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Stanley Clarke bummed me out last night

#61
We imprison our artists. Jimmy Buffet would LOVE to drop Margaritaville (he has said so) but he has to keep that plane in the air. Jethro Tull is another good example. Ian has been writing amazing music for 40 years. But if he doesn't get up there and plow through 'Locomotive Breathe" every damn night, attendance will be cut in half the next time he comes. 2 tours ago, Iron Maiden finally dropped their safe set list and played their new album in its entirety. People were not happy (I was).



But the best artists are up there for their own fulfillment and if you happen to like it, great.

I'd love it if Stanley came out and played Oboe. I appreciate him as a composer as much as a bass player.
 
#62
kesslari said:
Stanley seems to love playing the upright now - that's his passion. That is (I would imagine) what he wants to share when he plays music, and how he expresses himself.
It's a bummer when an artist's choices run counter to a fan's expectations, but regardless, you get to see a master at work, playing the music he is choosing to share.
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I feel the same way... I love SC, but I would have a bit bummed too. At the same time, its great to see regardless if the artist plays what I want him to play..
 
#64
insain said:
When you think of Stanley, do you think of just Upright? I don't, so I expected some of both. I'm hip to an artist sharing "where he's at" with his music, but I also believe at least a nod to what made them famous is appropriate.
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stanley clarke started on upright. he has a college degree in it. it most certainly isn't just where he's at now - it's been an integral part of his playing since the beginning - most of his solo albums have him playing either upright or cello pieces, arco and/or pizz.

i can understand the disappointment, though - he has made more of a name for himself for his instrumental prowess on electric. still, though, i wouldn't hesitate to check out a night of stanley on double bass. i'd be there in a heartbeat, actually, and i'm not even a db'er.
 
#66
I'm always shocked when you pay top dollar and get less than an hour of music. Seing that the concert in question was a jazz showcase makes it understandable, but I'm never crazy about those sorts of venues.

I once did a gig playing music between betweens sets in the VIP area of the Toby Keith tour. We played a total of 2 hours of music, but had access to see the opener and TK in the box sections. Obviously TK is not SC, but I was shocked when he only played about 65 minutes, with two of the songs projected on a screen! I felt bad for the folk that had paid 120-250 bucks to see this guy, only to have to watch a video. I was pretty surprised that he had such a lack of material and interest in playing to his fans.

I don't know if my story is relevant, but I always feel cheated when artists don't give me what I expect.

At least you didn't to watch "Beer for my Horses" at the SC show...
 
#72
Natropath said:
I'm always shocked when you pay top dollar and get less than an hour of music. Seing that the concert in question was a jazz showcase makes it understandable, but I'm never crazy about those sorts of venues.

I once did a gig playing music between betweens sets in the VIP area of the Toby Keith tour. We played a total of 2 hours of music, but had access to see the opener and TK in the box sections. Obviously TK is not SC, but I was shocked when he only played about 65 minutes, with two of the songs projected on a screen! I felt bad for the folk that had paid 120-250 bucks to see this guy, only to have to watch a video. I was pretty surprised that he had such a lack of material and interest in playing to his fans.

I don't know if my story is relevant, but I always feel cheated when artists don't give me what I expect.
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Lot's of issues raised in this thread. Regarding Stanley playing DB all night, of course that is totally cool, but most artists would clue fans into the vibe of the show through advertising (i.e., an 'acoustic' night of jazz with Stanley Clark, or whatever). That's just poor marketing by the promotion company and Stanley's management.

Regarding the length of concerts, that is a strange thing. I assume part of it is that many artists don't have a body of work that warrants any more than that. Those that do (Bruce Sprinsteen, James Taylor, etc.) seem to play the more typical multiple hour sort of deal. Of course, I remember the seeing Bruce back in the day, and he went four hours, like the Dead, etc. I guess those days are over.

I'm totally done with the $150, large venue/crappy sound concert deal, and will stick with the smaller venues. However, even with those venues, you are talking $40+ for less than an hour of music, not counting drinks and food.
 
#74
I caught Stanley with Billy Cobham and he played equal time on the UB and the Alembic.
Each solo got more intense and with Billy on his mega set,wow.
I agree with you that some shows are less stellar. The Alembic is always nice.
I caught Eric Clapton live just once. He came out and said " I'm playing nothin but the blues tonight, I hope you like it". I didn't like much for a $100.00 .9 pc band and he was the only one to solo all night.
 
#75
When I first started listening to Stanley, I don't think he even recorded with the electric bass yet[first Return To Forever], so I've always thought of him as a upright player first anyway.
I remember going to the Fillmore for the Band Of Gypsys show when I was kid, some people kept calling out for Fire & Foxy Lady, but Hendrix played almost all new material without stage gymnastics, that turned out pretty good.;) I'm for letting art morph.
 
#80
Natropath said:
I'm always shocked when you pay top dollar and get less than an hour of music. Seing that the concert in question was a jazz showcase makes it understandable, but I'm never crazy about those sorts of venues.

I once did a gig playing music between betweens sets in the VIP area of the Toby Keith tour. We played a total of 2 hours of music, but had access to see the opener and TK in the box sections. Obviously TK is not SC, but I was shocked when he only played about 65 minutes, with two of the songs projected on a screen! I felt bad for the folk that had paid 120-250 bucks to see this guy, only to have to watch a video. I was pretty surprised that he had such a lack of material and interest in playing to his fans.

I don't know if my story is relevant, but I always feel cheated when artists don't give me what I expect.

At least you didn't to watch "Beer for my Horses" at the SC show...
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On the other hand, isn't it great to play for less than an hour?
:hyper:
 

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