Concert Report: Jamie Cullum @ the Avalon ("The Pursuit")
I think I can confidently point to one reason why I didn't enjoy this concert as much as I wanted to: High Expectations.
Jamie hasn't done a full-fledged tour since 2006 I believe - when he toured LA twice for "Catching Tales" and both concerts were mind-blowingly indescribably awesome. In the meantime we had to content ourselves with appearances with the Hollywood Philharmonic (meh) and news of concerts overseas. So I was extremely excited to hear his live take on his new album, and also excited to introduce Matt to a real Jamie Cullum concert. Matt and I don't have a lot of overlapping music tastes, with the exception of The Avett Brothers, but despite that I wanted him to have a good time.
I had hyped up the experience like you wouldn't believe (then again, I maintain that it's hard to underhype a Jamie concert), and in my head I'd already replayed a million times what his take on my favorite new song (Mixtape) would be. Mixtape, for those who don't know, is the perfect crowd song; it has this awesome bit at the end (similar to the end of perennial concert fave "Twentysomething") that's perfect for the audience to join in on, and it's loud and fun and bouncy and just, in a word, the perfect last song, or encore song. And so of course: he didn't play it! At all. He actually didn't play a bunch of my favs - Twentysomething, I Get a Kick Out of You, Nothing I Do, London Skies. Click here to see his setlist (courtesy of the coolest website I never knew existed, setlist.fm. Also: hey look! Happy times!) I'm not going to doubt the songs he played (preferring instead to harp on the ones he didn't) but that said I felt like he played quite a few songs that didn't quite do it for me. (I suppose I should mention that at the beginning of the concert he mentioned that since it was the last show on his US tour he was going to play whatever he felt liked.)
The concert felt really short to me, probably because because I spent the whole time anticipating songs he never played and I spent 3/4 of the concert just trying to see him, because the second he got on stage tall people rushed the awesome spot right in front of me and Matt and I ended up at the far edge of the venue. And also probably because I spent an uncomfortably long portion of the show trying to ignore the people around me. Those of you on facebook probably saw this today:
"Dear Concertgoers: a) I paid to listen to the artist, not you gossiping with your dumb friends. b) After buying a ticket and showing up, why would you spend the ENTIRE CONCERT on your effing crackberry, not even looking at the stage? c) If you want to drink and chat with your friends, go to the bar down the street, not the bar on the main floor during the concert."
Yes, friends, LA-based Jamie Cullum fans have officially become douchy. And this makes me incredibly sad. All the jerks referenced above knew the big hits by heart and then talked or texted through all the rest because obviously those songs weren't worthy of their attention.
My favorite thing about concerts is being lost in the music, held in the spell the musicians create, and not let go until the lights rise. I love clapping and screaming in an attempt to encourage an encore, and realizing that I don't remember how long I've been clapping and screaming, because I was so wrapped up in the excitement of the crowd. I barely felt this last night, unfortunately, because of what I mentioned above. If it weren't for the crappy concert-goers around me I would have enjoyed the concert far more.
Sad, sad times.
PS: I love you Jamie - please come back to LA soon so I can put this concert behind me!
PPS: Matt had a good time! Yay!
Jamie hasn't done a full-fledged tour since 2006 I believe - when he toured LA twice for "Catching Tales" and both concerts were mind-blowingly indescribably awesome. In the meantime we had to content ourselves with appearances with the Hollywood Philharmonic (meh) and news of concerts overseas. So I was extremely excited to hear his live take on his new album, and also excited to introduce Matt to a real Jamie Cullum concert. Matt and I don't have a lot of overlapping music tastes, with the exception of The Avett Brothers, but despite that I wanted him to have a good time.
I had hyped up the experience like you wouldn't believe (then again, I maintain that it's hard to underhype a Jamie concert), and in my head I'd already replayed a million times what his take on my favorite new song (Mixtape) would be. Mixtape, for those who don't know, is the perfect crowd song; it has this awesome bit at the end (similar to the end of perennial concert fave "Twentysomething") that's perfect for the audience to join in on, and it's loud and fun and bouncy and just, in a word, the perfect last song, or encore song. And so of course: he didn't play it! At all. He actually didn't play a bunch of my favs - Twentysomething, I Get a Kick Out of You, Nothing I Do, London Skies. Click here to see his setlist (courtesy of the coolest website I never knew existed, setlist.fm. Also: hey look! Happy times!) I'm not going to doubt the songs he played (preferring instead to harp on the ones he didn't) but that said I felt like he played quite a few songs that didn't quite do it for me. (I suppose I should mention that at the beginning of the concert he mentioned that since it was the last show on his US tour he was going to play whatever he felt liked.)
The concert felt really short to me, probably because because I spent the whole time anticipating songs he never played and I spent 3/4 of the concert just trying to see him, because the second he got on stage tall people rushed the awesome spot right in front of me and Matt and I ended up at the far edge of the venue. And also probably because I spent an uncomfortably long portion of the show trying to ignore the people around me. Those of you on facebook probably saw this today:
"Dear Concertgoers: a) I paid to listen to the artist, not you gossiping with your dumb friends. b) After buying a ticket and showing up, why would you spend the ENTIRE CONCERT on your effing crackberry, not even looking at the stage? c) If you want to drink and chat with your friends, go to the bar down the street, not the bar on the main floor during the concert."
Yes, friends, LA-based Jamie Cullum fans have officially become douchy. And this makes me incredibly sad. All the jerks referenced above knew the big hits by heart and then talked or texted through all the rest because obviously those songs weren't worthy of their attention.
My favorite thing about concerts is being lost in the music, held in the spell the musicians create, and not let go until the lights rise. I love clapping and screaming in an attempt to encourage an encore, and realizing that I don't remember how long I've been clapping and screaming, because I was so wrapped up in the excitement of the crowd. I barely felt this last night, unfortunately, because of what I mentioned above. If it weren't for the crappy concert-goers around me I would have enjoyed the concert far more.
Sad, sad times.
PS: I love you Jamie - please come back to LA soon so I can put this concert behind me!
PPS: Matt had a good time! Yay!