--- title: Sightings description: Live appearances: Metal Machine Trio REDCAT 2008, Gramercy 2009, Europe and Sydney 2010, Yellow Pony with Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, Lucibel Crater, Lulu studio, Lou Reed Drones. url: https://www.sarth.net/sightings/ author: Sarth Calhoun --- Live # Sightings A record of shows and installations. *The Creation of the Universe* comes from two nights at REDCAT, October 2–3, 2008. The later ambisonic installation uses a different recording, made at the Gramercy show on April 24, 2009. ## Spine 1. **Metal Machine Trio (Unclassified) at REDCAT, Los Angeles · Oct 2–3, 2008.** World premiere billed as *Unclassified: [Lou Reed](/conspirators/lou-reed/) and [Ulrich Krieger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_Krieger)*. Three performances: Thu 2 Oct 8:30pm, added late show Thu 2 Oct 10:30pm, Fri 3 Oct 8:30pm. Me on Continuum and live processing. Official live album *The Creation of the Universe* is the unedited recording of those two nights. 2. **Metal Machine Trio, Blender Theater at Gramercy, New York · Apr 23–24, 2009.** First NYC stand. [John Zorn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Zorn) sat in on the 24th. This night’s recording later became the CSULB / Cranbrook ambisonic installation. 3. **Yellow Pony with Lou Reed and [Laurie Anderson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Anderson) · Europe, Jul and Aug–Sep 2009.** Eight-city tour billed *The Yellow Pony and Other Songs and Stories*. Me on Continuum and live voice re-sampling, center stage. Two short tours. 4. **Lou Reed at Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago · Aug 9, 2009.** Day three. Metal Machine Trio played a ten minute noise interlude inside Reed’s set. Me on Continuum and live processing. 5. **Metal Machine Trio Europe · “A Night of Deep Noise,” Apr 17–30, 2010.** Nine dates, UK through Palma de Mallorca. 6. **Metal Machine Trio, [Sydney Opera House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House) (Opera Theatre) · May 30, 2010.** [Vivid LIVE](/conspiracies/vivid-live/). Anderson’s *Transitory Life* was a separate Drama Theatre program, June 1 and 2. 7. **Metal Machine Trio, Sesc Pinheiros, São Paulo · Nov 20–21, 2010.** Two nights. 8. **Ambisonic installation *The Creation of the Universe*** · CSULB University Art Museum, Long Beach, 27 Jan–Apr 15, 2012; restaged [Cranbrook Art Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranbrook_Art_Museum), Bloomfield Hills, Nov 21, 2015–Mar 26, 2016. Playback of the Gramercy 2009 recording. The two nights in São Paulo were the last Metal Machine Trio concerts. ## Metal Machine Trio Billing: Lou Reed, guitar, electronics, Continuum. Ulrich Krieger, tenor sax, live electronics. Sarth Calhoun, Continuum, live processing through Kyma. Flyers: “No songs. No vocals.” and “A Night of Deep Noise.” - **October 2, 2008** · REDCAT / CalArts Theater, Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, Los Angeles. Unclassified: Lou Reed and Ulrich Krieger. World premiere. 8:30pm and added late show 10:30pm. [REDCAT archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20110927041818/http://www.redcat.org/event/lou-reed-and-ulrich-krieger) · recording: album Night 1 - **October 3, 2008** · REDCAT, Los Angeles. 8:30pm. [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lou-reed-oct-3-2008-los-angeles-redcatcalarts-theater-1043833/) · recording: album Night 2 - **April 23, 2009** · Blender Theater at Gramercy, New York. A Night of Deep Noise. 8:30pm. [NYT Ratliff](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/arts/music/25reed.html) · [Village Voice](https://www.villagevoice.com/lou-reeds-metal-machine-trio/) - **April 24, 2009** · Blender Theater at Gramercy, New York. Special guest John Zorn. Source tape for the CSULB/Cranbrook installation. Not commercially issued. [Variety](https://variety.com/2009/music/markets-festivals/lou-reed-3-1117940137/) - **August 9, 2009** · Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago. Day three, to a capacity crowd of 40,000. A Metal Machine Trio section inside Lou Reed’s set. Reed’s own site called it “a particular highlight”: his ‘Metal Machine Trio’ section featuring Ulrich Krieger and Sarth Calhoun. [Announcement](https://loureed.com/news/lou-reed-at-lollapalooza/) · [DVD credits](https://loureed.com/news/lou-reed-live-at-lollapalooza-2009-dvd/) · [Ulrich Krieger, The Wire](https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/lou-reed-1942-2013_ulrich-krieger_unclassifiable) · [Chicago Tribune](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/08/10/lollapalooza-does-it-again/) - **April 17, 2010** · The Junction, Cambridge, UK. Start of nine-date Europe tour. - **April 18, 2010** · O2 Academy, Oxford, UK. - **April 19, 2010** · Royal Festival Hall, London, UK (Ether Festival). - **April 21, 2010** · La Cigale, Paris, France. Announced widely. - **April 22, 2010** · Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium (Domino Festival). - **April 24, 2010** · DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen, Denmark. - **April 26, 2010** · Oslo, Norway. Announced as Sentrum Scene; eyewitness blogs say Rockefeller, a sister room in the same complex. - **April 27, 2010** · Ole Bull Scene, Bergen, Norway (Bergenfest). - **April 30, 2010** · Teatre Principal, Palma de Mallorca, Spain (Festival Alternatilla). - **May 30, 2010** · Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House. [Vivid LIVE](/conspiracies/vivid-live/). - **November 20, 2010** and **November 21, 2010** · Teatro Paulo Autran, Sesc Pinheiros, São Paulo. ## Installations · not concerts - **January 27, 2012 – April 15, 2012** · University Art Museum, CSULB, Long Beach. Ambisonic playback of Gramercy 2009 night 2 (Zorn). Visitors stand in Lou’s, Ulrich’s, or my position on stage. - **November 21, 2015 – March 26, 2016** · Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Restaging. 12 loudspeakers. After Reed’s death; playback only. [Cranbrook](https://cranbrookartmuseum.org/exhibition/lou-reed-metal-machine-trio-the-creation-of-the-universe/) ## Yellow Pony · Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson Continuum fingerboard and live resampling of their voices. Center of the stage, like a drummer. - **July 10, 2009** · Festival de la Porta Ferrada, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain. Present at the press conference. - **July 12, 2009** · Plaza del Obradoiro, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. - **July 14, 2009** · Los Veranos de la Villa, Madrid, Spain. - **July 16, 2009** · DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen, Denmark. Named onstage. - **July 18, 2009** · Palace Theatre, Manchester, UK. “electronic sound manipulator… between them” ([The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/20/laurie-anderson-lou-reed-review)). - **August 30, 2009** · Huvilateltta, Helsinki, Finland. - **September 2, 2009** · Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany. Electronics, named in program and reviews. - **September 4, 2009** · Salle Pleyel, Paris. Billed “claviers et électronique.” ## Lucibel Crater Line-up: Sarth Calhoun, keys, bass, loops, Kyma, Continuum. Leah Coloff, cello and voice. Paul Chuffo, drums. - **February 27, 2007** · Knitting Factory main space, NYC, with Subtle. - **March 8, 2007** · FatBaby, 112 Rivington St, NYC. - **April 3, 2007** · The Delancey, NYC (WARPER). - **November 23, 2008** · RAW-Tempel, Berlin. Lucibel Crater N.Y. Video *Holy, Then, Now · Berlin Live* shot here. - **March 4, 2009** · The Delancey, NYC (WARPER). Downstairs 8:20, a solo slot for me on the printed bill. ## Lou Reed song band, 2011 The [eight-piece band](/conspiracies/lou-reed-2011-european-tour/): me on Continuum with multiple Kyma/Paca systems, [Kevin Hearn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hearn), [Ulrich Krieger](/conspirators/ulrich-krieger/), Tony Smith, [Rob Wasserman](/conspirators/rob-wasserman/), Aram Bajakian and [Tony Diodore](/conspirators/tony-diodore/). - July 2, 2011 Hop Farm, Paddock Wood · 07-04 Hammersmith Apollo, London · 07-05 Le Grand Rex, Paris · 07-08 Arena Civica, Milan (on some lists) · 07-10 Piazza Duomo, Pistoia · 07-16 Italia Wave, Lecce · 07-17 Les Vieilles Charrues, Carhaix · 07-18 Greek Theatre, Taormina · 07-22 Nuovo Festival Del Vittoriale, Gardone Riviera · 07-23 Piazza Matteotti, Sogliano al Rubicone · 07-25 Parco della Musica Cavea, Rome · 07-26 Les Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon. ## Lulu Electronics on *[Lulu](/conspiracies/lulu/)*, 2011, and Continuum drones on the tapes made before [Metallica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica), as David Fricke described them. I directed rehearsals of the score for Robert Wilson’s Berlin *Lulu*. [Junior Dad](/conspiracies/junior-dad/) began at Lou’s apartment with Rob Wasserman and Kyma. - **November 2011** · The first live performances of the *Lulu* material, with Lou Reed and Metallica: *Later... with Jools Holland* in London, *Taratata* in Paris, and five songs in Cologne. Got to play some of these Lulu tracks on the Jools Holland show … the first live performances of this material! and Had a great time performing 5 songs from Lulu in Cologne … it was such an intense experience. From my posts of November 9 and 12, 2011. ## Later - **April 9, 2014** · SOHO Gallery for Digital Arts, New York. Gralbum / Book of Sarth app launch. Exhibition, not a concert. [Stereophile](https://www.stereophile.com/content/gralbum-re-thinking-concept-album) - **April 1, 2015** · New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn. Launch showing of the *Train O’ Thots* gralbum, Tom Hart with Moon Hooch, from [The Gralbum Collective](/conspiracies/gralbum-collective/). An event, not a concert. - **March 13, 2019** · Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York. Lou Reed Drones for Reed’s 77th birthday. Continuum / electronics, with Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Stewart Hurwood, Stan Harrison, Shahzad Ismaily. - **August 3, 2019** · Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn. International Lou Reed Tai Chi Day / BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! With Laurie Anderson, John Zorn and Stewart Hurwood. - **March 2, 2023** · Brookfield Place Winter Garden. Lou Reed’s 81st birthday. Guest performance with Kevin Hearn, Shahzad Ismaily, Laurie Anderson, against Lou Reed’s Musical Drones (Stewart Hurwood). ## Talks - **June 27, 2023** · Reaktor Live, online. “Maximizing Growth Through Accessible and Actionable Data,” with Michele Stone of Paramount, moderated by Ian Fosbery. [The page](/sightings/reaktor-live-2023/). [The recording](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn0FxV9NKns) ## One-offs - **June 23, 2009** · Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Opening of the Persol “Incognito Design Exhibition.” A trio: Lou Reed, Mike Rathke on guitar, and me on electronic processing. Reed’s own site: Reed performed an amazing set including ‘Dirty Blvd.’ and ‘Who Am I’ with Mike Rathke on guitar and Sarth Calhoun on electronic processing. [loureed.com, Jun 25, 2009, archived news feed](https://web.archive.org/web/20091014115819/http://www.loureed.com/00/archivexml.php) ## On record - **[*Lou Reed Live at Lollapalooza 2009*](/transmissions/lou-reed-live-at-lollapalooza-2009/)**, released July 19, 2011. The credits read Sarth Calhoun – electronics & continuum, alongside Mike Rathke, Steve Hunter, Kevin Hearn, Rob Wasserman, Tony “Thunder” Smith and Ulrich Krieger. [Credits on loureed.com](https://loureed.com/news/lou-reed-live-at-lollapalooza-2009-dvd/) - ***The Creation of the Universe***, Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio, 2009. The two REDCAT nights, nearly whole. [Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-creation-of-the-universe/315196713) · [Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/release/1583151-Lou-Reed-s-Metal-Machine-Trio-The-Creation-Of-The-Universe)