Thus, I wasn't best happy to be standing outside for 30-40 minutes to get inside the Stodoła for the Steve Vai concert last night. However, I soon got warmed up inside the place, as the main hall started filling up.
Glad to see that my small mobile caught the backdrop on stage, and the build up of anticipation inside the main hall.
When Steve Vai came on stage, I was really happy that he did 'Building the Church' and 'Tender Surrender' (my 2 favourite Vai tunes) just a few songs in. Moreover, the highlight for me was when he did 'Whispering a Prayer' which a super person has put on Youtube today.
Love the interaction of guitar and electric harp here.
Despite the above, the Stodoła was really packed out, not as bad as Whitesnake a few years back, but enough to give the sardine can experience which I don't really find that enjoyable. Thus, after about an hour or so, I went into the hallway, got a pint, and started alternating between watching the concert from the doors of the main hall, and standing at the bar taking some pictures of the Stodoła hallway/open bar area.
These pictures give you a feel of the place. Yes, you've guessed it, like quite a few of the concert places around Warsaw, the Stodoła is a student/student-related place.
As the concert was going on in the main hall, the overspill into the hallway/open bar area could have a look at other concerts coming up at the Stodoła in the near future.
Can't wait for Marillion in late November.
Might go and see Archive, also in late November, but I'm not sure yet.
And, of course, there was a picture of the man himself.
The moral of this story: if a concert is a little on the packed side, and there starts to be a little too much self-indulgence on stage, there is always some kind of interesting sociology to observe in the setting.
He does seem very self indulgent doesn't he Pat? Think I would have spent most of the concert in the bar or viewing the interesting sociology (how you put so much better than I do). Great pictures!!
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of solos, Dave, not just from Steve Vai, but from the other members of the band.
ReplyDeleteMore than that, I hate packed concert halls, as the law of averages says that you're likely to come into close contact with a few morons even though the vast majority of people at concerts are thoroughly decent.
I saw a few unsavoury characters myself on Saturday night who looked the worst for wear and decided to make tracks. You get them everywhere. I agree with you though, the vast majority of people at concerts are thoroughly decent. It's so easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely, Dave, morons seem to make some kind of beeline towards me, but I try to just work my way round them.
ReplyDeleteThe best two crowds I've seen at concerts this year have been at the Iron Butterfly and The Flower Kings concerts up at the Klub Progresja. The people were simply older and more laid back.
The best audience I've ever seen was at a Lamb concert at Manchester Academy about 10 years ago, which was made up of about 95% women (mainly in their 20s), who, at my request, simply made a channel for me to go to the front of the stage and take a picture.
The Lamb concert women audience sounds like angels, Pat.
ReplyDeleteDo you think there comes a time when you will just go to concerts made up of a similar group? I was just thinking about me going to the Eric Bell concert on Saturday and there didn't seem to be many people of our age group walking about at twelve at night.
They really were angels, Dave, they just patted each other on the shoulder and instinctively made a channel for me to walk to the front of the stage.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's already reached a point where the age group at a concert really matters, almost on a par with the music itself. At The Flower Kings concert, the average age was somewhere between 40 and 50 (of course, with some great younger people in their 20s and 30s), and there was no sign of any idiots whatsoever. This is the way I like it, Dave.