Symphonic Cloud Cult @ Orchestra Hall 4/7/18

So this is a relatively quick review just to put this up before I got to bed while many of the details of tonight's Cloud Cult concert at Orchestra Hall with the Minnesota Orchestra is still in my fresh in my mind.

The below Set List isn't 100% accurate in both full track list, and order, but it's the best I can remember right now. It's probably 75%-80% accurate if not better, but I'm pretty sure I'm currently missing some stuff in which I may try and edit-in. I think they played 2 or 3 new tunes including at least 1 during the encore. Although I'm not sure if any of them were from the instrumental pieces they did for that film/soundtrack. Which oddly, there was really no mention of by Craig or anyone else. I.e. I wonder if many fans aren't even aware of it still.

edit: edited, but not 100% accurate still.

Okay, so the big deal was, Cloud Cult spent over a year preparing to play with the 30 or 40+ piece Minnesota Orchestra for this show; and then soon after it sold out in 6-hours last July, the 2nd show tomorrow night 4/8/18.

And the full orchestra played on maybe every song but 1 on the 2 main sets. The Encore they didn't play on anything other than maybe 1 song? I forget per the Encore was basically just Cloud Cult and with somewhat acoustic/stripped down arrangements.

I guess I can overall see having the Orchestra added a lot to many of the songs. "Love You All" for example almost became a totally new, more powerful track, and it was 1 of maybe 3 or 4 songs that brought me to tears. It just amplified the incredibly sad yet beautiful tone of that piece.

"There's So Much Energy in Us" while is a hugely epic, emotional piece, the orchestra added even more to.

I guess I can't deny though 1 or 2 points about the Orchestra. Arranging parts I'm sure can be tricky and take time. I think it was a little hit and miss with some of these tunes and parts. I noticed it was often more of the rhythm parts and harmonies rather than the main melodies that were used. Some times they were just amplifying Shannon Frid's violin parts. Like 12 violins or something.

And I'm sure that works and is intended, but I also can't help but wonder when those large ensembles can play those strong melodic sections, even as an echo or something, it can make for some amazing, breathtaking music. And I wonder if there were a few opportunities that it could have been done, but maybe was not?

"Running with the Wolves" they played, but it was during the Encore after the Orchestra had left the stage. I was telling some people I was sitting near during the intermission that I can totally hear and picture that track sounding wonderful with an expansive string section. Just Craig's guitar melody might be gorgeous.

But it didn't happen this time. Maybe another time?

A few other points:

This show before and afterwards had a bunch of things to see. An extended line to speak to loved ones who passed away along with news/video footage. The lines was 40 or more long before the show, so i passed, but I checked it out afterwards. I went in there and said a few words of thanks, but forgot to ask to speak to any of my lost relatives.

Site Lines: I was up in Balcony B, which when I bought my ticket back in July, I had no idea I was that far away from the stage and the fact part of the view was obstructed. Not horribly, but I couldn't see part of the Orchestra and Scott West's painting. I suppose part of it is, normally for a Cloud Cult show, only 10 people on stage, all would likely be view-able from that Balcony. But with the large Orchestra, there were so many people on the stage, the view from my seat couldn't include everyone per it didn't include the whole stage.

A woman named Grace Yukich was there with a Survey of some kind that people took about their demographics I guess. I went and talked to her after the show and put my email down. She's a Sociologist from Connecticut doing research on Cloud Cult's fan base, etc. What's she's doing sounds interesting and makes me curious about.

I will have to follow-up with her about her results. And my chatty self, I spoke with her for a bit and told I would love to hear about the fan base demographics from the other 50 bands I love like Cloud Cult, lol.

edit: her project is called "Courage in Unsettled Times: A Research Project"

and she teaches at Quinnipiac University in CT.

I wonder if someone could interview her and like Craig Minowa after her research is done. Might make a good topic of conversation and to hear about the various types of Cloud Cult fans.

Edit: Also a LIVE album hopefully will come out as many fans will definitely want to hear these arrangements of these Cloud Cult songs. 1 year or more worth of preparation? A Live album seems so fitting.


Living in Awe
[unclear per setlist.fm. Might have been To the Great Unknown]
Chain Reaction
No Hell
Love You All
Come Home
Focus
Dance for the Dead
The Show Starts Now

(Intermission)

Responsible
May Your Hearts Stay Strong
Ascension
Unexplainable Stories
When Water Comes To Life
You Were Born
There's So Much Energy In Us

Encore:
New untitled song
Time Machine Invention
Running With The Wolves
Complicated Creation

Cloud Cult at Orchestra Hall 7/29/11

So I had been looking forward to this gig for awhile being the last *Big* show this July (The Dear Hunter last week, the week before Fair to Midland, 2 weeks before that The Monkees), except I hadn't been able to acquire a ticket. Why that was, pretty much not desiring to order one online, and failing to go down to Orchestra Hall in person before I learned of it selling out last week.

The Electric Fetus wasn't even selling tickets (unlike the show I saw last November at 1st Ave).

But I was fortunate enough to find some folks with an extra ticket, outside before the show.

Cloud Cult at Orchestra Hall. A rock band at Orchestra Hall is kind of an unusual idea, but with Cloud Cult or actually a number of bands I enjoy that include the classical or chamber instrumentation in their sound, it really doesn't sound as odd or incongruous as it sounds on the surface.

Now in one sense, it was still as for much of the show the crowd was standing and some dancing around. Something you'll see at The Cedar and many clubs like The Varsity Theater or 1st Ave. But a classical music hall, it probably doesn't happen too often.

I suppose one of the biggest things about the show was the crowd. While a high percent of the crowd were people I'd expect to see at a club show, there were most definitely many folks there who came out of curiosity and to fill their Orchestra Hall season pass lineup. This may be stereotyping a bit, but it reminded me of seeing the 70 or 80+ aged folks at Trans Siberian Orchestra. Those folks would never know or listen to Savatage, but because TSO is/has and does a Christmas-themed show, they find appeal to a wider/different demographic.

One thing Craig Minowa mentioned is how by playing at Orchestra Hall, and seeing the crowd size there, a hope (dream?) is to come back and play their with an actual orchestra.

A friend of mine wasn't too interested in going on Friday, but mentioned to me if they were with an actual orchestra, it would intrigue him more. So, perhaps the next time they will.

As far as the performance and music (and visuals), it was pretty spectacular at times. The video screen they had accompanying them added a lot visually. Many songs had videos that went with them. Some I believe are on youtube like "Everybody Here is a Cloud" and "Running With the Wolves."

The set list that's listed setlist.fm is frankly, pretty incomplete.

Today We Give Ourselves To The Fire
There's So Much Energy In Us
You'll Be Bright
Forces of the Unseen
Running With The Wolves
Transistor Radio
The Exploding People

I'll add/edit what I remember, maybe even later this week. But the songs I know they also played (which included in the 2 encores they did).

Everybody Here is a Cloud
Love You All
No One Said It Would Be Easy
Dance for the Dead

They also played at least 2 or 3 new songs. And I knew they were going to, having asked Sarah Ehlhardt, their keyboard/piano/trumpet/french horn/vocalist vaguely about the show. I happen to be lucky enough to be taking piano lessons from her, so I couldn't help but ask about the show last week.

I suppose to sum up this Cloud Cult show, compared to the last/1st one I saw last fall. It was probably as memorable and as much if not more of an *Event* than that other show. Although, overall it probably didn't grab me as much given it wasn't my 1st time seeing them live, nor have I been listening to Cloud Cult's music so much recently as I had been back last Fall.

Plus it was a pretty different dynamic at Orchestra Hall. I suppose the ENERGY and even the group drumming maybe wasn't quite as memorable. The paintings of course happened as they always do from Connie Minowa and Scott West. Compared to the show I saw last Fall, I guess the style and layering were the opposite, comparing the works I saw them make at the show in November. Connie's this time was much more less-is-more than Scott's. But I guess it's unpredictable and I imagine both of them don't think about that when making those paintings during the show.

Also new Cellist Daniel Zamzow was quite good, replacing longtime Cellist Sarah Young. He has good chemistry with violinist Shannon Frid. Almost to the point I forgot he was new. Although I ended up in the 4th row, to the far right of Sarah Ehlhardt, which kind of isolated those 2 and some of the rest of the band to the opposite side of the stage from me.

That was one thing I wanted to ask Sarah about, and maybe I will soon, as to why her side of the stage seemed less involved than the other. The band seemed more connected on the left side, and I almost felt bad for her. Craig came over to use the piano a few times, but other than that, she was kind of on her own on the right side. Plus as wonderful as her french horn was, it at times seemed drowned out by the strings. Perhaps that is/was intentional?

Another thing to mention is opening act Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps. I had no idea she was opening, and she mentioned she has a cd release show coming on September 16th at the 1st Ave Main Room. In short, I like her and liked seeing her back in January 2009 with Jeremy Messersmith and Best Friends Forever. But I haven't thought about her since. Save for the fact Arlen Peiffer, Cloud Cult's drummer, mentioned to me at the show last Fall, how he played with her. He wasn't on stage with her on Friday, but her opening for them probably had something to do with that connection.

Just a thought, might Jenny Dalton open for CC at some point as well? (her band has used CC's old rhythm section anyway).

But I may try and see that show in September, and am certainly going to check out her new album Little Wind.

After the show it was pretty crowded in the hallways, but I was able to say hello to Sarah, Caroline and a few other performers. And then actually stumbling upon some fans being quoted for the Star Tribune. I actually chimed in, and talked to the Strib reporters. Kind of in my typical "I have a blog like so many others, blah blah blah" and how Cloud Cult are progressive rock, and stuff about other bands like The Dear Hunter and Apes and Androids. The reporter doing the photography actually suggested I could freelance write for them or somewhere else. And that was really nice of her to say. I guess I wish I knew how to have an opportunity like that, beyond just calling Citypages or one of the other publications and suggesting it. Could it actually be that easy? I wish it was, but I suppose I'll never know unless I try.

Cloud Cult: Spring/Summer 2011 Tour

They're going out on tour in a few weeks. Here's the dates confirmed so far along with a message (new Cellist).



Cloud Cult homepage


Sat May 21 7:00 pm Columbus, OH Outland, Columbus, OH
Sun May 22 The Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
Tue May 24 Maxwells, Hoboken, NJ
Wed May 25 Paradise, Boston, MA
Thu May 26 World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
Fri May 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York City, NY
Sat May 28 The Black Cat, Washington, DC
Sun May 29 Vienna, VA Private Event
Fri Jul 08 Church of St. John, Rochester, MN
Sat Jul 09 Bayfront, Duluth, MN
Fri Jul 29 Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN
Thu Aug 25 Neptune, Seattle, WA
Fri Aug 26 Mission Theater, Portland, OR
Sat Aug 27 BurntWoodsStock, Burnt Woods, OR


Hi all,
The Cloud Cult U.S. Spring Tour is almost here. We've put together a new show that will include a handful of songs we've previously never done on stage, new back screen video, our new cellist (as well as the rest of the Cloud Cult regulars), and the spinning canvases of the Cloud Cult painters. We're also excited to be doing these dates with the gorgeous sounds of The Wilderness of Manitoba.

Please consider purchasing your tickets ahead of time, not only because it's less expensive for you, but also because some of these shows will likely sell out. We're very excited to see you soon!

good news about Craig's health apparently. Good to hear about the new Cellist. And Rather interesting to see them confirmed to play at Orchestra Hall Also they will be playing some new music on this tour.

I don't see how I can miss this show, as I continue to get more into them, and as I've said, not seeing them so many times in the past, I am making up for lost time. And a show at Orchestra Hall of all places certainly helps.

Related - Best Wishes to Craig Minowa of Cloud Cult