From: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org (good-noise-digest) To: good-noise-digest@smoe.org Subject: good-noise-digest V2 #117 Reply-To: good-noise@smoe.org Sender: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk good-noise-digest Monday, October 11 1999 Volume 02 : Number 117 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Ram's Head, "The Late Show": Chaos [MadlyDancn@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 11:04:24 EDT From: MadlyDancn@aol.com Subject: Ram's Head, "The Late Show": Chaos Pressed for time, I'm not even going to attempt to write a review that could compare with what Jay might have written, had he been at the show in Annapolis last night or what someone else with more time and talent might compose. I'll just dash off the set list and a few grumpy comments, bearing in mind that "GOOD noise" is what this list is all about. John started off the second show at Annapolis, Maryland's Ram's Head Onstage with no fan fare. I don't even recall an introduction, though there might have been one in the garbled announcement from the sound booth, the one that reminds audience members of the rules about talking during shows, etc.. He just came on stage, looking a bit tired ( perhaps from the earlier show?) and started off with "When She Kisses Me." The rest of the set included Branching Out Semper Fi Land of the Bottom Line Silence Edgar the Party Man (I haven't noticed before the facial expressions during the chorus that look like he's slipping into the character of Edgar. Is this new? Very amusing.) St. Caffeine That's Why I Know Blue Chalk Let Them In (This one gives me goosebumps. The last time I heard it live-- and I can't recall if it was JG or David Wilcox -- was shortly after Columbine. As a high school teacher, I think this one will always take me back to that tragedy.) I'm From New Jersey Prom Night in Pig Town Where the Bottles Break Heroes (Thank you, Hugh Blumenfeld.) Houses in the Fields People My Age (Very well-received by the crowd!) Love is Our Cross to Bear (It seemed like no one KNEW this one?!?!) Stranger With Your Hair Good Noise Encore: The Water is Wide We were surprised at the small turnout but decided it probably had something to do with JG's appearance today at the nearby Herndon Folk Festival and the fact that there was an earlier show. As he started out, someone welcomed him to Annapolis and he coyly responded that he was glad to be back at the Ram's Head, one of his favorite places to play, ". . .and I'm not just saying that because I'm playing here tonight." After enduring some rude audience behavior last night, he'd be justified in avoiding the place from now on. I *hope* he'll be back. Oh dear. I started the grumbling without warning. If you're really committed to only good noise -- thanks for reading this far, but you should probably move on to other email now. :-) Maybe it was the venue that made the difference, but the audience was surprisingly annoying (for a folk crowd!) last night. JG, Lucy Kaplansky, Dar Williams, and others have typically played packed houses at the local Mays Chapel Coffeehouse, a small church setting that served coffee and dessert sold by church volunteers during intermission. Mays Chapel recently closed, and I've heard in part that it was due to the competition from Ram's Head, which is able to draw those acts now that they're larger. I'm a big fan of the Ram's Head, but after last night, I realize what a gem we've lost in the closing Mays Chapel. The club atmosphere and availability of alcohol at the Ram's Head tend to make for looser, night-on-the-town audiences, like the one at the 9:30 show last night, who felt comfortable shouting requests and conversing with John from the moment he walked onstage. He handled it well, and maybe he didn't mind it as much as I did. I'm sure he's had all kinds of audiences in his years of "circulation." Maybe we missed something at the early show and there was already some established rapport between him and a large group there celebrating someone's birthday. Maybe he's just a class act who has learned to keep from showing the frustration of people interrupting what he's doing. Whatever was going on there, from my perspective, the show wasn't as much fun as I'd anticipated, because of the "fun" the people in the audience were having. One woman in particular seemed to think this was her living room and she could just call out whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Apparently at one point she said something to the effect of "When I'm being rude, you'll know it," because John repeated it, with his classic eyebrow raise. IMHO and judging from the reactions of those around me, she was indeed being rude. It seemed the crowd was somewhat familiar with JG's songs, but maybe not with his shows, since the now standard statement about structured versus chaotic shows got a laugh, as though they hadn't heard him say it before. Instead of titles, they called out things like, "Do the Eleanor Roosevelt song," and "Do the one about seeing someone else with your hair." So, it's good to see he's got a "new" and growing fan base, but if this is what it's going to be like from now on, I'll probably be staying at home and listening to the cd's. I wondered last night if he brings up the chaotic vs. structured show comment to subtly let the audience know that there IS a planned set list and hopefully quiet the incessant requests. I'm sure it varies from performer to performer, but I would think that it takes some thought, not to mention practice, and a bit of the performer's own personal preferences on a given night, to put together a set list. Certainly it's considerate of the audience who's buying your cd's and paying to see you in concert to honor SOME requests at some point during the show, but to have to endure people chatting it up with you and shouting out titles all night must be terribly distracting. It was for some of us in the audience, especially since we had our own songs we'd have like to have requested but didn't want to enter into the circus-like atmosphere. My friend has a limited knowledge of Gorka songs, but really, really likes "Italian Girls," (and the song, too!). He would never call out a request, but knows I've done so with success in the past...when JG has ASKED for requests, so he asked me if I wouldn't mind requesting it when JG asked last night. He didn't get a chance to ask for requests. The audience took that control away from him. He played, like a gentleman, and filled as many as he could. He played the obligatory one encore, then left the stage. This became the audience's show. John hardly got a word of his own in edge-wise, as they say. He spent much of the night responding to comments from the audience. I couldn't help but feel we, and he, might have had a more enjoyable time if he'd felt less like a jukebox and more like a respected and talented musician who came with a plan to play for us. I guess some nights are like that in show business. I'm just sorry it was last night. Karen ------------------------------ End of good-noise-digest V2 #117 ********************************