Bands who get shitty at bored crowds

GG Allin

Mark Sultan.

I thought those Magic Kids people seemed rather annoyed at Golden Plains.

Bands also need to consider their band's name. Aging Deltones fans may misread posters - thus their presence at a Deftones gig.

It can be funny to watch sometimes.

If the crowd is bored, perhaps you're boring?

NO WAY MAN, THE CROWD JUST AREN'T GETTING MY VIBE.

You've been a terrible audience.

Best Coast supporting Os Mutantes were constantly commenting on the audience looking bored, even singling out one dude in the crowd to dedicate a song to (don't know the title but it may have been something like 'Get Moving' or 'You're So Bored' or 'Come Down The Front And Dance You Pretentious Melbourne Artschool Wankers Instead Of Standing With Your Arms Crossed Wearing Black Looking Like You're Not Interested Then Clapping Heartily At The End Just To Confuse Us'). Someone should have warned 'em about Melbourne audiences beforehand - just because we're not bouncing off the roof doesn't mean we're not paying attention...

I also had a memorable night seeing a comedian (whose material wasn't bad, just the response was a bit quiet) who cut off his routine to get stuck into the audience. Way to empty the room and get bad reviews and never-seeing-him-agains, dude.

just because we're not bouncing off the roof doesn't mean we're not paying attention...

I usually find it harder to pay attention when I'm bouncing off the roof. Bands should feel honoured that I choose to stand still in complete concentration.

I know of some bands who have the ''if they don't give me anything, why should i give them anything?'' mentality.

I can understand how this mentality would develop especially if you tour a lot. It probably also depends on what your motivation is for being in a band in the first place.

still, a totally dumb thing to do to a room full of people who paid money to see you play.

If I'm not into it, berating me is not the way to get me on-side. This applies to pretty much every aspect of life.

I've never thought of Melbourne audiences as being particularly unresponsive. Maybe I just don't go to shows that are likely to inspire boredom rather than enthusiasm. Who the hell are Best Coast anyway? (Don't answer - rhetorical question)

If you see they're not into it, you work harder.

This shit cracks me up. For starters I find it hard to take anyone seriously who is spending their energy studying the audiences reactions to their music rather than getting into their own band.

And when you yell at me like a fucking school teacher i'm gonna feel like a total idiot/sheep if i then do what you say, so it's a great way to get me NOT to do it (come closer/start a circle pit, whatever).

At the end of the day why do you care so much about a strangers reaction to your music? The bands i find most engaging tend not to even notice when the rooms has emptied half way through their set.

That Best Coast chick really wanted to start a fight or something. Also, considering they were the support band, I think it's kind of bratty and arrogant to be teeing off on a crowd for not showering you with the adulation you think you deserve. The contrast between the crowd's energy/enthusiasm for Best Coast and Os Mutantes couldn't have been more stark, by the way, which is probably indicative...

I think Melbourne audiences do have that reputation of being kind of staid, which I guess can be misconstrued as disinterest, but to be honsest, on most occasions I prefer that to dickheads dancing obnoxiously and waving their arms in my face.

I generally think that if an audience chooses to watch a band (as opposed to going outside to have a smoke or buy a beer or chat to their mates) it means that they're interested. That said, I hate people who sit down on the floor at gigs - but that just indicates that they are lazy hippies with no consideration for other audience members, rather than that they are bored.

People that sit down at gigs deserve a little kick in the coccyx.

I thought those Magic Kids people seemed rather annoyed at Golden Plains.

Agreed. I thought they were harmless albeit not super exciting fun until they starting griping about the porta potties or whatever being too close to their VIP backstage area! Pulled out the black crayon and put a line throught them at that point.

Best Coast looked and sounded tired on Friday.

they successfully perked up for their Sunday GP set and totally smashed it.

I kinda wish bands would do this more. I hate bored crowds.

(BORING NON-STORY FOLLOWS)

Hold Steady have this cheesy thing they say at the end of (almost) every show about how much joy there is and how much they love the crowd and the band and everything. most fans know it.

they didn't say it in Sydney. did in Melbourne, not in Sydney.

passive-aggressive burn

and the Sydney review of Best Coast's show pointed out the bored audience

i think certain bands get their energy partly from the crowd. if the energy isn't there than the show can seem worse, which can reflect badly on the band

The Fauves used to totally turn it around - the more dumbfounded the audience seemed the weirder and more verbose the band got - a joy to watch!

Violent Soho did this too at laneway - ''Come on, you Victorian pussies!''

Classy.

and the Sydney review of Best Coast's show pointed out the bored audience
i think certain bands get their energy partly from the crowd. if the energy isn't there than the show can seem worse, which can reflect badly on the band

but its pretty arrogant when you're the support band like best coast were. most people don't care about the supports when they go to see legendary older bands like that. am i wrong?

this thread is getting boring

the ''i don't care about what the audience thinks'' attitude is far worse than getting mopey about a non-responsive crowd... at least that's a genuine display of emotion, even if it's a bad look... pretending that you don't care about whether you have an audience or not despite the fact that you're, er, playing a show is a bit ridiculous. that said, i'd never blame the audience for a shit show.

That said, I hate people who sit down on the floor at gigs - but that just indicates that they are lazy hippies with no consideration for other audience members, rather than that they are bored.

Seconded.

poprocks96 said 35 minutes ago:

People that sit down at gigs deserve a little kick in the coccyx.

Unless it's a Spacemen 3 gig

Any ''emotion'' displayed in getting shitty at bored crowd is usually always outward, self-absorded and childish. Kind of like ''we lugged our shitty gear into this shitty venue to play our shitty songs and you cunts aren't giving us the respect and attention we deserve''.

Most bands/performers who get shitty at bored crowds are the kind who can not accept objective criticism or have trouble coming to terms with the fact that some people will think their band is shit.

I look forward to the day I see hyperfuzz berating a crowd for not getting into it enough.

a preview

Neil Young got the shits HARDCORE at his last Sydney show because the crowd didn't stand up. I paid $150 for my fucking seat and I was going to use it (it had been a 40 degree Sydney day). Cantankerous old prick. Didn't come back on for an encore because he was so pissed off.

Ha ha ha, hyperfuzz. Well played!

Most bands/performers who get shitty at bored crowds are the kind who can not accept objective criticism or have trouble coming to terms with the fact that some people will think their band is shit

or that are trying to put on a rock and roll show and think an apathetic crowd hurts that. there's nothing wrong with trying to entertain or engage a crowd. and a good crowd can make a band i'm indifferent to sound better, especially at punkier stuff

pretending that you don't care about whether you have an audience or not despite the fact that you're, er, playing a show is a bit ridiculous. that said, i'd never blame the audience for a shit show.

what if you aren't pretending?

i always get annoyed/confused/amused by the bands - often of a certain sydney genre - who get the shits because the audience is non-existent/not as big as they think they deserve.

the small audience is not the one to get angry at - these are the (few) people who actually have bothered to turn up to see you. if anything, put in harder, so they'll go and tell their friends...

shitty crowds can be a good motivation, i always try to have as much fun as i can and then its all ok. the BEST band ive ever, ever seen live was The Zoobombs, they played at the Annandale in front of 30 - 40 people (most who werent there to see them) like if they were playing to 30,000, it was mind blowing, by the end people were hugging each other. I really respect someone who has that much rock in them that numbers dont matter.

Just an aside, but Best Coast were fucking boring at the EBC, so I'm not surprised nobody was getting into it.

firewitch said 1 hour ago:

This shit cracks me up. For starters I find it hard to take anyone seriously who is spending their energy studying the audiences reactions to their music rather than getting into their own band.

i always notice an audiences reaction,... i'm not ''spending my energy'' on it, but i notice always where the crowd is at....feel wise..

anyways...some of the best/funnest shows i have been a part of were playing to 10 or so uninterested punters, there's nothing more fun than pulling the most Over the top rock moves to a non attended show.... like finishing a guitar solo and then looking at your hands like you don't believe they could be capable of such awesomeness....

but i agree with what others said in the thread - if the punters aint interested - don't get bitter - get better

if the punters aint interested - don't get bitter - get better

or play different gigs.

The greatest example of this I have seen was Gerling supporting Cornelius in maybe 2001? The crowd basically ignored Gerling, and they got all sooky and cut the set short - throwing guitar picks in disgust. It was awesome, cause they sucked arse.

Best Coast were fucking boring at the Forum too and they were really shitty and bratty about it.

Little buzzband c-nts.

That said, I hate people who sit down on the floor at gigs - but that just indicates that they are lazy hippies with no consideration for other audience members, rather than that they are bored.

i sometimes sit at gigs. it's mostly when a) it's a quiet, and appropriate show, and b) when there is an audience sitting on chairs behind me, and sitting on the floor is because i am showing them consideration, rather than reverse.

i will always choose dancing as a preference. but there are times when sitting on the floor and appreciating the music is totally ok, i reckon.

I seem to remember plenty of audience members lying down on the floor of the Corner at a Necks gig a few years back. Time and place, I reckon.

i hardly ever sit down at gigs. maybe for REALLY folky or acoustic stuff. i've done it for a few singer songwriters

If a crowd isn't responding, the solution is not to berate the crowd. US bands are particularly bad at this

i've been thinking about this way too much recently. i thought it might be a cultural thing, since Americans show emotion easier? i want to dance/move at a show, even if it's crap

but then i've seen some really animated Aussie crowds so i dunno

I can not understand why anyone would want to lye down on the floor of a venue.

ChrisBrimstone said 7 minutes ago:

If a crowd isn't responding, the solution is not to berate the crowd. US bands are particularly bad at this

i've been thinking about this way too much recently. i thought it might be a cultural thing, since Americans show emotion easier?

i think with americans its more to do with you guys are taught to react to these kind of cues from a very young age - the pledge of allegiance - stand up motherfuckers! cheer squads - bring the noise! and all that rallying and whatnot - get up off your feet!

that this kind of banter works easier with americans than it does with aussies because of that i think....

i've been thinking about this way too much recently. i thought it might be a cultural thing, since Americans show emotion easier?

I wasn't aware that Americans show emotion easier?

poprocks96, maybe they just love that sticky carpet smell and want it all over them.

it's weird being on stage. what you're hearing on stage is often nothing like what they hear out there, you're at the mercy of uninterested soundguys half the time. and you can play the same set to two different audiences and play about as well, and one audience will go nuts and the other will look bored. so it's probably something about the venue or it being a schoolnight or something, rather than what you're doing. but yes, berating the audience really doesn't help anything.

i think with americans its more to do with you guys are taught to react to these kind of cues from a very young age - the pledge of allegiance - stand up motherfuckers! cheer squads - bring the noise! and all that rallying and whatnot - get up off your feet!

that this kind of banter works easier with americans than it does with aussies because of that i think....

yeah makes sense. if a band tells me to cheer, i'll cheer. hell, that's why i'm there. it's mass catharsis. why go if you're not going to be into it?

Agree with Hillsonghoods.

Also, we all feed off the energy created by an audience that's getting into a gig, but doesn't mean you can't find your own energy on a stale audience night. If you're not excited by your own songs / performance and feel the need to jibe a crowd into a reaction then maybe it's time to give it up!

still, as i'm sometimes the only one dancing i kinda appreciate it sometimes

unless the band is shit

most people in bands are cunts.

The best example I've seen of someone turning a crowd around was Steve Kilbey. He was doing a solo support slot to a sparse under appreciative crowd. Some drunk dickhead half heckled him and he stopped mid song and I fully expected a rock star tantrum. Instead he engaged the drunk heckler in a funny way and totally disarmed him and won the crowd over. He then went on to play a few Church 'hits' and in between songs continued with funny charming rambling stories. Totally changed the vibe of the show.

This thread needs more hook doodle.

I can not understand why anyone would want to lye down on the floor of a venue.

steinbrüchel

Steve Kilbey is a national treasure.