MR

How is it that there are such mixed reviews regarding sound quality, band enthusiasm, voice quality, etc...?

Some say the bass is too loud.
Some say the sound is perfect.
Some say Augeri sounded hoarse.
Some say he sounded perfect.
Some say the band looked bored.
Some say they were energetic.

Is it people's expectations before they go to the show? Are some going to say it was perfect, regardless of what happened, out of what they feel is a friendship with the band through an internet site?

I just don't get it...

..... or are some people gonna say they didn't look happy, had no chemistry etc out of what they feel to be friendship with the naysayers on an Internet site....

cetera wrote:..... or are some people gonna say they didn't look happy, had no chemistry etc out of what they feel to be friendship with the naysayers on an Internet site....

Wondering about this as well.

This is an honest question. How can people who went to the same show have totally different views of what they saw and heard?

Especially if the reviews come from people who have never even HEARD of MelodicRock...

Perhaps it is just the nature of the beast? You can put 2 people in the same room and they will hear and see different things about that room. I know when I go to concerts, I always hear things differently than my friends. Maybe because I know a little bit about music (i.e. play an instrument and have a daughter that is a master musician)??? And maybe what part of the concert are you focused on, the singing or the musicianship.....Just a thought.

Great point !

If you're sitting upfront, you get a whole different experience that those who sit in the back. You see the band interact with the crowd, the speaker stacks are behind you, so the bass isn't as intense, Etc...

Also, if you are familiar with a band's show, you appreciate some aspects more than those who are not.

cetera wrote:..... or are some people gonna say they didn't look happy, had no chemistry etc out of what they feel to be friendship with the naysayers on an Internet site....

You're kidding, right? I would say that maybe at most 10% of those going to shows frequent these types of boards decicated to a band at all, let alone a frequent basis. They don't make up a majority of the fan base.

It's like saying Rush should play "The Camera Eye" live because on the Internet the fans demanded it.

StyxCollector wrote:

cetera wrote:..... or are some people gonna say they didn't look happy, had no chemistry etc out of what they feel to be friendship with the naysayers on an Internet site....

You're kidding, right?

no, sadly & unfortunately Peter Cetera isn't kidding.

that's almost as bad as accusing someone of killing someone else, with words on the net.

A few bands have done things like that though. Toto had a poll on their website on songs fans wanted to hear on their tour this year, and I think about 6 or 7 out of the 10 made the tour setlist. I believe Rush might've done something similar at one point, and I know the Stones did it way back in 1997, they had a poll for each show where fans could vote, and in the middle of the show, they'd play whatever song won for that city, it was pretty sweet.

WalrusOct9 wrote:A few bands have done things like that though. Toto had a poll on their website on songs fans wanted to hear on their tour this year, and I think about 6 or 7 out of the 10 made the tour setlist. I believe Rush might've done something similar at one point...

Rush did for the 2004 30th Anniversary tour (And I THINK for the Vapor Trails Tour..don't remember). I voted QUITE a few times and they STILL didn't keep "Leave That Thing Alone" and "Natural Science" in. Damn. lol. At least I finally saw "Xanadu" live.

knox, I feel like I am one of the people you are referring to. Okay I came home in excitement to
tell everyone after Holmdel that they did EOTB and an encore and I said they played perfectly. Of course I do not feel a friendship with the band. If I did I would have been backstage one of these times!!

But anyway we sat towards the back cuz I waited too long to get tickets and I know absolutely nothing about music except I like Journey and Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart etc etc but could not elaborate on their quality of instruments or things like that. So I am not a Kool Aid drinker as they are sometimes called but I had a GREAT time and I don't really analyze much more than that so to me it was a perfect night. I was also very happy to see that everything was truly live (as far as I could tell) after all the things that were said.

KarenNJ wrote:knox, I feel like I am one of the people you are referring to. Okay I came home in excitement to
tell everyone after Holmdel that they did EOTB and an encore and I said they played perfectly. Of course I do not feel a friendship with the band. If I did I would have been backstage one of these times!!

But anyway we sat towards the back cuz I waited too long to get tickets and I know absolutely nothing about music except I like Journey and Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart etc etc but could not elaborate on their quality of instruments or things like that. So I am not a Kool Aid drinker as they are sometimes called but I had a GREAT time and I don't really analyze much more than that so to me it was a perfect night. I was also very happy to see that everything was truly live (as far as I could tell) after all the things that were said.

Welcome Karen,
I know I have walked out of shows thinking they sounded great while others have complained about things. So I chalk it up to one question: "Did I have a good time?". When I went to the Main Event show I was rather disappointed because A) They dropped Precious Time, and B) The band seemed to be "going through the motions. After being pleasantly surprised by Styx and REO, Journey was a let down. And even last year I felt like it was the Neal Schon show instead of a Journey show. But did I have a good time? You bet.

I do tend to pay a little more attention to things going on lately, instead of purely enjoying myself. But it has not conflicted yet. And I still think the Under The Radar Tour was the best show, followed by last year's.

The show I went to - there was just something *off*. Can't put my finger on it, but something was very different about the whole band.

KarenNJ wrote:knox, I feel like I am one of the people you are referring to. Okay I came home in excitement to
tell everyone after Holmdel that they did EOTB and an encore and I said they played perfectly. Of course I do not feel a friendship with the band. If I did I would have been backstage one of these times!!

But anyway we sat towards the back cuz I waited too long to get tickets and I know absolutely nothing about music except I like Journey and Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart etc etc but could not elaborate on their quality of instruments or things like that. So I am not a Kool Aid drinker as they are sometimes called but I had a GREAT time and I don't really analyze much more than that so to me it was a perfect night. I was also very happy to see that everything was truly live (as far as I could tell) after all the things that were said.

Karen,

Seeing as you are not a critic, the point is that you had a great time. No one can fault you for that!!!!!!!

I was reading reviews for all the shows at Journey and DL's websites and several complaints that were made by fans for the first couple of shows have been changed like Journey doing a one song encore and DL putting in Foolin and dropping a cover song so I do believe they have someone read those reviews and switch up what they can as well as gauging the fan reaction at the shows too.

As to different versions of the same show I noticed a lot of that too a few thoughts on that;some diehard fans will say everything was great even if it wasn't for whatever reasons there are several. Sometimes it's seating because I saw some complaints about the bass drowning out vocals or other factors due to loudness that others didn't experience at the same show. In huge venues depending on the seating it's hard enough to see the band on stage when everyone's taller than you anyway much less pay attention to what other fans are doing and their responses. I've also seen a lot of complaints more to do with the setlists than the performances and it seems like Steve Augeri hangs back onstage at some shows and not others where he does interact with the audience so that in itself will not please fans.

Just trying to add to the conversation with what I have observed so far in a positive way without being critical of anyone.

StyxCollector wrote:

cetera wrote:..... or are some people gonna say they didn't look happy, had no chemistry etc out of what they feel to be friendship with the naysayers on an Internet site....

You're kidding, right? I would say that maybe at most 10% of those going to shows frequent these types of boards decicated to a band at all, let alone a frequent basis. They don't make up a majority of the fan base.

Er... no, I'm not kidding.... I'm referring specifically to the ones who frequent boards because they're the ones who's reviews we hear.... it's quite simple really....

Escape79 wrote:Rush did for the 2004 30th Anniversary tour (And I THINK for the Vapor Trails Tour..don't remember). I voted QUITE a few times and they STILL didn't keep "Leave That Thing Alone" and "Natural Science" in. Damn. lol. At least I finally saw "Xanadu" live.

I saw them on the "Vapor Trails" and 30th anniversary tour and they did "Natural Science" at both shows, I believe both times at the end of the 1st set. I was also thrilled to hear "Xanadu" live. The crowd went nuts when Alex whipped out the double-neck guitar for that one.

whocares wrote:

StyxCollector wrote:

cetera wrote:..... or are some people gonna say they didn't look happy, had no chemistry etc out of what they feel to be friendship with the naysayers on an Internet site....

You're kidding, right?

no, sadly & unfortunately Peter Cetera isn't kidding.

that's almost as bad as accusing someone of killing someone else, with words on the net.

Oh please, get a life.... and I resent your comparison.