2008 Woodie Awards
By Aaron Tavena
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Recently, I was able to go see Mars Volta play at the Dodge Theater. While my friends swore up and down that Volta was great last time they were in town, I was left with nothing but bitterness, some hearing loss and $40 missing from my wallet. Rather than dwell on the suckiness of the show, I offer these tips for future concerts directed to the bands of these shows – because I’ll be damned if I want to spend another $40 on a sub-par show like that.
Don’t play only songs from your new album
Sure, your new album is good and we understand your desire to shill it out at every turn. But the disc that came out three months ago isn’t why we’re here, so the least you could do is play a few old favorites.
Don’t go on stage wasted
You might think you play better when you’ve had a few shots of liquid courage or a few rails to get the night started, but you don’t. Leave the drinking to the audience, who deserve it more when it costs $10 for a single beer.
Mix It Up A Little Bit
We’re not paying for a stock show. Add new lyrics, throw in a cover here and there. At least once in your career, do an encore. Audiences are left with a better feeling if you don’t rush off the stage the first chance you get.
We’re here, stop selling
Especially if you’re a big name band, don’t hock your guitar picks, t-shirts and drumsticks on stage. You come off less like a musician and more like the corporate parody of a musician.
Sound Check
If at any time you see audience members squint like they’re straining to separate the drums from the guitar from the vocals, your sound guy has fallen asleep at the board. Ten minutes of sound checking will save us 90 minutes of aural waterboarding.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Ty
posted 10/07/08 @ 1:37 PM MST
The sound at the Mars Volta show at Dodge was horrendous, they played for about an hour and managed to play one (maybe two) songs off De-Loused - I feel/felt cheated. (Continued…)
Dandelion
posted 10/09/08 @ 3:50 PM MST
Man while you may be right about the soundcheck thing you should really make your research before posting something like this
Ryan
posted 10/09/08 @ 8:22 PM MST
You realize how they write music, their albums tell a story, so just playing random songs with no correlation live makes no sense?
Daniel
posted 10/09/08 @ 11:34 PM MST
I think what you're looking for is a "typical" rock concert, which is what the Volta doesn't give you. I love their live shows for the fact that you get something different from the albums. (Continued…)
Zach
posted 10/11/08 @ 8:34 AM MST
Look buddy, I don't know if you are a musician, but when a band writes a new album and releases a disc it is because they want to take a new direction. (Continued…)
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