Too old for live music?

Not me! Still going to concerts, and I'm 60. Saturdays Arcade Fire may be a stresser though as it's a standing concert.

Oldnslow still goes to classical concerts often, but not many jazz venues anymore, although I like classical and jazz equally. I don't know what this signifies, except I perhaps I am have less tolerance for the distractions that affect listening in jazz clubs. I'm retiring in a few months and I will try to go to more live events, and of course listen to more of my huge music collection on my wonderful Naim equipment....

The last one was the "New bomb turks" one.
Great but spent the evening in a corner with a lot of people jumping all around.
After that they closed the place down so nothing for years.

Dear Nic,

My response to live concerts are often [alaways if the concert is a hit with me] too personal to write about. I went to one in Warsaw with Frank F, who is the only Forum memeber I have been to a concert with, twelve months ago.

I think he would back uo the fact that was a wonderful concert but it help nobody for me to go into how I was affected.I prefer to go to concerts on own, though it was great to attend it with Frank, who enjoyed the event as much as me.

I have been to as many as I could afford in the meantime, including the Saint Matthew Passion in Hereford cathedral last Easter, which was truly a wonderful but emotionally draining experience. I am glad I had a place to stay in Hereford. I would not have been up to driving home ...

ATB from George

I don't get to too many concerts, simply because there aren't that many I want to see in easy reach of me. And there's only so much to talk about with music when one could be listening to it.

OTOH, for sad audiophiles with terminal upgrade-itis, you can talk about it until you're blue in the face. Let's face it, talking about it is actually more interesting than auditioning the difference between two mains leads...

As for the Padded Cell, well, I've lots of other hobbies, but where I want to talk about them online I prefer a specialist forum. So I talk about cycling on the uk.rec.cycling Usenet group, not on a hi-fi manufacturer's forum, and so on.

Pete.

Nic
For me there is no substitute for being at a really great gig. My home hifi is fantastic but it can't replicate the buzz of being there. Many carp about the acoustics but I love going to the Royal Albert Hall and have seen countless great shows there. I never think of it as being something that I could become to ancient to enjoy. Much more likely is that the bands and performers for whom I am happy to make an effort to see will retire - now that IS an age thing!

Not too old yet (40+) but getting set in my ways though. Went to see The Coral at the new Carling Academy in Oxford (ex Zodiac, ex Venue, and in my day-The Co-op Hall). Brilliant band and sound but no chairs, no smoking and I had a Grolsch from a plastic bottle! All extremely worthy I'm sure but if this is progress then I'm a bit of a banana. Its a shame venues are getting their air conditioning sorted just as a) there are no more noxious nicotine clouds to disperse and b)I am to munted to jostle my way to front with all the sweaty urchins.

Before joining the Naim-club three years ago I went to about one live gig in 10 years. Now I'm at one a month on average. Having a great sytsem at home encourages us to actively seek out new music and scour the gig-guides. Having the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe on our doorstep does help keep the average up.

Ian

Maybe it is me but much as I love music I actually have never cared for gigs much.

In my student days I saw a few 'great' live bands in good venues (REM, James, Waterboys, Pogues, Rush come immediately to mind). These events were memorable (and enjoyable) in some ways but certainly not for the music. Atrocious sound, smoky, sweaty and overcrowded venues and performers who were often too pissed to actually perform. I've also been to a handful of stadium gigs and felt utterly ripped off by the experience.

In recent years I relented again and saw Lambchop in Manchester. It was so rubbish that I actually stopped listening to their albums for ages afterwards!

Maybe it is the way I appreciate music but I'd rather listen to a studio album than go to a concert, and I don't generally care for live albums either.

I've been planning to go to a classical concert at some time, just for the experience. At least my hearing won't be destroyed the next day and hopefully nobody will vomit on my shoes either.

Bruce (who sounds like a right old git).

A different view chaps

With Classical music the orchestra maintains its existance through regeneration of membership. This means that the "band" remains pretty much intact through the decades are available to play to audiences the same music, although different interpretations, granted.

"Bands" of the Rock idiom, that I follow, have either fallen apart, died from abuse or cannot function as they did. so there aren't many opportunities to see them as they were.

The recent tickets for Led Zeppelin, who I would love to see as my parents wouldn't fork out when they were performing, would cost me as much to buy as a decent Naim set up, from which I can have hours of enjoyment listening to the likes of Cream, Ground hogs, Grateful Dead etc. and others who have fallen by the wayside.

Those who do reform rarely recapture the magic or their yooff, so to speak, although my brothers saw the Police and said they were brilliant.

I dont go to many live concerts because the bands I like are "dead". I did see Roy Harper a couple on months back and he is returning to the studio to record new stuff, which is great. But there aren't many others of that time who can do the same.

I enjoy my hifi and the performances I get from it, thats why I spent so much on it and will continue to upgrade it when I can afford so to do.

Now I need to lie down in a darkened room as my latest purchase from Amazon has arrived and the wife is going out with her colleagues.



Best Regards

Henners

Some very positive responses gents, my faith has been restored.

Howard, I would never have had you down as 60 with your musical tastes. Enjoy Arcade Fire, I would love to have gone and seen them when they played at the Arena recently, but it really does have the acoustics of an aircraft hanger, and really is so bad that it is difficult to enjoy the music.

George, sometimes it is necessary to go alone to gigs, either because your friends or family do not share your musical tastes, or simply because you can immerse yourself and react the way you want to. It is a very personal thing, however I really enjoyed watching my son's reaction to Jan Garbarek the other night. He is only 11, but was enthralled. He plays clarinet and so has some musical insight, but enjoys a lot of my musical tastes as well as his own selections, which are pretty wide ranging.

In my youth I went to see live music all the time. During the time when the kids were growing up it became a logistical nightmare as well as a very expensive night out with childcare costs. Now I can go much more regularly, including taking the kids, which is great.

I am very lucky that there is quite a range of venues in Newcastle both in terms of style and size.

The Academy is great for upcoming bands or those that cannot fill the larger venues. Nicely edgy and very reminiscent of a smaller version of the Lyceum in London.

The City Hall, which is probably living on borrowed time with its faded grandeur and limited range of acts.

The Cluny with its small scale intimacy and quirky tastes.

The Metro Arena, which I have already stated that I am not keen on, but which tends to deal with big capacity requirements of "popular beat combos".

Finally the Sage, which has a fantastic location, finish and acoustics, but is probably a bit culturally elitist or obscure in in its programme selection sometimes. It does however seem to cater very successfully across the age ranges because it is so clean and non-threatening.

All of the above mean that I am getting out regularly to see live music these days and picking up stuff from bands or artistes that I did not know about along the the way, Kate Walsh being a recent case in point. I'm off to see her again on Saturday supporting Josh Ritter at the Sage 2, with my Mum (74).


Regards

Nic

As a for example, surfin' tonight found out that Sia, beloved of my beloved, is playing in town a week on Wednesday. Tickets on their way - Cabaret Voltaire, in the underground caverns of the old town is a new venue for us - should be fun.
Ian

I bought some Etymotic ear plugs after the last live show I saw. They make a huge difference in the enjoyability of music in a club for me.

I used to go to a lot of concerts when I was lived in London, and before having children. Nowadays, having to travel means you get back late, so it's hard to get babysitters, particularly midweek.

We did see Theatre of Hate at Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms recently, but they didn't come on until gone 11, and we had to leave at 11.30! And there were no seats, we had to wait through two hours of crap support acts, and the place was full of drunken and offensive idiots.

I'm sure when the boys are older I'll get to more live music - I really miss it.

Nigel

One of the first Live concerts I saw was the Dead - I don't get out enough these daze.

I go to quite a lot of gigs but i am the right side of 30 (for the next 2 weeks anyway ). Also i am one of the drunken idiots . My pet hate is the people who force their way to the front and then stand like statues or ofcourse the a£*&holes who throw full pints of whatever all over the place. Mind you they are slowly cracking down on this and throwing people out for doing it.

You are never too old for live music.
I went to my first concert in May 1979 aged 17.
Through the 80's I saw nearly every major rock band around at the time.
In the 90's these bands were no longer around or not as good as they once were, so live concerts for me declined.
Last month I went to see Rush at Sheffield and took my son aged 12. As I said on the Rush thread it felt like a school reunion with everybody aged 40+ but with their kids.
To quote Jethro Tull:
(Never)"Too old to rock'n' Roll, Too young to Die"

Nicnaim,
I a sorry to hear the City Hall is on borrowed time as it is one of favourite concert venues. I spent 3 years in Newcastle in the early 80's and saw many bands there.
What was the name of the nightclub venue?
It was memorable because I saw AC/DC there in January 1980, 2 months before Bon Scott died

Cobra,

The City Hall being on borrowed time is a personal view, not an official one. These days it does seem to be the venue for the travelling comedy circuit, acts past their peak or tribute bands, and it just has the whiff of slow decay. The last performance I saw there was Dave Brubeck in 1999, although I was on stage at the City Hall myself for my graduation this year .

My daughter's school stopped holding their prize giving there a couple of years ago in favour of the Sage, and they had previously been held there forever.

It is a shame, I saw a lot of bands there in the 70's, Wishbone Ash, PFM, Uriah Heep, Penetration to name but a few skeletons.

I suspect the night club venue you are thinking of was the Mayfair, which is sadly no more. The site was bulldozed a few years back and now goes by the name of The Gate

I saw the Ruts there a couple of weeks before the lead singer Malcolm Owen died, and probably one of the last live gigs by XTC before Andy Partridge developed stage fright.

Regards

Nic

quote:

Originally posted by Iron Cobra:
Nicnaim,
I a sorry to hear the City Hall is on borrowed time as it is one of favourite concert venues. I spent 3 years in Newcastle in the early 80's and saw many bands there.
What was the name of the nightclub venue?
It was memorable because I saw AC/DC there in January 1980, 2 months before Bon Scott died

nicnaim, i love going to gigs and still do sometimes but I start work at 2 am and much as we all hate to admit getting old i cant do at 35 what i did at 25 or 15.

As to the ratio split between hi-fi and music rooms... without music there is no hi-fi.

Yeah the Mayfair.............. I saw Nirvana, Ramones (x2), Portishead, Nazareth, AC/DC (I think), U2 and new Order amonst others.

The City Hall, like the Tyne Theatre are relics in regards music venues. Mind anything seems poor compared to the Sage which is a wonderful venue in terms of the view, the comfort,the space, the acoustics, the bars, well everything really. The Sage also seems to draw artists who would never have stopped off at Newcastle.

Newcastle/Gateshead seems to be a great place to see diverse live music at the moment.

At 45 by the end of the day i'm knackered and generally only go and see gigs where I can have a comfy seat with leg room............ Again the Sage meets all my requirements.

Diccus,

Aged 46, I am now off out to your favourite venue to see Kate Walsh and Josh Ritter

Nic

quote:

Aged 46, I am now off out to your favourite venue to see Kate Walsh and Josh Ritter

Aged 46, I'm now about to cook dinner for friends, open a couple of bottles of red, and reach for the jazz. Oh dear!! Still, we did go to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the Chichester Festival Theatre in the week. Does that count as a gig? I thought not!

Nigel

44 now, I saw Rush at the NEC recently, however, my distinct lack of hair prevented me from the headbanging of my younger years - seemed to quell the concert thing somewhat!

quote:

Originally posted by nicnaim:
Diccus,

Aged 46, I am now off out to your favourite venue to see Kate Walsh and Josh Ritter

Nic

Enjoy yourself mate, say hi to kate for me