Galway gig

[verenita]

one of the saddest things for me is that galway was the last gig he played in ireland before heading off... and leaving with such a bitter taste is a real shame.

i'm not irish so i don't understand the idiosyncrasy (nor the "need") of drinking during the whole gig! but in truth, doors opened at 7-is pm and the bar closed at 9.30 pm... plenty of time to have a few pint, in my opinion.

in fairness, i think he could have said, at least, a few words, although i understand why he didn´t. as shar said he was already pissed off before he came onto the stage by the lack of respect shown to colm (who also mentioned how loud the crowd were being a couple of times, btw). i also believe he didn´t arrive to the venue all moody not wanting to connect with the audience... so, definitely, it was not all him. and fair play actually to the fella for pulling out a full show anyway, trying his arse off to remain on stage. as another ef here, i thought at some point he would walk off or that he wouldn´t come back for the encore... but he did and he played as genuinely as he could until the very end!

i loved he played eskimo. i would love to believe that it was secretely dedicated to us, but i actually think he was looking for that "friend who is always there for him", as he described the song once or twice.

lys... i agree with wheels, well said!

i´m definitely happy for being able to attend the three gigs in ireland (marti, my gratitude is beyond words!) and for meeting such lovely people and seeing "old friends" again. it was an amazing time all togehter.

[glo32]

I think he and his management should take this as a lesson for the future. Festivals are like this most of the time. People go there and expect to have fun, chat, spend time with friends.
Not saying here that it's Damien's fault, of course.
It's obviously people's fault. That poll where people voted that they "have paid" so they are entitled to drink and do whatever they want, is really scary if you think about it. Means that people think that paying allow them everything.
They don't even think that Damien's music doesn't fit with all that. They weren'd even there for Damien, but for the festival, and for getting drunk at a festival.

If the bar closes before the gig, I could not care less... Means I will drink earlier, or not drink at all. The gig is the reason I'm there.
But these people completely ****ed up a gig because they couldn't drink. That's insane.

And even before that, the point is that Damien felt like closing the bar. Why that? Because it's common for people to come and go and get drinks all the time during the songs. It's crazy. It's crazy that people do that and crazy that an artist has to do stuff like closing the bar in order to have a silent audience.
And if he doesn't get a silent audience that way, I think he should never play in an event like that.

[verenita]

Originally Posted by glo32

They don't even think that Damien's music doesn't fit with all that. They weren'd even there for Damien, but for the festival, and for getting drunk at a festival.

If the bar closes before the gig, I could not care less... Means I will drink earlier, or not drink at all. The gig is the reason I'm there.
But these people completely ****ed up a gig because they couldn't drink. That's insane.

fair enough, glo... but it was not like all those festival full of tents and all the sort. he was the only one performing that evening and there was only one big top... like the kind of "festival" he played in grado, for instance, back in 2012, and basically the same kind as iveagh gardens and the marquee... and whilst there were chatty people in the audience in those places, it was nothing like in galway, not even close.

and blaming on the fact the bar had to close at 9.30pm is loads of s.h.i.t.e... as the same noisy people were too way loud while colm was playing and the bar was open and they had the chance to poison themselves as they pleased.

one interestingly curious thing was he was not "booed" at any point (there was a moment when a few people where shouting out s.h.i.t though) and the applause and cheering were very loud too. it just the ambience was ruined from the very beginning for any possible connection, he didn´t feel invited to and most of us could realise that, sadly.

[Anto21]

Originally Posted by Lys

I know I shouldn't bother, but couldn't help reacting to this ...https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/com...medium=twitter

It honestly makes me so angry to see some of the idiotic responses from people about the situation. People went to have 'a night out' rather than hear and see Damien perform. If the bar closing before the act comes on is your biggest worry then there is something seriously wrong with you and you should probably get some help.

[CoffeeFlavoredEverything]

Saw this on Reddit. I am so disappointed. I am disappointed in the audience for acting the way they did but I am also a bit disappointed in Damien's response. He could have, at the very least, responded with some tact. He's between a rock and a hard place but I support him wholeheartedly, nonetheless.

[carrroline]

How should he have reacted? It was not just a bit of chatter, like you could have expected at a festival, the yammering was louder than the quiet parts that are so essential to his songs.

[borneoman]

Was reading the other day this statistics that only 5% of people going to a festival goes for the music, like 70% go for the fun of it and dont know any band playing, think more people said they were going for the food than for the music and there was even more people going for sex than for music lol

In the future he should stick to montreaux-type festivals and avoid this kinda festival, i'd imagine people werethe same at werchter or primavera

[cuuliem]

Originally Posted by Caticat

Thanks for the setlist. Wow ! You got Eskimo...

I feel so sorry for the "indelicate" audience.
It reminds me a showcase in Paris, at Le chalet des Iles, on november.
There was a lot of noise and he was in a bad mood...

I'll be in Lyon, Paris and Lucerne during next days.
I wish we'll share great moments...

see you in a few hours with claude and lys

[verenita]

Originally Posted by borneoman

In the future he should stick to montreaux-type festivals and avoid this kinda festival, i'd imagine people werethe same at werchter or primavera

definitely, the venue didn´t help at all. one thing is being reasonably loud at this kind of events and another totally different is being disrespectul, which was the case in galway.

we could see the hd videos from werchter and primavera... and he was totally amazing and even communicative. a good friend of mind was at primavera and herself and her friend could barely speak after the show because they were so mesmerized! so, it was more than "this kind of festival" thing in galway...

oh well, it´s in the past now!

guys, enjoy lyon and tell us everything

[lod]

It's in the past but unforgettable for all the wrong reasons Vere.... I can't stop thinking about it.....

[verenita]

Originally Posted by lod

It's in the past but unforgettable for all the wrong reasons Vere.... I can't stop thinking about it.....

it´s stuck in my head too (in fact, i was catching up with this reddit thing that i barely understand... what´s OP, btw?), but "we can´t to take back what is done what is past, so let us start from here..."

[lod]

Frm what I can gather,frm reading reddit, there's seem to have been comments made frm someone whose initials are OP who said Damien was using a backing track... Someone who has never seen an artist use a loop system before I imagine.. That's my understanding Vere

[carrroline]

Hahahaha that's funny sorry, the OP is the original poster

And the idea of Damien with a backing track, that might even be funnier.

[verenita]

lol! oh well... the risks of not being part of any social media... i miss the lingo

thanks lod anyway

[lod]

Well I had the gist of the conversation anyway Vere ... Glad I gave u a laugh carroline!!!!!! What gob****e would ever think Damien would use a backing track... God I wish I could see him again in France.. In sunshine.. In a sunny humour... With a great crowd!!

[carrroline]

yeah thanks Lod!

I decided not to read the comments reddit & twitter anymore. It's just not worth getting angry about.
The truth is, if you can't get through a gig without a drink, you probably should see a doctor about that.

[lod]

You can make it up to me carroline.. By buying me a drink next time we meet ;-)

[carrroline]

Sure thing. Not in Galway though

[lod]

Well just not at a gig ;-)...I was trying to be funny anyway... Hopefully he's working on his next album.. And a tour will follow

[carrroline]

Well, he said so before and he mentioned it again in Cork. So if he doesn't change his mind again, there should be another album in 2017 or so

[borneoman]

Eskimo

[CoffeeFlavoredEverything]

Originally Posted by carrroline

How should he have reacted? It was not just a bit of chatter, like you could have expected at a festival, the yammering was louder than the quiet parts that are so essential to his songs.

I feel like he could have engaged the ****ty chatterers vs Damien fans. Something like "raise your hand if you paid to be here and want other people to be quiet?"

Edit: I just saw the Eskimo video. He reacted appropriately. They were LOUD.

[JSteggs]

Wow, just watched the vid of Eskimo. You could really tell that something wasn't right and that he really didn't want to be there. I just don't understand why people feel the need to be so vocally disruptive during concerts, especially during quieter songs.

[borneoman]

I think he was "in" when he played Eskimo and some others, think when he was totally out was when he played Amie-The Blower´s Daughter-Cannonball

[paddywhacker]

The tent in galway was my first damien gig, and first time in the tent, so i cant say what the atmosphere has been like there for other artists over the years. Damiens warm up artist was not respected at all. Constant din, but his music was not familiar to me, apart from one tune. He did comment indirectly on people talking, but passed it off saying talk among yourselves while he tried to sort out some technical issues for which he apologized. His set lacked any continuity.
Even with the bar closed, a constant stream of people passed by where i was standing which disturbed a bit. How bad would it be if the bar remained open?
The "no smoking" rule was also disregarded by a girl near where i stood, may have been one of those herbal things that the actors use on stage, that she lit up!
A few girls in front of us chatted together for most of the gig, only stopping when very familiar songs were performed, to which they sung along. They did not bother me personally.
Was the cork concert a sit down event? I think that could make a difference, since you would not have little groups forming to chat.
Damiens music is really atmospheric and emotional, but you must listen to it to get keyed in, otherwise if you are only waiting for the hits, you might think some of it meanders a bit. I loved it, but my partner was a bit bored by some of the set list.
Damien can be really charming and chatty at gigs i have watched on line. It might have been difficult for him, but a couple of antidotes would have swung all of the audience in his favour. There was general good will for him throughout the tent, for instance, Volcano got a great response from the audience when he did the three part harmony.
There was quiet singing of "come let me love you" by the audience during "colour me in", and full out singing to amie, the blowers daughter, and cannonball.
There was a lovely moment when a great chuckle rippled though the audience when some wag shouted out "everybody" when we were already all singing during "amie".
Apart from the idiots at the start, there was not a hostile atmosphere, in fact the audience tried to encourage Damien which appreciative clapping after each song. There was sustained cheering through out the tent for five minutes before damien gave his encore, so he was appreciated by the audience regardless of what some people have said about the galway audience.
I was about half way from the front, so maybe it was worse down the back.
There were lots of mobile phones taking pictures but that is common at everything now.
Did he go astray during "woman like a man"? He paused at one point during the start of this song. I was afraid he was going to walk off at that point!
The lighting to the front of the stage was poor, and made it difficult to see damien, a big screen to the side would have helped make his facial expressions visible, and then maybe more people would have seen the effort he was making with all of the songs.
The back lighting was very dramatic and worked brilliantly for the last song of the night. It was amazing what one musician and something called "looping" can achieve.
i cant wait for damien to play in ireland again, but hopefully it will be in a proper venue with seats, a stage etc.

[paddywhacker]

just checked out some videos from galway and cork on you tube, the lack of light at galway compared with the gig in cork is really noticable, why was it so different between the two venues?

[carrroline]

Oh, the wonders of perception. I thought that 'everybody' was one of the more disrespectful moments of the evening.

No, Cork wasn't seated. In fact, there wasn't a big difference between the venues at all. Maybe the marquee in Cork was a bit larger?

Yes, Damien can be charming and hilarious, but if he's pissed off by the constant yammering, he's not going to be very funny and relaxed, eh.

[paddywhacker]

i think the most disrespectful moment for me was when someone behind me shouted up to "reopen the bar" early in the night, after damien had asked people to stop talking. I could have flattened the ignorant idiot!
Talk about a contrast to the interaction with the audience at Damien Rice & Earl Harvin Michelberger Lobby 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yit1OqUfMg

[InspirationDestination]

I have some thoughts, based on observing him during aftershow meet and greets and what I know of personality theories. I believe he is a strong introvert. Although he is able to perform to masses of people (which is hard for introverts), I think it takes a lot of energy and drains him. I'm betting he sleeps a lot and not just because of long late nights and changing time zones.

I think introversion is also why he relies on canned stories, rather than authentic interactions (it's easier). It doesn't mean he can't do it, it only means that it is hard for him. So an unruly crowd throws someone like him off-balance. It's very hard for him to think on his feet and bring them back because it doesn't come naturally and is exhausting. It was very professional of him to stay, but unfortunate that the crowd did not get him at his best.

I've seen concerts with him disconnected and angry and it is painful to watch. Not only because of his suffering but because it causes ripples of tension in the audience.

I also think for some in Galway, it might have been a little bit of the "hometown" guy being put in his place. He bounced back quickly for the French show, so all it well. It shows his evolution because something like this might have caused him to be off kilter for longer in his earlier years.

I don't get disrespectful audiences. Even if they paid and the performer is a professional, can't they empathize and imagine what it would be like if they were up there?

[paddywhacker]

i was just thinking; perhaps he was already annoyed with the audience before he came on the stage because of the loud and constant talking during the warm up act. And when there was a continuation of talking by some people during his set, he just had enough of it, and let rip! On another night he would not have let it bother him.