Gig rage (From The Northern Echo)

Gig rage

4:34pm Tuesday 6th July 2010 in Staff Blogs By Will Roberts

What an atmosphere. One for the grandchildren, that one.

I think it was Frank Zappa who said: “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture... it's a really stupid thing to want to do.”

I tend to agree, but that doesn't stop me going to the odd gig to do a review, like I did on Friday for Maximo Park at Inside Out, Darlington.

What is even more stupid in my opinion, is taking pictures of music or recording videos of live gigs on your mobile phone of music. Rather infuriating over stupid. I mean, does a blurred shot of the back of a sweaty head, some hands and some smoke really do justice to the best gig of your life? Seriously, just watch the gig. I know what people are after – the Hendrix-inspired, guitar riff rock and roll shot with sweat and smoke and passion – but I'm not sure that's going to happen from 100m on a Nokia 5800.

It seems I'm fairly intolerent when it comes to other people's gig habits. Don't get me started on people who phone their friends during gigs.

Actually do get me started.

Do people really think that their friend on the other end of the phone will be sitting in their lonely living room rocking out to the stereophonic gig experience – as if they had been transported directly to the front of the crowd? No – they'll be resenting you with every crackling, inaudible note.

I nearly came to blows with a girl at Glastonbury last year. The final set of a stellar festival – Blur – one of my childhood favourites. The girl in front of me was more bothered about working her way through her phone book to boast about where she was.

“Jenny... yeah I'm at Glastonbury... yeah it's brilliant,” she yelled.

“It's your favourite song... 'Tender is the night, lying by side...'” she sang. So her now former friend, couldn't even hear her favourite song – just an annoying girl shouting.

I felt grabbing her phone and drowning it in my overpriced cider.