This was truly a wonderful experience. Never having had the chance to see Mr. Rich live prior to this event, I was not sure exactly what to expect, but the pleasant and relaxed image I inferred from the advertisement of the event turned out to be completely true. A better setting I could not have chosen: a wonderfully intimate concert, with about 18 people in the audience and Robert up on stage (a mere 15-20 feet away from me). Robert had with him his enormous modular analog synthesizer, which glowed and had pulsating lights all over it, looking like something out of Star Trek. He was also equipped with a couple synths (I recognized a Nord Lead), a laptop, and some gear hidden behind a stand.
After some soothing music (Robert's?), he came on stage and sat at a strange looking piano. Never seen one like it. Not a typical grand piano, it looked almost like a player piano, with the strings arranged vertically, which let you see what it looked like while it was being played. He played a delightful short piano bit, which I later learned was exclusive to live shows (though he was considering releasing some of his piano work on CD). This beautiful piece warmed the audience up for the first set, a forty-minute set of Rich's trademark "glurps" and electronic ambience. He tweaked his giant synth, triggered some stuff on the keyboards, and for an excellent live accompaniment, played (and edited in real-time) a steel guitar. The guitar added a wonderful melancholy tinge to the otherwise swirling ambience and it was great to see him play it. I'm only slightly familiar with Robert Rich's music, and I haven't had the chance to listen to his new electronic stuff, but judging from the show, I'm missing out. Any fan of Fax Records or that blissful style of mid-90s synthesizer ambience would have been in heaven.
The second set followed a short intermission, and as Robert explained, this second set was more akin to his older work - i.e., lots of tribal/Indian influences and a more rhythmic, active set than before. Percussion was in full force here, and it was used beautifully, sometimes triggered by Robert's keyboards and other times pre-recorded. For the most part Robert ditched the steel guitar and instead beautifully played an assortment of flutes - Indian flutes, I believe - which fit right in with the other stuff going on.
The whole show was somewhat short - about two hours of music - but it was truly wonderful. The setting and the venue proved to be as essential as the music, and everything fit together perfectly. I also have to say how refreshing it is to see and speak with a musician so down-to-earth and unpretentious as Robert was - you can only take so much hardcore spooky dark-doom-death ambience for so long before it starts to wear on your nerves. Robert said he may play at Neurosis's Neurot festival this November, and if he does, I'll be sure not to miss out.
