Richard Thompson
February 27, 2022
Fremont Theater
San Luis Obispo, CA

12th Row DEAD Center:
Neumann AK 40s (x/y) >LC3 >KM100s >Tascam DR100mkII (24bit/48kHz)
WAV > (iZotope RX8 Advanced) >Audacity (Tracking, Down Sample To 16bit/44.1kHz) >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.50

Recorded, Audacity, FLAC, & Tags by OldNeumanntapr (Along With Inside Cover Art Photo Of Theater)
Processed by Flying -M- (iZotope RX8 Advanced)

Solo Acoustic

Richard Thompson – Guitar, Vocals
Zara Phillips – Backing Vocals (from “Wall of Death” through the end)

Disc One:

0. Stony Ground (not recorded)
1. If I Could Live My Life Again (starts in progress)
2. Genesis Hall
3. Turning Of The Tide
4. Woods Of Darney
5. Johnny’s Far Away
6. Uninhabited Man
7. Walking On A Wire
8. Walking The Long Miles Home
9. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Disc Two:

1. Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
2. Wall Of Death
3. Singapore Sadie
4. The Rattle Within
5. As I Hold You
6. The Fortress
7. Keep Your Distance
8. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Encore :

9. Beeswing
10. Tinker’s Rhapsody
11. She Was Lost In The Crowd

The Historic Fremont (Movie) Theater Was Built In 1942

OldNeumanntapr Notes:
This was the first concert that I recorded since 2019, which by the way, was also Richard Thompson (Electric Trio) at the Fremont Theater. I’m always telling myself, ‘This is the LAST show I’m going to record’, but then my friend in SLO will contact me about another show coming up and I will relent.
I didn’t have much choice these past two years because of the pandemic. No one was seeing any live music. For this show I had planned on bring in my Beyer MV100 microphone preamp but when I got to the show and took a photo of the front of the theater from across the street I noticed that they were using a wand to go over people before they entered. Damn! It takes all the fun out of it when I have to resort to subterfuge to get my gear inside. So, I decided to leave the preamp in the car and run the Neumanns directly into the XLR jacks of the Tascam recorder. The sound inside was really good and I couldn’t really tell much of a difference in the recording after using the internal preamp compared to the Beyer. I’m still kicking myself that I missed the two opening songs, but I was under the assumption that there would be an opening act and I was late getting in. Also, I had forgotten to switch on the phantom power on the back of the Tascam (which powers the microphones) because usually I use the phantom power that the Beyer preamp supplies. So it threw me at first when I wasn’t getting any levels on the recorder when I DID start to record. I guess I’m a little rusty after not recording anything these last two years.

Thanks (as always) to Flying M for the outstanding job he does in post production by reducing loud clapping and cleaning things up to make a more enjoyable listening experience, and thanks to Ethiessen for the great cover artwork and graphic arts design! Thanks also to Dave for persuading me to go to see another great show.

Do NOT Convert To MP3.
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. 😉

John Hiatt
Nov 9 2024
Fremont Theater
San Luis Obispo, CA

Solo Acoustic

12th Row, Near Left-Side Aisle;
Neumann AK40s >LC3 >KM100s >Tascam DR100mkII* (24bit/48kHz)
*w/Internal Preamp and Phantom Power

WAV >Audacity (Track Splits, Downsample To 16bit/44.1kHz) >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.53

Recorded, Audacity Track Splits, Downsample, FLAC, Tags, Front Cover Artwork, And Photos Other Than Front Cover By OldNeumanntapr

Front Cover Photo By A Friend

Har-Bal 3.7 Post Production & iZotope RX8 Advanced (Flying -M-)

Disc I:

1. Introduction
2. Before I Go
3. Your Dad Did
4. Long Time Comin’
5. The Tiki Bar Is Open
6. Crossing Muddy Waters
7. Tennessee Plates
8. What Do We Do Now
9. Master Of Disaster
10. Drive South

Disc II:

1. Terms Of My Surrender
2. Cry Love
3. Perfectly Good Guitar
4. Weightless In My Arms
5. Real Fine Love
6. Slow Turning
7. Feels Like Rain
8. Memphis In The Meantime
9. Riding With The King
10. Have A Little Faith In Me

OldNeumanntapr Notes;
When I heard from my ‘partner-in-crime’ that his friend Brian’s wife couldn’t make the show I couldn’t pay him for the ticket fast enough. I love John Hiatt and especially enjoy hearing him play solo acoustic. As usual, John tells some funny stories between songs and does a few requests. There was one guy who kept asking for ‘Feels Like Rain’. The Fremont is a beautiful theater and has wonderful acoustics and it is always a real pleasure to see a live performance there. The Fremont was built in 1942 and was one of San Luis Obispo’s two art-deco movie theaters, the other being the Obispo, which was built in 1911 and burned to the ground in late 1975. Though the Fremont still has provisions for showing films, the SLO Film Festival is held there every spring, it has since been converted to a performing arts theater. Thanks so much to Flying M for his wonderful job at post production fairy dust. 🙂

Do NOT Convert To MP3.
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. 😉

John Hiatt
3/11/16
Fremont Theater
San Luis Obispo, CA

Solo Acoustic

5th Row DEAD Center:
Neumann AK-40s (ORTF In Hat) >LC3 >KM-100s >Lunatec V2 (+25db Gain) >Tascam DR100mkII (24bit/48khz)

WAV >Audacity (Normalize, Amplify, Track Splits, Down Sample To 16bit/44.1khz) >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

FRAGMENT!!!

Recorded, Transferred, FLAC’d, Tagged, & Front Cover Artwork By OldNeumanntapr

1. //Like A Freight Train
2. Marlene
3. Crossing Muddy Waters
4. Ethylene
5. Buffalo River Home//

OldNeumanntapr Notes-
This was all I was able to salvage from this recording after my 1st Tascam DR100mkII suffered an extreme electronic meltdown. (As I was setting up in the stall, the Tascam slipped out of my pack while on my lap and partially fell into the water of the toilet, before I could grab it.) Just a corner of the recorder got wet and it might have been OK if I would have had the time to let it thoroughly dry out, but the show was about to start and I had no recourse but to try and use it. This show would have yielded such a killer recording, it’s really a shame that it didn’t work out. Placement in the theater was superb, the crowd was quiet, and the sound was awesome. My Friend Dave’s friend Rick Williams was recording in the seat next to me on the right and he captured the entire show on his Edirol R09 with the internal microphones. Though his recording is good it doesn’t match the sound of the Neumanns / V2. I asked him if I could use his Edirol in place of my Tascam but he had never used the line out and didn’t know how to go through the menus to change the input setting, especially in the dim light of the theater. I really had high hopes for this show and I was crushed to not be able to capitalize on such a great night. The Lunatec V2 is an extremely high end microphone preamp, but it’s almost impossible to use covertly as it is large and requires a separate 6 volt rechargeable battery, but has awesome sound! Just getting this rig through the doors was no easy feat. I waited through a few songs before turning it on to record and it lasted through a few songs before the display started freaking out and it just died. At least I got a couple of songs reordered to actually hear what a difference the Lunatec V2 makes as compared to my Beyer MV 100. Some shows that I have done resulted in ‘the thrill of victory’, but this night was definitely in ‘the agony of defeat’ column.

Do NOT Convert To MP3.
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. 😉

John Hiatt (Acoustic)
June 26, 2019
Fremont Theater
San Luis Obispo, California

12th Row, Slightly Left Of Center: Neumann AK-40s >LC3 >KM-100s >Tascam DR-100mkII (24bit/48khz) w/Internal Preamp And Phantom Power.

iZotope RX6 advanced & Har-Bal 3.7 (prep by Flying -M-)

WAV >Audacity (Track Splits, Down Sample To 16 bit / 44.1khz) >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.47

Recording, Audacity, FLAC, Tags, & Rear Cover Artwork Photo By OldNeumanntapr

Post Production Wizardry By Flying M

Disc I:

1. Intro
2. Lift Up Every Stone
3. Real Fine Love
4. The Open Road
5. Aces Up Your Sleeve
6. Perfectly Good Guitar
7. Crossing Muddy Waters
8. Cry Love
9. Is Anybody There?
10. Long Time Comin’
11. Master Of Disaster
    [51:20]

Disc II:

1. Icy Blue Heart
2. Train To Birmingham
3. Tennessee Plates
4. Feels Like Rain
5. Thing Called Love
6. I’m In Asheville
7. Memphis In The Meantime

Encore:

8. Have A Little Faith In Me

[45:01]

John Hiatt -Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Piano

The Historic Fremont (Movie) Theater Was Built In 1942

OldNeumanntapr Notes-

The last time that John Hiatt played an acoustic show at the Fremont my first Tascam had an electronic convulsion and I lost most of the show except for two or three songs.

Hiatt is an amazing songwriter and performer and I always enjoy seeing him in concert.
The Fremont has really good acoustics with its curved interior walls.
My hat is off to Flying M for his uncanny ability to get the most out of my recordings with his vast computer processing knowledge.
This recording really shines and actually sounds better than my ears heard the show live!!!
I hope everybody enjoys this one.
I was pleased to hear ‘Memphis In The Meantime’ because for some reason I was humming it at home the night before while I was getting my recording gear ready!

Flying M Preparation Notes-

It was a good workout pulling the audience back and pushing the music forward.
Have gone from end to end 4 times and I keep finding little things to “fix” and it’s been a week now so it’s becoming OCD and I had to stop.
Must have made 500 little repairs removing background noises, some easier than others.

Equalized with Har-Bal to flatten the frequency response reducing the hump in the low mid-range and giving it a little more presence in the top and bottom end.
Resulted in a “fuller” sound with the vocals being brought up making the singing clearer.

The audience exploded between songs so the loudest claps, whistling and whoo-hooing were removed as much as I could.
Coughing sniffing, chatting, singing and other random noises were also removed or minimized.
Finally the applause segments were reduced by an additional 3dB and then the overall amplitude was increased by 12dB.

Acoustic shows are tough to prepare as so many small noises become distracting once the volume is increased as much as this was.
-M-

Do NOT Convert To MP3.
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. 😉