I tried to schedule a surly Thursday post and I wrote it and then reread it and it all seemed so ridiculously petty I couldn't bear to post it.
There's been something I've been thinking about off and on since I went to Cityfolk for Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge and then saw people talking about it on Reddit. Most people were rapturous, floating on nostalgia vibes, couldn't say a bad word. A few people complained that Emily Saliers' voice was not what it used to be. And it definitely wasn't - it sounds like she maybe has a tremor that affects her voice, which could mean some scary things for her health. One person said "sorry, the Indigo Girls set was weak" and another said if they'd known they wouldn't have gone to the concert.
So these are the random thoughts I've had about that.
What do musicians owe their audience? I've kicked it around, and I think what I've settled on is that they owe us the best set they are capable of performing on the day that we see them. There are multiple issues that could affect this - temporary sickness, permanent sickness, age, etc. If their sound deteriorates to the point that people don't want to pay to see them anymore, then that's fine.
If you're thinking of paying big money to see a musician/band that's important to you, do you do any research to see what their last few concerts have been like? It was not at all difficult to find discussions about Emily's voice in recent years. I didn't look up anything because frankly I didn't care. The Indigo Girls were the soundtrack of my youth, and I was in no matter what. I was also seeing them at a festival, so the tickets weren't crazy expensive. Eve bought much pricier tickets to see one of her favourite musicians (Ethel Cain) - took an uncharacteristic risk on a re-seller who didn't send the tickets out until two days before the concert - and you better believe she knew the ins and outs of every recent concert.
I saw the Indigo Girls in Toronto almost exactly thirty years ago when my friend Janet bought the tickets for my birthday. I am not the same person I was thirty years ago, and I did not expect that they would be either. I saw Melissa Etheridge about five years ago, so I was pretty confident she would still be flawless, and she was.
I wasn't particularly bothered by the people who complained. I understand the disappointment. Nance's recent post made me think about it again - she's in the 'concerts are too peoply' camp. If one of your favourite acts is coming somewhere nearby do you jump on it, or consider all the factors?
5 comments:
Well, I hope she is ok and that her voice issue was just temporary. I've not seen either of them in concert, but I do enjoy their music. We used to go to concerts ALL the time, but we see limited shows now; I agree: Too People-y now.
I don't expect the acts of my youth--who are now ELDERLY--to still be the same as they were back then. Even Rod Stewart says he feel ridiculous singing "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" as an octogenarian. I cannot still sing in three octaves like I used to be able to. People need to get real.
I have heard people complain when a musician slightly alters a favourite song. If you want to hear the songs of your youth exactly as you remember them, maybe listen to the record.
I would consider going to a concert for a very few acts (Billy Joel, Garth Brooks), but mostly it seems like too much faff for me to get tickets, drive and figure out parking/hotels, and then be around people. I also have to figure out the earplug situation because I am a special snowflake and get easily overstimulated.
I am not a concert-type kind of gal, although I have gone to a few. Usually if it's a small venue and the tickets aren't too crazy I would consider it. I think the joy of seeing an artist in person would trump quality of the performance... but I suppose if they didn't show up or were drunk or snappy or otherwise behaved poorly I might be pretty irritated. Please text me your petty thoughts, I am here for petty.
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