BRIAN ENO
@ TEATRO LA FENICE, VENICE (ITALY)
OCTOBER 1, 2023
Brian Eno has toured with Roxy Music and 801 in the past. In 2023 he made a decision to tour for the first time as a solo artist, albeit with an orchestra, The Baltic Sea Philharmonic. The tour is centered around The Ship, an album he released in 2016. It was extremely well-received and was one of Eno’s most successful solo albums.
The tour was not really Eno’s idea. He received Venice’s The Golden Lion, but part of the deal was that he had to perform with an orchestra. He decided to play with The Baltic Sea Philharmonic orchestra (conducted by Kristjan Järvi), which proved to be a perfect fit for Eno. And The Ship proved to be the perfect piece to perform live with them. Along with the orchestra, he was accompanied by Leo Abrahams (guitar), Peter Chivers (keyboards), Peter Serafinowicz (vocals and narration), all of whom performed on the original album. Also helping Eno out is Christine Rice on vocals.
This was not so much a concert, but rather a live performance of an art installation. It was staged absolutely brilliantly, with all performers wearing the same black clothes and variations of a T-shirt. The Ship was performed to perfection, which was really the first part of the concert. The show opened with a single note as other instruments were added as they slowly made their way onto the stage. From this point on, the orchestra never stopped moving on the stage. They walked slowly around during the concert, while a very animated Järvi conducted them. Interestingly, Eno, who sang for the show and played keyboards, stayed near the back, with the orchestra out front. He was, it seemed, just a member of the band. But the truth is, the crowd was there to see him.
The stage design was simple, yet very effective. The use of light and of musicians moving on the stage was phenomenal. And although the music was very similar to that of the album, the live performance was very exciting and energetic. At one point Eno actually apologized to the audience members who came to see an ambient show and perhaps were surprised by the volume. But ambient fans did not have long to wait for their music.
Eno finished The Ship, as he did on the album, with a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Set Free”. His version is very emotional and is the perfect closer to the concert and album. After The Ship, Eno performed songs from his other solo albums. The audience was quite surprised when Eno performed “By This River” from 1977’s Before and After Science. Again, emotions ran high with this spectacularly beautiful song. This was followed by “Who Gives A Thought” from his 2022 album FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE. And all too soon, he closed off the programme with “And Then So Clear” from his 2005 album, Another Day On Earth.
Thankfully and graciously, he returned to the stage for an encore of the ambient “Making Gardens Out Of Silence” and ending the evening with the beautiful “There Were Bells”. Both songs are from FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE and sounded fantastic. The sound during the entire night was perhaps the best sound I have ever heard in a live performance.
During the night Eno received many standing ovations, but there was plenty for people to clap about. The shows, two on that day, an afternoon and evening performance, were both sold out, and the audience was well aware that they had just witnessed a concert unlike anything they had ever seen.
(Photography By: Linda Badgley)
Photos
Artist Links
SPILL NEW MUSIC: BRIAN ENO REVEALS NEW VIDEO FOR “STIFF” USING UNEARTHED FOOTAGE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BRIAN ENO – ENO (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BRIAN ENO – FOREVER VOICELESS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: BRIAN ENO REVEALS COSMIC NEW VIDEO FOR “GARDEN OF STARS” | ‘FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE’ AVAILABLE NOW
