I was telling the wife last night things sure have changed at rock concerts since I first went to one almost 30 years ago. We were talking about this as we were sitting in the Fox Area Center for Performing Arts waiting for REO Speedwagon to come on stage.
First of all you need to picture what type of place were were sitting in. Think about an opera type auditorium with the stage in front, orchestra pits, the lower bowl, and rising balconies around the sides and back. The seats were covered with
cushions and plush red fabric, and armrest. I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. We were sitting in the third balcony (out of 4) in the back row and they were fantastic seats. We were about 20' above the band and approximately 80' away. I felt as though I was almost looking straight down on the band. The balcony we were sitting in was steep. The person's head in the row in front of us only came to our knees when they were sitting down. This place has great site lines. Up until this point the casino in Mt. Pleasant was the most comfortable place I had ever watched a concert from (which was coincidently REO Speedwagon) but now this place is, and I doubt I ever watch a concert from a better place. I should also mention this place only seats about 700-800 people a far cry from the 60,000 to 80,000 seat stadiums I have watched concerts from.
That isn't the only changes the people have changed too. Well maybe not the people but the age has changed, they have gotten older. There weren't any drunk or stoned kids, nobody running around looking for free pot or trying to find a "buyer" for their alcohol, nobody passed out or laying in their own vomit, I didn't see any obscene tee shirts, and none of those "cool" looking people outside scalping tickets. What I did see was grown people anywhere from 30 to 60 years old, some even with their kids, well dressed with khakis and button shirts, hair combed, and filing in and out of the theater in an orderly manner. To the right of us were two older ladies, mid 50's maybe, and to the left of us were a couple in their mid 40's or so.
The other thing I noticed was nobody holds up lighters anymore while the songs play. Instead of lighters they use the glow from their cell phones. My, my how things have changed.
I enjoyed the concert. REO was better tonight than the night I saw them in Mt. Pleasant. They seem to have more energy, the music seem to have more energy, even the audience seem to have more energy. I am not sure how many of the original memebers are left but the singer, Keven Cronin, is still there. Even so I thought the music they played was good. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures or video but the security guards (they were old ladies in their 70's - no joke) wouldn't let me take my camera in with me. As you would expect they played plenty of the old songs with a couple of the new songs from the latest album they produced. One song they preformed was Take Me Out to the Ballgame. They have been asked, along with other bands from what they said, to do their renditions of the song by ESPN Baseball Tonight to air on future shows. They had rehearsed it once that day and sang it that night. It was definitely the most rock and roll version I have ever heard.
They played their usual encore, as every band does, but instead of one song they played two, Riding the Storm Out and 157 Riverside Avenue.
Rock and Roll shall live forever.
3 comments:
That's how we saw James Taylor in Boston -- in an old theatre with people are age and older. Very nice! And I've only seen REO once and would definitely go again and again and again ... they put on a great show still!
the first concert we took sarah was reo up at pine knob. what an education! from the pot hanging in the air to the "old people" dancing in the aisles.
if you still want to see drugs, alcohol and just plain fun go to a kenny chesney concert. all of that still goes on and more.
the first time i saw people holding up cell phones instead of lighters it really surprised me. what has the world come to?
i have been to a few reo concerts and they have always been good. they always end the show with riding the storm out. tradition i think. we will be seeing them after a pirates game this summer. can't wait.
I thought they would end with Riding the Storm Out too, especially since the first time they ever played it in concert was in Milwaukee, but they ended with 157 Riverside Avenue.
They are a great show to go see since they have so many hits to their credit. Amazing how many people sing along with them during a concert.
Oh by the way I don't care to see the drugs, alcohol, and whatever anybody else may be doing I'm with little sis I will take this kind of venue any day.
Post a Comment