I'm definitely too old to cope with big shows, or rather, big crowds. A friend is headed to Pearl Jam and almost convinced me to go with, but I know the experience would be wasted on me. The weird thing about me is that I can tolerate sitting in an earthquake prone building - Wellington's Opera House - but not in an open arena or large venue with thousands of people.
I did go see Jon Toogood in an acoustic set at MEOW recently. It was my first time seeing him live in any context. My relationship with Shihad is very much through my daughter - their music having pulsed out of her bedroom during her teens.
I nearly didn't go to Toogood. I'd spent the month going to everything on offer in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington, and buying local artists albums. My way of supporting artists directly and countering in some small way our aweful government with their pretend minister for the arts "who saw a show once" and the not even minister for the arts David Seymour who likes to overstep his way into every occasion.
So, by the end of the month I was feeling a little cup over-runneth. But an hour before the show I checked online and purchased a ticket, leaped on a bus, and half an hour later I was stood at MEOW conspicuous in my not black and not Shihad t-shirt.
There's a great posse at MEOW right by the door - an old gramophone that people mostly us as a deposit for empty glasses, but it also makes for a perfect makeshift seat. It's directly behind the sound desk, so as long as no 7 foot late comer decides to stand directly in front of you, you get an elevated seat, and a clear visual line to the performer. So there I sat, greatful for a little extra height - I'm not 7ft tall.
I immediately warmed to Toogood. He glided onto stage with his long hair swirling around him. He had me at. "Hello motherfuckers"
Jon Toogood, like Bridget Jones' friend Shaza, likes to say fuck....A LOT.
So of course he felt immediately familiar to me. "Come the fuck on Bridget" and "comming to fuckin Paris or not?" are two of the most quoted Bridget Jones quotes in our family. Along with others like "just stir it Una" and "isn't it dreadful about Chechnya"
But back to Toogood.
He apologised in advance for his "clunky" finger picking, but he needn't have, I really enjoyed his playing. He has a meticulous, metronome steady rhythm.
He shared personal stories of precious time spent with his father before his death, and the surreal and painful experience of having to say goodbye to his mother for the last time over the phone.
He interspersed his new music with some from the Shihad catalogue. The crowd cheered for both, equally I think.
He told a hilarious story about headlining for the Dance Exponents at Massey University in Palmerston North back in the day, Jordan Luck walking out onto the stage screaming "Hello New Plymouth" falling off of the stage, ending the gig before it even started.
Toogood followed this story with a rousing singalong rendition of Victoria. Big noise.
There was banter with a few in the crowd, in-jokes mostly about ACDC lyrics - song writing from history books, because musicians who spend their lives touring have no other life experience to write from.
A really enjoyable show. A great crowd ranging in age from early 30's to mid 60's ? The staff and crew at MEOW are always brilliant. A really wonderful venue - one of my favourites.
Here's the UNLOCKED 🔓 versions of the Quincy Jones NY Times articles for those interested.
Jon's great eh? Just a master storyteller no matter how big or small the crowd is. I sat with him at my local coffee spot and I honestly asked two questions tops. He just ... went for it, told me his story, all the ups and downs, everything, almost completely unprompted. I'm hoping to catch this tour but he's playing the same night as Pearl Jam...
Āe, I know it's not cool to say so but WOMAD Taranaki really is the Best Fest. Kids running round waving anything that glows in the dark, sitting 1m from the tiny Dell stage by the lily pond (highlights from the Dell Stage: the seventyish still amazing Mahotella Queens talking about how their entire original backing band had died over the years from AIDS; the Savoy Family Cajun Band; Horomona Horo & other taonga puoro players), Te Vaka, Hugh Masakella, and Moana Maniapoto on the Brooklands stage, Ozone coffee and excellent pizza at 10pm, decent churros, walking back to the car through Pukekura park...
Also, let's manifest a TV On The Radio show in NZ!
Im going to both Pearl Jam concerts this weekend. Can’t wait! To be fair I have been to more gigs this year than anytime in my entire life (at 42) big and small - Foos, QOTSA, Sparta. There are some great local gigs in welly I have really enjoyed the cover acts especially the range of Coke Together. Some might scoff but they are really pro and as close to the originals as I’m likely to see. Plus it’s nz musicians getting paid.
So while I get the lack of acts I don’t think it’s that bad.
If they can't get me interested, I'm not going. There's not a single show booked in New Zealand at this point in time that features any act that I listen to or enjoy. It's really that simple. Whoever is buying tickets to festivals still is the kind of person who doesn't care about music, because they are a terrible place to listen to music and all of the music listeners are no longer interested. Music promoters are totally uninspired and keep trying to book trash - case in point; giving up when you can't book Kendrick Lamar, the most overrated rapper of the last ten year, chronic style biter, hasnt made anything worth seriously paying attention to since Good Kid MAAD City. Who is taking principled stands when they book festivals that give unpredictable results? Even the line up of the last Camp a Low Hum was larger just bands that everyone is already aware of.
Thanks, Chris.
I'm definitely too old to cope with big shows, or rather, big crowds. A friend is headed to Pearl Jam and almost convinced me to go with, but I know the experience would be wasted on me. The weird thing about me is that I can tolerate sitting in an earthquake prone building - Wellington's Opera House - but not in an open arena or large venue with thousands of people.
I did go see Jon Toogood in an acoustic set at MEOW recently. It was my first time seeing him live in any context. My relationship with Shihad is very much through my daughter - their music having pulsed out of her bedroom during her teens.
I nearly didn't go to Toogood. I'd spent the month going to everything on offer in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington, and buying local artists albums. My way of supporting artists directly and countering in some small way our aweful government with their pretend minister for the arts "who saw a show once" and the not even minister for the arts David Seymour who likes to overstep his way into every occasion.
So, by the end of the month I was feeling a little cup over-runneth. But an hour before the show I checked online and purchased a ticket, leaped on a bus, and half an hour later I was stood at MEOW conspicuous in my not black and not Shihad t-shirt.
There's a great posse at MEOW right by the door - an old gramophone that people mostly us as a deposit for empty glasses, but it also makes for a perfect makeshift seat. It's directly behind the sound desk, so as long as no 7 foot late comer decides to stand directly in front of you, you get an elevated seat, and a clear visual line to the performer. So there I sat, greatful for a little extra height - I'm not 7ft tall.
I immediately warmed to Toogood. He glided onto stage with his long hair swirling around him. He had me at. "Hello motherfuckers"
Jon Toogood, like Bridget Jones' friend Shaza, likes to say fuck....A LOT.
So of course he felt immediately familiar to me. "Come the fuck on Bridget" and "comming to fuckin Paris or not?" are two of the most quoted Bridget Jones quotes in our family. Along with others like "just stir it Una" and "isn't it dreadful about Chechnya"
But back to Toogood.
He apologised in advance for his "clunky" finger picking, but he needn't have, I really enjoyed his playing. He has a meticulous, metronome steady rhythm.
He shared personal stories of precious time spent with his father before his death, and the surreal and painful experience of having to say goodbye to his mother for the last time over the phone.
He interspersed his new music with some from the Shihad catalogue. The crowd cheered for both, equally I think.
He told a hilarious story about headlining for the Dance Exponents at Massey University in Palmerston North back in the day, Jordan Luck walking out onto the stage screaming "Hello New Plymouth" falling off of the stage, ending the gig before it even started.
Toogood followed this story with a rousing singalong rendition of Victoria. Big noise.
There was banter with a few in the crowd, in-jokes mostly about ACDC lyrics - song writing from history books, because musicians who spend their lives touring have no other life experience to write from.
A really enjoyable show. A great crowd ranging in age from early 30's to mid 60's ? The staff and crew at MEOW are always brilliant. A really wonderful venue - one of my favourites.
Here's the UNLOCKED 🔓 versions of the Quincy Jones NY Times articles for those interested.
Quincy Jones, Giant of American Music, Dies at 91 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/arts/music/quincy-jones-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU4.GoV8.AzLnoTE3tQvq
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/arts/music/quincy-jones-hit-songs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU4.W7N8.NtQZmPsyyKmb
ps. You don't actually hate maths, that's not possible - because you love music.
Jon's great eh? Just a master storyteller no matter how big or small the crowd is. I sat with him at my local coffee spot and I honestly asked two questions tops. He just ... went for it, told me his story, all the ups and downs, everything, almost completely unprompted. I'm hoping to catch this tour but he's playing the same night as Pearl Jam...
Āe, I know it's not cool to say so but WOMAD Taranaki really is the Best Fest. Kids running round waving anything that glows in the dark, sitting 1m from the tiny Dell stage by the lily pond (highlights from the Dell Stage: the seventyish still amazing Mahotella Queens talking about how their entire original backing band had died over the years from AIDS; the Savoy Family Cajun Band; Horomona Horo & other taonga puoro players), Te Vaka, Hugh Masakella, and Moana Maniapoto on the Brooklands stage, Ozone coffee and excellent pizza at 10pm, decent churros, walking back to the car through Pukekura park...
Also, let's manifest a TV On The Radio show in NZ!
It’s so good right?!?
And yes I am manifesting as much as I can :)
Lol at #8
It's going to happen. It's our tradition!
Im going to both Pearl Jam concerts this weekend. Can’t wait! To be fair I have been to more gigs this year than anytime in my entire life (at 42) big and small - Foos, QOTSA, Sparta. There are some great local gigs in welly I have really enjoyed the cover acts especially the range of Coke Together. Some might scoff but they are really pro and as close to the originals as I’m likely to see. Plus it’s nz musicians getting paid.
So while I get the lack of acts I don’t think it’s that bad.
Woops Come Together - although they do Fleetwood Mac too…!
If they can't get me interested, I'm not going. There's not a single show booked in New Zealand at this point in time that features any act that I listen to or enjoy. It's really that simple. Whoever is buying tickets to festivals still is the kind of person who doesn't care about music, because they are a terrible place to listen to music and all of the music listeners are no longer interested. Music promoters are totally uninspired and keep trying to book trash - case in point; giving up when you can't book Kendrick Lamar, the most overrated rapper of the last ten year, chronic style biter, hasnt made anything worth seriously paying attention to since Good Kid MAAD City. Who is taking principled stands when they book festivals that give unpredictable results? Even the line up of the last Camp a Low Hum was larger just bands that everyone is already aware of.