spoon cancels so they can play with the shins at merriwe

[Vas Deferens]

Pathetic. This qualifies as "news" for pitchfork?
 
 

Originally posted by azaghal1981:
  Which one of you told pitchfork?
 
 
 

[yinzer]

i was born in 1973.  there are worse things going on in the world.  i am sure sales for the shins show needed a boost or it was perceived that they would need a boost as i saw their dull ass opening show for the white stripes at the same venue.   i am particularly glad now that i went to the sonar spoon show a few months ago and can no doubt thank one mr. hurwitz for it.  that being said, a 9:30 show blows the doors off a merriweather show any goddamn day of the week unless one lives in columbia, md or b-more or wherever.  i don't think there is any opinion involved in that statement.  it's a fact.
 
 so the deal is: go sit in the lawn at merriweather for the spoon opening "full show including encores" or get a refund.  i mean, there is no choice in that equation.  i think the shins are great and love their albums and generally think people who give a fuck about whether bands are too big need to get a life but their live show is average at best.  that's an opinion.  probably a widely held one.
 
 as for this statement:
   

Just so we're clear, your use of the unidentified pronoun "you" forces me to point out that I have no affiliation with the 9:30 Club or MPP or IMP Productions.

your statements throughout this post could merit the title of "aspiring unpaid sycophant" for the firm.  really - what is your horse in this race?

[Seth Hurwitz]

really I love all you people
 
 well...maybe the ones who stick up for me a WEE bit better
 
 butI am grateful for anyone who cares enough to take the time to post
 
 the Spoon record is fucking great though...can't stop playing it

[vansmack]

Originally posted by yinzer:
  your statements throughout this post could merit the title of "aspiring unpaid sycophant" for the firm.  really - what is your horse in this race?

Seth "pays" me by keeping me entertained on this board everyday.  If he were to shut this board down, my life would crumble into a depressing abyss that would make Ben Sanderson look like the court jester.
 
 Oh wait, no.  If that were true I'd be crying on a message board about a show being moved to a different venue like it were the end of the world and I was somehow wronged by this.  I'd rip apart a guy who has, for years, brought the best shows to DC for ONE decision he made, that when emotions are put aside, probably looks like it makes a lot of sense.  I'm a little more well-adjusted than that.  
 
 I've been on this board a long time and can tell you that for every bad decision Seth has made, he has gone above and beyond for the music fan in the DC/Baltimore area and even makes himself available for abuse, though he doesn't have to.  He seeks input from his customers and gives his peeps heads up for soft sales and special events.  How many other club owners do that?  
 
 How many of you remember when he was thinking of switching to tickets.com and asked our advice?
 
 How many of you remember when Tickets.com was having problems and he made a guy from tickets.com join the board and answer our questions?  
 
 Or more recently, when he sought our opinion on the venue for V-Fest?
 
 What about how he asks us our opinions after big events so he can improve them?
 
 The guy doesn't deserve the abuse.  And you can piss off for calling me an "aspring unpaid sycophant."  I don't aspire because I'm a doer.  I have no time for aspiring.  If I wanted to be a sycophant, I would.  And if I wanted to get paid, I would.  I've never met the man, and likely never will.  If anything, I'm his worst customer because I attend zero shows at his venues since I moved, so there's absolutely no benefit for me in kissing his ass.
 
 So, what's my horse in this race?  The common sense of man.  I'm bringing it back, because, remember, I'm a doer.

[frazman]

Originally posted by yinzer:
  i am sure sales for the shins show needed a boost or it was perceived that they would need a boost as i saw their dull ass opening show for the white stripes at the same venue.   i am particularly glad now that i went to the sonar spoon show a few months ago and can no doubt thank one mr. hurwitz for it.  that being said, a 9:30 show blows the doors off a merriweather show any goddamn day of the week unless one lives in columbia, md or b-more or wherever.  i don't think there is any opinion involved in that statement.  it's a fact.
 
 so the deal is: go sit in the lawn at merriweather for the spoon opening "full show including encores" or get a refund.  i mean, there is no choice in that equation.  

I agree with all of this. I'm beginning to realize that this is basically a business decision that hasn't gone my way. When I bought my ticket I thought we had a deal!
 
 The Shins should be supporting them - the two times I saw them live they were shit, in spite of their excellent records.

[Julian, Alleged Computer F**kface]

I'm not going to jump on the "stop abusing Seth" train because he's not getting abused. People questioning a business decision is not abusive. No one's calling him a jerk personally or hanging him in effigy. Customers are expressing their displeasure with a decision they find odious through the most easily accessible channel they can find. And to be fair, while expressing their displeasure, they've been mostly respectful as far as I've seen.
 
 Now, at the same time, I'm not going to defend the people going ape over this because it's a concert and they're going way overboard. Do you like the way this turned out? Obviously not. But it's not as though he callously stopped the band from coming to the area at all, or gave you no options in the matter. In fact, I'd bet he probably has more then a little to do with you getting your service charges back, should you want a refund (i.e. he's paying them out of pocket as opposed to tickets.com giving them back).
 
 So, I guess, my point is both sides need to chill out. The people who think this concert was only worth attending at 9:30 and find it ridiculous that the event was moved post-ticket sales have made their point clearly known. I'm sure Seth has taken note of the overwhelming public opinion on the matter. But then on the other hand, no one is being rude to the guy so everyone who's up in arms over Seth's treatment probably need to take a "stop flaking out" pill too.

[frazman]

Originally posted by vansmack:
 
 The guy doesn't deserve the abuse.

I'm certainly not in the business of abusing Seth, but I do very much disagree with canceling shows for what are essentially look like business reasons.
 
 That said, I think on the whole he does a fantastic job and I do hold his running of the club in a very high regard - I reckon I am entitled to disagree in this one instance . . . no hard feelings at this end though, I can assure you - I'm over it, but I do find it to be an interesting topic. I can't ever recall a similar thing happening to me before

[yinzer]

i second the common sense revival.

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by le sonick:
 if i had to choose from driving to DC and seeing just Spoon, or driving to Columbia and seeing Spoon and the Shins, not to mention Vetiver, i would definitely be picking Merriweather.      

if they moved a show from MW to 930, you'd be acting like you were born between 1979 and 1994 too.
 
   

Originally posted by JohnnyBaconbitz:
 Buying tickets to a show and then having it negged is fundamentally lame.  It's odd that the concept is foreign to you.

well, he is a foreigner, so everything is a bit odd with him.
 
   

Originally posted by MSI_Jeremy:
  Some of us who are not happy about this are a long way from young and feeling entitled.  Some of us work over 50 hours a week, live in the city, are over 30 years old, and need our sleep to perform our grown-up jobs. (I realize that the fact that I'm wasting a little time typing this from work throws into question my claim of a grown-up job, but bear with me...)  
 
 A club date to/from which we can walk or taxi after a full days work and still arrive home before midnight is INFINITELY preferable to having to leave work early, having to face commuter traffic to the Maryland burbs and then waiting in the parking lot after 11 at night throught the slow process of filing out and arriving home around 12:30 or so.  The former is a fun evening out hearing a top-notch band, the latter is an expensive hassle followed by a poor night's sleep, with a little good entertainment sandwiched in the middle.
 
 Agreed this is hardly the biggest problem in the world, but it certainly a sufficiently significant factor to change from a go to a no-go decision.

i like the new kid (or, more precisely, the new not-a-kid).
 
   

Originally posted by azaghal1981:
  So how about booking Justice to play the club on one of the newly open club dates? Hmmmmmmm?
 
 There can't be too much cross-over between Justice and Shins fans.

most lucid thing that's been said in this entire thread.

[azaghal1981]

Yeah pitchfork has become as pitiful as the NY Post when it comes to their "news" section. Remember the big fuss they made about Jeff Mangum going to see Os Mutantes and then the Instruments and then (gasp!) sitting in with the Instruments for one song?
 
 

Originally posted by wanderlust featuring j. marshmallow:
  Pathetic. This qualifies as "news" for pitchfork?
 
   

Originally posted by azaghal1981:
  Which one of you told pitchfork?
 
 
 

[/b]

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by MSI_Jeremy:
  Some of us who are not happy about this are a long way from young and feeling entitled.  Some of us work over 50 hours a week, live in the city, are over 30 years old, and need our sleep to perform our grown-up jobs. (I realize that the fact that I'm wasting a little time typing this from work throws into question my claim of a grown-up job, but bear with me...)  
 
 A club date to/from which we can walk or taxi after a full days work and still arrive home before midnight is INFINITELY preferable to having to leave work early, having to face commuter traffic to the Maryland burbs and then waiting in the parking lot after 11 at night throught the slow process of filing out and arriving home around 12:30 or so.  The former is a fun evening out hearing a top-notch band, the latter is an expensive hassle followed by a poor night's sleep, with a little good entertainment sandwiched in the middle.
 
 Agreed this is hardly the biggest problem in the world, but it certainly a sufficiently significant factor to change from a go to a no-go decision.

What makes you think that every aging working stiff lives within the DC Beltway or somewhere around NOVA? Believe me, there are plenty others who live well outside of the Beltway, in every direction, who must make these exact same concessions for every 9:30 Club show they want to attend. Often, they end up missing a lot of shows they would love to see but just can't work things out. It sucks but we can't all be of such a privileged class.
 
 Smackie, I don't think birth year is what determines that entitlement mentality. In some cases, I think it's a DC thing. I know I'm pissing a lot of people off but I've seen this attitude way too often. Quite often by some of the same people who think nothing of flying off to another locale to see any given show but God forbid, on the odd occassion, they have to drive a couple extra miles outside of DC. Christ, it's not even up to Baltimore!  
 
 To be honest, the only ones I feel a bit sorry for are those well south of DC and those without cars. In either case, there are potentially workable options. If not, you can opt for a full refund, including service fees. No one is being screwed over. If anything, you are getting a bonus show on top of it all for your 'troubles'. Gesh! I'm not even much of a Shins fan but I'd sure stay to see them just because I'm getting an opportunity to see yet another okay band. I might even end up liking them! If not, flipping leave and get a good night's sleep so you can get your over-worked ass in to work on time and be all bright eyed and bushy tailed.
 
 You guys are lucky it's only for Spoon who do get around here on occassion. Be happy it's not happening for someone like Bjork, Daft Punk or Radiohead whom you have to bend over and take what you can get.

[xneverwherex]

just was curious - i dont know (recall) ticket.com's policy as far as refunds, but i know with ticketweb if a show is cancelled you get refunded ALL of your money. that includes service charges. ive never had a problem with this, so id imagine its the same policy with tickets.com, or is it not?? I'd like to think that Seth isn't forking out his own hard-earned money, because of a show being cancelled, although in this case i dont know if its considered a cancellation according to tickets.com.
 
 and if they don't give back your service charge money - its a bit screwy of a system (although it really wouldnt surprise me). i did get back all my money for my moz tickets, which was ticketmaster.

[Julian, Alleged Computer F**kface]

Originally posted by xneverwherex:
  just was curious - i dont know (recall) ticket.com's policy as far as refunds, but i know with ticketweb if a show is cancelled you get refunded ALL of your money. that includes service charges. ive never had a problem with this, so id imagine its the same policy with tickets.com, or is it not?? I'd like to think that Seth isn't forking out his own hard-earned money, because of a show being cancelled, although in this case i dont know if its considered a cancellation according to tickets.com.
 

Their stated policy (per their website) is that they retain fees even on cancelled events. The part about Seth paying the fees was pure conjecture by me, so I wouldn't put alot of stock in that.

[Seth Hurwitz]

I don't know who this vansmack is...
 
 but I LIKE him

[JohnnyBaconbitz]

I think you just made his decade by posting that...