Placebo @ San Francisco, CA, USA, The Masonic, 10/23/14 (#placebogig231014)

Feeling totally exhausted but have to put something down in writing while it's still fresh in my mind, so here goes!

Got there just before 5 pm to find about 50 people in line! That is the most I've seen so far during this tour! Met some nice people but never did find BangBangLou. I did, however, meet three other Canadians, all from Western Canada! One was even from my province! By some miracle, I still managed to get barrier, just left of Brian despite getting there so late with so many people in the queue!

The show itself was incredible! They started off with POST BLUE! Yes you heard correctly, POST BLUE OPENED THE SHOW, swapping places with B3 which then became part of the encore!!! Other than that, the setlist was the same as always. I was hoping they might give us a surprise, but alas it was just a swap. What wasn't the same as always, however, was that Brian treated us to several spontaneous comments again! There were some technical challenges to which he jokingly blamed on Steve, saying that he's always telling Steve to stop playing so hard but he never listens! He also told us about how he walked around San Francisco & went to the bookstore earlier that day and spent way too much money! And at another point he said he was wondering what else would break next! And when people out front were shouting various things at him, he commented that he couldn't hear us unless he took monitors out of his ears! Another really nice touch was towards the end he thanked not only the good people of San Francisco, but those of us who traveled from far away to see the shows! And if that wasn't icing on the cake itself, we got to listen to him speak Spanish on several occasions!  [EDIT] Possibly the BEST spontaneous Molko moment of the night came when Brian haas killing time yet again during technical issues. Someone shouted “You look great!”. Then another shouted “Nancy Boy”, to which Brian inquired “Are you calling me a Nancy Boy?” He went on to say that he was totally fine with that, that the song was all about reclaiming the term! It was such a great moment of the night & this tour. He really does SHINE when he decides to be spontaneous! If only he did this MORE often!!! It was moments like this that made the SF, Boston & NYC the BEST shows for me this tour, with Chicago being in there too for my own personal reasons (i.e., my little Molko moment.  )!  

Despite the technical problems here & there which actually began during the opener & continued into Placebo's set, the band played wonderfully, but you could tell Brian was fighting some kind of bug, because every now and then his voice would cut out. He made the most of it, though, at one point changing the melody to a lower octave on one line of [Edit] The Bitter End, which I absolutely loved. 

At the end of the show, he commented that he hoped it wouldn't be so long before they returned again. The crowd pretty much echoed his sentiments, & I would have to say that this is probably one of the best crowds of experienced on this tour. Despite the hiccups, it was a beautiful evening in a beautiful venue, which I didn't want to end! Things really hit me during Begin the End how tonight was going to be my second last time seeing this tour. Tonight really was the beginning of the end!   

The security guard up front was a total sweetheart! Not only did he get me not one but TWO more of Stef's picks, he got me a set list showing Post Blue as the opening song!!! Then before going outside, I ran into my old friends from now defunct San Francisco band of Blue Period, which was really nice as I hadn't seen them in 12 years!

And FINALLY, the moment I have been waiting for!!!! After waiting about two hours after the show, it finally happened!!! Yes, I met him, I met him, I met HIMMM sans sunglasses!!! [EDIT] And, not only did he sign my CD cover, he commented that *some* people (not all...) didn't come prepared, but I did & already had my marker out & ready, so he used mine to sign everybody's stuff! You can bet that marker is going in a very special place when I get home!!!! He also commented that the antibiotics are finally starting to work, so talk of him having a chest infection appear to be true.  [EDIT]And he sure makes a good director, LOL! Out of excitement, one girl interrupted as another fan was trying to tell him something. Brian politely interjected that another person was trying to say something. I thought that was so awesome! I wanted to give him a big kiss, but I refrained, LOL!   [EDIT]I have a family member who's bad for cutting me off mid-sentence when I'm talking to my mom & my mom never interjects & it drives me nuts! So, to see Brian do what more people SHOULD do just melted my heart even more & earned him mega brownie points! Not that he doesn't already have a trillion in my book anyway, but y'know! Y'know?  Seriously, though, he was so nice coming out to talk to all of us despite feeling under the weather, and he seemed to be in a good mood in spite of all that! So, Brian, if you are reading this thank you from the bottom of my heart! And thank you even more for the hug! If I die of some mysterious infection, lol, at least I will die a happy person!!!  

PS - It was so funny, as the Post Blue loop started, my brain went overdrive into confusion mode! I was like "This isn't B3! This isn't B3! What's happening???" And even though I *love* Post Blue to death (it's one of my all time favourite Placebo songs, I was in such shock, my brain couldn't figure out what was going on, LOL! Then the guitar kicked in & my brain remembered what song it was & then I was like OMG, what are they gonna put in its place for the encore?!?!? I was really hoping they'd sneak a surprise in there somewhere, like I said in my review, but it was just a swap instead. Makes me wonder if that was done especially for someone in SF (friend or family member), cause in LA it was back to the regular setlist....

As for Post Blue as an opener, it was a nice treat, but I think I prefer it at the end, just because it is such a precious song for me...it's like saving the best for last...   But it was awesome for one night hearing it as an opener!  Makes me wonder if they're playing around with that idea for the upcoming Spain & Portugal shows....or if it was just a one of....

And finally, my trio of sigs was complete (from left to right: Stef, Steve, Brian).      


And here's the setlist starting with Post Blue!     


Oh god, I am such a fangirl!   Here's THE PEN...used by HIM... to sign everyone's stuff!   The only other person to use it after Brian was Nick in LA because I couldn't freakin' find my other two, LOL! Said pen is now sealed back in a bag, labelled, never to be used again, LOL!    

A closer look at Brian's sig.   

Placebo @ Minneapolis, MN, USA, Mill City Nights, 10/17/14 (#placebogig171014)

So, I know Minneapolis-St. Paul only has about 500,000 residents combined, but we were surprised to find only two local fans lined up in the queue! Right up until about 5pm or so, the line consisted almost entirely of international fans & one person from out of state, who to our delight was the guy whose mom got kicked out the night before. Venue staff was kind enough to provide us with lots of music while we waited, including lots of Placebo, so of course we broke into an impromptu sing along to Scene of the crime, to the amusement of one of their crew members - the Scottish (or is he Irish?) guy who always walks by poking fun at the regulars - sorry, I forget his name... As he passed, he said something like "What kind of rubbish music is that?" or something to that effect (don't quote me, I didn't quite catch what he said & had to get someone to translate!  ).

The weather was beyond cold, thanks to a brisk wind. Eventually, security let the first 100 or so people into the basement bar an hour before the show, and those of us who'd been waiting for several hours throughout the day were able to go up to the barrier first, but everyone else quickly followed & we got a bit jumbled up from our ideal spots but we all made barricade which is the main thing! Despite security giving me a sneak peak earlier. I got totally disoriented & didn't run nearly far enough, so instead of being on Brian's side, I got to enjoy the Stefan experience instead, which allowed me a REALLY great view of that gorgeous rainbow guitar of his, and the stage was so small, I could still somewhat see Brian, so it was all good for me in the end, and things got even better after the show! Photos & video were strictly prohibited during this show, though, so sadly I didn't get any pics of that beautiful guitar, but I took every opportunity to etch it into memory whenever Stef came to the front of the stage. 

During the show, my travel buddy got the treat of a lifetime, when Brian noticed her Mirror Trap shirt & gave her a shout-out, asking if she was from Russia! She was on cloud nine the rest of the night!   And at the end of the show, Brian joked that they were all going to go onto the tour bus & watch Purple Rain!  As always, the band sounded wonderful! [EDIT] One other new thing I've noticed (and can't believe I keep forgetting to mention!) is the fact Brian acknowledges the bi & trans communities in his intro to One of the Kind every night by mentioning those of us who are "in between". I absolutely adore this! Thank you Brian!    

Afterwards, we braved the wind for about an hour in hopes of meeting the band, and FINALLY after several missed opportunities where people I was with kept running into them whenever I wasn't around, I FINALLY got the pleasure of meeting Stef & Steve who signed my LLL CD cover! I told Stef I loved his rainbow guitar, to which he replied HE had it made for Russia. He also said they have a UK tour planned for next year. And Steve's hands were super warm, unlike us who were feeling more like ice cubes by that point! Brian opted for a quiet night, though, and was whisked away in a car without stopping to chat, BUT according to my travel buddy, he did wave at us from the car, so that's at least something.   [EDIT] He also waived a second time as we were walking back to our hotel, but not sure if that was meant for all of us or just the European regulars who travelled across the pond. But who knows, my travelling sidekick was the one with the Mirror Trap shirt, so maybe we was waving at us, too...  

1. B3

2. For What It's Worth

3. Loud Like Love

4. Every You Every Me

5. Scene of the Crime

6. A Million Little Pieces

7. Twenty Years

8. Too Many Friends

9. Rob the Bank

10. Purify

11. One of a Kind

12. Exit Wounds

13. Meds

14. Song to Say Goodbye

15. Special K

16. The Bitter End

Encore:

17. Begin the End

18. Running Up That Hill

19. Post Blue

20. Infra-Red

The inside of my LLL CD cover signed by Stef (left) & then Steve (right) on 10/17/14 in Minneapolis.     

Placebo @ Chicago, IL, USA, House of Blues, 10/16/14 (#placebogig161014)

Where to begin? This show was nothing short of amazing for me! The House of Blues allowed those who spent $20 or more on food or drinks to queue inside & get in first, so naturally that's what we did. The food was delicious, though I couldn't finish it all. But of course, every queue must have its share of drama, and this night was no exception. There was a sweet young guy in the queue whose mom was so massively drunk, she got kicked out, causing him to miss the show entirely after driving 13 hours to be there. We felt so bad for him!  

Once they let us in, we had to go up a bunch of stairs & then down two steps to get into the pit. An usher was kind enough to assist me, but I was so slow getting there, I thought for sure I'd end up in second or third row. So, you can imagine my surprise, delight & total shock when Arcadia called me over not only to the barrier but to what was actually right in front of Brian!!! I couldn't have been closer if I tried, and I am so grateful to Arcadia for saving me that spot! Not only was I right in front of HIMMM but that small difference of just a few feet compared to other nights was enough that when Brian pointed at me holding up my "CANADA LOVES PLACEBO!" sign during Rob the Bank, I could FINALLY see it for myself without any doubt or missing it completely & hearing secondhand AFTERWARDS, "SonicBliss, did you see him point at you?"...Me: "Oh crap, no!!!"! It might sound silly getting so excited about such a small thing, but it meant the world to me, because in Mönchengladbach the stage was too high for me see him pointing at me, and I only knew because three people were kind enough to tell me! And in NYC, I was watching for it but still wasn't a hundred percent sure, as he was a tad bit too far away. But in Chicago there was no doubt! He made it very obvious, which just made my night!      

Meanwhile, not wanting to feel like I was indetention with Principal Molko , I took no video period & only took a few photos during the encore. I was desperately trying to get a good pic of Stef's gorgeous rainbow guitar but instead ended up with what resembles more an outer body experience approaching the white light, LOL, so looks like my blurry ones from past shows will have to do.

The setlist was standard & Brian seemed quiet again between songs for the second night in a row, reverting once more to abridged versions of his usual banter. It was a late start to the show but we'll worth the wait! The previous night's guitar level issues were all fixed & the band sounded great & the audience was very appreciative! Everyone seemed to be in good spirits & happy to be there on both sides of the barrier.  Some ladies behind me had been waiting years to see the band again. I can relate! It's a sentiment I've been hearing a lot on this North American leg of the tour. I, of course, was in my own world standing there in front of Brian! I sang my heart out that night & didn't ever want it to end!     If I wasn't awestruck by his stunning beauty, I was dazzled by all his gorgeous shiny guitars!  

Despite our best efforts, there was no way to meet the band after, as the buses were tucked away under the parkade, so we just went to 7-11 instead for some much needed liquid & then back to the hotel for some much needed sleep!

1. B3
2. For What It's Worth
3. Loud Like Love
4. Every You Every Me
5. Scene of the Crime
6. A Million Little Pieces
7. Twenty Years
8. Too Many Friends
9. Rob the Bank
10. Purify
11. One of a Kind
12. Exit Wounds
13. Meds
14. Song to Say Goodbye
15. Special K
16. The Bitter End

Encore:
17. Begin the End
18. Running Up That Hill
19. Post Blue
20. Infra-Red