Benchmark Blog 20: First Annual Ancient City Crawfish Boil, May 2009
So it has been almost 2 months since this concert, but I have been too busy/not adequately motivated to sit and blog this until now. With the kids gone, I finally found the time to do this, so that I can blog the other two things that I need to as well. So here goes, (what I remember, anyway)...
The Venue, Francis Field, St. Augustine:
We show up and get some drinks. They were expensive, but not outrageous. The only crazy part seemed to be the booth that gave you the option of coconut cups that you could keep for refills. This seemed dangerous with the propensity that people have to throw things at concerts, not to mention inconvenient to keep track of. I suppose if you brought a chair to sit then it would have been a good deal, but if you planned to get near the stage, it was no deal.
There were a lot of people sitting and the venue really needed to put a "No Blankets Past This Point" sign. There was also a "VIP" section that you paid extra for and received special raised seating and all you can eat crawfish. Since I don't like crawfish, it made no sense to get the "VIP" tickets and I like to be at the stage. The "VIP" seating was to the left of the stage on risers. There was no shade, no cushions, and the view was not great. I would have demanded a refund if I had paid for that. At the very least, shade should have been provided. The stage set-up was strange, since they cordoned off an area so that the performers could run down through the crowd. It made for a lousy set-up.
Francis Field was a good venue to hold a festival like this. It provided adequate room for both those desiring proximity to the stage and those wanting to hang back and hang out with their family. It was scorching, but they were spraying the crowd with water which really helped a lot; until it got cooler and they did not seem to know that the water no longer felt good, but chilled everyone. It was possible to listen to the concert outside the venue, since the field was enclosed with chain link fence.
Grade: B (A, for location; C for execution)
Crowd:
This was a "4th of July" type crowd. It crossed a lot of demographics and was very odd in nature. This is the second mainstream concert that I have attended in a month. I have made a couple of conclusions based on the crowd. First, most of these attendees are not regular concert attendees. They do not know that crowd surges are a normal occurence and either profusely apologize or get angry when you bump into them. Second, many of them believe that they are entitled to be at the front, because of when they got there or because they are special. Third, these crowds are more dangerous than the ones with all the "freaks". I have devised a solution to these problems and decided to dress as I do when I attend the harder concerts that I go to with all the "freaks". Basically, a "Don't F with Me" outfit, complete with attitude. Give them a reason to think that messing with you is a bad idea and more than likely, they won't.
This was the rudest concert that I have ever attended, even including the Nickelback concert, where I was punched in the mouth. The beach bunny wife that believed she was entitled to return to the front when she left for some reason. I actively try to block, while Chris just stands his ground. She made it back, but she sat there and argued with us about it. The drunk mom that obviously supplied her underage son and friends with alcohol at the concert that proceeded to try to pee in a bottle in the middle of the crowd. Then she caps it and sends it flying back into the crowd with the little bit that she got in there. I KID YOU NOT! She was unable to fully alleviate her bladder and ended up leaving after all. Later, the crowd was surging a little and beach bunny's husband threatened that he would take all the mofo's out to protect his 13-year-old son and niece. Chris bumped into beach bunny wife accidentally at one point and she started to go off on him. He yelled right back at her and expected her hubby to jump in. Instead, he ignored it. Chris had several inches on him, so I guess he decided to pipe down and not take Chris out.
The crowd did show a lot of enthusiasm, especially once Candlebox was about to come on. The crowd was singing along to the stereo music, so they were all ready to rock.
Grade: D
Opening Act One, Shawn Fisher and the Jukebox Gypsies
We were unable to show up in time to see this band.
Grade: I (Incomplete)
Opening Act Two, Presidents of the United States (PotUS):
Chris and I like PotUS as much as the next person, but they are not a band that we would every have paid to see. There was, of course, the required overzealous fan couple that knew all the words to every song, not just the hit ones. They take the stage and the lead singer goes, 'it is so hot, don't exert yourself. Don't worry about shouting all out for us, how about halfway...' They were self-deprecating and hilarious. They played all the hits that I could think of and ended with "We're Not Gonna Make it After All". They were great in concert. laid back and had great stage presence. I don't think that I would pay to see them on their own, but they were good and fun to watch. It would definitely make a good innocuous date night.
Grade: A
Opening Act Three, Saving Abel:
Saving Abel played the same set as The Dark Horse tour. They had good crowd response and did a good job getting the audience energized. The lead singer delivered on all the vocals. Both guitarists were solid in their performances, as well. This band has a lot of potential and needs a little polishing is all. They are definitely worth seeing and may become a much better band with more practice. They did another good job, although they did not show any improvement from a couple of weeks before.
Grade: B+
Opening Act Four, Candlebox:
I saw Candlebox in 1996, when their first album was released. Chris and I have listened to them since high school and have them on our daily playlist. We downloaded the new album and I was disappointed to some extent that there was no growth. All the songs sounded like they could have belonged on the first album. They were not bad, but they were forgettable and I had not had 15+ years to listen to them and learn them. The crowd went wild when they took the stage. The crowd sang to all the old songs and some of the new ones. He sang a couple of covers, that I hated, but the crowd really liked. Then he started ranting about the big music industry and for people to support independent music. They made two albums in almost 20 years and were not doing a great job of promoting the new album. Maybe there is a reason for the big industry. Maybe the big guys would have pushed them to make some more music and expand their abilities some. I really think that they did not do as well as they did in concert in '96. They really haven't improved. Who knows if it was an age or talent issue, but I could not recommend seeing them now as a headlining band.
Grade: C
Opening Act Five, Hinder:
Chris does not like Hinder because of the lead singer's "Frankenstein" (read: jerky) moves in his videos; plus he thinks they lack talent. I will agree that they are not a highly talented band. They are like this generation's Def Leppard: songs about sex and drugs that are fun to sing with no deep lyrics or phenomenal music. I don't think that they will be around long-term, but they could be the next Nickelback, if they branch out and do a few more serious songs. They came out and he did not do jerky movements, he had a decent stage presence, did a great job of working up the crowd, and delivered on their known songs. They also played one or two of the songs off their new album, including their new single. It will be a hit, because they have hit on the right formula for them. I thought that they did a good job overall and would go see them again, if there was another band with them that I wanted to see. If they were the only band there, maybe not. Even Chris admitted that they were better than he expected them to be.
Grade: B+
Main Act, 3 Doors Down:
They come onto stage and the crowd is hyped. The lead singer says that he knew it was going to be a good show when he could hear the crowd singing along to the warm-up music. They play lots of their hits along with a few songs that I am not familiar with. They deliver on every song. They had great energy. At one point, he runs down through the middle of the crowd (within the awkward barrier). It gets the crowd really excited. They go off the stage and then come back with a few more songs. Then the lead singer takes the drummer's place and plays "Kryptonite". It was awesome! Especially when he handed the drum stick to the 13-year-old kid in front and threw the other one and Chris caught it. I can definitely recommend seeing this band and would go see them again.
Grade: A+
Overall, a great day even with the heat. The venue and performers were good. The crowd and heat were the only parts that sucked.
Grade: A-