Dollev

If there was one concert i was looking forward to, it was the one that took place this evening. Not that i am a huge fan of My Morning Jacket. I have not been blown away by any of their studio albums. But their live album Okonokos was another thing. Now there was a band who truly understood how the physics of rock ‘n roll works. And even if i felt lukewarm at best about their latest album Evil Urges, i was confident that i would have the time of my life seeing this band live on stage.

So where did it all go wrong? Well, the first problem was the venue where it took place, the big hall of the Melkweg. The first and last time i have been there, i witnessed (i kid you not) a Tibettan fashion show. All my real Melkweg concerts took place in the small hall, it must have something to do with the commercial potential of the bands i take a liking to. The problem with the big hall is that it is too big to  get an intimate atmosphere and too small to enjoy a show comfortably.
I estimate that there were around 3000 people there. It was completely sold out. When it is that full you have two choices. You can either move to the centre of the hall, where you can’t move at all, or you can find a place at the back hugging the wall, where there is only a bit more space to breath and everyone is moving about (the booze trail) all the time. We were watching the show way at the back and the only positive thing about being there was that it was still pretty easy to get out, while the show was still going on.

Then there was the music. First the support act. I don’t know who they were and i can remember very little of their music. First and foremost because the sound was horrible, and also because the people around me would not stop yapping. Their final song had a huge instrumental part in it and the guys on stage were rocking their asses of with their backs to the audience. Which did not really matter since the audience did not take notice, too envolved as they were with their own conversations. Which did not surpise me, because even when MMJ’s main man Jim James joined them in one of the songs, it only mattered to the folks who where right in front of the stage.

At that point me and C. were not having the best of times, but an half hour after the support act left the stage, there was My Morning Jacket, one of the best live bands of this decade. This band would without any doubt blow everyone away. And i have to say that from there things did get better. The band played pretty well and the sound people of the Melkweg seemed to be able to do their job after all. But the synergy between band and audience was never there. The band did their job and the audience showed their appreciation in between songs, but that was it. Well, to be honest there was Jim James trying to connect with the crowd. A little monologue here, a thumbs up there. It was enough to strike a chord with the first two rows in the front, but for the rest of the crowd it meant little to nothing.

In the end i found it more interesting to watch the audience around me, instead of watching the band. What i saw was people watching the stage motionless, drinking their beers and (i found that the most interesting) regulary checking the time on their watches.

Then i felt those little pains in my back and knees that i would normally feel an hour after a concert. And then it struck me. I was bored. This was not a concert, this was theatre. I might as well have watched the Okonokos DVD at home. I would have felt the same (lack of) emotions while sitting comfortably on the couch.

I asked C. if she would mind to go home. She did not mind at all. In fact, she did not mind with such a passion, i felt guilty that i dragged her to this concert in the first place. When we were outside the concert was only 75 minutes old. Maybe things exploded right then and there, but i would be surprised if it did. This venue was attended by too many people who were just like me. Folks who were not big fans of the band, but were hoping to witness something big, something legendary. It was not supposed to happen. Both the band and the audience were not up to the task.

In about a week the Butthole Surfers will play at the Melkweg. I just might go see that one.

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