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Apr. 7th, 2003 02:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
planktondreamsquietlythe conversations here and here are about the godspeed you black emperor show (which i attended) and the notwist show (which i would have liked to have seen). they're both frustrated with how the indie scene is becoming a scene in the worst sense of the word. and i totally agree. but what i thought was ironic was how the gybe show became all the more poignant because of the environment and audience.
yes, much of the crowd was more concerned with catching up with their friends than listening to the music and it was pretty ironic to see such a idealistic and non-materialistic band playing in a club which caters to trendy euros and yuppies every other night. at first this was a distraction, but by the end of the night it made me feel so much more pain for the band. i mean, they obviously care and love what they do and want to see changes that i believe would make life better and more fulfulling for so many, but everything i saw proved yet again that it's never going to happen. it's easier to consume and be consumed, and that's how life will go.
i started reading the flier brigid posted during the last song of the gybe set - the only one i recognized and one of the few with such an overtly political sentiment. by the time i was finished reading i felt like i could cry - because what they want is wonderful and beautiful and impossible. i held up my weight on the bar for the rest of the show, lost in thought and regret. when the show ended and brigid asked me what i thought, i couldn't even come up with a response. this required more than "dude! that rocked!".
afterwards we sat in my car and talked about the show and the world. what was so interesting and amazing to me was the brigid had almost exactly the same response that i did, even to the point of feeling the same pointed sadness reading their words in that environment while the music played on. and at this point i felt again like i could cry - not because she provided another reminder me of how futile and frustrating the show was, but because i was so happy we'd found each other and understood.
yes, much of the crowd was more concerned with catching up with their friends than listening to the music and it was pretty ironic to see such a idealistic and non-materialistic band playing in a club which caters to trendy euros and yuppies every other night. at first this was a distraction, but by the end of the night it made me feel so much more pain for the band. i mean, they obviously care and love what they do and want to see changes that i believe would make life better and more fulfulling for so many, but everything i saw proved yet again that it's never going to happen. it's easier to consume and be consumed, and that's how life will go.
i started reading the flier brigid posted during the last song of the gybe set - the only one i recognized and one of the few with such an overtly political sentiment. by the time i was finished reading i felt like i could cry - because what they want is wonderful and beautiful and impossible. i held up my weight on the bar for the rest of the show, lost in thought and regret. when the show ended and brigid asked me what i thought, i couldn't even come up with a response. this required more than "dude! that rocked!".
afterwards we sat in my car and talked about the show and the world. what was so interesting and amazing to me was the brigid had almost exactly the same response that i did, even to the point of feeling the same pointed sadness reading their words in that environment while the music played on. and at this point i felt again like i could cry - not because she provided another reminder me of how futile and frustrating the show was, but because i was so happy we'd found each other and understood.
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Date: 2003-04-07 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-07 01:02 pm (UTC)i'm curious to know more about the notwist show. was the band engaging/fun? was the crowd talking through their set, or just styrofoam?
it's sad because indie rock shows used to be annoying just because nobody would dance and everyone seemed so serious - now concerts have become transformed into a social gathering. which is about the dumbest thing i can imagine on many levels.
Re:
Date: 2003-04-07 01:24 pm (UTC)of the crowd near me, 50% was talking nearly the entire time, and about 20% were loud enough for me to clearly understand their conversation. and it was totally the typical stuff; 'analysis' of how it sounded, whether the CD or live version was better, what other bands were similar, etc. total wanking.
it's not so much the social gathering aspect that bothers me as that everybody i could hear talking was trying to impress the other person with how much they knew about the band or the instruments, or throwing out obscure references to other bands or songs, or giving their by-the-minute review of the show (worse than CNN, omg). it's like the idea of just sitting back and enjoying the show was completely foreign.
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Date: 2003-04-07 01:40 pm (UTC)something b & i talk about from time to time is the idea of being in the moment vs examining the moment. i think a lot of people spend way too much time analyzing the present rather than living in it - i'd say this is particularly true in the indie rock scene. it's like everyone's afraid of having a good time, or that silence means you have nothing to say.
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Date: 2003-04-07 01:55 pm (UTC)i don't know, i can't see how anyone can evaluate an entire song or show after only listening to it for thirty seconds. it's more like they just wanted to say something about the topic, rather than giving an honest opinion.
i don't even think it's a matter of living in the moment for them. like i said, i don't think it's really analysis of any kind to spout some kind of generic pitchfork review throughout the whole show. it's just wanking, one big indie kid circle jerk. they aren't there to enjoy the music, they're there to be living some kind of idealized role, that of a showgoer and music fan. the moment for them is lost.
no subject
Date: 2003-04-07 02:22 pm (UTC)i also think that where you stand makes a big difference. while i hate being stuck in a crowd, at least if you're near the front you'll probably find a higher percentage of who are there for the music rather than for the social atmosphere. b & i hung out in the back and at times the talking was louder than the music...
Re:
Date: 2003-04-08 09:00 am (UTC)yeah, i really wanted to get up front for the show, but i got there late and the place was packed. i was up front for grand buffet which was perfect, as there were about three or four rows of people up front having fun and then the rest of the room looked like they were dead.