Mercy purchase at live shows

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Ever buy a record or shirt because you felt sorry for the band? because either no one came to the show or no one cared about their set.
I'm VERY guilty of this. if they play well and are nice guys I'll always purchase something and give it away.

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Friday, 11 April 2003 20:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Rarely a shirt (though I once bought a t-shirt from a horrible band called Death on a Stick --- then opening for the Butthole Surfers -- because I thought the name was funny). Usually it's discs. I've got discs by bands like the Pleasure Fuckers, the Candy Snatchers, the Secret Machines (which is actually pretty good) and several others as a result.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:01 (twenty-three years ago)

The Candy Snatchers got me twice by making sad "how will we get to the next town" faces

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:05 (twenty-three years ago)

No, but I remember the time I suffered through an opening band, and their designated rep WALKED THROUGH THE CROWD APPROACHING PEOPLE TO BUY THE BAND'S RECORD! Uh, no thanks.

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:07 (twenty-three years ago)

God bless the fortunate soul who has enough scratch to "mercy" purchase anything. Pardon me whilst I prepare another mayonnaise sandwich.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:08 (twenty-three years ago)

A gf or wife of a member of some horrible band begged me to buy one of their albums. She wasn't even nice about it, so I declined.

― Andy K (Andy K), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:10 (twenty-three years ago)

If I could give them sandwichs I would! some bands just seem like the homeless or orphans and the parent in me cant walk away without giving something. (there but for the grace of god tour I )

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, I've had Band Girlfriends come up to me and my mates and hassle the fuck out of us to buy their records. After we refused on the grounds that we'd not watched the band at all and weren't at all interested in them she started browbeating us and ranting about supporting local talent. We didn't buy it though.

― Ferg (Ferg), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:19 (twenty-three years ago)

I often do this at lots of small shows, but mostly because if a band is good I prefer to purchase albums at the show instead of from the store. That money goes right in the pocket. T-shirts I only buy once in a while if they look good and I really like the band.

Once when I was well and good drunk and the crowd was pretty small and the band was well-hated by nearly everybody, I bought the album sort of as a mercy purchase, and a friend of mine bought a shirt (but he really only wanted to talk to the merch girl). That was a debacle. That album's a fucking weapon. I gave it away to my friend with the shirt.

(for the record: the band was "Bebe and Serge")

― Millar (Millar), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, I've had Band Girlfriends come up to me and my mates and hassle the fuck out of us to buy their records.

likely so they can then hassle the fuck out of their boyfriends.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Friday, 11 April 2003 21:26 (twenty-three years ago)

It wasn't really a mercy purchase but at a Wedding Present show at the Marquee (anyone remember that NY venue?) in the early `90s the band were selling their Seamonsters T-shirts for a dollar each. I bought three of them. David Gedge was in the crowd at one point and I asked him why the shirts were so cheap. He said the band was headed back to the UK the next day and wanted to unload them.

― Robin Eisgrau, Friday, 11 April 2003 23:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I was at that show (and still have the shirt). I only got away with buying one, though. I miss the Marquee. It's now a Latino dance club -- `cos, y'know, NYC doesn't have enough of those, apparently.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 12 April 2003 01:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Alex, your children (or your cousins or nieces or nephews, if children isn't appropriate) will listen to nothing but bachata and merengue!

I once paid a little extra for a Sun Ra Arkestra CD being hawked at a show, but I don't mind supporting an outfit like that, especially since while they are very independent and outside mainstream commercial arrangements, they never whine to their audience about how people ought to support them, the way some avant-garde classical ensembles, who will remain nameless, sometimes do.

― Rockist Scientist, Saturday, 12 April 2003 14:53 (twenty-three years ago)

When I saw Aden open up for the Magnetic Fields, at the end of the show, or rather during Momus' performance when people filed out in droves, two members of Aden were waiting at the exit (nearly blocking the doorway) asking if we wanted to purchase their cd. I bought it, didn't have much money at the time so regretted it and was kind of pissed until the record grew on me. I sort of forgot that the purchase was forced on me when I became a fan of the band, recognizing their growth.

― theodore fogelsanger, Saturday, 12 April 2003 16:52 (twenty-three years ago)

No, but I remember the time I suffered through an opening band, and their designated rep WALKED THROUGH THE CROWD APPROACHING PEOPLE TO BUY THE BAND'S RECORD! Uh, no thanks.

This is what kinda turned me off the Bellrays, initially. They did exactly that. I'm not against aggressive marketing of oneself, but there's this thing called common sense.

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 12 April 2003 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Two words: The Swirlies.

Somebody please kill Aden. Thanks.

― hstencil, Saturday, 12 April 2003 18:07 (twenty-three years ago)

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