The Late Greats
By You Can't Hear it on the Radio
You Can't Hear it on the Radio is a blog about the current golden age of music. At no time since the 1960s has there been such an output of quality music by so many varied artists. Add to that technology that makes it easier than ever for the curious to find good music today. But, like an unlimited selection at an all-you-can-eat buffet, there's no table service. You will have to seek it out. The old model is dead. Generally speaking, you can't hear it on the radio. You can learn about it here, though.
Maybe I’m the only one who cares about this – the combination of small children and a day job can’t be all that unique – but why do club shows seem to be creeping later and later?
Gone are the days where the opener would go on at 7:30 or 8:00 and the headliner would go on at 8:30 or 9:00...now the opener goes on at 9:00 and the headliner at 10:00 or 10:30. Now maybe my problem with this is that I have two small children and don't sleep a lot as a result. Or maybe it's because I'm often at work before 7:30 in the morning. But really, I can't be the only one that feels this way.
So why are bands happily alienating some of their audience? Or maybe it's the venue wanting to sell more drinks by having people in the doors for a larger portion of the evening. Either way, the responsible party is making it more difficult for customers to enjoy the show.
I have avoided an unfortunately large number of concerts because they are on weeknights and I just can't rely on the set times to be reasonable enough to not ruin my next work day. So not only does the band lose a ticket sale and possibly a t-shirt sale, but the venue is missing out on my beer money.
The most exciting thing for me when a concert is announced is when it's on a Friday or Saturday night -- that means the set time matters less. A very late set time on a Friday or Saturday night is still not my first choice, but at least it's manageable.
But on a weeknight, I often just can't manage going to a show that starts at 10:30 and gets me home at 12:30. So I don't go. And I don't spend my money at the venue or on the band. Wouldn't having the show start at 7:30 and the headliner go on at 8:30 make the show more inviting for more people? Isn't the whole idea of concerts for the band to sell their music and merchandise? And isn't the goal of the venue to get people in the door and buy drinks?
The most egregious examples I can think of are shows by Ryan Adams, when he went on at 10:30 and was still playing at 1:15am when I finally left; and Shane MacGowan and the Popes, who had the venue doors open at 7:30 and went on at 10:15. By the time the show rolls around, I just want to leave, and it takes the fun out of the concert for me. Now to be fair to Ryan Adams, he was clearly super super high on something, going so far as to play one song twice in a row for fun, so maybe he had no idea what time it was. Also to be fair, Shane MacGowan needs a long lead time to have approximately 206 drinks before set time and clearly had no idea what time it was.
But it's not just substance abusers who have late set times. The last concert I attended was Ra Ra Riot at a small club show, and they both didn't seem to be on anything and went on at 10:30 on a Thursday night. It was a great show, filled with the great hooks and dynamic orchestral rock, but I sure was exhausted the next day. I would have enjoyed the show much more had it started even a half hour earlier, instead, I was constantly checking my watch and thinking just how tired I was going to be in the morning.
Ultimately, I have to admit I find these set times to be a little disrespectful. That paying customers of both the bands and venues may not be able to function as a result of the show and they don't care seems incredibly short-sighted. They are choosing to not take into account that the majority of the people who have the money to attend shows and buy albums also have responsibilities that make 10:30 set times difficult. I'm willing to admit that I might be out of touch with the club scene, but in the end I vote with my wallet and my money is as green as anyone else's. It's too bad I have to choose, but because I do bands and venues lose out.
--Noah
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