I can say with some emphasis that I really like live music. Or rather, in the past I have enjoyed many live music shows. In my youth.
But I can also say that as I age, the appeal of a stand-up show that starts (!) after 10:00 PM loses some of its appeal.
So, while I know why my sweet ever lovin' wanted to get out of the house this weekend, I was not completely thrilled when she said that she bought tickets to a show at Warehouse Live, an interesting Houston music venue. (the act isn't as important as the action)
The tickets said "Doors Open at 8:00" so we naively thought that the show would start some time like 8:30.
So we had dinner across the street from the venue at a great little Vietnamese place called Huynh. We had Bo Luc Lok and Baby Kai Lan in Garlic. For appetizers we had pork spring rolls.
We were surprised at how empty the restaurant was, and how easy it was to find parking. At 8:00.
We got into the venue, and it was mostly empty, though I did have to stand in line for a beer. (Isn't that odd? Why wouldn't they increase the beer staff to make more money?). We wandered into the performance hall about 8:30 and stood about 3' from the stage (not my preferred location, by the way. I like sitting back farther than that, but Doreen likes to watch them sweat.)
We stood and waited, and talked to the others around us. We were surprised at how small the crowd was.
Finally, about 9:15 the warm-up band started. I could not understand a word they said, so I never got their name. They played a lot of Southern Rock, and a lot of songs written by the band. Now, Southern Rock has never been my favorite style of music, but I have to say that these kids are living their dream. I don't know if they all had day jobs (IT specialists?) but they really loved playing their music. Some of the folks I went to high school with are doing this same type of gig, so I know how hard it is to make a living at this. I admired them.
They quit about 9:45 (short set) and then the Headliner's roadies started swarming the stage. That was sort of an act to see, but they didn't start playing until about 10:30.
Not having been to a show in a long time, I was shocked at how many people were taking photos with their phones. Non-stop! And as I was in the front of the crowd, I could see many of the images. They mostly looked like this:
Crazy. But I suppose they take it to heart.
Again, the sound system meant that you couldn't understand a word of the songs, which is tough when they sing a lot of ballads. I finally moved to the back of the room, which gave me a better view and allowed for a better sound. I think that I have seen more live popular music shows than Doreen has, I believe that being far away is usually a better location. I think she was making an analogy to musical theater, ballet, or the opera, in which case closer is much better.
We left before the show was over, but the tickets were only $38, so you cant complain too much.
But I can also say that as I age, the appeal of a stand-up show that starts (!) after 10:00 PM loses some of its appeal.
So, while I know why my sweet ever lovin' wanted to get out of the house this weekend, I was not completely thrilled when she said that she bought tickets to a show at Warehouse Live, an interesting Houston music venue. (the act isn't as important as the action)
The tickets said "Doors Open at 8:00" so we naively thought that the show would start some time like 8:30.
So we had dinner across the street from the venue at a great little Vietnamese place called Huynh. We had Bo Luc Lok and Baby Kai Lan in Garlic. For appetizers we had pork spring rolls.
We were surprised at how empty the restaurant was, and how easy it was to find parking. At 8:00.
We got into the venue, and it was mostly empty, though I did have to stand in line for a beer. (Isn't that odd? Why wouldn't they increase the beer staff to make more money?). We wandered into the performance hall about 8:30 and stood about 3' from the stage (not my preferred location, by the way. I like sitting back farther than that, but Doreen likes to watch them sweat.)
We stood and waited, and talked to the others around us. We were surprised at how small the crowd was.
Finally, about 9:15 the warm-up band started. I could not understand a word they said, so I never got their name. They played a lot of Southern Rock, and a lot of songs written by the band. Now, Southern Rock has never been my favorite style of music, but I have to say that these kids are living their dream. I don't know if they all had day jobs (IT specialists?) but they really loved playing their music. Some of the folks I went to high school with are doing this same type of gig, so I know how hard it is to make a living at this. I admired them.
They quit about 9:45 (short set) and then the Headliner's roadies started swarming the stage. That was sort of an act to see, but they didn't start playing until about 10:30.
Not having been to a show in a long time, I was shocked at how many people were taking photos with their phones. Non-stop! And as I was in the front of the crowd, I could see many of the images. They mostly looked like this:
Crazy. But I suppose they take it to heart.
Again, the sound system meant that you couldn't understand a word of the songs, which is tough when they sing a lot of ballads. I finally moved to the back of the room, which gave me a better view and allowed for a better sound. I think that I have seen more live popular music shows than Doreen has, I believe that being far away is usually a better location. I think she was making an analogy to musical theater, ballet, or the opera, in which case closer is much better.
We left before the show was over, but the tickets were only $38, so you cant complain too much.
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