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After attending 2 Bruce shows this year and many in the past I’ve discovered there are various types of fans at these things:
1. The yuppies who either don’t know who Bruce is and it’s a “night out” or they only know Bruce as the guy who is known for “The Way It Is”
2. The deadheads who get disappointed if they don’t hear a dead tune throughout the night
3. Radio hits fans that are looking for the songs to be played exactly like the albums and are looking for many of the hits to be played that night.
4. The Die hards who really appreciate Bruce’s music and his off the beaten path jam and segways. The ones that request the obscurities and know what Bruce would want to play.
It’s funny to watch the top 3 of these in a show. Many of them get “bored” or shout dead tunes/other artist’s music, ie Elton,
Depending on the venue/night things can often get awkward if the die hards aren’t in the majority and Bruce has to take the bantar and the shouting of songs that he really doesnt’ feel like playing. The silence. It’s hard to explain but something that can be sensed if the crowd isnt’ on.
Anyone else notice these things?
Am I way off?
A.J. wrote:After attending 2 Bruce shows this year and many in the past I’ve discovered there are various types of fans at these things:1. The yuppies who either don’t know who Bruce is and it’s a “night out” or they only know Bruce as the guy who is known for “The Way It Is”
2. The deadheads who get disappointed if they don’t hear a dead tune throughout the night
3. Radio hits fans that are looking for the songs to be played exactly like the albums and are looking for many of the hits to be played that night.
4. The Die hards who really appreciate Bruce’s music and his off the beaten path jam and segways. The ones that request the obscurities and know what Bruce would want to play.
It’s funny to watch the top 3 of these in a show. Many of them get “bored” or shout dead tunes/other artist’s music, ie Elton,
Depending on the venue/night things can often get awkward if the die hards aren’t in the majority and Bruce has to take the bantar and the shouting of songs that he really doesnt’ feel like playing. The silence. It’s hard to explain but something that can be sensed if the crowd isnt’ on.
Anyone else notice these things?
Am I way off?
AJ —
No, I don’t think that you’re off at all in your categorization. That was the short answer, at least from me
Longer part: I’ve seen BH and the NM JUST once — Lowell 8/14 — but in perusing this board, reading other sources of info online, listening to the Munck releases, etc I figure that I can make somewhat of a hasty generalization regarding the differing types o’ fans — but you’ve done it for me.
What seemed to be the case at Lowell in my experience (the crowd, the crowd reaction, the different fans) —
1) I felt that the crowd, overall, reacted generally well to improv and the more “out” piano noodlings…however —
2) I DID notice SOME (a very select few) who became restless during reinterpreted parts of the ‘hits’ which led to —
3) these same listeners departing near the end of “Way” and missing the end of the show. They might’ve been Lowell townies out for the night (isn’t it the case that there are some of those, fellow more experienced Lowell people?) or fair-weather hits peeps who got their fix, albeit a little altered.
4) Lastly, yes, the ol skool Deadheads (like the very very nice ones in front of me) who persisted in screaming out “Black Muddy RIVAH!” or “Eyes Ah Dah WAHLD!” or some such…I must also say that these same semi-irritating but very gracious old-timers would also shout “YEAH!” when Bruce or one of the guys rocked a solo…so ya take the good with the bad, I s’pose. Ha.
That fact that Mass. is a ‘blue’ state, with p’raps a higher percentage of peeps willing to endulge the restless and creative artiste
is a contributing factor…I dunno how the audiences are in other states, or even how the previous ’06 Lowell audience was…Makes one a bit more appreciative of the numbers of people that the Dead could draw ( knowing full well that up to about 1/3 of each Dead show would be jamming, improv, and/or space with drum solos)….I s’pose they would still have their shouts of “Touch of Grey!”
A.J. wrote:Depending on the venue/night things can often get awkward if the die hards aren’t in the majority and Bruce has to take the bantar and the shouting of songs that he really doesnt’ feel like playing. The silence. It’s hard to explain but something that can be sensed if the crowd isnt’ on. Anyone else notice these things?If there is a “silence”, that means Bruce does not want to play a ballad and is trying to decide what to play. He starts fumbling thru his request looking for something talking to the crowd.
That’s when you yell out Tango King, Candy Mountain Run, Pastures of Plently, King of the Hill, Great Divide or something he has not played for a few shows that you know he likes to play. It seems he likes that!
It works for me most of the time! David Day
Lake Lanier, GAI usually enjoy the mix of fans at Bruce’s shows. And since Bruce has “decided to be nice” and play The Way It Is for the yuppies and the radio hits audience members, I would hope they would be mostly satisfied with their “Bruce live” experience.
I’ve been to shows where the yuppies/radio hits crowd was in the majority. This put a damper on spontaneous requests and dancing.
During the shows where the deadheads/Die hards are plentiful, I’ve noticed the opposite to be true. And this can be a positive thing. This was the case at the September 2004 show in Charlotte, NC. The energy level had been high most of the night, so near the end of the show, the people in the first 2-3 rows in the section where I was were on their feet dancing and showing their appreciation for the music. Those of us who weren’t as demonstrative had two choices: sit there and stare at peoples’ backs or get up and join the fun. While I was deciding what to do, no one stepped on me, bumped into me or looked at me as if I was weird because I didn’t get up and dance right away. I (and most of the other people around me) decided to “join the party”-Bruce and the guys were really jammin’,everyone was having a good time, we weren’t in a dance contest, so why not?
I know there have been times when tension erupts among fans, but I’d like to think the positive experiences outnumber the negative.
Jackie
is a contributing factor…I dunno how the audiences are in other states, or even how the previous ’06 Lowell audience was…
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