I saw and heard Cheap Trick in Red Bank, New Jersey last night. It was the first indoor live music event I had been to since fall of 2019. The ground rules of the venue were proof of vaccination, with masks strongly suggested. I was excited when I bought the tickets on June 26th at 10AM. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing when my Ticketmaster confirmation e-mail came on June 26th, 10:05AM.
We arrived at the theatre at 7:30, my N95 mask doubled up with something stylish on top of it and carefully made our way to the seats. There were some people wearing masks, but most of the crowd was not. I sat motionless, hands clenched on my lap, trying to control my breathing as to not fog up my bi-focals, which were already partially obstructed by the masks.
Sounds like fun, so far, no?
Cut to the chase:
Cheap Trick were all that and more. I don't know what magic potions Robin Zander has been drinking all these years, but at 68 years old, he has not lost one bit of power in his voice. There was no Tom Petersson, who was recovering from heart surgery, so bass and vocals were handled quite nicely by Zander's son Robin Taylor Zander.
As Rick Nielsen pointed out, "Tom Petersson had heart surgery. Lazy guy, he's not even here. I've got a rotator cuff issue. I'm here!"
50 years of material, and a long time penchant for playing too much of the obvious material, CT surprised me in the very best ways.
Hello There
Hot Love
Big Eyes
California Man
The House Is Rockin'
Ain't That A Shame
Stiff Competition
Baby Loves To Rock
Nielsen again, "This one is a request. So uh...you better be here!"
And then they did "Tonight It's You," an absolute Zander tour de force.
But now, here's the thing.
It just wasn't the same.
I thought I might experience a means of catharsis upon the lights going down and hearing power chords for the first time since the world fell apart. But instead, I was fidgety and uncomfortable, like a stranger in a strange land, golf-clapping to rock and roll. I had a few drinks with dinner, but I said no to the giant $14 diluted concert beer, which is always a bonus. I just didn't want to keep sipping under the armor. Also missing were the uncontrollable "WOOOOOOHHS" I often unleash after a particularly great song. They just didn't come. This first concert was not what I expected or hoped for, through no fault of the band, who were better than ever.
I have a ticket for King Crimson tonight at NYC's Beacon Theatre, but I can't do it. I'm drained.
If the argument remains that watching a concert video is nothing like being there in person, I would also argue that a live concert experience is not the same under restriction. It was worse than just watching from home. The music was loud. The band was on fire. But I could do much else but sit, which I can do from home, without fear. I refuse to buy into the "you're vaccinated, so if you do get sick, the
symptoms will be mild" scenario. I don't want mild symptoms. I don't want any symptoms. I don't
want to lose my sense of taste for 5 minutes, let alone a week or
months. And that's the least of it.
I had a great day yesterday. I met a friend for lunch on the boardwalk in Asbury Park. The weather was perfect, if a bit windy. I met my concert companion later that afternoon and had a few beers and dinner also on the boardwalk. A perfect day, culminating with one the greatest rock bands of all time, except it just didn't feel right. I don't regret it, and I am sure being vaccinated, not to mention my makeshift hazmat suit will keep me healthy. But I don't see myself doing this indoor thing again, any time soon. Maybe a different venue, with different seating arrangements. But the close quarters of a theatre filled with beer drinkers and hell raisers, many with masks dangling from their ears or hanging from their chins, is more than just a speed bump, I don't care who is taking the stage.
13 comments:
I feel the same hesitation about going to live shows even for a fave act. My trepidation is more about the crowd and where they might be going wrong. Plus I like to have some beer, the non diluted reasonably priced kind, and taking a mask off and drinking is just not cool from a rock experience point of view....
My son gave me concert tickets for my birthday (back in April, when the vaccination rate was rising and COVID cases were declining). The tickets were for a band that my son and I have seen several times before. Music that we bonded over while he was growing up.
Yesterday the band announced that they were cancelling the tour and refunding tickets. I honestly felt a sense of relief. My biggest concerns were about the venue (which is poorly ventilated) and the crowd (as Jeremy pointed out). I'm reminded of that demotivational poster about meetings. The subtitle says, "None of us is as dumb as all of us."
https://despair.com/collections/demotivators/bestof
Sorry the show wasn't a maximum buzz for you, Sal.
No need for you to attend a show if the vibe not's there for you.
Things will be normal again...someday.
Randy
Sorry to hear about your night, though I'm glad to hear CT is still killing it in concert. I understand your apprehension. I've only been to one indoor show since the pandemic started and it was a socially distanced show at City Winery (25% capacity at the time). I didn't feel uncomfortable with that. But I realize that 25% capacity shows probably isn't a sustainable business model. Hoping we are able to get back to something that resembles pre-Covid times.
The conditions prevented you from losing yourself in the moment.
I feel the same. I want to see live music, but I don't want to go to a club and stand off in a corner away from everyone else, which is probably impossible to do with any fairly popular band. I can't get into the music if I'm constantly looking over my shoulder. The clubs I would go to have vaccine requirements, but that doesn't change my mind right now. Sitting in a crowded theater surrounded by strangers isn't going to happen for me for a long time. I don't care if they're all six feet away. I'm fully vaxxed and will get the booster, but the Covid's still here, it's more deadly, and being "mildly sick" at home for a few days is not an acceptable option for me to see live music. I'm already immune compromised, so it'll probably be worse for me. There are three shows I'd love to see in Nov. & Dec., maybe things will be better by then.
Going to see Rufus Wainwtight tonight at L.A.,s Greek Theater and I’m filled with dread. At least it’s an outdoor venue. The one thing I’ve noticed here that helps is that so many people are wearing masks as they’re out and about on the streets. So hopefully the crowd will be masked.
I get it! Man, do I.
Here in Atlanta, my last live music experience was taking my wife to Raphael Saadiq (I'm obsessed with him) to a show here in February 2020.
Fast forward to August 13, 2021. Yeah, a Friday the 13th, thank you.
I was lured out of the house by a) being vaccinated, b) masked the whole time of course, c) a mask policy at the small club, d) just about every person obeying, and e) going alone so I knew I could distance myself a bit from others.
The band was Atlanta's own Young Antiques. Their album last year is so incredibly good, I'm playing it over and over and over. Which hasn't happened in a while. "Another Risk Of The Heart" is the LP.
They opened with the first song from it, and the best song I've heard in a while - "Euclid Creeper."
Check it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmK3Yf_RIls
And fuck it, man, I was IN from then on. They played a crazy-good set and I loved it.
But of course, like you said, the whole time I'm wondering if I'm doing anything like the right thing by being there.
It's tough. I tend to be over-cautious about this thing. But I went, and I enjoyed it.
Then this weekend I was able to catch Archie Sheep for free at the outdoors Atlanta Jazz Festival. Tons of distance between people, all outside - attendance was down for obvious reasons.
It was fun. I can see more outdoors shows soon.
But I have a ticket to an indoors Lindsey Buckingham show on 9/22. I think about it every day and am nervous...
Bummer! It's pretty much how I feel. Still going to drive-in movies rather than a movie theater and in no mood for indoor concerts. I feel I just couldn't enjoy them either. But awesome to hear the band was in top form.
And on the bright side you didn't describe wanting to slap all the yahoos attending without a mask on! You may have THOUGHT it but you didn't write about it. :)
I've got tickets to My Morning Jacket at Forest Hills for tomorrow and Jason Isbell at Pier 17 later this month. Both outdoor venues and proof of Covid vax is required.
A few weeks from now we are supposed to see Tedeschi Trucks at the Beacon. That will be my first indoor show since Feb 2020. While I can't wait to see them, I know that our experience will be tempered by wearing a mask throughout. After all, it's hard to yell "play Freebird" with a mask on. :) And yes I will save money by not buying overpriced beers at the show so I guess that is good? Looks like this is our new normal for a long while
You know how much I am Wilco-embedded. We got tickets for Tweedy and Nels at Mass Moca - outdoors - a Saturday mid-July and then literally the night before the concert, an email came saying because of thunderstorms they were moving it inside, and if you could switch to the Sunday the artists were generously doing a second show. So we opted for that, and it was much less crowded than it would have been, and we stuck to the walls, and it was fine. But we were among the only masked.
Red Rocks, a month later: outdoors, 9000 people, again, we were among the only masked, but it was also spread out-feeling.
Now comes my moment of truth: Tweedy solo indoors at new, unfamiliar Bushwick venue Brooklyn Made, end of the month, which I had bought before Mass Moca was announced. Expensive. Unclear if I can unload them. Not sure how this will play out. Basic feeling is, Jeff has been super cautious - moved a KC show outdoors -- and would not play someplace that wasn't safe. But.
@ A Walk In The Woods -- I'm near ATL too. Under normal circumstances, I would suggest that we meet up sometime at a show. Dunno when or whether "normal circumstances" will return.
Outdoor shows might be an option. I was kinda surprised that Athfest was cancelled, but I understand the rationale. The city of Athens made the decision based on the current COVID infection rate. They didn't want a superspreader event, and Georgia hospitals are already overwhelmed.
Thanks for recommending "Euclid Creeper" -- drugs & rock & roll!
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