Tide Pack Out Ljubljana’s Orto bar! (2008)

 As part of this year’s Orto fest, the coastal crew Tide took the stage on Wednesday, April 16. It had been a little over a year since their last show at Orto, and it was high time they came back. Only this time the stage was all theirs. Last year they had (also coastal) Mosaic along as support, another band that deserves to make it on the music scene. Tide pulled a nice crowd into Orto on Wednesday. Not too small, since this is a band that fills Slovenian and foreign clubs and other venues, and not too big, just enough that you could breathe normally and even dance a bit. The space right below the stage was taken (along with the photographers) by a bunch of young women who danced tirelessly through the whole show. The middle and back belonged to a slightly older crowd, among whom you could spot Gušti (Gušti & Polona) and Daniel Gregorič (Big foot mama).

The first riffs of “Release My Gun” (Seven Days, 2005) roared out at twenty-five past ten, and the crowd started moving instantly. No wonder, since it’s one of their most recognizable songs and one of those that made Tide known to the wider public. The guys “tested the waters” with the older hit, followed by the newer “Leaving It All Behind”, and the reaction was just the same as for the song before. The atmosphere was relaxed and the energy grew by the minute. With music this good, you just can’t stand still. Even when Kevin addressed the crowd, there wasn’t a hint of nerves in his voice. You can tell the guys have already played quite a few shows this year, with plenty more still ahead. “Fair Enough” is perhaps the song with the most personal touch, as it was written by guitarist Peter when his daughter was born. And it’s no surprise that the women in the crowd in particular got a bit misty-eyed, since it’s one of the most beautiful songs on their latest album “Nothing To Lose” (2007).
The guys continued with the album’s opener “No Place Left To Go”, and I strongly doubt that anyone kept their mouth shut during the chorus “There is nothing left to lose, we`ve seen it all, done it all again …”, since it’s one of the (most) punchy choruses around. If anyone at Orto bar was seeing them live for the first time, “Like It Slow” was enough to prove that the guys are the exact opposite of “slow”, as it’s yet another song that literally burns. And anyone who still hadn’t spent the last atom of their energy could do so during “Shooting Straight”.

After the hard-hitting first part of the show came a slightly mellower stretch. “Following” served up the most romantic moment of the evening, with quite a few couples in love wrapping their arms around each other. All that was missing were the lights (lit lighters) and the mood would have been perfect. Then, to top it off, we got their first ballad, “Lost Inside”. Ohhh, lovely.
Those two songs came at just the right time for the crowd to recharge their batteries and wet their throats, because Tide broke the romance with their newest single “The Urge”, which they also sent out into the world with a music video, followed by “Fade Away”.
“Waiting For The Rain” is the song that announced the release of their latest album last year, and one of those that literally carries you off to another world. Especially when it flows into “All I Want Is You” (Rattle & Hum, 1989) by the legendary U2. A moment when you’re left speechless, because words are superfluous and you just surrender to the music, to the emotions … Enchanting. Indescribable. Definitely the most beautiful moment of the night. And one that will (sadly) be impossible to repeat, because the atmosphere at Orto was intimate, one of a kind. Above all, you could feel the band was more relaxed than ever before.
So we wouldn’t daydream too much, Tide moved on to harder-hitting songs. First a cover of “My Generation” by The Who, then one of the biggest hits from “Seven Days” – the song “Evolution”. Add “Something Else” and “Kick Out The Jams”, originally by MC5, and the night wrapped up after about an hour and a half. Although plenty of people would have liked the guys to play a song or two more.

The show at Orto bar was one of their better ones. At least of the ones I’ve seen. Tide created that pleasant warmth with the very first song, and it carried on through the whole night. A big part of that was the band’s relaxed vibe and the nice number of shows they’ve already played. With Wednesday’s gig the guys wrapped up their club tour, and some festival appearances are up next. See you at one of them.

Text: Lea Lesar
Photos: Špela Macuh

 

Setlist:

 
1. Release My Gun
2. Leaving It All Behind
3. Fair Enough
4. No Place Left To Go
5. Like It Slow
6. Shooting Straight
7. Following
8. Lost Inside
9. The Urge
10. Fade Away
11. Waiting For The Rain / All I Want Is You
12. My Generation
13. Evolution
14. Something Else
15. Kick Out The Jams