Gig reviewers
 

So, on another forum I hang out/post on, a guy who reviews gigs for a national newspaper chimed in when a person talked about a gig they'd attended tonight.

He asked the person for the setlist and admitted to leaving the said gig early.

Am I being overly precious of live music, to think that this is really really shabby journalism?

Is this normal practise?

Who reads gig reviews?

i think that's standard practice for journalists to review things they haven't seen.

http://www.popmatters.com/music/conc...h-060614.shtml

I was at this show...they did not play "Expressway"...it WAS, however,
marked on the actual setlist as a possible encore song after "Shaking Hell", which ended up being the last song they played.

Now think about those two songs...completely different beasts. Thurston
sings one, Kim the other. One much longer than the other, especially live. No way dude could have confused them. That's what happens when you ask someone for the setlist and they give
it to you verbatim, failing to mention that whoops, they decided not to
do the last one.


from the review: "Expressway" transformed me for personal reasons"

No it very fucking well did not. Lazy ass.

lazyboy journos are everywhere and write for shite papers. im sure, im only guessing but did that jouno you speak of dave write for a dublin mag like in dublin or the event guide or even hot press? they are notorious for that lame half ass writing. the trick is to avoid such reviews and read decent mags!

i read a review of a gig in dublin once where a mates band was supposed to have blown everyone away................... that band wernt even approached to play the gig!

i never read album/gig reviews, its just one persons opinion.

I wouldn't be so surprised if it was for In Dublin or something like that; but it was the Irish Independent!

Not that I read that paper, or pay any attention to the reviews - but with its circulation a lot of people must.

The guy in question is actually a nice bloke, but it's complete bullshit for any journo to feel they have the right to review a bands performance when they don't bother staying for it all.

I mean, do reviewers for art exhibitions walk out after looking through a few pictures, or does a book reviewer write his piece after reading a few pages?


Blargh

I was at that show too! It was a bummer they didn't play Expressway but I wasn't complaining all that much while a bunch of kids in the front were whining and groaning.

most gig reviews suck.

"Der Standard" (big Austrian quality newspaper) mistook Current 93 for Nurse With Wound in their review of last years Donaufestival.
They also wrote that it was good and necassary for Thorbbing Gristle and KTL to play very loud, because there were so many old men in the crowd.
haha

Speak of the devil:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7268597.stm

i think this happens pretty often... i remember reading an online gig review about magik markers from a couple of years ago, where it was very clear that the reviewer had not attended it.

not only did (s)he refer to them as a trio several times (despite of them having been reduced to a duo shortly before which the reviewer obviously wasn't aware of!), but (s)he also mentioned the room was completely packed, which it wasn't by any means.

ahh the indo... cutting edge of consumer trends and fashions.........