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more Swans tour dates & Bowery Ballroom pics

photos by Stefan Raduta, words by BBG

Swans

The Swans are wonderful to look at: three craggy veterans and three younger musicians. One of them is a guy named Thor, who has waist-length blond hair and hammers a set of bells. After he took off his shirt, he looked like nothing so much as a sweating blacksmith. There were three guitars and a pedal steel and another percussionist, all banging away… I saw Michael Gira’s lips moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was singing. I am told–and I believe–that the loudness is necessary, that it is part of the point. For a while, I found a place on the balcony, right by the railing, and I could look down at the heads of the people below, standing shoulder to shoulder and vibrating. And it was kind of thrilling in a visceral way. It blows everything else out of your head. -[AlternateSideParking]

After a triumphant show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple with accompanying after-party on 10/8, Swans completed their NYC run on 10/9 at Bowery Ballroom (where the above review originates) with support from tour-mate Baby Dee. Reports from attendees of both NYC shows say that Bowery featured a less animated Michael Gira (no thumb-sucking or self-flagellation).

The show was part of a much larger tour for Swans, that was just extended. Updated dates below (no new NYC dates, though that semi-related Shearwater show is almost here).

The setlist from Bowery (which was identical to Brooklyn Masonic), with more pics and all dates below…

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SWANS at BOWERY 10/9/10 Setlist
No Words, No Thoughts
Your Property
Sex, God, Sex
Jim
I Crawled
My Birth
Beautiful Child
Eden Prison
(encore)
Little Mouth


Swans – 2010 Tour Dates
Nov 23, Gronignen, NL at VERA
Nov 24, Utrecht, NL, Le Guess Who Fest
Nov 25, Brussels at AB AB Club
Nov 26, Lille, F Le Grande Mix
Nov 28, Paris, F at BBMIX festival
Nov 29, off
Nov 30, Toulouse, F Le Phare
Dec 01, Lyon, F, Epicerie Modern
Dec 02, Geneva, Switzerland L’Usine
Dec 03, Turin, I, Musica90 c/o Sala Espace
Dec 04, Bologna, I, Locomotive Club
Dec 05, Roma, I, Cirglio delgi Artisti
Dec 06, off
Dec 07, Vienna, Austria, at Arena
Dec 08, Prague, Czech Akropolis
Dec 09, Wroclaw, Poland, Firlej
Dec 10, Warsaw, Poland Stodola
Dec 11, OFF
Dec 12, Hamburg, Germany Kampnagel
Dec 13, Berlin, Germany, Volksbuehne

2/18/2011, Austin, TX, Mohawk Austin
2/19/2011, Dallas, TX, South Side Music Hall
2/20/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
2/21/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
2/22/2011, Denver, CO, Summit Music Hall
2/23/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
2/24/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
2/25/2011, Vancouver, BC, Rickshaw Theatre
2/26/2011, Seattle, WA, Neumo’s Crystal Ball Reading Room
2/27/2011, Portland,, OR, Roseland Theater
2/28/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
3/1/2011, San Francisco, CA, The Regency Grand Ballroom
3/2/2011, Los Angeles, CA, El Rey Theater
3/6/2011, Auckland, New Zealand, Powerstation
3/10/2011, Melbourne, Australia, Forum Theatre
3/11/2011, Brisbane, Australia, The Hi-Fi
3/12/2011, Sydney, Australia, Metro Theatre

4/12/2011, Tel Aviv, Israel, Barby
4/13/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
4/14/2011, Athens, Greece, Gagarin 205
4/15/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
4/16/2011, Tilburg, Netherlands, Roadburn Festival at 013 Popcentrum – Main Stage

5/2/2011, Copenhagen Demark, Vega
5/3/2011, Aarhuis, Denmark, VoxHall
5/4/2011, Malmö, Sweden, Babel
5/5/2011, OFF, OFF, OFF
5/6/2011, Oslo, Norway, Rockefeller
5/7/2011, Drammen, Norway, Union Scene
5/8/2011, Stockholm, Sweden, Strand
5/9/2011, OFF
5/10/2011, Tampere, Finland, Klubi
5/11/2011, Helsinki, Finland, Tavastia
5/12/2011, Tallinn, Estonia, Von Krahl Theatre Bar
5/13/2011, Riga, Latvia, Grivas Mebeles
5/14/2011, St. Petersburg, Russia, SKIF Festival – Sergey Kuryokhin Modern Art Center
5/15/2011, Moscow, Russia, Avant Club
5/21/2011, Budapest, Hungary, Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
5/23/2011, Zagreb, Croatia, Teatar Itd
5/24/2011, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Kino Kiska Centre for Urban Culture