U2 Heyday I did NOT want to go... I professed that I did NOT know any songs... My Wife was a fan. My marriage was on the rocks. I was married at 17 and had a Daughter... I was 24 at the time. It was over, we just hadnt said it yet... She ignored me the entire concert... I knew EVERY WORD TO EVERY SONG!!! Bono took a few dozen roses from a little blonde girl in the front row... Picked her up and sang Sunday Bloody Sunday with her on his shoulders... She looked like my Daughter. I cried. A week later it was over. A week later I moved out. I am sure it was great. All I remember was sad... Funny side note. I hated my life and my wife (reasons) but as soon as the words I want a divorce were spoken it was like a giant weight was lifted... I had not been attracted to her for a couple years... Not a minute later I looked over and was like (Joey Tribiani here) "How You Doin..." I was never so scared as when I was all of a sudden re attracted to Godzilla... https://www.atu2.com/tours/concert/nassau-veterans-memorial-coliseum-uniondale-sep-10-1987 Rex
Yes that’s them, mates mate was the lead guitarist. I took my lad to see Metallica at the NEC when they toured Master of Puppets again 2 years ago, he’s a big fan pretty good concert tbh.
Having seen VM live I would agree with that assessment. When he plays live the band come on stage first and start playing and then VM’s presence is announced to the audience “Please welcome to the stage ...... Mr Van Morrison”. At the end of the gig he leaves the stage before the band, whilst they continue playing and it is announced that the show is over. I can understand Elvis doing that, he was Elvis, but VM? I used to rehearse at a studio in Rotherhithe where VM rehearsed before some gigs one year. The studio owner said that he would never have VM there again. Not only were VM’s management overly demanding about how everything had to be and insisted that the studio owner had to be present on site whenever VM was there (not that they ever knew exactly when VM would be there), but VM could not be spoken to directly, even if he was right in front of you and you needed to speak to him. He also had to be referred to as Mr Morrison at all times. This was relayed to me by the studio owner. He was told it by VM’s management. When arranging a tour they will provide details to VM of the proposed itinerary for his approval. Chances are he’ll come up with a reason for not playing some of the gigs e.g. Helsinki - I don’t like Finland, it’s boring. So they will move forward with a VM approved tour schedule. A week or two before the tour starts VM will contact his management to say “We must add Helsinki to the tour, I liked playing there last time.”. So his management have to rapidly arrange a date, which will likely be poorly attended because of the short notice.
Motörhead in 78 at Hammrsmith. Absolutely dreadful. Fortunately Girlschool were the warm up and they were well recieved. Eric Clapton at the Rainbow. Crock of shite, people booing and walking away. However The warm was Chas n Dave. They had everyone in the palm of their hands. Towards the end of Clapton’s set C n D came on and again the crowd reacted, made Vlapton look far from being God. Van Halen in 78 the support was Tom Robinson. He didn’t last long and cut his set short. Still no one went to see him !-)
somewhere there exists a video where a journalist/photographer finally ends up nutting him, after being accused of denting his “moat‘a” have you seen it?
None of that surprises me. When we saw him people were leaving before halfway through. Just to add to the "disinterested" line - he didn't have any programmes or t-shirts for the UK leg of the tour, but was still trying to flog massively overpriced merchandise from the US leg - needless to say, not much of it got sold... I have seen people for free who were far more entertaining...
I saw The Cult at the UEA in Norwich a few years ago. Ian Astbury's voice was shot to pieces. Shame really as I did like the cult when we were all young.... Underworld at the UEA. Complete crap On the other hand, Boy George at the Waterfront in Norwich 3 years ago was completely mesmerising. What a fantastic stage presence.
This is a weird one, some years ago (1980) we heard the the Police were playing a Christmas concert on Streatham Common in a big top tent. A bunch of us went and queued up overnight to get enough tickets. We got there in plenty of time and got a good spot near the front although it was horribly crowded. Before they came on they announced a special performance by.... Tommy Cooper! I think he lasted about 5 mins of mumbling "Bottle, glass..glass, bottle" before the cat calls and plastic glasses started and one had to get off the stage. Not really the right audience for him. PS The Police were great at that concert, in the heyday of their pop career. But a few years later I got free tickets to see them at Wembly (Invisible Sun tour?) and it was really dull. https://www.sting.com/tour/date/1729
Bruce Springsteen at one of those massive soulless venues. Different venue but similar story to the above.
Those massive venues are almost always awful places and unless you are close to the front so is the gig. The best gigs I`ve been to have been at places with a capacity below 5000 people.
Almost always The smaller the venue the more intimate the experience A couple of years back, way before lockdown, I was at a gig in town, small venue in a basement, it got so hot people were passing out and we’re being carried outside! Think that was a little too intimate! Good gig though, Tune Yards.
so true, such a correct phrase: massive soulless venue, you reminded me of a Floyd gig. It was The Wall and I was about as far from the stage as possible - almost against "another wall". Visually excellent, but should have taken binoculars and the sound that reached us swelled like a tide at the beach at times, with added buffering/delay.
I've seen Bruce Springsteen a few times and I agree that the big football stadiums are not great, poor sound and too far away. Even so any Bruce concert is still a good gig, the man gives value for money. We saw him in Hyde Park and got there early, found a good spot to the right of the stage where there is a slope and stood a the top about 100m back. Brilliant show, apart from Paul (I can't sing in tune) McCartney spoiling the encores and the organiser pulling the plugs as he had reached the curfew before the last song.
