Post by JohanneSoulless on Feb 15, 2022 1:20:01 GMT
Feel free to share your gig experience
The thread might seem a bit nostalgic, but more gigs are held now, from what I see. Personally, I must admit that I seldom care for shows. In addition, my possibility to attend them is rather limited (I can’t even go to a gig within my own city if it’s held somewhere too far from busy roads). Obviously, I’m a bad gig goer… but a gig goer all the same
I have some dim recollections of a Russian bard’s show that my parents attended with me when I was 4 or 5 or 6… not old enough to appreciate anything at all (I knew the singer’s name and face though). Maybe I was sleeping most of the time :mrgreen: . Well, I had to mention that for the history’s sake. Then, there could be some school concert-like events, but I don’t even remember them. Sometimes I listened to the amateur bands which used to perform for free just in the main street of my city at weekends (I dimly remember that they stopped doing that quite long ago).
My more memorable concert only happened when I was 17-18, and it was a classical performance of Mozart’s Requiem. I can’t recall why my English teacher started talking about it, but I got interested and went there, a little far from my place.
Actually I’m not a fan of classical music. I like some popular pieces (mostly arias) and the use of classical instruments and classical singing in my favorite genres, and that’s it. But I heard that old classical music had been composed for playing live, and that evening I realized the truth of it . Sure thing, I heard classical music before and had to admit that it was too complex and rather boring for me.
At the concert I didn’t feel bored at all; the music was still too complex, but also fluid and engrossing, unlike the records I’d heard. It was like I watched a curious natural process and couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Not long after that, as if I had to explore the phenomenon deeper, I moved just near the concert hall (it was situated in a catholic cathedral which was a 15-minute walk from my then-new home). I lived there for 9 years, and I attended about 8-10 concerts during the time, I guess. Sometimes I forgot about it for a year, but could attend more than two concerts the year after that. I never once remember feeling bored, although some of the concerts were more enjoyable then others. And I’m still not a fan of recorded classical music, but I’m all for listening to it live
But I moved again, encountered some issues, and haven’t attended anything for 6 years at least, including the pandemic years. It’ll end though, and I’m most interested in going to a classical concert and checking if my perception’s changed. I hope there’ll be concerts after all… (Well, people need some entertainment at all times, and the concerts I attended were really affordable.)
A Russian electronic band Otto Dix played 5 gigs in my city through the years, I went to 4 of them, but saw the band sort of 2,5 times . The first gig didn’t happen for me because it was rather late in the night, plus there was a 2-hour delay. I had to come back home by the subway which is closed at night, and because of the delay I didn’t have much time left when Otto Dix finally appeared. Well, I saw them performing for some minutes, but then I was compelled to run off in haste. When I descended, the subway employee had already turned off the fare gates and let me inside just for an insufficient handful of coins. Yikes
But the evening wasn’t wasted altogether. First, a pair of speakers each one taller than me (I’m not very tall though) blasted a Sopor Aeternus’s cover of Chopin’s funeral march, which I listened to from start to finish (I’d heard it before; still like it). Second, I saw the performance of a supporting band Roman Rain (quite fun, I rediscovered them a couple of years ago). And I was also glad to have a glance at Otto Dix, I was their big fan back then… but that glance was toooo quick
My second attempt was noticeably better, because I stayed through the whole gig and bought a DVD which I couldn’t get otherwise (not at the time, at least). But I barely saw the show itself, because the place wasn’t really prepared for gigs, and I don’t remember any sort of a proper stage there (maybe there was a low platform, but that didn’t help at all). I stood right before the performing spot just before the show… and in some minutes after it started I found myself in the middle of the crowd, and it seemed that all the tallest guys somehow took the first rows. I just can’t explain how that happened . But I enjoyed peeping at the band (who are quite short guys, by the way) through openings between the luckier (or stronger) fans…
The 3rd gig was almost perfect - I stood in the first row, I wasn’t in a hurry and even stayed for an autograph session. But there was a bit of a commotion at the entrance, and the band’s road manager was annoyed and somewhat rude; I don’t know why, but I always happened to stand in his way, and not all of our encounters were friendly :oops: . That wasn’t a big deal though, but the fact of people smoking inside a club with an ineffective ventilation system was lamentable. I’ve no idea how the vocalist got through it, but I don’t recall any issues about his singing. Just a hero
The 4th gig was the best, or I forgot the unsatisfactory particulars. Well, ok, the early April weather was coldish, and I was a bit underclad, but warmed up inside the club. I even liked some d’n’b music blasting from the speakers before the supporting band appeared. Everything started in time, the air was clean, the people seemed to be more friendly and polite than I remembered from before, I was close to the stage. And the band was as good as ever. Actually they are quite interesting to watch, because the singer makes a little theatrical show out of each song (it’s been their trademark since the very beginning). I still remember him pretend to be strangling himself with a scarf
So, that last gig was in 2013, and then… And then a political unrest has started in my country, and many bands stopped touring here. As of this year, maybe ALL of them stopped. Last FM tells me that there are some gigs planned in Kyiv, but I can't even say if they actually take place or someone just forgets to cancel them on that website. Of course, I'm not complaining. I can't even imagine why any band would think of going here, and local bands really have something more urgent on their hands now
I also attended a Lacrimosa’s gig in 2008, just before I started university. It was held in another university's events hall, and I had some trouble finding the right building (all the universities I ever visited were an unbelievable maze of corridors and lecture-rooms while looking like a housing complex outside). I even had to take a taxi there for fear that I could get lost. The hall was much bigger than any club I saw before (and it seemed to be full), but everything went smooth, the stage was high, and I saw the band quite close. The frontman walked onstage with crutches :shock: . It was a surprise to me, because I hadn’t an Internet access at the time and I didn’t know that he’d damaged his knee. Well, some time after the beginning of the show he threw the crutches away to perform freely his usual “conducting” movements . I think I still have the gig ticket somewhere…
I had quite a good time, and that show was probably the most professional comparing to others in terms of management and technical requirements. (The classical concerts were also good, but that concert hall itself was in a critical condition though constantly “being repaired”. Probably it’s still the same.)
One more show was by another Russian/Ukrainian band Shmely (The Bumblebees, it’s their real last name actually, they’re a married couple). They play a wild sort of folk industrial metal laced with funny or incomprehensible lyrics, and I briefly adored them some years prior to the show (still like many songs). If my memory serves me right, I sacrificed my English classes (or getting prepared for them) to attend the gig . It was nice though short, and the fans seemed to be having fun… and I learned after the show that there were fewer people than expected, so there would be little chance for future shows. Well, that must be why I felt comfortable in that place . It could be unprofitable for the band though, who aren’t greedy, but I heard that our rental prices are often absurd. Probably they are, judging by other things. And I’m afraid it prevented a number of decent but obscure bands from visiting my country (the capital in particular). It’s only one of the reasons, of course…
Like I said, I’m personally not really upset about it. To attend a show once in a while is exciting, but I can live without it, or I just got used to it. When I get hooked on a band’s music, I often desperately want to see the band live, but that desire is waning quicker or slower - and I barely ever could attend the show when I needed it the most. Only my first Otto Dix’s show seems to have happened in time, but I didn’t see much. Other gigs were all cool, but I was already past the period of need, and I… hmm, maybe I wasn’t as deep into those shows as I could have been
Sometimes I just go to appreciate talented musicians though (it was probably the case with Shmely). One other band I’d like to see live is probably Ataraxia (Italian neofolk), although I’ve never been dying for that. But I doubt whether they’ll tour Ukraine (and they didn’t in the past, as far as I know). The same goes for London After Midnight - the only difference is that I’d really love it, but it won’t happen (or will happen too late). Nothing new
The thread might seem a bit nostalgic, but more gigs are held now, from what I see. Personally, I must admit that I seldom care for shows. In addition, my possibility to attend them is rather limited (I can’t even go to a gig within my own city if it’s held somewhere too far from busy roads). Obviously, I’m a bad gig goer… but a gig goer all the same
I have some dim recollections of a Russian bard’s show that my parents attended with me when I was 4 or 5 or 6… not old enough to appreciate anything at all (I knew the singer’s name and face though). Maybe I was sleeping most of the time :mrgreen: . Well, I had to mention that for the history’s sake. Then, there could be some school concert-like events, but I don’t even remember them. Sometimes I listened to the amateur bands which used to perform for free just in the main street of my city at weekends (I dimly remember that they stopped doing that quite long ago).
My more memorable concert only happened when I was 17-18, and it was a classical performance of Mozart’s Requiem. I can’t recall why my English teacher started talking about it, but I got interested and went there, a little far from my place.
Actually I’m not a fan of classical music. I like some popular pieces (mostly arias) and the use of classical instruments and classical singing in my favorite genres, and that’s it. But I heard that old classical music had been composed for playing live, and that evening I realized the truth of it . Sure thing, I heard classical music before and had to admit that it was too complex and rather boring for me.
At the concert I didn’t feel bored at all; the music was still too complex, but also fluid and engrossing, unlike the records I’d heard. It was like I watched a curious natural process and couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Not long after that, as if I had to explore the phenomenon deeper, I moved just near the concert hall (it was situated in a catholic cathedral which was a 15-minute walk from my then-new home). I lived there for 9 years, and I attended about 8-10 concerts during the time, I guess. Sometimes I forgot about it for a year, but could attend more than two concerts the year after that. I never once remember feeling bored, although some of the concerts were more enjoyable then others. And I’m still not a fan of recorded classical music, but I’m all for listening to it live
But I moved again, encountered some issues, and haven’t attended anything for 6 years at least, including the pandemic years. It’ll end though, and I’m most interested in going to a classical concert and checking if my perception’s changed. I hope there’ll be concerts after all… (Well, people need some entertainment at all times, and the concerts I attended were really affordable.)
A Russian electronic band Otto Dix played 5 gigs in my city through the years, I went to 4 of them, but saw the band sort of 2,5 times . The first gig didn’t happen for me because it was rather late in the night, plus there was a 2-hour delay. I had to come back home by the subway which is closed at night, and because of the delay I didn’t have much time left when Otto Dix finally appeared. Well, I saw them performing for some minutes, but then I was compelled to run off in haste. When I descended, the subway employee had already turned off the fare gates and let me inside just for an insufficient handful of coins. Yikes
But the evening wasn’t wasted altogether. First, a pair of speakers each one taller than me (I’m not very tall though) blasted a Sopor Aeternus’s cover of Chopin’s funeral march, which I listened to from start to finish (I’d heard it before; still like it). Second, I saw the performance of a supporting band Roman Rain (quite fun, I rediscovered them a couple of years ago). And I was also glad to have a glance at Otto Dix, I was their big fan back then… but that glance was toooo quick
My second attempt was noticeably better, because I stayed through the whole gig and bought a DVD which I couldn’t get otherwise (not at the time, at least). But I barely saw the show itself, because the place wasn’t really prepared for gigs, and I don’t remember any sort of a proper stage there (maybe there was a low platform, but that didn’t help at all). I stood right before the performing spot just before the show… and in some minutes after it started I found myself in the middle of the crowd, and it seemed that all the tallest guys somehow took the first rows. I just can’t explain how that happened . But I enjoyed peeping at the band (who are quite short guys, by the way) through openings between the luckier (or stronger) fans…
The 3rd gig was almost perfect - I stood in the first row, I wasn’t in a hurry and even stayed for an autograph session. But there was a bit of a commotion at the entrance, and the band’s road manager was annoyed and somewhat rude; I don’t know why, but I always happened to stand in his way, and not all of our encounters were friendly :oops: . That wasn’t a big deal though, but the fact of people smoking inside a club with an ineffective ventilation system was lamentable. I’ve no idea how the vocalist got through it, but I don’t recall any issues about his singing. Just a hero
The 4th gig was the best, or I forgot the unsatisfactory particulars. Well, ok, the early April weather was coldish, and I was a bit underclad, but warmed up inside the club. I even liked some d’n’b music blasting from the speakers before the supporting band appeared. Everything started in time, the air was clean, the people seemed to be more friendly and polite than I remembered from before, I was close to the stage. And the band was as good as ever. Actually they are quite interesting to watch, because the singer makes a little theatrical show out of each song (it’s been their trademark since the very beginning). I still remember him pretend to be strangling himself with a scarf
So, that last gig was in 2013, and then… And then a political unrest has started in my country, and many bands stopped touring here. As of this year, maybe ALL of them stopped. Last FM tells me that there are some gigs planned in Kyiv, but I can't even say if they actually take place or someone just forgets to cancel them on that website. Of course, I'm not complaining. I can't even imagine why any band would think of going here, and local bands really have something more urgent on their hands now
I also attended a Lacrimosa’s gig in 2008, just before I started university. It was held in another university's events hall, and I had some trouble finding the right building (all the universities I ever visited were an unbelievable maze of corridors and lecture-rooms while looking like a housing complex outside). I even had to take a taxi there for fear that I could get lost. The hall was much bigger than any club I saw before (and it seemed to be full), but everything went smooth, the stage was high, and I saw the band quite close. The frontman walked onstage with crutches :shock: . It was a surprise to me, because I hadn’t an Internet access at the time and I didn’t know that he’d damaged his knee. Well, some time after the beginning of the show he threw the crutches away to perform freely his usual “conducting” movements . I think I still have the gig ticket somewhere…
I had quite a good time, and that show was probably the most professional comparing to others in terms of management and technical requirements. (The classical concerts were also good, but that concert hall itself was in a critical condition though constantly “being repaired”. Probably it’s still the same.)
One more show was by another Russian/Ukrainian band Shmely (The Bumblebees, it’s their real last name actually, they’re a married couple). They play a wild sort of folk industrial metal laced with funny or incomprehensible lyrics, and I briefly adored them some years prior to the show (still like many songs). If my memory serves me right, I sacrificed my English classes (or getting prepared for them) to attend the gig . It was nice though short, and the fans seemed to be having fun… and I learned after the show that there were fewer people than expected, so there would be little chance for future shows. Well, that must be why I felt comfortable in that place . It could be unprofitable for the band though, who aren’t greedy, but I heard that our rental prices are often absurd. Probably they are, judging by other things. And I’m afraid it prevented a number of decent but obscure bands from visiting my country (the capital in particular). It’s only one of the reasons, of course…
Like I said, I’m personally not really upset about it. To attend a show once in a while is exciting, but I can live without it, or I just got used to it. When I get hooked on a band’s music, I often desperately want to see the band live, but that desire is waning quicker or slower - and I barely ever could attend the show when I needed it the most. Only my first Otto Dix’s show seems to have happened in time, but I didn’t see much. Other gigs were all cool, but I was already past the period of need, and I… hmm, maybe I wasn’t as deep into those shows as I could have been
Sometimes I just go to appreciate talented musicians though (it was probably the case with Shmely). One other band I’d like to see live is probably Ataraxia (Italian neofolk), although I’ve never been dying for that. But I doubt whether they’ll tour Ukraine (and they didn’t in the past, as far as I know). The same goes for London After Midnight - the only difference is that I’d really love it, but it won’t happen (or will happen too late). Nothing new