930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: beedubyah on May 18, 2005, 09:30:00 am
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Anyone else joining the St. Albans high school crowd on Friday night?
1 minute walk from my house. Im there.
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yup
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Noone else is going to see the Walkmen tonight? Surprised I havent heard more people mentioning this...
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I've heard mainly negative reviews of their live shows. Plus, I'll be at 9:30 tonight for Go4. I guess I could possibly do both. What time's the Walkmen show?
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doors at 8.
i'll be there!!
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i thought it was a great show. despite the idiots moshing like crazy and making it difficult to concentrate on the band, i thought it was really fun. i met all the guys afterwards and they were all awesome. i go to st albans so id be curious to know what outsiders thought of it all. and please dont think those guys moshing are what all st albans guys are like. i was really annoyed and pretty embarassed. but overall, it was a really good show.
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Boy that was a big mistake. Terrible acoustics, tons of little kids and a lot of wailing....
Enough to scare average fans away....Oh well....
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okay. i'm an outsider. i'll go.
i am sorry to say this, but what i thought was they should have played at the black cat or 9:30 or something of the sort; and not at st.albans. i am glad to hear that not everybody in your school is like that, but let me try to not lose my temper and compose a list of things that bothered me:
1) people rapping as an opener. jesus facking...oh god. that was TERRIBLE. with the student bands, and stuff? and that "if i were gay" song was just ridiculous...so immature, inappropriate. although i'm sure the st.albans kids found it fun and all their girlfriends found it fun because they knew the kids in the bands, the people that were there to see the walkmen were really irritated. all...four of us, right? hah. they needed to keep in mind that we, too, payed money to get into that show.
2) the obnoxious crowdsurfing moshing kids. that was RIDICULOUS. i will expect that at a ska or punk rock show, but i couldn't believe how they couldn't even compose themselves. 99% of the people there didn't even care about seeing the actual band, and were just there to push and be lame. i was right up in the front, trying to sing along, and there were two other guys up there that i could tell were really big fans also. i don't know if they went to st.albans or not, but them and my two other friends were really annoyed. we kept having to push crowdsurfers away. i don't think i have dropped the F bomb that many times in one night.
and, i almost got in a fight with some guys because i kept pushing them off of me and then they started tugging at my hair but flicking them off shut them up. i really hate being a bitch; but it was just...ridiculous. you couldn't even focus on the band. at one point, we just got up and moved to the side of the stage and that made everything okay and super-awesome.
3) like said before, the acoustics. the sound guys had no idea what they were doing and the vocals (among other things) needed to be way louder.
4) just...all the kids there. well most of them. that had no respect for musicians or anything like that. it kind of sucks for a band when you get up and play, and nobody is paying attention to you playing but instead are paying attention to being lameasses and the sort.
they played really well though, and i will see them again the next time they come.
that's just...stuff to keep in mind for next time.
you all did a really good job advertising, because a ton of people were there; but you must realize that enables more assholes to come and mess up the show.
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i apologize on behalf of the school for all the assholes who misrepresented st. albans. me and all my friends were just as annoyed as you were. i think that the sound and light and set guys deserve credit though - sure it wasnt as good as at 930 or something, but these are high school kids and if you ask me they did a damn good job building the stage and setting up all the lights and everything.
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I was one of the guys who helped set up the sound, lighting, and set. We spent about $5000 on new speakers for this concert (4 2000 watt and 4 1000 watt), which is a huge deal at our school. We also spent all of the previous week and weekend trying to make a room with crappy acoustics become a reasonable place for a concert. If you noticed, we had custom gobos og the walkmen played on the walls everywhere, and even had a sound barrier of sorts in the back to try and help ease the bad acoustics of the old gym. So plase don't complain about the sound quality, the vocals were pumped up loud and I could hear them fine from everywhere in the gym. We worked hard on that part, and I am satisfied with the result.
I do sincerely apologize for those of my and other schools who felt it necessary to crowd-surf etc. (i was one of many trying to push them away and stop them in vain). But it was not nearly 99% of us, only about 20 drunk seniors on their last day of school. PLease don't exaggerate so badly.
One last thing. If you come to a concert at a high school, be prepared for some funny (to us) opening acts. The majority of the audience enjoyed it. If you wanted to come solely to see the Walkmen, then come later, and plase don't complain..the Walkmen loved the opening bands, and the House Band's singer's older brother was the one who reproduced the Walkmen's CD, so they were on good terms in the first place. Ham's mother is the head of our social service committee, and all but 1 of the Walkmen went to St. Albans. I met them before and after the show, and they enjoyed the whole thing (except for the drunk seniors of course).
So please lay off a little bit.
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i totally acknowlege all the work you guys put into it; and i think it's awesome that you were able to put this together. it was still pretty good.
and i didn't mean to sound rude or insult you, but i guess i was just kind of really irritated by all those obnoxious guys. it might not have seemed as bad to you but as a girl standing in the front trying to see a band that i really like; you just do not want a bunch of obnoxious guys rubbing up against you and jabbing their elbows into your ears.
i'm in highschool too, and i understand that kids can get drunk and be obnoxious and i realize that wasn't your fault, or under your control. it just made some aspects of the show sucky for me. and you DID ask for input :)
the lights and everything were awesome and i definitely give you mad props for setting up something like this. i really don't want you to get discouraged by what i said, because it wasn't really something you could have altered.
awesome
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believe me, theyre a band that i really like as well but i had to spend half the time looking over my shoulder for people flying towards me. i was probably right near you at the front, so i know how hard it was to watch the band. i had been looking forward to this for a longtime and i was going because i love the walkmen, not just because it was a school event. despite the dumbasses who couldnt give a shit who the band was, i think the event went very well. i feel bad for a lot of people there who didnt realize how important the walkmen are to some people. for example, afterwards i saw a guy come up to paul, the guitarist, and say that he had missed his fifteen year high school reunion for the concert.
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that reminds me of the Hi, Blake club.
a group of high school seniors that skipped their prom to see rilo kiley. i would so do that.
anyway, but...yeah. i was the girl in the blue shirt up in the front wearing lots of pearls. i'm glad there were a few fans there.
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yeah, id really like to apologize for the drunk crowd surfers. really really embarassing and annoying to the few people there who actually were trying to concentrate on the band.
betty i think i might have an idea of who you are. i was up front leaning on the right speakers for the most time, with the big hair. once agian, really sorry about that.
and speaking of rilo kiley...this saturday
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not exactly sure who you are yet.
:(
but hey; i'll be at rilo kiley!
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Chuck....I think we have a love connection!
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well, anybody who uses the terminology "love connection" owns my soul.
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Hey everybody. I was the lead singer of the houseband, or the if I were gay band if you prefer and I am a soon to be senior at St Albans. I thought that this show was totally kick ass. Ive known Ham since he was in high school with my bro and it was unbelivable to get to open for him. they are some of the coolest guys I have ever met, and it was awesome that I got to sit and chill with them backstage before the show. I understand where you are coming from on the acoustics of the old gym. we all complained about it. I especially did because I had to play. but if you saw the old gym without all the lights and everything you would be impressed. I think we should get before and after pictures.
I didnt only play in the show I was one of techies setting up and keeping things rolling. we also would have done stuff alot different if we had been able to run everything but Ham's mom insisted on taking the reigns and putting up this concert, something which she had never done before. we were a tad annoyed, take it that we had more experiance at 16, 17, and 18 in running a show than she did. we would have had crowd barriers up close to the stage and we did have bouncers and more muscley event staff who already committed to volunteer there time for the concert. but, Ham's Mom said no way. we also prob would have changed around the order of the bands, having the teachers go first and than warming up. we made dew with what we had and I thought it was good.
I think another thing about this venue was just the concept in itself. If you havent noticed all the walkmen's gear is old......really old. we are talking amps from 1964 which almost didnt work that night a half dead beaten up piano, and a chipped up 1956 fender jazz master guitar. the walkmen have embrassed that vintage sound. they went as far as recording songs on anolog tape instead of digitally because in there words, it just sounds warmer. what cooler place for a band like the walkmen to play in than a falling apart brickhouse gym thats been around since almost as long as the school (over 100 years). I thought it was the perfect venue. also the thought of coming back to your highschool and rocking it out is pretty sweet too. I thought the venue just added to the concert. I do agree alot of people in the crowd were being extremely stupid, I do apoligize for that but I did the same thing you did betty. went to the side of the stage and it was all good.
One more thing and im done. with all due respect to the outsiders who came, we did decide to open the tickets up to the public which we didnt have to do. I enjoyed having everyone there but you guys gotta realize that we turned that place into a venue in less than a week. also please don't complain about too many kids. it was held at a highschool for christsake what did you expect. we arent the 930 club or the black cat. those places are built for concerts. we're a small private school that was lucky enough to have some great guys come back and play there songs. but dont knock the student bands. Im telling you as hard as it is to believe the walkmen did the same crap that we did back when they were recoy and jonathan fire eater. we didnt want to give up our regular battle of the bands so we decided to open for the headliners. It was one of the coolest experiances of my life and I will never forget it. thanks to everyone who came out. it was for a great cause
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hell yeah, i agree with everything you said here ... if you go to see a group playing an unconventional show like the band's old high school or a college spring festival or something, you've just gotta expect a different atmosphere and roll with it ... if you feel like an outsider then the event was just obviously not designed with you in mind (unlike a show at the cat or 930)
Originally posted by Christmaspecial:
One more thing and im done. with all due respect to the outsiders who came, we did decide to open the tickets up to the public which we didnt have to do. I enjoyed having everyone there but you guys gotta realize that we turned that place into a venue in less than a week. also please don't complain about too many kids. it was held at a highschool for christsake what did you expect. we arent the 930 club or the black cat. those places are built for concerts. we're a small private school that was lucky enough to have some great guys come back and play there songs. but dont knock the student bands.
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I think that some of us older people forget we were drunk and obnoxious in high school too.
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Originally posted by K8teebug:
I think that some of us older people forget we were drunk and obnoxious in high school too.
not i. i lived by the rule "there's a time and a place for everything and its called college"
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Noone blames the school (or at least I dont) I blame myself for not using the foresight to predict this situation. Mistakenly I brought 4 people to this show and they were all just kind of staring at me like "Why the hell did you bring us here..."
It was my fault. Shouldve waited for them to come to a better venue. If I was in high school, Im sure I wouldve loved it.
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ditto that 100%.
except, i'm in high school...hmmmmm.
my school is actually housing Throwback and The Low Life next weekend, for a save the music show. i'm really curious as to how that is going to turn out. if i go at all, because it TOTALLY conflicts with the stephen malkmus show. and the futureheads show. oh, crap.
i hope i didn't offend any who set up/put together/played the event. but i was just trying to prove a point. it seems like when i go to another club around here for a show, it is almost like a safe haven away from these kids. and i didn't expect it which could have been my fault, too. maybe everybody out there needs a better appreciation of music?
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betty no offense or anything but whats with the holier than thou attitude when it comes to music? not every show is going to be absolutely drop dead amazing. so just role with it. The more you let down your guard at a show the more fun it is. thats what I do at all the concerts I go to and it makes them fun. I dont drink or do drugs at concerts I just act like a kid and rock out. Im still pissed at those seniors. you have to realize that they are one of the worst classes to come through this school in a long time.
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What's scary about this thread is knowing how much people are paying for their kids to go to this school only to have them use such poor grammar and spelling. No, it's not "internet shortcuts" or typos when you misuse "than" for "then," "there" for "their," etc.
Good points made, though, that outsiders shouldn't complain as they were lucky to be allowed to buy tickets. I don't think my high school would have done that...
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Originally posted by you be betty:
okay. i'm an outsider. i'll go.
i am sorry to say this, but what i thought was they should have played at the black cat or 9:30 or something of the sort; and not at st.albans.
But it was a benefit FOR THE SCHOOL. By alums who are giving back both financially and to the kids there now...This wasn't about the Walkmen's tour or their D.C. stop, but coming back to play their school.
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JESUS THANK YOU!!!! FINALLY SOMEONE REALIZES THIS!
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Originally posted by Bags:
But it was a benefit FOR THE SCHOOL. By alums who are giving back both financially and to the kids there now...This wasn't about the Walkmen's tour or their D.C. stop, but coming back to play theif school.
well said, i agree...
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the only attitude i will give is that i thought your "...gay" song was offensive and immature. that was the only reason why i didn't enjoy watching your band. i loved the jack johnson cover. but with all do respect...
i HAVE been to bad shows before. i don't think this was one of them. the thing that really pissed me off were the kids there, and i have said about 324098234 times that it WAS NOT YOUR FAULT!
again, i applaud the efforts and am well aware this was a benefit show. the playing at a different club remark was in the sense that more TSUNAMI benefit shows should be held at other clubs (which are already being done at 9:30 and the black cat). there was a purpose of playing at their own school, and i fully acknowledge that/think it rules. i think the idea of seeing a band in a high school gym kicks face.
please don't peg me as a pretentious bitch because i'm really a nice kid. i promise.
i kind of bitched off about other stuff that wasn't really a big concern to me (although it did hold some truth) because i was mainly angry about the dudes at that show, and i apologize.
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i hate to change the subject but...when is that stephen malkmus show?
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next saturday (june 4th) at the black cat.
and his new album is out today! woo hoo
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ok well the if I were gay song has pretty much been played at every Battle of the bands. we are in no way homophobes trust me you are talking to one of the leaders of the gay straight alliance at my school. when I talked to one of my gay friends after the show he said I made his day by singing that song. I guess it was something that only the students at NCS and STA would get.
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and the whole tsunami thing was an afterthought for everyone involved. we first found out that the Walkmen we're coming to play and than we decided to give the money to tsunami relief, because every show done at STA is a charity show. the whole Wave of relief thing just snow balled and was hyped up by Ham's mom and other administrators at the school, who in all honesty mostly have sticks up there asses. but thats an entirely different subject.
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well, the tsunami bit?
was a good idea.
i bet you guys raised a lot
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This is the best thread in a long long time. Keep it up.
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Originally posted by you be betty:
well, the tsunami bit?
was a good idea.
i bet you guys raised a lot
Wow, are we posting in haikus now? Bitchin'!
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har har har
i don't even
know what
a haiku is
(well, i do. but how to write one. maybe i just did it again, though. no?)
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Originally posted by you be betty:
maybe i just did it again, though. no?
no.
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hey, just thought I'd give my word on this. BEtty, we're not trying to post you up as a bitch or anything, and despite how it was a high school show that message might not have been conveyed clearly enough. I am the guy who did ALL the lights, sound and set for that show, and trust me, I know that there was a shit load of stuff wrong with the sound and other things. I'm not a guy to make excuses but I'd like you to know we tried our very best depsite consequences i.e. Ham's Mom, and our having finals 3 days after the concert. We raised about $15,000 is the unofficial count.
And by the way I am not at all offended by what you said because I work in the entertainment business and our job is to entertain and if the show sucks then there is something wrong with what I am doing, so I am glad that you let us know. But in the futue I suggest you possible lay it on easier and be careful because there are a lot of people like me who come on these forms and are actually working many of the concerts in the DC area.
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betty what school do you go to? any word on U2 concert other than its sold out, I have a possibility of working a load in for that concert at the MCI center. Connections always get you in.
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i go to whitman.
not exactly sure what was implyed with that u2 remark, please clarify...?
and if you were saying what i think you were saying; i already have tickets. wouldn't miss it for the world :)
i also just realized that my thick, thick, unfortunate sarcasm probably makes everything i say on a message board sound like i am laying it on worse than i am. sarcastic people + internet consisting of people that are unaware of said sarcasm=not a good combination
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Originally posted by you be betty:
i go to whitman.
not exactly sure what was implyed with that u2 remark, please clarify...?
I think he's saying that if you sleep with him he'll get you into the show. Thank golly you already have a ticket.
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gross x67
good thing i love u2/have my OWN ticket connections. ;)
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Originally posted by you be betty:
sarcastic people + internet consisting of people that are unaware of said sarcasm=not a good combination
well said.
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Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
Originally posted by you be betty:
sarcastic people + internet consisting of people that are unaware of said sarcasm=not a good combination
well said. [/b]
I know...ain't it the truth!
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i prefer the term sarcastically challenged
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damn it i wanted to go to the u2 concert so bad - i woke up and like 40 minutes after they went on sale, ran to the computer but they were all gone.
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i am sorry. that stinks.
i saw them in anaheim in april, too, the third show of the vertigo tour. woo hoo. they are playing fantastically.
it's ridiculous this time around, though. scalpers ALL got these secret codes and bought up all the tickets somehow to fuck us over. even in the ultra exclusive u2 fan club presale, we were offered kind of shitty seats.
does anybody know who is opening for the DC show? in california it was kings of leon (i was also "that guy" that came in the kings of leon shirt...hee :) )
KOL again would be fantasmic; but i don't think it's happening.
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I'd hate to change the subject again, but here goes: What are your opinions on outdoor concerts? I'm wondering because my school (Walkmen school) is thinking of having its battle of the bands outdoors next year, now that we have some nice new speakers as a bonus from the Walkmen concert.
Also, was there anyone from outside the school who actually enjoyed the Walkmen concert? I'm just trying to find some relatively positive feedback, and am wondering if any exists.
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Originally posted by revwolfe:
I'd hate to change the subject again, but here goes: What are your opinions on outdoor concerts?
If the weather is nice, I enjoy them immensely. Open air produces superior sound quality then even the best designed venues.
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hey, i enjoyed the show! i really did.
i love the walkmen, and despite...em...other...disturbances, i'll call them, they still played an amazing set and i loved hearing them. after petty annoyances are gone, it all boils down to the music--what i was there to hear. and on that level, well, they kicked ass.
there's your positive feedback.
as far as outdoor concerts, ditto that.
they are great when it's nice outside, but a bit of a risk to take. when planning events months in advance, you have no idea whether it's going to rain or hail or god knows what. i've had outdoor shows before where we got there, saw an opening band, and then it started pouring and thundering and they had to close down the rest of the event. it made me super-sad too.
my suggestion would be that if you plan it outdoors, you have a room open somewhere near where stuff could be moved the day of in case of a "weather emergency"
good luck with that