OV9

mik wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 5:51 pm

Rich B wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 1:59 pm I still don't get the point of being seated at a concert.

In general - yes.

Although there was no mosh pit for Burt Bacharach.

Remember for next time Mik.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Elton John tickets were £409 each and worth every penny, it’s all about the show.

Dave!

mik wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:33 pm Not really related, but mrs mik is a huge Stevie Wonder fan. Years ago I took her to Paris to see him play at Berkeley Stadium. There were only a few seats remaining, and I reluctantly selected a couple half way up (in terms of height) and just behind the front of the stage. Headed there thinking “we’ll at least we’ll be able to soak up the atmosphere.

Turned out Stevie’s band was huge and the whole stage was populated, with his grand piano pointed right at us - side-on to the majority of the stadium so he could turn and face the audience/cameras. I’d unwittingly booked some of the best seats in the stadium I reckon.

(I like SW but I’m not a massive fan. He did a load of audience participation though - the “whoop big up black Americans” which elicited the audible elements of a Gallic shrug only from the Frenchies, but the audience participation singing bits were feckin epic )

I saw SW at Wembley when I was young.. we had average seats but then they decided to remove the front rows around his central stage, so my mum and I ended up front row! As he walked around at the end of the show, one of the dancers (who had given me his sweatband earlier on) guided SW’s hand so I got to shake it.. was pretty cool.

Yes, I am available for bar mitzvahs etc..

The gig was epic, the PA design was absolutely brilliant because it was chest-punchingly loud and clear up where we sat. We also had the benefit of having a great view of the entire stadium, which means you can see the full effect of the light design and remote control LED wristbands that everyone is wearing - which create a spectacle effect thought out the stadium. Then at the end, they played the encore largely from a tiny stage at the opposite end of the stadium from the main stage which we had a great view of. It really was an amazing show and incredible how they make everyone in the audience feel like they’re part of the show. Combined with 70k+ people who clearly knew the words to most of the songs it was a powerful force of energy in therr. It’s definitely up there in my top three best concerts - if you’ve ever been tempted to see them you really can’t afford to miss it.

We were only seated because Uli’s still in physio after having 2 x knee surgeries this year, otherwise I’d always be straight to the standing tickets. Seated is definitely better than no gig at all.

I did think Coldplay might be used to doing decent live shows that don't exclude the seating area - it's not like they've just come from gigging in pubs

@Beany shoots…..

I’d probably prefer a comfy seat for a coldplay show, it’d help when they put me to sleep

ZedLeg wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:21 am I’d probably prefer a comfy seat for a coldplay show, it’d help when they put me to sleep

Still battling the narcolepsy eh? They’ll find a cure soon

The best happy, bouncy dancey, hands-in-the-air type of energy concerts I’ve been to are Prodigy, Robbie Williams and Coldplay. The kind of gig you walk away from with a massive happy grin. White Zombie were up there too.

Lowest energy have been Pink Floyd and Jean Michel Jarre which we’re 100% seated and zero dancing. Sure, they’re musically accomplished, but very low energy. White Lies were awful too, like a funeral full of social anxiety and that was at Brixton which usually brings the best out.

The only time I got really bored was when I went to see Joe Satriani with some of my guitar nerd pals. At the armadillo, fully seated and I was nodding by the end

Would’ve loved to have seen the prodigy while Keith was still around, one of the few bands that I’ve liked since I was a teenager that I’ve never seen.

Rich B wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 1:59 pm I still don't get the point of being seated at a concert.

Yip, I'll go standing every time although we're off to the Foo Fighters gig in a few weeks at Wembley and we could only get seats, so that's going to be a "watching on the big screens" thing.

It can be a bit of a gamble depending on those around you. I might just be getting old, but the amount of people who just go to a gig and stand around in groups talking to their friends loudly until the band plays that "one song everybody knows" can be a real PITA.

Also a recent Kings of Leon gig in Glasgow was like a throwback to 25 or so years ago. They stopped it twice due to fighting and the amount of pissed-up blokes acting the arse was incredible.

Ascender wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:12 pm I'll go standing every time although we're off to the Foo Fighters gig in a few weeks at Wembley and we could only get seats, so that's going to be a "watching on the big screens" thing.

Weirdly, I was about to say that we went to see the Foos at Murrayfield stadium and mrs mik got seats - I can’t remember why but there was a reason. Anyway - we spent pretty much the entire gig standing in front of our seats - like everyone else - having a rather more restrained boogie / jump up and down. On the plus side - your didn’t have to worry about some drunken dick staggering into you.

mik wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:18 pm

Ascender wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:12 pm I'll go standing every time although we're off to the Foo Fighters gig in a few weeks at Wembley and we could only get seats, so that's going to be a "watching on the big screens" thing.

Weirdly, I was about to say that we went to see the Foos at Murrayfield stadium and mrs mik got seats - I can’t remember why but there was a reason. Anyway - we spent pretty much the entire gig standing in front of our seats - like everyone else - having a rather more restrained boogie / jump up and down. On the plus side - your didn’t have to worry about some drunken dick staggering into you.

Spooky... that was my boy's first ever gig, he was in primary school and we ended up with seats pretty high up, but he still had a blast.

We saw The Divine Comedy recently and they were brilliant, but the whole thing was seated and it suited the music and the setlist they played perfectly.

We then went to see Nine Inch Nails playing the O2 Academy in Glasgow, on a stage which was so small they had the drums at the front, sideways, to fit everything on. In 30 or so years of gig-going that has gone straight to the top of my list as the best gig I've ever seen. Mrs Mike's face when they launched in to the opening song was priceless - a complete assault on the senses and it was incredible to see what can be done in a small venue with a very simple production given what we're used-to now with massive video screens, fireworks, effects etc.

I saw the Foos at Hyde Park when they had a golden circle at the front, which pushes the rest of us even further back, so that was standing and watching on the screens whilst being not quite loud enough. They’ll probably be great at Wembley tho

mik wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:18 pm

Ascender wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:12 pm I'll go standing every time although we're off to the Foo Fighters gig in a few weeks at Wembley and we could only get seats, so that's going to be a "watching on the big screens" thing.

Weirdly, I was about to say that we went to see the Foos at Murrayfield stadium and mrs mik got seats - I can’t remember why but there was a reason. Anyway - we spent pretty much the entire gig standing in front of our seats - like everyone else - having a rather more restrained boogie / jump up and down. On the plus side - your didn’t have to worry about some drunken dick staggering into you.

And you’ve got a reserved position if you all want to go to the bar/loo etc at the same time On the other hand, trying to find friends in a constantly moving mosh pit whilst gurning is very challenging, it took me three hours to find my mate at Underworld

I’m glad I was able to see the foos before they got really huge.

Twice at the barrowlands and twice at the secc. Last time at the secc was seated tickets but me and my mate jumped the barrier

ZedLeg wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:48 pm I’m glad I was able to see the foos before they got really huge.

Twice at the barrowlands and twice at the secc. Last time at the secc was seated tickets but me and my mate jumped the barrier

It’s not always better to see someone before they’re huge, I saw Prodigy twice, once in 1996 at a small festival and again in ~2009 and the second gig was way better than the first.

Aye, dance is a different kettle of fish. I think the whole show that they can put on at arena level really makes a difference.

I really don’t think that any amount of pyro and fancy lighting can beat the atmosphere of a live band in a club or theatre sized venue though. With the exception of Rammstein, they’d burn a small venue down

ZedLeg wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:57 pm Aye, dance is a different kettle of fish. I think the whole show that they can put on at arena level really makes a difference.

I really don’t think that any amount of pyro and fancy lighting can beat the atmosphere of a live band in a club or theatre sized venue though. With the exception of Rammstein, they’d burn a small venue down

Bob on. Right down to Rammstein as well. Best live act ever.

ZedLeg wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:57 pm With the exception of Rammstein, they’d burn a small venue down

Great story about Rammstein from their early days, playing a small venue that didn't have space for Til to put his pyro gear on backstage, he had to leave the venue, get changed outdoors, set fire to himself, *walk back in through the foyer whilst on fire*, and continue the show

When I saw them on the Mutter tour they played the SECC and had all their stuff under black sheets on the stage while the support played. This only left a gap of about 6 feet along the front of the stage for the other bands to play in. One of the bands was American Head Charge who had like 6 or 7 members, they had to just stand in a line and play.