Stupid, Stupid Aragon Ballroom
Guys, I have a problem. It turns out the rumors are wrong and the Decemberists aren't playing Lolla. They are, in fact, playing a show here at the end of July. I haven't seen them in something like four or five years, and it's high time I fix that. But there is one problem.
They are playing the Aragon Ballroom. I've made that mistake a grand total of once (and I'm already slated to make it again this summer). It has the. worst. acoustics. ever. Ever. Also ever. It's huge and wide open and was basically never designed for music and I don't understand why people keep playing there (I guess it's pretty?). But all of the sound hits the back wall and floods back over everyone, making this weird asymmetrical echo. It killed Micachu. It nearly destroyed Deerhunter. Spoon somehow overcame it, but Britt Daniel went on record the next night to say that its acoustic wonkiness is absolutely unparalleled (in fact, what he said was "I've never experienced sound this bad in 22 years being on stage playing rock shows"). I think one of the members of Deerhunter described it as "Being inside Phil Spector's bowels."
Now, I know the Decemberists are one of the bands that could overcome a hurdle like this but... it would be so much better if I saw them somewhere else. I mean, the reason I haven't seen them in so long is because the last time I saw them was exceptionally awesome, and I don't want to be disappointed. I know that there's no way I'm going to see them outdoors in a thunderstorm again with a bunch of gate-crashing dancing gypsy-hipsters, but there's no reason to make my return to their concerts less-than-stellar. What do I do?
(I know, my life is so hard. Sorry.)
They are playing the Aragon Ballroom. I've made that mistake a grand total of once (and I'm already slated to make it again this summer). It has the. worst. acoustics. ever. Ever. Also ever. It's huge and wide open and was basically never designed for music and I don't understand why people keep playing there (I guess it's pretty?). But all of the sound hits the back wall and floods back over everyone, making this weird asymmetrical echo. It killed Micachu. It nearly destroyed Deerhunter. Spoon somehow overcame it, but Britt Daniel went on record the next night to say that its acoustic wonkiness is absolutely unparalleled (in fact, what he said was "I've never experienced sound this bad in 22 years being on stage playing rock shows"). I think one of the members of Deerhunter described it as "Being inside Phil Spector's bowels."
Now, I know the Decemberists are one of the bands that could overcome a hurdle like this but... it would be so much better if I saw them somewhere else. I mean, the reason I haven't seen them in so long is because the last time I saw them was exceptionally awesome, and I don't want to be disappointed. I know that there's no way I'm going to see them outdoors in a thunderstorm again with a bunch of gate-crashing dancing gypsy-hipsters, but there's no reason to make my return to their concerts less-than-stellar. What do I do?
(I know, my life is so hard. Sorry.)