Venue: Orto Bar / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 11.12.2006
Attendance: 200
The Rockline crew once again came through, all of us answering the friendly invitation from the organizer and owner of ORTO Bar in Ljubljana to catch Dan D live. Autumn-winter 2006/07 had finally shown its teeth, so a few minutes before ten in the evening we turned up, pleasantly chilled, at the door of Ljubljana’s ORTO Bar, the place we have to thank for the fact that the Slovenian capital has lately been treated to quite a few delightful local and international musical guests who would otherwise most likely have sailed right past our beautiful Slovenia.
This time the musical guests were the members of the excellent Novo mesto outfit DAN D, in the opinion of many music critics one of the best Slovenian rock bands of recent years. After the almost obligatory haggling with the security guys at the club door, we somehow managed to squeeze our way into the venue. I don’t know, but the guy at the door just didn’t seem to get what “accreditation” meant. He only reacted once we used the “Slovenized” term, “guest list”. His sharp grin and the missing upper-right incisor told us the guy meant business. Damn, the EU has clearly done its thing, at least when it comes to foreign words. As for manners, let’s not go there this time. Tokac would probably remark: “Time will heal the world…”
Anyway, a hot night and a good hang with the even better Dolenjska lads of Dan D lay ahead. A sold-out show usually promises a lot. The band kicked off their set at exactly 22:30, and the crowd sent them off with loud applause and cheering right away. The beauty of these club gigs is that the whole thing feels like a concert in your own living room, with that obligatory, unavoidable, genuine contact between the performers and the audience. Dan D are known for always throwing a good party, and this time was no different. True, their repertoire gives them less room to maneuver with only three albums out, but the band always knows how to squeeze the best out of itself. Special mention and praise go to Dan D’s rhythm section on the night. The spot of original bassist Andrej Zupančič was more than excellently filled by all-around Slovenian bassist Nikola Sekulović (better known for his work with Demolition group and, lately, Laibach). He was soon shamelessly showing us what that guy can do with his fingers, and in doing so confirmed Dan D’s status even further. All we can say is: “Tony Levin, watch out for Nikola!”
The guys lined up and sawed through the obligatory 16 songs in a good hour, and then Tokac wittily remarked that, given tonight’s speed, they could start all over again, this time more “Počasi”. The performance itself was solid for the size of the stage, and the sound was dialed in accordingly and still bearable. The only other thing worth mentioning is the general fear you could feel during the band’s biggest hits, among them “Čas”, “Počasi”, “Roke” and “Voda”, that the wooden floor beneath our feet would simply give way, thanks to the resonance between the vibrations of the crowd and the PA, and we’d all end up one floor down together. Definitely a safety issue that should be taken into account before something like that really happens.
With every single show, Dan D prove and successfully defend their reputation and status as one of the few Slovenian bands that don’t need to put out a new album every year to stay on top and afloat. Quality and an authentic approach count for something too, and Dan D have both in heaping measure. Exactly two years have passed since the release of their latest album “Katere barve je tvoj dan?”, and the band still manages to fill club and hall venues. Definitely a praiseworthy fact.
The main set was followed by an encore of three songs, including the Beatles classic “Help”, and the band, visibly spent, said goodnight. An hour and a half of pure adrenaline, and thanks to Dan D, Ljubljana can once again boast another “Orto” concert.
Dan D successfully carried out their announced “raid” on Orto Bar in Ljubljana, and for all of you who missed this one, a heads-up: you can catch them again on Friday, 22.12., when they’ll put on their already traditional December concert for the folks of Novo mesto at the Marof hall.The Rockline crew once again came through, all of us answering the friendly invitation from the organizer and owner of ORTO Bar in Ljubljana to catch Dan D live. Autumn-winter 2006/07 had finally shown its teeth, so a few minutes before ten in the evening we turned up, pleasantly chilled, at the door of Ljubljana’s ORTO Bar, the place we have to thank for the fact that the Slovenian capital has lately been treated to quite a few delightful local and international musical guests who would otherwise most likely have sailed right past our beautiful Slovenia. This time the musical guests were the members of the excellent Novo mesto outfit DAN D, in the opinion of many music critics one of the best Slovenian rock bands of recent years. After the almost obligatory haggling with the security guys at the club door, we somehow managed to squeeze our way into the venue. I don’t know, but the guy at the door just didn’t seem to get what “accreditation” meant. He only reacted once we used the “Slovenized” term, “guest list”. His sharp grin and the missing upper-right incisor told us the guy meant business. Damn, the EU has clearly done its thing, at least when it comes to foreign words. As for manners, let’s not go there this time. Tokac would probably remark: “Time will heal the world…” Anyway, a hot night and a good hang with the even better Dolenjska lads of Dan D lay ahead. A sold-out show usually promises a lot. The band kicked off their set at exactly 22:30, and the crowd sent them off with loud applause and cheering right away. The beauty of these club gigs is that the whole thing feels like a concert in your own living room, with that obligatory, unavoidable, genuine contact between the performers and the audience. Dan D are known for always throwing a good party, and this time was no different. True, their repertoire gives them less room to maneuver with only three albums out, but the band always knows how to squeeze the best out of itself. Special mention and praise go to Dan D’s rhythm section on the night. The spot of original bassist Andrej Zupančič was more than excellently filled by all-around Slovenian bassist Nikola Sekulović (better known for his work with Demolition group and, lately, Laibach). He was soon shamelessly showing us what that guy can do with his fingers, and in doing so confirmed Dan D’s status even further. All we can say is: “Tony Levin, watch out for Nikola!” The guys lined up and sawed through the obligatory 16 songs in a good hour, and then Tokac wittily remarked that, given tonight’s speed, they could start all over again, this time more “Počasi”. The performance itself was solid for the size of the stage, and the sound was dialed in accordingly and still bearable. The only other thing worth mentioning is the general fear you could feel during the band’s biggest hits, among them “Čas”, “Počasi”, “Roke” and “Voda”, that the wooden floor beneath our feet would simply give way, thanks to the resonance between the vibrations of the crowd and the PA, and we’d all end up one floor down together. Definitely a safety issue that should be taken into account before something like that really happens. With every single show, Dan D prove and successfully defend their reputation and status as one of the few Slovenian bands that don’t need to put out a new album every year to stay on top and afloat. Quality and an authentic approach count for something too, and Dan D have both in heaping measure. Exactly two years have passed since the release of their latest album “Katere barve je tvoj dan?”, and the band still manages to fill club and hall venues. Definitely a praiseworthy fact. The main set was followed by an encore of three songs, including the Beatles classic “Help”, and the band, visibly spent, said goodnight. An hour and a half of pure adrenaline, and thanks to Dan D, Ljubljana can once again boast another “Orto” concert. Dan D successfully carried out their announced “raid” on Orto Bar in Ljubljana, and for all of you who missed this one, a heads-up: you can catch them again on Friday, 22.12., when they’ll put on their already traditional December concert for the folks of Novo mesto at the Marof hall.
Setlist
1. Igra
2. Počasi
3. Jutro je reklo
4. Katere barve je tvoj dan?
5. Tvoje je vse
6. Čas (acoustic version)
7. Ti znaš
8. Daj mi daj
9. Le nazaj
10. Plešeš
11. Sla
12. Oprostite, ne razumem
13. Roke
14. V naravo
15. Za naju punca
16. Voda
—encore—
17. Help
18. Ko letaš nad oblaki
19. Čas
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