Day 22: Reflections on a concert

José González playing his own music

Anto's friend Moni had tickets to see this guitarrist and since Anto had already gone to LA, she asked me if I wanted to go... and I said sure.

It's been a loooong time since I was at a concert like that. In fact, I don't think I've ever been at one quite like that. I mean, I remember back in the 70's going to bars where a group was supposed to playing - you know, Austin is one of the all-time music capitals of the world, ever since Janis Joplin and even before...

But in those places, - one of my faves was Hole-in-the-Wall - the bar would fill up with people and though there was no one playing at first, there were tables and the bar was ample, and there was pool in the back room(s), and you could generally have a good time while you waited for the group to get there, set up and play. You paid your cover and you drank your beer, but you didn't gripe about not seeing the musicians immediately because other things were going on and you could usually find people you hadn't seen in awhile, or if you felt stranded, you could find a place to sit and just people-watch.

But this place!! From the time we arrived, the musician we had come to see was already there. He was sitting outside on the patio, drinking a beer with a buddy and we introduced ourselves saying how excited we were about seeing the show and how relieved that we had gotten there in time, since the flyer said it began at 9 and we got there at 10. He said, 'don't worry, the show hasn't started yet', so we thought, great, we'll go inside, get a table and have a beer while we wait.

Moni had already paid what I consider a tremendous cover, but she assured me it was worth it - 'this guy is soooooooo goooood' - and I really respect her taste in music. She always finds the most incredible videos on youtube and sends me the links.

So we go inside and to our dismay, there are no free tables. Not because the place is too crowded or too small and already filled... no, the place is quite big, but there are only about 10 tables and they're filled of course. There's a bar in the back corner but it's tiny and it's crowded there and it doesn't look like there are barstools there anyway...

So our alternatives are either: to stand around uncomfortably and chitchat above the deafening techno sound system or sit on the cement floor and get stepped on by people traipsing through to the bar. We opt for neither, go back outside to the patio, but have nothing to do there either - plus it's chilly and wet out there... inside, the music is too loud to be able to hold a conversation for more than 2 minutes, and the bar has nothing interesting to look at, listen to, or do, and as for people-watching, that can only distract you for so long.

Here's something curious: the place is large, as I said. There's deafening techno music bouncing off the walls, and there's a huge empty floor.... so why aren't people dancing??? Don't the people in charge realize that if no one is dancing to that music, maybe they need to change it???? Why have a huge dance floor and lots of people, but no one dancing??

Back inside the bar, first we pull chairs up to the outer edge of the row of tables but it's not a good place because waitresses are constantly having to squeeze by with trays of drinks. Then we ask some people if we can sit at their table (they have 2 unoccupied places) and try that for awhile. Finally, we see other people sitting on the floor so we go up to the front and get settled. I'm thinking, okay, this is good, the concert's about to start and we'll be right next to the stage.

And still I'm wondering why we're all just sitting and waiting! Aren't bars supposed to be hopping with action? Since there aren't enough tables for everyone, shouldn't people be milling around, or better yet DANCING?? Why are we all sitting on a cement floor like that, just waiting...?

So the first act starts 30 min. later and it's a girl singer-guitar-player. She's not at all good, but she has a loyal following there that night who cheer her on and applaud wildly, so naturally there's even an encore! I try to find something good in her performance, but it ain't easy... maybe her voice has a nice tone to it, even if the words leave a lot to be desired.

But when she's finished, instead of the main act being announced - the guy we all came to see, the young Swede of Argentinian descent, José González - we get an even more deafening barrage of techno... and it goes on and on... until MIDNIGHT! Yes, that's right... the main act BEGAN at MIDNIGHT!!!

And still we're all sitting on the floor... which by now is resembling a minefield of spilled beer and cigarrette butts!

Well folks, by that time, I was so deafened by the music that had been forced on my ears for over two hours, and my tush was completely numb from the cement floor, and I was tired just because it was late!!! So, I wasn't in the best disposition to fairly critique the music. To me, although José González has a very nice style (all his songs are picked and strummed, the words are flowing and ballad-type), the sound system wrecked the better part of his performance by distorting the guitar when he wanted to add volume, by completely muffling his voice so that it was impossible to understand his lyrics... I'm telling you, it was a pure and simple case of FRUSTRATION!!

I think what I mainly want to say here is this: if you're thinking about opening up a night club, bar or whatever for nighttime entertainment, HAVE SOME CONSIDERATION for your clientele. Have some class!! Don't drown out all sounds of human interaction by too-loud, body-invasive techno beats if the people there clearly demonstrate that they're not interested in dancing to it, don't open a place and charge a cover if you can't even offer your customers a better place to sit than the hard cold floor, and if on top of that, there's no live music for the better part of the night, and ESPECIALLY don't advertise your main act for 9 pm if it's not really going to start until MIDNIGHT!! According to the manager, whom I searched out when it got close to midnight and we were still waiting, the bands have the say of when they will go on, and it's quite "normal" procedure for them to start at midnight... well, if the main band doesn't want to begin earlier, I think owners/managers should feel a certain responsibility toward their customers and make sure that there are other bands or acts that can play earlier... after all, they do have SOME say about the agenda! If they can't find live groups to play on the bill, they can at least choose better piped in music for the intermission... I mean there's something to be said for having a bit of variety you know!