AndyK wrote:
Quote:
Meat stopped singing the opening line of Paradise last night because he wasn't happy with the way he started the song. He lost his microphone at one point last night as well. At one of the previous shows he started the wrong verse during Took The Words, and then corrected himself with good self-deprecating humour. He dropped his gum onto his guitar at Manchester. He sang a wrong note at the second show in Manchester and proclaimed "That wasn't the right note, but it WAS a note!"
All of these things contribute to making each show different from the last.
What is never in doubt in my mind is that the energy is there, and the commitment is there, always! I just hope all of that is what comes across when I write my reviews down? I'm revealing the show "warts and all" I suppose, but hopefully in a positive way?
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I think yes, it does, and you do in your example Andy. If you look at what you said in your opening para these would all be viewed by Meat I think as observations which weren't critical, in which you pointed out how he managed them (you forgot to say he said "Oh shit .. dropped my gum" and giggled at Manchester ), made us laugh at them and with him, and just added to the feeling of being there. They are thus not warts .. just interesting freckles
What I think he finds harder to take (and he has said as much) is when people say "It was a great show but his voice wasn't as good as at ..." .. or "He sang *** which was great but I don't like *** Why didn't he sing ****" etc etc .. Better to say at the end "Now if one day he'd sing *** .. that would make my day!!!" Some people on the OIFC board have been going on about him being a "semi-tone off in ...." .. pleeeeease!!! And some have been a lot worse! So a thoughtless comment, not intended to be harsh, can be the last straw sometimes don't you think?
I've said elsewhere that written feedback is the hardest to take .. anything negative sits there staring at you, and most of us if we're honest would I think look at any written report on us and read through the good bits and get riveted on the thing that was negative. It's the human condition, and Meat's very human :) When I write a review I write it for others who haven't been to the concert, but also because I know Meat comes here and I hope he sees how much I've enjoyed the show (I'm sure he wouldn't wade through all mine
.. but skimming the opening paragraph should tell him I loved it
) And we all KNOW that Meat comes here and reads the reviews .. we know he's sensitive to criticism. That's a fact, not a right or wrong. So I'd always make sure that my review of a show that had been a great night, which I had enjoyed, and in which the man had given his all, wouldn't make him think anything but that, and that it would assure him he'd done a great job and I was truly greatful.
My dad used to play the piano .. by ear. He'd play for me sometimes .. even play the songs I loved, bless him, although he didn't like them(he thought music died with Irving Berlin!) Sometimes he was spot on .. sometimes he wasn't. But he did it for me, he did the very best he could. And when he asked was it OK .. I'd say lovely, thank you.