Because I know you all were waiting on this... WaPo's own J Free's take on the Spoon Switcharoo, from today's chat.
"Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: I don't know if you read them, but there has been a little flare up on the 930 Club message boards over Spoon's shows on the 22nd & 23rd of October being moved to playing with the Shins at Merriweather on the 22nd. Spoon will be opening, but playing a full set, those who bought a Spoon ticket before the changed was announced can use it for a lawn seat or upgrade to a assigned seat for $10 (or get a full refund). Some people are not happy with having to drive to Columbia to see the show, or seeing it at Merriweather when expecting to see it at 930.
Do you have an opinion on all this?
J. Freedom du Lac: On the one hand, yeah, it's a drag that they'll be in a siginificantly larger venue -- and that those who live in or around DC will have to hit the road to see the show. On the other hand -- you get to go outside and take in some fresh air. And let's face it, most indie-rock fans could stand to get out a little more. Producer David can, anyway.
Seriously, though -- I don't have a particularly strong opinion about this. The pricing seems to be fair. And I do think Merriweather is a great venue as far as outdoor sheds go. We're lucky to have it.
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Washington, D.C.: Wednesday I get an e-mail that Spoon is playing 2 shows at the 9:30 Club 10/22 & 10/23. Fantastic, so I buy 6 for 10/23. Then I get an e-mail 4 days later that because Spoon will open for The Shins and Merriweather 10/22, BOTH DC shows are cancelled. Offers me a chance to upgrade to pit seats for the show, but I don't have much interest in seeing half a Spoon show or seeing the shins. Merriweather simply is not as good a venue either.
Sounds sloppy. Why can't they just honor the tickets for the 9:30 show the 23rd? Spoon was great at Sonar earlier this year, BTW
J. Freedom du Lac: Another vote against the bait-and-(venue) switch.
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Spoon Switcheroo, D.C.: Of course it's understandable that promoters don't want Spoon doing any shows in DC before playing MPP -- that would dampen their audience.
But MPP vs. 9:30 is a big difference for those of us that live in the city. Even though MPP is nice, it is not even close to downtown, involves a much bigger time commitment, and overall hassle. So it's not as simple as the weather being nice.
Why can't DC have a big outdoor music venue in city limits, like so many other big metro areas? (Think Festival Pier in Philly, or Central Park Stage in NYC.) Having to drive well outside the beltway for summer concerts is no fun.
J. Freedom du Lac: Yeah, but then you'd have to live in Philadelphia.
I wouldn't mind the lack of summer venues inside the Beltway so much if I could get to Nissan or Merriweather Post without driving. Just one more thing to love about Wolf Trap. I can Metro to Falls Church West then hop the shuttle bus to the venue.
