Stereolab was cool. It was a super good show. It was in the Phonodrome on the Reeperbahn. At first I was right up front and we could see evrything nice and clearly. Unfortunately, I was standing right next to the huge stack of speakers and due to the EXTREME VOLUME it started to feel as if there was a loose piece of tissue paper flapping around in my ears. So I moved to the back where I couldn’t see anything but it sounded great. Stereolab is one of the most unglamorous bands you will ever see. They just get up there and rock. They don’t really interact with the audience much because they are too busy making great music.
One note of sadness: One of the recognizable characteristics of Stereolab’s sound in the past has been the spacey vocal harmonies between Laetitia Sadier and the late Mary Hansen. Without Mary something is missing but it is still interesting. She will be missed.