Swans (w/ Kristof Hahn) - recordBar, Kansas City, Missouri (May 9th, 2024)

Swans w/ Kristof Hahn at the recordBar in Kansas City, Missouri Recorded w/ Shure MV88 on IPhone 14 Pro Kristof Hahn Setlist: 0:00 Kansas City Overture 12:46 If There Is Something 19:13 Regenland 24:32 Still Life Swans Setlist: 35:21 The Beggar 1:52:00 The Hanging Man 2:04:16 I Am A Tower 2:24:08 Away 2:31:16 Birthing COMMENTS: Once again I had the privilige to witness Swans, this time a bit further away than Dallas up in Kansas City. I chose this show over anything in Texas because I predicted people would already tape both of those (I was right). This took place at a smaller venue than usual for Swans in the states. The recordBar show was sold out and had a max capacity of 400. I'd say it was pretty full but not completely packed either so maybe around 250 people were there. I myself didn't have the best view (see the photos) but I made that sacrifice for the, in my opinion, very good sound you hear. I was right next to one of the speaker stacks but not too close either so the sound is very clear and still has a lot of ambiance to it. I had to do very little work on the recording besides the obvious amplification and some very minor EQ to bring the smaller details out. Now what did I think of the performance? ...Beyond words... Okay maybe I'm being overdramatic but it was absolutely incredible, and honestly far better than what I saw last year (which was still great). I am so happy to have been there to witness them workshopping this new material, and am very excited for what it will end up as on the album. Unfortunately one of the new songs, Guardian Spirit, has been cut from the set for the last few shows. I asked Michael Gira why this happened and he told me it was too much for his voice, but that it would be on the album. Despite that I was still treated to 2hrs and 25mins of insanely good (and loud) music, including my favorite part, The Beggar, which kicked off the show and lasted over an hour! There were so many ideas packed into this track as well as huge variations in dynamics and energy. I also really enjoyed The Hanging Man tonight, it had twice the speed and aggression of the version I saw last year. The two new songs I got to hear were great, and it's interesting to hear Birthing pretty much on it's own now without the Cloud of Unknowing section at the start. Overall an incredible experience, and I can't wait to dive into the rest of the recordings available from this year. Lossless Download: https://mega.nz/folder/kYVFGSgL#chGqT...