DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Penny Can
HTML https://pennycan.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: The Concert Venue
*****************************************************
#Post#: 19718--------------------------------------------------
Sour notes: 10 ways rock stars can ruin a concert
DIR By: Mac
Date: June 6, 2013, 12:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
From MSNBC....
[glow=red,2,300]Sour notes: 10 ways rock stars can ruin a
concert[/glow]
--- Quote ---
> 1. Show up ridiculously late
> Rock stars aren't accountants, and nobody expects them to take
the stage at the precise moment listed on the ticket. We get
that. A little late is good, even. It gives everyone time to
park, deal with will call, wait in the bathroom line and get a
beer. But some artists routinely take the stage two, three or
even four hours late; Lauryn Hill, we're looking squarely at you
here.
>
> The 10 Most Annoying Concert Behaviors
>
> Guns N' Roses started some shows on their last American tour
after midnight. Rockers, here's a helpful guideline: Do not go
on later than forty-five minutes after the opening act.
>
> 2. Exclude key band members
> Some bands have members who just don't feel like being rock
stars anymore. We understand that. When Christine McVie of
Fleetwood Mac and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones decided to
scale back their lives and get off the road, we would have all
preferred to see them with their bands still. The shows suffered
from their absence, but people have a right to quit. A band
isn't the mafia.
>
> What's infuriating is when in-fighting (almost always over
money) deprives fans of the proper band. Right now, we have Van
Halen without Michael Anthony, Black Sabbath without Bill Ward,
New Order without Peter Hook, Slayer without Dave Lombardo, the
Eagles without Don Felder and Kiss without Peter Criss and Ace
Frehley.
>
> In the case of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, Kiss had the nerve
to put other people in Peter and Ace's makeup. The drummer even
sings "Beth" these days. It's insane. We don't care what sort of
issues you have offstage. Pull it together.
>
> 3. Play too much from the new album
> We have no issue with bands playing a ton of their new
material. It does, however, get annoying when you pay to see an
artist and the vast majority of the show is new stuff,
especially when that material is a pale imitation of the old
stuff. There's a certain expectation when you buy a concert
ticket (especially to an arena show) that you're going to hear
songs from throughout an act's career. It's just hard for people
to fully appreciate music they don't know very well.
>
> Radiohead abandoned much of their 1990s work during their last
tour. The result was a setlist that didn't change much from
night to night, and many disappointed fans. Neil Young has
occasionally taken this to the next level by playing an entire
new album before it comes out. In June 2004, he took Crazy Horse
out on the road and played "Greendale" straight through two
months before it hit shelves. Three old songs were tacked on at
the end. By the end of one show, the crowd was singing "Hey Hey,
My My" to themselves between songs.
>
> 4. Only perform the hits
> The flip side of Number Three. Some artists have long catalogs
of great songs, but their concerts tend to fall back on the same
15 songs they've been dragging out for decades. It's like eating
10 chocolate bars for dinner; it's not satisfying. You need to
balance it out. Sure, the crowd loves to hear hits and you want
to do anything you can to hold their attention, but you also
need to challenge them a bit.
>
> Tom Petty fell into this rut for much of the 2000s. He has
enough songs to fill out an arena set and guarantee that they'll
return when he comes back two years later, but the whole thing
got tired and thankfully, he wised up with his recent theater
tour. Let's hope that Elton John, Billy Joel, the Who and many
others follow his example.
>
> 5. Play anything resembling a medley
> Medleys were much more common back in the day, but some acts
still think it's okay to string together a handful of songs into
one godforsaken medley. The only thing worse than not hearing a
song you love is hearing 30 seconds of it. It's a terrible
tease.
>
> Prince is the worst offender when it comes to this. We see
where he's coming from – he has too many hits and not enough
time – but a snippet of "When Doves Cry" isn't satisfying.
Either play the whole thing or leave it out of the show.
>
> 6. Ignore the music of your beloved former band
> John Fogerty hit the road in the 1980s and didn't play a
single Creedence Clearwater Revival song. He had all sorts of
business disputes that made him turn on the material, but he
took it out on the fans. He came to his senses in the mid-1990s.
> Advertise | AdChoices
>
> When you see someone like Pete Townshend, Paul Weller, Noel
Gallagher, Morrissey or Ray Davies, you expect a certain amount
of material from their former bands. Peter Gabriel has refused
to do any Genesis songs since the 1970s, but he's had far more
success on his own so it makes sense. Someone like Paul
McCartney or Roger Waters would be crazy to make such a move.
>
> 7. Play perverse arrangements of your songs
> We have no problem with artists playing different versions of
their songs — but don't do it just to amuse yourself, people.
Bob Dylan has been redoing his songs live for decades – his
Hendrix-style version of "All Along the Watchtower" makes
perfect sense, but we wish he'd skip the reggae version of
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." If you don't believe us,
put on "Bob Dylan at Budokan," track five, and don't say we
didn't warn you.
>
> 8. Never vary the setlist
> A concert shouldn't feel like a Broadway show. It should feel
like a unique experience, but some acts drag the same exact show
around the globe for 18 months and never alter one note of it.
Some acts feel they have figured out the perfect setlist that
tells some sort of a story and builds to a series of climaxes.
Do not believe them. There is no such thing as the perfect
setlist. It should be constantly evolving.
>
> This is particularly rough on fans that see multiple shows on
a tour. Phish, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Furthur and Dave
Matthews Band go to great lengths to make each show completely
special and unique for fans. Other acts should take note.
>
> 9. Solo
> This will have some dissenters. But if you aren't Neil Peart,
Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton or a musician on that level of
genius, nobody wants to hear you solo. Many an Aerosmith concert
has come screeching to a halt when Joey Kramer takes a drum
solo. John Entwistle is basically the only man ever born who
could make a bass solo entertaining, and he is gone; this window
is closed, rockers. The unaccompanied guitar solo should have
died with the 1970s with very, very few exceptions.
>
>
> 10. Squeeze every possible penny out of fans
> We know the concert industry is a business, and with record
sales sinking to new lows every year, it's just about the only
place where artists can make real money. That said: tickets
shouldn't be $300 unless those seats are actually on the stage.
Meet-and-greets should be nice perks for your most devoted fans,
not ways to squeeze more money out of people -- some acts
actually charge upwards of $1,000 for a quick handshake and a
photo. We know scalpers get a lot for tickets, but the way to
stop that is by using paperless tickets, not by matching their
insanely high prices yourself, artists.
>
> This isn't just an idealistic position: soaking your fans is
also bad business. Because touring is more important than ever,
you're going to need a loyal fanbase that doesn't resent you for
making their kids skip college so they could see you in Newark.
Wise up, rockers!
--- End Quote ---
#Post#: 19719--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sour notes: 10 ways rock stars can ruin a concert
DIR By: Chiprocks1
Date: June 6, 2013, 12:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I hate, hate, hate, hate,
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate
medley's! It's infuriating and p i s s e s me off to no end. I
actually lose a lot of respect for any band or singer that
thinks it's okay to just 'shave off time from the show' by
mashing together a bunch of songs. Seriously? I pay you sh*t
load of money and you STILL can't be bothered to play a 3 minute
song from start to finish? Ugh. My blood is already boiling
over.......Don't get me started on 're-arranged' versions of
songs either.
Anyway, great post Mac, even if you did manage to send me to the
hospital on this fine day.
#Post#: 19720--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sour notes: 10 ways rock stars can ruin a concert
DIR By: Mac
Date: June 6, 2013, 12:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Sorry if this upset your day... now don't contemplate suicide.
:P
Hate the Medley. I've only seen Queen do this... Hated it.
Hate a lot of the new stuff... especially if the album hasn't
come out yet. WTF
And I've always said... Hate the drum solo. Solo's in general,
but drum solo's are the worst.
*****************************************************
Page 1 of 1