBC's HD broadcast. So there's not a lot of room for loss between the studio output and my listening room.

[ncwfh]

Personally - i dont care if they grow their audience much larger. because if they do then they will outgrow small venues and only be able to do festivals and such. as long as they remain somewhat cultish we can keep them to ourselves and they can still buy the beach house [noise]

[Lolly691]

Originally posted by Jimmie

My point isn't whether or not they are competent, my point is that they don't know the music well enough to do it justice. They will do a competent job of putting it on the air, but they can't make the kinds of choices that Nickel Creek's own sound guys would make to get it to sound its best. Their work is generic enough to fit any musical guest.

Remember, I'm a broadcast audio engineer myself.

As for the limitations of the broadcast medium, remember that I'm listening on a high-performance system that is being fed by the digital audio stream from NBC's HD broadcast. So there's not a lot of room for loss between the studio output and my listening room.


Well my point is What's the big deal because a majority of people watching the show aren't as well equipped as you are.

Frankly, I don't think that Nickel Creek's success as a band, or success of that performance is contingent on just one bad day or a sound crew that may or not be properly informed of the necessary adjustments made to produce an optimal performance.

Like you said, they did their best, and When in Rome is a good piece, rain or shine.

[NCFreak]

Sean wore plaid. [lolol]

[jonraz]

I think the average listener, who isn't trained musically, or technically with sound, wouldn't really know the difference if they were off key or their instruments were out of tune. Especially if they are a new listener that has never seen or heard them before. If they enjoyed the performance enough, then I'm sure they will take an interest in the group.
I thought it was a good performance. I got really excited seeing Chris dance around when he did his solo with Sara because it brought back the joy that I have had seeing them in concert before and brought back to rememberance the excitement and energy of the show.
Now I am really really psyched for the show in October.

Do any of you guitar players out there know if Sean is using DADGAD tuning on When In Rome?? It looked like he was when I saw them last night on Leno.
Jay introduced them last night and mentioned their new CD comes out today and gave the title for it.
I can also agree that most musical guests are always last, get squeezed in, and don't have any interview time with Jay.

That 6 year old was amazing though!!!!

[elbereth]

Originally posted by NCFreak
Sean wore plaid. [lolol]

I know wasn't that great ! And I loved Chris's hoodie under his jacket. They are such fun ! I hope nobody else does their wardrobe, they always have the best clothes.

[NCFreak]

Well, I wouldn't say it was great. Those pants made me want to dispatch Stacy & Clinton.

[ncwfh]

if you wan tto get that picky i think Sarah had too much makeup on[eek!!]

[Jimmie]

Originally posted by jonraz I think the average listener, who isn't trained musically, or technically with sound, wouldn't really know the difference if they were off key or their instruments were out of tune.
That's certainly true. But just because someone can't pick out the flaws in a performance (whether musical or technical) doesn't mean that they aren't affected by them. A good sound system (and a good soundman) can make a huge difference in the way a band is perceived by the audience - regardless of whether or not the listener is aware of that impact.

[OkieLovinNC]

Don't take Leno's comments personally. He usually never says more than introducing the band, telling what their latest record and the song they're singing is. He never talks to the band.

[buttermuffin4]

Chris looked kind of sad, Sara looked nervous (she kept fidgiting after the performance, did anyone notice that?) Sean looked like he was having fun.
The little boy was so cute! He reminded me of my 4 yr old nephew.
The first dude on the show annoyed the crap out of me.

[Tinuviel Girl]

Originally posted by OkieLovinNC
Don't take Leno's comments personally. He usually never says more than introducing the band, telling what their latest record and the song they're singing is. He never talks to the band.

Oh I know. I wouldn't be so mad if we hadn't talked to a guy about girls curve sizes for 30 minutes though.

As for the clothes thing, my dad was like ... why is he wearing a sweatshirt under his suit coat? I go, cuz ... he's a dork ..

[southernyankee]

I though it was some new suitcoat with a hood sewn in-hahaha

[Eric18]

I missed it darnit! :(

[aurea55]

meh, their performance was pretty much what you'd expect on a late night tv show. lets face it, have we ever seen a good performance by ANYONE on talk shows? But anyway, i thought they did better than other performers. It was just too bad that everything seemed so rushed...probably because james wood talked waayyy too much about hot women or whatever. ha.
oh yeah, that little boy was ADORABLE! it would have been cool to see him and chris play an impromptu session or something. oh well, theres always conan! hopefully they can make an appearance on his show , he always seems to be more appreciative of his musical guests anyway.

[Ikkin1018]

Yeah, I was actually pretty disappointed with the show, mostly because of the idiot guy that took up the whole flipping thing, who WASN'T FUNNY (I HATE people who like go on and on in a hurried tone, chuckling at everything they just said, when nothing they just said was humorous at all) I loved the little kid, though, ADORABLE. I noticed that Chris was buddying up to him at the end. And I thought the Ebay thing was hilarious, no one has mentioned that yet! My sister's most hated school picture sold for $200! Classic!
As for Nickel Creek's performance, When in Rome was the obvious choice, but I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree that the sound people had no clue what they were doing. The music sounded really empty and strained, like Nickel Creek KNEW that the right things weren't being emphasized by the sound system, and were trying to make up for it. Unlike others on this site, I don't know anything about sound mixing, but I was thinking about it, and this is what I got out of it:
Their voices were too loud, their instruments were too soft. They needed to bring out WAY MORE BASS, since to me, the bass in that song is what REALLY brings out the impact of the song, and it just wasn't loud enough. Also I think the guitar needed to be louder, since it presents all of the middle tones between the high fiddle and mando and the low bass. I think it DOES matter, even if the average listener can't tell the difference, because subconsciously they know when a song has made an impact on them, and if the sound isn't done right, it won't have the same impact. Ok, I'm done.

[Jimmie]

Originally posted by Ikkin1018
Yeah, I was actually pretty disappointed with the show, mostly because of the idiot guy that took up the whole flipping thing, who WASN'T FUNNY (I HATE people who like go on and on in a hurried tone, chuckling at everything they just said, when nothing they just said was humorous at all) I loved the little kid, though, ADORABLE. I noticed that Chris was buddying up to him at the end. And I thought the Ebay thing was hilarious, no one has mentioned that yet! My sister's most hated school picture sold for $200! Classic!
Unlike his guest, Leno really can be funny at times!
As for Nickel Creek's performance, When in Rome was the obvious choice, but I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree that the sound people had no clue what they were doing. The music sounded really empty and strained, like Nickel Creek KNEW that the right things weren't being emphasized by the sound system, and were trying to make up for it.
Unforunately, the sound on most TV broadcasts is never going to carry that kind of impact. There are many technical reasons for this, but the biggest one is that a great many TV viewers are listening to the sound through a 3 TV speaker. If you drive that tiny speaker with too much bass, it will sound quite terrible. So they filter out most of the bass and compress most of the dynamics. The result is, well, just what we heard.

The good news is this: a great performance will still come through, even if the audio is flawed in many ways. I love it when a great performance is accompanied by flawless sound quality, but you don't always get what you want! <g>
Unlike others on this site, I don't know anything about sound mixing, but I was thinking about it, and this is what I got out of it:
Their voices were too loud, their instruments were too soft. They needed to bring out WAY MORE BASS, since to me, the bass in that song is what REALLY brings out the impact of the song, and it just wasn't loud enough. Also I think the guitar needed to be louder, since it presents all of the middle tones between the high fiddle and mando and the low bass. I think it DOES matter, even if the average listener can't tell the difference, because subconsciously they know when a song has made an impact on them, and if the sound isn't done right, it won't have the same impact. Ok, I'm done.
If you can do that kind of analysis just by listening, you'd do very well in audio.

(PS - Hi, Nikki. I didn't figure out until a minute ago that this was you!)

[Ikkin1018]

Hey Jim! I suppose I'll be seeing you in October... Have any extra backstage passes this time around? Wink wink...

[chickzilla]

aww if everyone hadn't've said anything about it being bad i wouldn't've thought so. it wasn't their BEST, but i thought they were doing the best they could given that Sara and Chris are obviously kind of not feeling well. i still liked it.
Sean looked like he was having his usual low-key good time though. he had his great in the zone face on. :)

[jonraz]

he had his great in the zone face on.

Hey!! Don't mess with the In the zone face.
We guitar players get in our own world when we are really into our playing. :cool:
Have you ever tried to talk to someone who is playing. Its nearly impossible.

[AdeleEiser]

Originally posted by NCFreak
Well, I wouldn't say it was great. Those pants made me want to dispatch Stacy & Clinton.
[lolol] Actually, I really don't think Stacy and Clinton would disapprove. They aren't afraid of prints and unusual pieces—especially as this was pretty subtle—and they'd probably ever recommend them for some people. Probably not everybody would be able to pull it off, but I thought they were pretty cool. Of course I suppose I'm predisposed in their favor as I do own a pair of plaid pants myself... :D

[Tinuviel Girl]

LOL! Having never seen them live in person, this was amazing ... but everytime I do on TV, I feel so sorry for Sean. Chris and Sarah (did I spell that right? I can never remember ... I know too many sarah's or sara's etc.) well they have this LIL bitty instrument and Sean always has this HUGE guitar, granted it wouldn't look so big if theirs weren't so little, but its just funny, and I think thats kinda why he has to go with the In the Zone face as your calling it ... lol just an idea!

[NCFreak]

Plaid pants are sexy...ON WHOA-MANS ONLY! NOT on mens. Plaid excentuates the natural curves that make a whoa-man w/ meat on her bones look sexy. Mens and stick thin whoa-mans have no curves, and thus are not sexy.

[AdeleEiser]

Originally posted by NCFreak
Plaid pants are sexy...ON WHOA-MANS ONLY! NOT on mens. Plaid excentuates the natural curves that make a whoa-man w/ meat on her bones look sexy. Mens and stick thin whoa-mans have no curves, and thus are not sexy.
[lolol] [lolol] [lolol] You are horrid, you know that?

[PrincessNic]

We don't make fun of Sean's choice of clothing. Sean looks fine...and I do mean FINE....in anything he wears.

[Sneezy II]

I hope somebody from the Nickel Creek team learned from the sound problem on show. It wasn't huge, but the song could have so much more of an impact if they put their thoughts into it. When they are on Conan they might be able to find a way to beef up the bass and get some foot stomping in there somehow. And hopefully they'll all be healthy. :D

I watched some band on Leno since NC was on and of course they were all on electic, with drums. Plus there were just lots of lights and noise overall.

Nickel Creek's new sound is far more rock oriented and bass heavier than previous recordings. I hope they can come up with a fun way to bring out their desire to produce rhythm and bass accoustically and still have it make the large impact it makes on the recording of WSTFD.

[NCFreak]

Originally posted by Sneezy II
I hope somebody from the Nickel Creek team learned from the sound problem on show.
Nope. We had the same discussion after their last Leno performance. We figured that those setting up the sound were NBC employees, not Danny (NC sound engineer).

[Sneezy II]

Originally posted by NCFreak

Nope. We had the same discussion after their last Leno performance. We figured that those setting up the sound were NBC employees, not Danny (NC sound engineer).

Then maybe some Creeksters can volunteer for foot stomping duty....[think]

[buttermuffin4]

I was thinking that! Maybe at concerts and such the fans can do the foot stomping for them, that would be fun. Next time you go to a show, try it! Maybe it'll catch on. .


Does anyone know when they're on Conan?

[Tinuviel Girl]

got it here somewhere ...

9/23 - Late Night w/Conan O'Brien - check local listings for time.

[transformed]

Originally posted by buttermuffin4
I was thinking that! Maybe at concerts and such the fans can do the foot stomping for them, that would be fun. Next time you go to a show, try it! Maybe it'll catch on. .



that would be a good idea IFFF you could get all the people with no rhythm NOT to stomp. judging by the clapping at other NC shows i've been at, they'd be the only ones doing it. [sacred!] (and has anyone noticed how that emoticon is called sacred instead of scared? that's hilarious.)

[Tinuviel Girl]

yeah i had noticed that ... and yeah it would be nearly impossible to keep everyone together ... even if you had a crowd full of neal pert (sp? drummer from Rush AWESOME) Nickel Creek may not always keep time ... I wouldn't know, never seen em live **sniffle**

[flutegrl71]

Originally posted by transformed


that would be a good idea IFFF you could get all the people with no rhythm NOT to stomp. judging by the clapping at other NC shows i've been at, they'd be the only ones doing it. [sacred!] (and has anyone noticed how that emoticon is called sacred instead of scared? that's hilarious.)

Good call. Unfortunately, I think the clapping at shows is also the handywork of immature.... [censors self] Some people starting clapping off beat because they think it's funny:rolleyes: Yes there are some people with genuine no rhythm (poor things) but too often I look around and see some drunk idiot clapping obnoxiously offbeat and laughing uproariously. Yeah. Funniest thing I've seen all night buddy!!

[Sneezy II]

I was thinking of rehearsed Creekster foot stompers wearing boots.

:)

[elbereth]

Originally posted by Ikkin1018

Their voices were too loud, their instruments were too soft. They needed to bring out WAY MORE BASS, since to me, the bass in that song is what REALLY brings out the impact of the song, and it just wasn't loud enough. Also I think the guitar needed to be louder, since it presents all of the middle tones between the high fiddle and mando and the low bass.

And there was no stomping! They talked, in the making of video on CMT.com , about how the stomping really made the song the powerful song it is. I hope the do some great stomping on the tour. I am so excited, to see then live again. There is just something about their show that is so alive, and the stomping would(if done right) make it even more memorable !

[transformed]

ooooh, how cool would it be if they got a couple diehard fans from the audience to come up on stage and stomp?

[Ikkin1018]

I just got the Stacy and Clinton thing! Which is weird because I LOVE THAT SHOW! Truthfully, they'd probably have a lot to say about Nickel Creek's wardrobe (I know my mom does, haha) but even though they're not FASHIONABLE I wouldn't want them to change at all.

[Meghan Narser]

I love what they wear, it works for them, they seem very comfortable.