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Hi Chris,
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
A couple more exceptions, IMHO, would be RUSH and Robin Trower. I see both whenever I can. RUSH is gearing up again for yet another tour and I know they have some help when playing live, but I sure enjoy the music. Robin Trower is just plain solid. He plays better now than in the 70s.
Happy Memorial Day to all. If any vets on the board, thank you.
John#911
From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Dale
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2012 2:53 AM
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Peter Gabriel - So what?
I almost never go see big name classic rock concerts anymore.
Usually, some of the original band members are missing, (Moody Blues, Beach Boys, The Who, Pink Floyd) or the performers can't sing as well or play as well anymore (The Police, Led Zeppelin).
Or - the band is naturally using some shitty vapid digital equipment in place of the original instruments, and the sound is an updated, sterilized, modern version that has all the life sucked out of it.
I saw The Band once and Garth Hudson (and some other unknown keyboardist alongside him) were using the shittiest, most depressing 80's reverbed Korg and Roland organ sounds to do Chest Fever. It was unbelievably bad.
It sounded like kids playing a casio keyboard in a Walmart toy section aisle.
The same with Jerry Corbetta of Sugarloaf. Green Eyed Lady was played with tinny hip-hop organ sounds - just sonic garbage.
Some of these bands also use augmenting hack musicians on stage and girl dancers that have nothing to do with helping the original band or music style. It's just insulting to the original spirit or identity of the band.
A different example a few years ago was when I went to see Paul McCartney in Toronto. It was enjoyable up to the point when people started trying to sing along. It was sufferable for a while.
But then came 'Hey Jude' which was the absolute worst. The song was literally murdered by the sing-along of the absolute worst choir of out of tune morons I've ever heard. And their collective breath stank like a sewage pipe.
I remember seeing a Beach Boys concert clip where one of them asked those who could sing to sing along, and those who couldn't to 'please keep quiet'.
I thought it was very rude for them to say that at the time, but after that Hey Jude performance, I now understand why.
Overall, the expense, time and the trouble you go through to see a concert just isn't worth it.
These bands today mostly exist as shadows of their former selves - almost their own tribute bands.
I now prefer a good DVD of a classic quality performance from the by-gone days to what's passing as a live show.
Of course, if it's a band I respect and never got the chance to see, (like Nektar) then I'll make an exception, but generally a glorified tribute band version, with tinny keyboards, vocal harmonizer effects, and anonymous helpers and dancers doesn't make for a decent concert.
And the irony is with the technology today - we can have a great sounding concert more times than not.
So why is this happening?