Livingston @ Bochum Total
Jul. 22nd, 2011 08:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tj_teejay... or That Could Have Gone Better
I really wish I could report that the Livingston concert yesterday was a real blast. But I can't. Because it wasn't. It was probably the one Livingston concert I have enjoyed least of all the ones I've been to. (Which amounts to four.) I mean, it wasn't Livingston's fault at all. It was just... everything else.
I am really beginning to hate free festivals. It attracts all the jerks and drunks and weirdos. Two years ago, when I wanted to see Culcha Candela at Bochum Total, it was also pretty much a disaster. Last night we had a group of maybe 15 drunk-out-of-their-minds teenies right behind us who started jumping around and pushing each other. They kept banging into us rather rudely. They had zero interest in seeing Livingston. Every now and then, they wanted us to carry someone on our hands to the stage. (We didn't.) They had a bright green watering can (no doubt used for alcohol) that they kept throwing into the crowd. And they incessantly kept yelling the chorus "Gieß-kan-ne" (German for watering can), preferably during the quieter songs. I'm sure that really sucked for Livingston too, because this was maybe seventh or eighth row, quite close to the stage. And btw, Security didn't give a fuck. They saw it all. No one did a damn thing.
I felt kinda bad for the band about all the obnoxious racket. I don't remember if it was Beukes or Jakob who said that their Bochum Total gig last year was the best festival gig all year. Certainly didn't apply this year, eh? To be fair (c.f. statement saying I'm beginning to hate free festivals), I need to say that the Livingston concert at Essen Original last year was fabulous. Ranks no. 2 on my hot-list.
What also ticked me off yesterday was the hardcore groupies' behavior. They had, no doubt, already queued up to stand first row for two hours before the concert. During the sound check break before the concert, a young man with a young woman in a wheelchair went through the crowd and asked if he could go to the front so that the woman in the wheelchair could see the stage. And the hardcore groupies wouldn't budge. "Can't you see there's no room?" was their reply. Kinda like, "I'm a hardcore fan and I don't care if you're disabled. I'm entitled to my first row spot." Fucking disrespectful egotists! I'm sure they could have made room if they really wanted to. Nnnnrrrrrrrggg!!! It just makes me so mad!!!! (And these weren't teenies, they were grown up women. In their 40's.)
I should mention the weather too, because with open air concerts, that's always a game of chance. It was raining cats and dogs pretty much the whole day. Awesome, Because that's just what I had in mind–standing in the pouring rain for 90 minutes after an already pretty shitty day. So I packed my rain gear and hoped for the best. Luckily, the sun was even shining sporadically when I left for Bochum. It didn't last, though. Towards the last three songs, it started drizzling, but I guess all things considered, we were pretty lucky. Thanks to my Wolfskin jacket, I stayed dry for the most part.
That said, the music part of the concert was pretty good. Nice mixture of old and new songs. In addition to their usual live set of known songs, they played a number of new ones. Which I'm personally not a fan of (the fact that they played them, not the songs themselves). I'm a notorious sing-alonger. And new songs, I can't sing along to. I did like that one new song, but I forget what it's called. Something about 'come up to my room and expect me to bloom' and and 'drop the halo, my dear'. What saved the day was that they played my all time favorite: "Draw The Line". I keep hoping one day they're gonna play "One Good Reason", but it seems they banned that one from their live playlist. Darn shame. I always like the faster songs better, and I wish they could have played "Disease" or "Hold On" instead of, say, "Like A Wheel". And I'm not a fan of "Broken", but seeing how it is their most well-known song, there was no way they weren't gonna play that one.
I have one more gripe, though. Whatever the sound check guys did, the gain was way too high on the drums and especially the bass. It thrummed so badly, even with the fancy music-suitable earplugs. Louder isn't always better, and what good is playing new songs if you can hardly hear the lyrics over the overamplified gain? Sometimes less is more, guys.
New album is supposed to come out at the end of the year, possibly October. Yay! Can't wait.
I had my own fangirly moment(s) when I tried getting my "Wide Asleep" CD signed after the concert (and nearly succeeded). I mean, I did get everyone to sign it, but Paolo's pen quit working, so you can hardly see his signature. And I know Jakob wrote something on it, but for the life of me, I can't find it. Maybe his pen didn't work at all and he didn't notice in the semi-dark? I think I'm gonna have to take it with me again to the next concert...
Saying hi to the guys afterwards was as nice as always. Phil even remembered me. And I got to talk to Beukes for the first time. I always feel so self-conscious about doing this, waiting in line like a star-struck groupie to talk to the guys after the show, getting my CD signed. I'm too old for this... But, well, I keep hoping they do enjoy talking to their fans. Just wish there would have been more time for a chat because I had some questions I wanted to ask. (You know, things that go beyond, "When does the new CD come out?" or "Beukes, your German has really improved.")
If I may, a word about aesthetics... Phil, seriously, the overabundance of facial hair is a total no-go. :-P Beukes also had longer hair, but I thought he still looked fine. Chris, Paolo and Jakob looked their usual lovely selves (Paolo's self-portrait stick figure drummer t-shirt ftw). And I feel slightly foolish to even be blogging about this, because, really, it's none of my business.
Next time I'm gonna see the guys is gonna be at BurgRock in Altena on Sep 3. Apparently they're double booked for that date, so they're either gonna play there super early or super late because they're supporting Unheilig in Gronau at 7 PM that night. I mean, WTF? Wonder how that's gonna work... And I sure hope the concert is better than the one yesterday. But I'm hopeful since BurgRock costs money. Here's to more positive concert experiences.
I loved seeing![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hai_di again. Always nice to get together with your online friends in real life, especially if they're as geeky and fangirly as yourself. We need to do this more often. I mean, outside of Livingston concert experiences.
I really wish I could report that the Livingston concert yesterday was a real blast. But I can't. Because it wasn't. It was probably the one Livingston concert I have enjoyed least of all the ones I've been to. (Which amounts to four.) I mean, it wasn't Livingston's fault at all. It was just... everything else.
I am really beginning to hate free festivals. It attracts all the jerks and drunks and weirdos. Two years ago, when I wanted to see Culcha Candela at Bochum Total, it was also pretty much a disaster. Last night we had a group of maybe 15 drunk-out-of-their-minds teenies right behind us who started jumping around and pushing each other. They kept banging into us rather rudely. They had zero interest in seeing Livingston. Every now and then, they wanted us to carry someone on our hands to the stage. (We didn't.) They had a bright green watering can (no doubt used for alcohol) that they kept throwing into the crowd. And they incessantly kept yelling the chorus "Gieß-kan-ne" (German for watering can), preferably during the quieter songs. I'm sure that really sucked for Livingston too, because this was maybe seventh or eighth row, quite close to the stage. And btw, Security didn't give a fuck. They saw it all. No one did a damn thing.
I felt kinda bad for the band about all the obnoxious racket. I don't remember if it was Beukes or Jakob who said that their Bochum Total gig last year was the best festival gig all year. Certainly didn't apply this year, eh? To be fair (c.f. statement saying I'm beginning to hate free festivals), I need to say that the Livingston concert at Essen Original last year was fabulous. Ranks no. 2 on my hot-list.
What also ticked me off yesterday was the hardcore groupies' behavior. They had, no doubt, already queued up to stand first row for two hours before the concert. During the sound check break before the concert, a young man with a young woman in a wheelchair went through the crowd and asked if he could go to the front so that the woman in the wheelchair could see the stage. And the hardcore groupies wouldn't budge. "Can't you see there's no room?" was their reply. Kinda like, "I'm a hardcore fan and I don't care if you're disabled. I'm entitled to my first row spot." Fucking disrespectful egotists! I'm sure they could have made room if they really wanted to. Nnnnrrrrrrrggg!!! It just makes me so mad!!!! (And these weren't teenies, they were grown up women. In their 40's.)
I should mention the weather too, because with open air concerts, that's always a game of chance. It was raining cats and dogs pretty much the whole day. Awesome, Because that's just what I had in mind–standing in the pouring rain for 90 minutes after an already pretty shitty day. So I packed my rain gear and hoped for the best. Luckily, the sun was even shining sporadically when I left for Bochum. It didn't last, though. Towards the last three songs, it started drizzling, but I guess all things considered, we were pretty lucky. Thanks to my Wolfskin jacket, I stayed dry for the most part.
That said, the music part of the concert was pretty good. Nice mixture of old and new songs. In addition to their usual live set of known songs, they played a number of new ones. Which I'm personally not a fan of (the fact that they played them, not the songs themselves). I'm a notorious sing-alonger. And new songs, I can't sing along to. I did like that one new song, but I forget what it's called. Something about 'come up to my room and expect me to bloom' and and 'drop the halo, my dear'. What saved the day was that they played my all time favorite: "Draw The Line". I keep hoping one day they're gonna play "One Good Reason", but it seems they banned that one from their live playlist. Darn shame. I always like the faster songs better, and I wish they could have played "Disease" or "Hold On" instead of, say, "Like A Wheel". And I'm not a fan of "Broken", but seeing how it is their most well-known song, there was no way they weren't gonna play that one.
I have one more gripe, though. Whatever the sound check guys did, the gain was way too high on the drums and especially the bass. It thrummed so badly, even with the fancy music-suitable earplugs. Louder isn't always better, and what good is playing new songs if you can hardly hear the lyrics over the overamplified gain? Sometimes less is more, guys.
New album is supposed to come out at the end of the year, possibly October. Yay! Can't wait.
I had my own fangirly moment(s) when I tried getting my "Wide Asleep" CD signed after the concert (and nearly succeeded). I mean, I did get everyone to sign it, but Paolo's pen quit working, so you can hardly see his signature. And I know Jakob wrote something on it, but for the life of me, I can't find it. Maybe his pen didn't work at all and he didn't notice in the semi-dark? I think I'm gonna have to take it with me again to the next concert...
Saying hi to the guys afterwards was as nice as always. Phil even remembered me. And I got to talk to Beukes for the first time. I always feel so self-conscious about doing this, waiting in line like a star-struck groupie to talk to the guys after the show, getting my CD signed. I'm too old for this... But, well, I keep hoping they do enjoy talking to their fans. Just wish there would have been more time for a chat because I had some questions I wanted to ask. (You know, things that go beyond, "When does the new CD come out?" or "Beukes, your German has really improved.")
If I may, a word about aesthetics... Phil, seriously, the overabundance of facial hair is a total no-go. :-P Beukes also had longer hair, but I thought he still looked fine. Chris, Paolo and Jakob looked their usual lovely selves (Paolo's self-portrait stick figure drummer t-shirt ftw). And I feel slightly foolish to even be blogging about this, because, really, it's none of my business.
Next time I'm gonna see the guys is gonna be at BurgRock in Altena on Sep 3. Apparently they're double booked for that date, so they're either gonna play there super early or super late because they're supporting Unheilig in Gronau at 7 PM that night. I mean, WTF? Wonder how that's gonna work... And I sure hope the concert is better than the one yesterday. But I'm hopeful since BurgRock costs money. Here's to more positive concert experiences.
I loved seeing
hai_di again. Always nice to get together with your online friends in real life, especially if they're as geeky and fangirly as yourself. We need to do this more often. I mean, outside of Livingston concert experiences.
