Paul Weller: Fuck The Public
"Absurd anticipation" best sums up how I felt before seeing Paul Weller perform last night at Irving Plaza which was billed as a set of songs by The Jam. It was supposed to be a rare experience since he only mixes in a few Jam songs when he plays solo. "Disgusted disappointment" best sums up how I felt after seeing Paul Weller perform last night at Irving Plaza which was billed as a set of songs by The Jam.
I paid an insane amount of money for the tickets on eBay, too ashamed to admit how much, and I feel completely robbed by Weller. (My companion for the evening, Maccers, robbed me too but that's another story.) He knew the build-up around this and how much scalpers were getting. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally on board with artists who don't want to play songs from their past, that's cool, but this was billed as a night of The Jam and I went to hear The Jam. I never got into any of his other stuff and I wouldn't normally go to one of his solo shows. This was different because THEY FUCKIN' MARKETED THE SHOW AS BEING "THE JAM NIGHT." (I keep repeating this as if it justifies my pre-show exuberance.) Over 2 hours he played just eight Jam songs, which felt more like five honestly. Ultimately, "Man in the Corner Shop" was the highlight.
Others are not as bitter as I am (besides the people "in the crowd" giving him the finger towards the end of the show) but they probably didn't pay as much as I did.
The public gets what the public wants?
Paul Weller at Irving Plaza (night 1) NYC
Oh well, fuck it, don't buy his greatest hits. Here are some of the songs I wanted to hear. Two. More. And these...
"Aunties and Uncles (Impulsive Youths)"
"The Place I Love"
"The Butterfly Collector"
I paid an insane amount of money for the tickets on eBay, too ashamed to admit how much, and I feel completely robbed by Weller. (My companion for the evening, Maccers, robbed me too but that's another story.) He knew the build-up around this and how much scalpers were getting. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally on board with artists who don't want to play songs from their past, that's cool, but this was billed as a night of The Jam and I went to hear The Jam. I never got into any of his other stuff and I wouldn't normally go to one of his solo shows. This was different because THEY FUCKIN' MARKETED THE SHOW AS BEING "THE JAM NIGHT." (I keep repeating this as if it justifies my pre-show exuberance.) Over 2 hours he played just eight Jam songs, which felt more like five honestly. Ultimately, "Man in the Corner Shop" was the highlight.
Others are not as bitter as I am (besides the people "in the crowd" giving him the finger towards the end of the show) but they probably didn't pay as much as I did.
The public gets what the public wants?
Paul Weller at Irving Plaza (night 1) NYC
Oh well, fuck it, don't buy his greatest hits. Here are some of the songs I wanted to hear. Two. More. And these...
"Aunties and Uncles (Impulsive Youths)"
"The Place I Love"
"The Butterfly Collector"
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