Joe Jackson

[xcanuck]

Originally posted by bearman:
  My issue was with his fans, most of who were obnoxiously loud, talked more and more as the night went on, and couldn't stand in one spot.  

Yeah - I didn't want to get *too* catty but the crowd was the type that rarely gets out to shows anymore (strains of Bob Seger's Rock and Roll Never Forgets run through my mind). They just wanted to wait to hear The Hits and ignored anything else. I felt bad for Joe a few times when he was playing a great solo and people were talking quite loudly. I'm hoping the monitors were loud enough to cover up the chit chat.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Maybe the show wasn't that good if the crowd wasn't into it?

[Bags]

Originally posted by xcanuck:
  Well, that was a DAMN fine show. It was He played alot of the 'classics' - Stepping Out, Slow Song, It's Different For Girls, Is She Really Going Out With Him - but there were a few songs that he left out like Sunday Papers, Look Sharp and I'm The Man.
 

During "Is She Really Going Out With Him," I was thinking that I know it's the biggest 'hit,' but I'd much rather hear I'm the Man, Sunday Papers, Beat Crazy or Happy Loving Couples....whatcha gonna do.
 
 Good show -- spot on about the crowd, xcanuck.  It was funny to see these groups of 3 to 4 mid-40s men who were clearly there together.  It's like a time machine window of a crowd you'd see at, say, The Editors -- 20 years later without the baseball hats, less hair but same cool tees.  

[Guiny]

Originally posted by xcanuck:
 I felt bad for Joe a few times when he was playing a great solo and people were talking quite loudly. I'm hoping the monitors were loud enough to cover up the chit chat. [/QB]

He got paid for it, so don't feel to bad for him.

[Bags]

Originally posted by xcanuck:
  They just wanted to wait to hear The Hits and ignored anything else. I felt bad for Joe a few times when he was playing a great solo and people were talking quite loudly. I'm hoping the monitors were loud enough to cover up the chit chat.

If you noticed, during the new songs half the folks weren't paying attention at all -- talking, etc.  What's funny about that is the crowd gave GREAT cheering, hooting, yelling, clapping etc., to Joe -- so seemingly they were really in to it.
 
 I actually thought that all the moving around was an aspect of the crowd size -- in other words, there was room to move around, so folks did.  WE noticed the same thing -- I was mid-crowd, and you would have thought there was a designated walkway in front of us, with little lights on the ground leading you to the bar.

[Bombay Chutney]

Originally posted by Chaz Nakatestes, Breaststroking Guy:
  Maybe the show wasn't that good if the crowd wasn't into it?

No - It was the crowd.  There's really no excuse for facing away from the stage, screaming at your friend who's about 5 feet away from you, during the second song, which is a fairly quiet solo-piano tune.
 
 Joe was fantastic.  Too bad most of the people around me didn't pay any attention.

[diract22]

Hi. I'm seeing Joe tonight, outside of Philly, so I just stopped by to see some reviews. Sounds like a good show. Tonights venue has seats.

[Dr. Anton Phibes]

Originally posted by xcanuck:
   

Originally posted by bearman:
  My issue was with his fans, most of who were obnoxiously loud, talked more and more as the night went on, and couldn't stand in one spot.  

Yeah - I didn't want to get *too* catty but the crowd was the type that rarely gets out to shows anymore (strains of Bob Seger's Rock and Roll Never Forgets run through my mind). They just wanted to wait to hear The Hits and ignored anything else. I felt bad for Joe a few times when he was playing a great solo and people were talking quite loudly. I'm hoping the monitors were loud enough to cover up the chit chat. [/b]

>>>Here's the funny thing...........and I'm not naming names.......but,some of the same folks who bitch about the Birchmere's "quiet" policy are some of the same folks who bitch about the groups of obnoxious assholes who regularly prowl the 9:30 floor.....I have made a habit of NOT going to the 9:30 when there is someone who may be playing acoustically or might have a "softer" playlist than the usual higher decibel bands who are the norm.........and I say "norm" meaning those of the louder,sometimes heavier variety......If I'm going to be paying a Birchmere-sized ticket price... 40 clams or above.....then I would enjoy HEARING the fucking show!......I have no problem with Birchmere staff telling obnoxious, shitbag yuppies, to turn off their fucking phones, and take their goddamn inane conversations out into the bar....it sounds like Joe Jackson would have been better served at the Birch.....just my 2 cents.....

[Bags]

What's so funny about the Birchmere is the INTENSE level of quiet.  Literally, not a person speaks or whispers to a friend, "good song."  And for a lot of the shows at the Birch, that makes sense.  I, personally, find it funny and overly reverential.  But I agree that it's preferable to the very chatty folks treating a show like any other random bar night.  I thought I'd lose my mind at a Wrens show at the Black Cat.
 
 Last night for Joe was odd because in some ways the crowd was SO in to him, then half of them didn't really pay attention to about half the set.
 
   

Originally posted by Dr. Jonas Sulk:
  Here's the funny thing...........and I'm not naming names.......but,some of the same folks who bitch about the Birchmere's "quiet" policy are some of the same folks who bitch about the groups of obnoxious assholes who regularly prowl the 9:30 floor.....I have made a habit of NOT going to the 9:30 when there is someone who may be playing acoustically or might have a "softer" playlist than the usual higher decibel bands who are the norm.........and I say "norm" meaning those of the louder,sometimes heavier variety......If I'm going to be paying a Birchmere-sized ticket price... 40 clams or above.....then I would enjoy HEARING the fucking show!......I have no problem with Birchmere staff telling obnoxious, shitbag yuppies, to turn off their fucking phones, and take their goddamn inane conversations out into the bar....it sounds like Joe Jackson would have been better served at the Birch.....just my 2 cents.....

[kosmo vinyl]

Two of my worst experiences regarding the audience talking were at Joe Jackson concerts and it's because he has just enough hits the casual fans show up expecting to hear nothing else...
 
 On the Big World tour, not one of his more shining moments but still, the chatter was so loud in the venue that Joe himself told those uninterested in what the band was doing to  "Fuck off to the bar".  On the "Body & Soul" some women decided to carry on a lengthy and loud one side conversation for a good part of the show, then got indigent when I shushed her.
 
 The Day and Night show however was amazing the audience completely respectful for what Joe and his extended group were doing that night.

[bearman🐻]

I just don't understand the talking thing. It doesn't happen too often for me, but the worst that I can remember before this Joe Jackson show was seeing Air in 2001. I actually ended up telling the people point blank to shut the fuck up. I have a lot of patience usually, but these folks were right up by the stage, not even at the bar. I hate that shit. I've seen Bob Mould actually single people out and tell them to shut up. Once in Chicago there was a great rant he did on this girl...brilliant. She really did deserve it though.

[Frank Gallagher]

"OI! TWAT! WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?....I'M TRYING TO DO A FUCKING GIG HERE!!!"
 
 
 Peter Murphy, Lisner Auditorium, Washington DC. 1989(ish)

[kosmo vinyl]

Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:
  "OI! TWAT! WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?....I'M TRYING TO DO A FUCKING GIG HERE!!!"
 
 
 Peter Murphy, Lisner Auditorium, Washington DC. 1989(ish)

i'm half tempted to go over to cafepress and create a t-shirt with that quote on it...  maybe a whole line of no talking t-shirts

Hey, they paid their good money.  They can talk all they want.  It's not like they are lighting up joints?
 
 I'm half tempted to go for a show wearing a Depends.  And right in the middle of Peter Murphy's set I'm gonna squeeze out a huge steaming shit and let it churn in my diaper for the rest of the show.  And talk loudly a lot too!

[bearman🐻]

At least if they had lit up joints they would have been mellow enough to shut the hell up!