When it comes to going out on the weekend, my tendency is to drop into a pub, grab a drink and chill with friends; if there’s a band playing, even better. I could care less about going to a club and dancing with some drunk chick who’s attempting to really make her daddy proud in the knee highs and low-cut t-shirt barely passing for a dress.
Granted, I’m married, which kind of discourages that type of behaviour anyway, but truth be told: that was never my scene.
Generally, if I’m out late at a bar, it’s usually because there is a band or performer I want to see. Some of my “regulars” include Andy Brown, Ross Neilsen, The Stanfields, Alert The Medic (a recent addition to the list) and a band from Ontario called Elliott Brood. Chances are if they’re playing in town, I’m gonna be there to see it. Usually, it’s for a low cover price of like $5, so it doesn’t break the bank either. Score!
Now, at a show like this, there is still plenty of riff-raff (I think I just aged 20 years typing that), there to drink and whoop it up. How I Met Your Mother refers to these people as “Woo girls” (though there are plenty of “Woo Dudes” too). For a $5 cover, I can’t complain when they get loud an obnoxious while I’m trying to watch a performer on stage. I mean, it is a bar, after all. Plus, if it’s a full on rock show, it just adds to the atmosphere, anyway. No big deal.
An Acoustic gig, however, is different.
If there’s a musician on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar, it’s a fight between hearing that person and the crowd’s growing obnoxiousness. But, again, for $5, I can’t really complain. Now, if I’ve paid $25, well, I’m about to rant about you.
Friday night, one of my favourite musicians was in town:
Matt Mays is a gifted song writer whose songs are drenched in heart and soul. He emotes like the best of them, with that raspy Springsteen-like vocal delivery. If he gained more notoriety, he could be my generation's Neil Young or Tom Petty; and I’ve said that many times. The fact that he’s from the East Coast is just icing on the cake. I’m super proud to be from an area with that kind of talent.
When Mays performs with a band – I wish El Torpedo was still together – it’s a sweaty, high-energy rock show with equal parts punk, blues and folk. When he’s solo, his storytelling is on full display. I had never seen a full set by him alone on stage. I was pumped for my fist opportunity. I showed up, grabbed a drink and ran into some friends and chatted while we waited for the show to begin.
Matt’s friend from the English Mules took the stage as the opener. As is the case with most openers, the crowd is only partially interested…it’s unfortunate, but it happens. I really liked this guy – his last name escapes me and info online is scarce…All I remember is his name is Tom** – he had a similar folk style to Matt, only with more of Bob Dylan-meets-Scott Weiland vibe. I caught some video below:
He played a relatively short set, and then made room for the main attraction.
When Matt Mays hit the stage, the sold-out crowd erupted in cheers as Matt introduced himself as he usually does: with that charming down-home Maritime “Hey Folks”. His first song was his most recent, Queen of Portland St:
After playing that song, he went through material from each of his albums, spending a lot of time on album cuts rather than the more familiar radio songs. I, for one, enjoyed every note. The front portion of the crowd seemed to as well. But, about halfway back, the interest seemed to be purely for the songs they know. When Matt played songs like City of Lakes, or Travellin’, the whole crowd sang along at the top of their lungs. Those songs were easy to appreciate. Then he’d play something a little deeper from one of his albums – Spoonful of Sugar, for instance – and my dissatisfaction with the crowd began to grow and irritate me.
Here’s a guy, on stage to play music in which he’s put so much emotion, performing them with that same intensity, and a good portion of the crowd - each having paid 5x a normal cover price to be there – seemed as though they could’ve cared less. If this show had been at a theatre, you would’ve been able to hear a pin drop as he played. Instead, all I heard were the drunken ramblings of woo girls and guys.
A huge Pet Peeve of mine reared its ugly head Friday night:
If you’re going to pay $25 to go see a show, watch the damn show. I’m there to see live music; you can drink and slur your words at home. Yeah, it was at a bar, so what did I expect right? Well, nuts to that, I say. It was at a bar, but it was also a ticketed event – meaning you can’t get in without one – which sold out rather quickly with nearly no advertising aside from Facebook mentions and word of mouth. There were a lot of Matt Mays fans unable to attend; a lot of fans that would’ve enjoyed watching the man play and tell his stories through his music. Instead, I was subjected to what seemed like the normal bar crowds, out to have a good time. I’m sorry, but I’m never going to pay $25 (or $50 if I’m taking a date) just to go to a bar and drink. There are plenty of bars without cover that offer that scenario.
My rant can be further explained and backed up with the following video. I had my camera on hand, so when Matt said “I’m gonna play a couple new ones” I decided to turn it on and snag some video to share with those who couldn’t make it, and so I could relive it later. Seeing as it’s been since 2008, I was excited for any new material he’d be willing to offer. I don’t know the name of the song, but I know I like it... the crowd chatter just kills me though.
See what I mean? It’s a constant fight for my ears between hearing the crowd and hearing the song - and it’s not just the camera mic being too sensitive either, it was like that the whole time from where I was able to stand. It’s annoying.
If you’re gonna pay good money to watch a guy perform, then watch the guy perform. If you only want the hits, listen to the CD.
-Crash-
*Maybe I’m alone on this… I can get opinionated when it comes to music. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
**Thomas Matheson is his name...Thanks Ed.
Granted, I’m married, which kind of discourages that type of behaviour anyway, but truth be told: that was never my scene.
Generally, if I’m out late at a bar, it’s usually because there is a band or performer I want to see. Some of my “regulars” include Andy Brown, Ross Neilsen, The Stanfields, Alert The Medic (a recent addition to the list) and a band from Ontario called Elliott Brood. Chances are if they’re playing in town, I’m gonna be there to see it. Usually, it’s for a low cover price of like $5, so it doesn’t break the bank either. Score!
Now, at a show like this, there is still plenty of riff-raff (I think I just aged 20 years typing that), there to drink and whoop it up. How I Met Your Mother refers to these people as “Woo girls” (though there are plenty of “Woo Dudes” too). For a $5 cover, I can’t complain when they get loud an obnoxious while I’m trying to watch a performer on stage. I mean, it is a bar, after all. Plus, if it’s a full on rock show, it just adds to the atmosphere, anyway. No big deal.
An Acoustic gig, however, is different.
If there’s a musician on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar, it’s a fight between hearing that person and the crowd’s growing obnoxiousness. But, again, for $5, I can’t really complain. Now, if I’ve paid $25, well, I’m about to rant about you.
Friday night, one of my favourite musicians was in town:
Matt Mays is a gifted song writer whose songs are drenched in heart and soul. He emotes like the best of them, with that raspy Springsteen-like vocal delivery. If he gained more notoriety, he could be my generation's Neil Young or Tom Petty; and I’ve said that many times. The fact that he’s from the East Coast is just icing on the cake. I’m super proud to be from an area with that kind of talent.
When Mays performs with a band – I wish El Torpedo was still together – it’s a sweaty, high-energy rock show with equal parts punk, blues and folk. When he’s solo, his storytelling is on full display. I had never seen a full set by him alone on stage. I was pumped for my fist opportunity. I showed up, grabbed a drink and ran into some friends and chatted while we waited for the show to begin.
Matt’s friend from the English Mules took the stage as the opener. As is the case with most openers, the crowd is only partially interested…it’s unfortunate, but it happens. I really liked this guy – his last name escapes me and info online is scarce…All I remember is his name is Tom** – he had a similar folk style to Matt, only with more of Bob Dylan-meets-Scott Weiland vibe. I caught some video below:
He played a relatively short set, and then made room for the main attraction.
When Matt Mays hit the stage, the sold-out crowd erupted in cheers as Matt introduced himself as he usually does: with that charming down-home Maritime “Hey Folks”. His first song was his most recent, Queen of Portland St:
After playing that song, he went through material from each of his albums, spending a lot of time on album cuts rather than the more familiar radio songs. I, for one, enjoyed every note. The front portion of the crowd seemed to as well. But, about halfway back, the interest seemed to be purely for the songs they know. When Matt played songs like City of Lakes, or Travellin’, the whole crowd sang along at the top of their lungs. Those songs were easy to appreciate. Then he’d play something a little deeper from one of his albums – Spoonful of Sugar, for instance – and my dissatisfaction with the crowd began to grow and irritate me.
Here’s a guy, on stage to play music in which he’s put so much emotion, performing them with that same intensity, and a good portion of the crowd - each having paid 5x a normal cover price to be there – seemed as though they could’ve cared less. If this show had been at a theatre, you would’ve been able to hear a pin drop as he played. Instead, all I heard were the drunken ramblings of woo girls and guys.
A huge Pet Peeve of mine reared its ugly head Friday night:
If you’re going to pay $25 to go see a show, watch the damn show. I’m there to see live music; you can drink and slur your words at home. Yeah, it was at a bar, so what did I expect right? Well, nuts to that, I say. It was at a bar, but it was also a ticketed event – meaning you can’t get in without one – which sold out rather quickly with nearly no advertising aside from Facebook mentions and word of mouth. There were a lot of Matt Mays fans unable to attend; a lot of fans that would’ve enjoyed watching the man play and tell his stories through his music. Instead, I was subjected to what seemed like the normal bar crowds, out to have a good time. I’m sorry, but I’m never going to pay $25 (or $50 if I’m taking a date) just to go to a bar and drink. There are plenty of bars without cover that offer that scenario.
My rant can be further explained and backed up with the following video. I had my camera on hand, so when Matt said “I’m gonna play a couple new ones” I decided to turn it on and snag some video to share with those who couldn’t make it, and so I could relive it later. Seeing as it’s been since 2008, I was excited for any new material he’d be willing to offer. I don’t know the name of the song, but I know I like it... the crowd chatter just kills me though.
See what I mean? It’s a constant fight for my ears between hearing the crowd and hearing the song - and it’s not just the camera mic being too sensitive either, it was like that the whole time from where I was able to stand. It’s annoying.
If you’re gonna pay good money to watch a guy perform, then watch the guy perform. If you only want the hits, listen to the CD.
-Crash-
*Maybe I’m alone on this… I can get opinionated when it comes to music. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
**Thomas Matheson is his name...Thanks Ed.
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