Trollheart

I'll yield to your experience of Bruce. I certainly have not seen him that many times (how do you know exactly how many though? Not about 50, or 70, but 72? Just wondering) however the fact remains that many artistes often go out of their way to change their songs live. Some see it as offering value for money, or a not-to-be-repeated experience. I have no problem with that.

As for that gig, maybe yes I jumped to conclusions but I must ask why you had to state that it was, and I quote, in a wealthy part of town. If that was not significant, why make the distinction? Why not just say a gig in such a place? Seems like you were trying to make a point that these people were rich, so excuse me for assuming that's where you were going with it.

Either way, rich or poor, there's still no excuse for that kind of rudeness and ungratefulness. Whether she liked the gig or not, without Rundgren she would never even have heard the music, so like it or not, she, and all his fans, actually owe something to the artiste, as well as vice versa.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

And this is to prove that everyone is against you? You're doing a fine job on your own, mate. THIS is why people don't like you. Snide, pointless comments and personal insults are not the way to go.
I'm not.
Oh wait. I am.
Am I?
No.
Almost certainly not.
I think....

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Basil C. Thurston III

I lost? Dammit, I wasn't even aware it was a competition- I would have tried SO much harder. When do I start my vacation, kiddo?

Pretty easy to track- I got 72 ticket stubs in a scrapbook. Plus I can count that high.

I simply stated that because it's true, and it adds substance to the story line. It doesn't add context, so I agree it wasn't particularly useful in that regard. In my personal experience at that venue, the neighborhood locals do come out more often for shows there than other area venues-and it's not about price, it's not about better artists appearing there, it's just that it is literally a short walk for many of them. It's not often you see people show up for a show in a golf cart....and from appearances, many who dress up for shows there come across as wealthier than the average frownland. I mean, a three piece suit for the B-52's is a little much, eh?
But it does show us that making assumptions, well, you know how it goes, right...

As for the lady with the note, maybe it was rude, maybe it was a way for her to vent without causing a major scene. She got up from her seat, went to the bar, wrote the note, came back and handed it to the sound guy, then left the venue. I'd rather have her do that then scream out for the same thing and ruin the shows for others. Again, she was frustrated that she did not get what she paid for-whether out of ignorance or flawed expectation- and she wasn't alone in that regard, IMO. It's really a two way street- she needs Rundgren for entertainment, he needs her (and other fans) to finance his career and life.

grindy

I absolutely love it when a band takes risks, improvises, changes the arrangement or even genre of a song. This is in fact one of the most fun parts of a concert experience for me.
And fans usually seem to love it. Even if it isn't 100% successful, it's usually still incredibly entertaining and a fun surprise.

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A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.

Trollheart

Yeah, there's nothing like being able to say "Oh wow! I was at [insert venue] when [insert band] did that amazing version of [insert song]!" knowing that they will probably never do it quite that way again. Makes it worth the price of admission.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Basil C. Thurston III

I agree with that. But I also realize that is a viewpoint from a true fan, not the general music listener. The guy that owns the bootleg concert tapes, the guy who owns the entire catalog, the guy who can name everyone in the band. But a generalization that most fans like it isn't correct, IMO. Just because the 29,000 people bought a ticket to the arena show doesn't mean they are that level of fan- don't they have an expectation of hearing the song as they know it from the radio? While the deeper fans may relish that change of lyrics, the rest of the crowd (the majority of the crowd most times) may wonder what the heck is going on!

Frownland

Assuming that a band makes the decision to make changes, tough **** for that part of the audience, then. Not everyone in music has to abide by money making standards.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Basil C. Thurston III

I think they do. Without money, the band ceases to exist. Money is the sole reason many bands continue to perform. The reason they had money to begin with is due to the people who purchased the albums and went to the shows. Saying "tough s***" to ANY part of your audience is a sure way to lose fans, don't you think? I'm not sure that sort of artistic leeway exists in a corporate world. Artistic bands can perform any way they wish, and a good portion of the time, they fail to achieve the level of success that brings them big money, IMO.

I went to a Todd Rundgren show last year, in a really small venue, in a wealthy part of town. It was part of his "State" tour, an album which was mostly techno beats in nature. During the show, he performed a good number of his older songs with a new techno style. I enjoyed the show very much, from both a production sense and in an appreciative fashion because Todd always stretches the boundaries. But, honestly, I wanted the live versions of the songs the way he made them- because they were so good to begin with- it's what made me a fan. And there were a good number of Toddheads there, who worshiped every move he made. But I have never seen the sheer amount of open hostility towards an artist as I did both nights of shows at that venue- people walking out 4-5 songs in, yelling out during song breaks for him to play "the old stuff", and in particular, one lady who took the time to write a scathing note for Todd, which she left with the soundman (who allowed me to read it after the show)- the note basically said how angry and disappointed she was that he ruined his songs with this new style, how big a fan she had been for over 35 years and now felt that he was mocking his own material by modernizing it to capitalize on a trend, and that she would never, ever pay money to see him again, as she felt betrayed. Soundguy told me that this anger was happening in pretty much every city they played. To his credit, it did not deter Todd. But for an artist who is past his Top-40 prime, and survives on touring revenue now- either with Ringo or solo- is it in his best interest to lose fans. In an interesting move, once the state tour was completed, he changed gears and began a tour that was him basically doing a greatest hits set with full band, in original form mostly.

DeadChannel

Spontaneity is the best part of live shows. If I want to hear the record, I can listen to the record.

Frownland

So you would prefer bands to be a bunch of sellouts? Because that's what compromising the artistic decisions that they want to make for the sake of money equates to.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.