Winnipeg (by matthewgood)

This photo is from Matthew Good’s highly enjoyable show Friday night at the Garrick, taken by MG himself. I like that the projection windows from the former movie theatre are still lit in the back.

So, a bit of a rant — what’s up with all the loogans at shows like the Weakerthans and on Friday at Matt Good? If you’ve ever been to a Tragically Hip or similar show, you’ll know who I’m talking about. The guys who are always getting up for beer and end up getting half-cut at a show they’re paying $40+ to see, talking loudly, hooting and yelling at the band to play Highway Girl. In general, a massive distraction for those who actually value hearing the music and stage banter as part of the concert experience.

Well, unfortunately the loogans are now attending more accoustically-driven shows where the volume of their collective yelling is actually starting to become competitive with the volume of the PA. At one point during a break in show while MG was taking a drink and talking, and the loogans started hollering, MG (in his typical sense of humor) suggested that they entertain the crowd instead, and he just keep on drinking. At least it probably wasn’t as bad as Sault Ste. Marie, but still very annoying.

So, please, if you want to go drink lots of beer and yell out requests, stay at home with your friends and your iPod — it’s far cheaper, and you actually might get to hear the songs you’re requesting — that is if you can figure out how to work an iPod. Maybe try yelling “Born To Kill” at it? If you’re loud enough, it might listen to you…

Sincerely,
Those of us who go to shows to hear the musicians

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at 2:06 pm and is filed under As Found Elsewhere, Goings On. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.