After having witnessed the mind-blowing Tangerine Dream show in 1986 at the Universal Amphitheater, I so badly wanted to relive that experience, but you know how it always works when you are trying to recreate something thrilling from the past ...
Their concerts at the Wiltern Theater in 1992 and UCLA in 2008 were good, but I was less impressed with Tangerine Dream's newer sound that was far more guitar-oriented than what I heard in 1986. In addition to electric guitars, both of these shows featured a sax player, a clear departure from their earlier pure-electronic days, but here's a noteworthy tidbit: at both of these shows, the sax player was the very same Linda Spa, an Austrian musician who also has a career outside of TD. Both shows were well-attended and also well-received. There were a lot of youngsters in the crowd, especially at the UCLA show, a strong sign that Tangerine Dream has many more years left in them.
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| Tangerine Dream at the Wiltern Theater (1992) |
For the UCLA show in 2008, I had an excellent seat, very close to the stage. Edgar Froese aged a bit, no surprise there - his white hair and black clothes gave him a somewhat surreal appearance, which was certainly in line with his music. He frequently alternated between his keyboards, synthesizers and guitar. Standing in front of his band's multi-tiered stage setup and surrounded by his band-mates Iris Camaa, Thorsten Quaeshning and Bernhard Beibl, Edgar addressed the crowd at the end of his UCLA gig and the crowd just loved him.
Partial set list - UCLA, November 7, 2008
Trauma
California
Leviathan
Sphinx Lightning
Carmel
Wisdom & Tragedy
No Man's Land
The Blue Bridge
Hunter Shot By A Yellow Rabbit
The Dream Is Always The Same
Fire On The Mountain
Betrayal
La Liberation
Going West
Le Parc
One Night In Space
Leaving The Masters For God
I will probably never go to see Tangerine Dream again, but I will certainly remember their unique live shows for as long as I live.
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