The eels - confirmed for glasto

[Porcelina]

They're playing the Sunday I've noticed - Park headliners?

[Vieuphoria]

ffs..

I paid a lot of money for some tickets. Why am I unfair to express my disapointment. I never made any suggestion that I think every artist has to conform to what I expect. The album he was performing wasn't particuarly condusive to an interesting evening.... in my opinion

I was hoping to be surprised...

I was... for the wrong reasons.

[thelizardking]

is being incredibly irritated by the 'the' prefix in the thread title a symptom of music snobbery?

[modey]

is being incredibly irritated by the 'the' prefix in the thread title a symptom of music snobbery?

[bamber]

It's a Muvarfuukarrr ...

[TheBigJT]

The first gig of the tour is at a local club here in So Cal.

Tickets went on sale today and i just snagged one.

Not a replacement for being at Glasto, bit it'll be cool to see them in a small club in June.

[thelizardking]

yep get over it, i'd edit it if i could

[tolywoly]

Brilliant. Currently top of my 'to see' list.

[j...rox]

Do they play Fresh Feeling in their sets? Love that song.

[j...rox]

Ahh just checked his setlists, not what I was hoping, No 'I Need Some Sleep', 'Fresh Feeling' even 'Novocaine for the soul' is only a possibility. :/

[RoyC]

It's a Muvarfuukarrr ...

[rexclark]

Eels or The Go Team? Decisions, decisions,

[hashcity]

Who gives a shit if if is eels or the eels, they will be there and that's bloody good news! Never seen them/him/whatever so can't wait for June...

Line up looking really good imo

[Mardy]

Exactly. Why are some people so hung-up on the name? It's the music I care about.

Mr Blair: Iraq excluded, you are quite right in what you say. I am a big fan of (the) Eels, but I think if they played a gig without any stuff I'd heard, I'd feel disappointed too.

Nice that you are so moneyed you consider £25 inconsequential. It doesn't matter how much you paid, if you go to see an artist, you are quite right to have a certain expectation of them. If the act you go to see turns up drunk, sounds terrible, plays one track and then storms off stage, you should feel disappointed. To feel any other way is both stupidity and sycophancy. You go to see the artist on the basis of what you have heard previously, not what they may be working on (although this may be good too).

Perhaps an artist does find certain 'hackneyed classics' rather repetitive and boring, but that's just tough. It's simply not fair to your fans to not play something because you've played it lots already, or because you have such an over-inflated ego you believe your fans will like anything you do. Of course, it's good to hear new stuff, but to have the whole performance be unreleased material isn't on.

Also, I think it's fine to say you didn't enjoy a performance by an artist you like. A real fan doesn't 'brand worship' an artist; they critique what they hear and they approve of it. It's pretty difficult to give a balanced opinion of a track after a first listen - typically because people like music which they identify with, and it is hard to identify with something you only just heard.

Now, if they happen to turn up and unexpectedly play (e.g. a special guests slot), then fair play to them. They can do what they want. Their very presence is an unexpected treat. If you don't like it, you can leave and be no worse off.

I do hope they play a good mix of stuff. Whatever their current set list, Glasto is something of a special case. A lot of people will go to see them and for many it will be their first opportunity to do so.

[hashcity]

Couldn't disagree more. You refer to them all the way through the post as 'artists'. One of the roles of an artist is to challenge preconceptions, is to not follow the norms of society and not to rest on their laurels.

I don't want a performing monkey who comes out and does all the hits. You say if they don't like it 'tough'. I say I'd rather have Bob Dylan in 65 enraging the audience by going electric than a smiling puppet playing to everybody's expectations for the next 40 years.

[Mardy]

Good points, but why 'rightly' irate? What's right about that?

[Mardy]

Also, why is it 'silly' to want all artists to challenge preconceptions of their work. I don't think it's silly at all. I think it's vital if they are to continue to produce art. otherwise they just become a parody of themselves, just recycling the same things.

[hashcity]

Good points, but why 'rightly' irate? What's right about that?

[Vieuphoria]

Eels or The Go Team? Decisions, decisions,

[Winston Legthigh]

In his own words:

“I just don't like ever to treat a show and an album as the same thing. I treat a show like it's its own album. It's its own beast, completely. I understand that that can be frustrating for certain kinds of audience members, but once again I'm just trying to please myself, the audience member, and that’s the kind of artist that I always enjoy going to see. People that switch it up.”

The obvious comparison seems to be with Dylan, one of his great heroes, going electric. "Right, there's a whole bunch of good examples. I can't imagine being the kind of person that wants to go see the same thing over and over again. It's weird though, because there are all sorts of people that have giant careers who do that. Every year people go to their concerts and it sounds exactly like the record. I just don't get it."

Which is why he’s so determined to switch it up. I remind him that when I saw Eels a few years ago he was accompanied on stage by a security guard who burst into dance halfway through the set. “That's right! 2006 was the dancing security guard year. That was fun!” He adds that anyone coming to this year’s world tour should cast their expectations aside. “You should expect nothing, because it's always a mistake. The thing I always enjoyed the most, when I was a teenager and I'd go to a show, was not knowing what to expect and being surprised in some way. That was my favourite part of it - when that happened. So, it's smart to not have expectations. I've never had expectations about my life or anything, because I learned early on there's no point in it. If people want to expect a certain thing, and I don't give them what they expect, I feel like that's a success!” He chuckles wryly, “But they might feel frustrated by that, so what can I do?”

http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4140624-dis-meets-eels

[Vieuphoria]

+1 for you

[TheBigJT]

Just to update you all.

I went to the first warm up show for the tour tonight and it rocked. Enjoyed it a lot. Tight six piece band backing him including two horn players.

Not as much introspective stuff as I expected to hear, and a lot more kick out the jams rock & roll. Did a nice cover

of Sly's "Hot Fun in the Summertime", which I could see really sounding awesome out there at the Other Stage.

I'm not familiar with all their stuff, so I couldn't give you all the titles. But he did do "Saturday Morning" and "Novicane for the Soul" for sure. Played almost two hours.