Horror Stories: Taking someone to a show who doesn't care about the band.

oh, that's just a HORRID way to spend a show.

brought my then-gfriend with me to see the Old 97's, which she loved, and Wilco, which she wasn't too particularly a fan of.

since this was a school night and she'd apparently never heard of naps or caffiene, she ended up starting to fall asleep during wilco's set, sitting on the tables on the side of the hall. Had to watch her, of course, and she wanted to leave JUST as they busted out the Mermaid Avenue songs.

"...but i've gotta go to WOORRRRRRRK tomorrow!"

bleah.

I missed Autechre on the Tri Repetae tour in 1996 by 15 minutes because the girl I took with me was tired and was whining to go home.

In hindsight I should have told her to sit in the car and wait for me. To this day I still give her the cold shoulder when ever I see her.

I took someone to see the Mekons, they hated it. I loved it. Once again another show i would have had more fun if i'd gone solo.

I do this all the time. I always ask my wife first if she wants to come to a given show with me, but if she says no, I go anyway, with my best friend from high school.

Just kidding.

I remember one show in particular, about six or seven years ago, a bunch of us went to see Thurston solo, traveled about an hour. Most of us were way into it, but one girl stayed in the adjacent bar complaining that she didn't really like "noise' and why didn't he "play songs." She was recently profiled in The Wire.

OK, but, sub-thread - honestly - hasn't anyone here ever BEEN that person?

I recall groaning and sighing my way thru Bouncing Souls, The Promise Ring, and many, many, many others. I'm sure I was just as much a pain in the ass to those poor folks as any of the above offenders.

The last time I can remember was "THAT person" (the complainer) was at a Steve Malkmus show in which he solo'd very badly for like an hour. I feel completely justified.

My sister dragged me to Low in October. I don't think I've done this.

She got her revenge for dragging her along to that by forcing me to accompany her to see Simply Red 'though.

I took MYSELF to a show @ the Fez (ugh) during CMJ a couple of years ago - it was w/ a bunch of people I met through the March Records mailing list via my ex-gf. She was there canoodling with her then-bf, with everyone else in our groop stuffed into the ever-so-small back booth area. I was there, too. I was a mess. In the corner of the booth, nursing this cold that came out of nowhere - I sat with an overpriced cup of tea under my nose & 35 bazillion used kleenex scattered around my territory. I took some niiiice cold mecidine just before the showcase started, which probably made what followed either horribly interminable or surprisingly pleasant.

It was a Le Grand Magistery showcase, just around the time that M0Mu$ was getting sued by W3ndy C@rl0$. Mr. Magistery was not in good spirits that night (or maybe he was in too good a spirit) - his between-set monologues were filled with interminable blather and punctuated by crying jags & what have you. He also did some Kreskin / magician type thing, too. That didn't really fly. As for the groups, some were OK (seeing Stars play the same 3 songs AGAIN was a bit irksome), some were awful (cf. Toog wearing nothing but bondage gear making like watered-down Gainsbourg), and one was Baxendale (hello acquired taste!). Our group left just as M0Mu$ (the headliner) hit the stage w/ some talk-to-your-palm-pilot schtick. I spent most of the show heckling - I might've heckled M0Mu$, too, I can't remember. I was such a fucking jerk, even though I had fun (in my own indomitable doped-up hack-wheeze-cough way) in spite of it all.

I just realized - this story is totally anticlimactic and boring. Sorry.

Well.... yeah.... but only as long as you get more turns that they do, surely?!? ;~)

Yeah - you get 'em to shout things out to which you already have cool, witty, spontaneous, off-the-cuff responses and put-downs already prepared and rehearsed!

(australian joke)

"You hum it, and I'll smash yer face in!"

(c) Frank Sidebottom

I also made the mistake of going with a friend to see Steve Kimock once at a festival. There was nothing else that I wanted to see for a couple hours so I just went along for the company. The band played the same song for an hour while a bunch of sweaty hippies swayed and bounced around as if something really great were happening. I just left the stage area and camped out at the beer tent until it was over.

You can always salvage a boring story by ending it with:
"But I found $50."
-OR-
"And then a bird shit in my hair."

I'd have to agree.

I do have a couple of friends but I would never ever invite them to a show unless he was interested in the band or music in general. Its unfair to put anyone through that and if you love the music then sitting through the dull bits in between sets or waiting for a bit is a small price to pay.

yeah... although, i waited modest mouse out like a champ and let her hang out up front and have a good time.

there have been some other times when a show was going really late and i was really tired that it was partly me, partly them. we ditched in the middle of an oldham show. and didn't stay for second sets by damo suzuki and maybe sun city girls... i can't remember if scg were going to play a second set or not. it was late. we were leaving. i missed outhud cause of tiredness...

m.

My point being of course that I think I enjoyed the gig less because of this worry, and felt stupid/robbed afterwards because I'd been paranoid.