Aural Notes™

Posts Tagged ‘Concert’

It has been a few days, but I’m still flying high from my first (and hopefully not last) Coachella experience.  By now, everyone knows that it was a sold-out festival, posting record attendance.  I’m not big on crowds, so knowing that the event was sold out before I even showed up made me a bit skittish.  Yet, it wasn’t so bad.  I’m such a music fiend that the opportunity to see an array of amazing bands far outweighed any inconvenience of being amongst a massive group of people.  So, as a newbie, I’m going to provide my thoughts on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Coachella Music Festival.

THE GOOD

• Performances.  I was blown away blown away by the number of outstanding performances I witnessed over the weekend.  Gorillaz, Jay-Z, Thom Yorke (Atoms for Peace), Florence and the Machine, B.O.B., Gossip, Dirty Projectors, La Roux, Little Dragon, Sleigh Bells, Hot Chip, Calle 13 and countless others.
• Fans. While there were many in attendance who were there for the festival “experience”, the lion’s share of people were music fans.  Whether they were musicheads (like myself) or loyal fans of one or two artists, they were into the music, singing along with almost every song.
• Record Store Day.  It was so cool celebrating Record Store Day (April 17) while at Coachella.  Zia Records did it up right.  I left that evening with a lot of new music…and some new friends.

THE BAD

• Eyjafjallajokull.  The many artists who were not able to make it in from Europe due to the second eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull. I was looking forward to seeing Bad Lieutenant (Bernard Sumner’s latest group), The Cribs, and Gary Numan.  And as disappointed as I was, I believe it pales in comparison to how these artists felt.
• Poor Communication.  Speaking of Eyjafjallajokull, I feel that the festival organizers/management could have done a better job of communicating changes within the venue.  For example, I know for a fact that Coachella’s Twitter feed was being updated frequently, which is good for those on Twitter (me) and for those actually able to get service (not me).  In front of every stage, there was a sign posted with the day’s lineup (like this one).

Now let’s be honest.  There were five stages/tents.  How difficult would it have been to have someone black out the names of the artists that weren’t able to attend?  The Cribs announced that the band would not be performing due to cancelled flights a full day ahead of time.  Some poor fans got in place hours ahead of time (even sitting through acts that were really of no interest) in order to be in position to see their band du jour.  I can’t adequately convey the disappointment that swept across faces as the voice came across the P.A. system, indicating that they had waited in vain.  Not good, my friends.  Not good.

THE UGLY

• Meltdown.  Sly Stone’s “performance”.  This was more sad than ugly.  Very sad!
• Poor Preparation.  This one is all me and has nothing to do with the festival management or performers.  I chose the wrong footwear for the occasion and I am still paying for it days later.  Who knew that sneakers could become uncomfortable.  But then again, after 12 hours of standing, I don’t think that any shoe would be comfortable.  You would have thought that this was my first festival.

In the days since I’ve been back at the old homestead, several people have asked me if I’d attend Coachella again.  Most definitely.  There are a few things that I’d do differently, but all in all, it was an amazing experience.  (See photos here and videos here.) For years, people have talked about the power of music and how it brings folks together.  Well, I experienced this firsthand…along with 75,000+ others.  Bring on, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza.

As a bonus treat, here’s Gossip performing a Grace Jones classic, “Pull Up to the Bumper“.  This is the next best thing to Grace being there. (She cancelled her performance.)

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I knew that interesting things were on the horizon when the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger was announced in January, but I wasn’t quite prepared for this announcement.  Live Nation and Wal-Mart have entered an agreement, allowing the world’s largest retailer to sell tickets to concerts and other events.  Initially, Wal-Mart will sell tickets in select markets in the U.S., including Chicago and L.A.  With the proliferation and convenient access to digital music, major brick and mortar music outlets have closed, and as a result, Ticketmaster lost a lot of retail outlets.  In this new agreement with Wal-Mart, Ticketmaster (Live Nation) stands to gain far more retail presence than it ever lost with the larger music chains.  Other than convenience, I’m still not sure of the upside for consumers.  I do recognize that if done properly, these entities could deliver unique music experiences.  Think about it…the world’s largest retailer partnering with the newly formed conglomerate that is the leader in online ticketing and concert promotions.  Could be interesting.  What do you think of this newest partnership?  Is it a step in the right direction?  Or, could this possibly be a massive music monopoly in the making?  Thoughts?

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BACK CATALOG: THE NEW CONCERT MODEL

Last week, I wrote about the great Steely Dan show that I caught at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre.  Fantastic show.  The Steely Dan ‘Rent Party ’09 Tour’ is one of those genius concepts that die-hard fans dream of.  In select cities, Steely Dan has planned album ‘Plus’ shows, where the duo takes one of their classic albums (Aja, Gaucho, The Royal Scam) and performs it ins its entirety, along with other hits.  I remember thinking to myself “It would be great if other established artists followed a similar path.”  And then it hit me…some have. 

Paul Weller did something similar in 2008 in support of the release of his Hit Parade box set.  Weller played three nights at New York’s Irving Plaza and each night represented a different phase of his career.  The first night featured songs by The Jam, second night featured the music of The Style Council, and the third night featured Weller’s solo work.  I am still kicking myself for not being able to rearrange my schedule and fly to NYC for such a treat. (can’t dwell on the past)

Veteran artists, take note.  I think that your music brethren may be on to something.  Keep reading…

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