Singer-songwriter Neko Case, who plays solo and with the New Pornographers, gave a concert at the Wellmont Theatre last night that apparently left many fans unhappy. According to multiple reports, Case was shocked by a microphone during the set (the video above was taken right afterwards) and seemed to take it out on her fans. Brooklyn Vegan published this photo-rich review today, and the comments echoed thoughts by two local tipsters.
"Definitely a bizarre experience, where the singer seemed annoyed at the audience, even before she got shocked by the microphone," said one Baristanet reader. "Gave a half hearted show. Short set. No encore," said another. "Not good. I feel like asking for a refund."
Despite the mic shock, it does appear the experience was not completely Wellmont-centric. The singer's been having problems connecting with audiences, as this review of a recent concert in Boston indicates.
A Wellmont spokeswoman contacted by us said this was the first complaint she'd heard.
Were you there? Let us know what you saw or heard in the comments.
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Comments (38)
Worst show I have ever seen at the Wellmont. She gave the impression she thought she was better than the audience and the venue. If you want to be performer, you cannot have your back up singer be the front person for the band and do all the talking, which is what Kelly Hogan did last night. Really weird experience, beginning to end.
She's not getting enough B12.
BTW- how bad are the shows coming to the Wellmont...
Ray Davies, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Vince Neil,Gregg Allman, West, Bruce and Laing, Neville brothers , Dr. John , Moody Blues, Al Green (who btw everyone is suppose like nowadays because its chic), Bill Cosby and now the Doobie brothers ?
Great shows if it was 1977.
What happened when it first opened and they has Mitayashu, Vampire Weekend, Decemberists, Ben Folds.
Lost it's luster already.
You can't beat the music from 1977. Even disco (which I hated at the time) is better than today's music. Let's see if Mitayashu, Vampire Weekend, Decemberists, Ben Folds are around in 2041 (32 years from now). I do like Vampire Weekend.
But you forgot about the "Real Housewives of NJ" show - now that is quality programing
I saw the Cult last week and the sound system didn't seem to improve since Duran Duran. (Yes I'm reliving my 80s) There was no opening band and the show was supposed to start at 8 but didn't get going till 9:20. I don't know what it is about aging rock stars still bandying about the F word. The funny thing was that he was angry that the concrete stage was making his knees hurt. I think they need some more up to date acts there.
jerseygurl, I could not agree more. Calexico was so much more likable. She can sing, that's for sure, but her stage presence was ghastly. I got this impression that she asked Kelly Hogan to talk to the audience because she could not be bothered with it.
And dropping the F-bomb to the guy who shouted out "Go!" or "NeKO!" or whatever he said was unbelievable. Was that weird or what?
Being shocked must have been awful but was it the audience's fault? NOOOOooOOOO--so give us an encore, introduce your very talented band members or at least apologize and say goodnight or don't bother charging people to see you perform.
Take that, Neko.
We were at the Cult gig too - could not believe Ian Astbury bitching about the concrete stage. Talk about rock 'n roll....I mean at least try and pretend to live the life.
That's my video in the post above.
My comments are over at the site that Debbie links to (Brooklyn Vegan), but basically she phoned it in.
Too bad, and certainly uncalled for. Calexico was excellent, and props to them.
Neko lost at least one fan (me) last night, and probably more.
JB
I don't like their sound at all. They sound, well, like everyone else. No originality. Vocals are meh.
Calexico was excellent. Lots of sound for just two members of the band. Neko should just give it up if she wants to be an indie artist who does not play huge venues as she claims, but thinks she can call it in.
I've seen 6-8 shows at the Wellmont. My suggestion is that if someone comes who you really really want to see, be on line the day they go on sale and get tickets in the first 10 rows. It's great. Saw Al Green from the second row center and it was awesome. Al reached out and threw my wife one of his famous white roses. If you are in the back of the floor sound trails off a god bit. If you are upstairs, fuggetabout it as we say. Saw Counting Crows from the balcony and couldn't make out a single damm word of what Adam was singing.
I'm actually impressed that they are trying to keep a healthy roster of new acts. Many of them are not my cup of tea (or era), but I was afraid it would turn into another venue for every tired 60s and 70s touring act in the world. I'm sure the kids from Montclair State and hip high school kids are having a field day.
I know one thing. . . .it's pretty great to be back at home 10 minutes after getting in your car. And they sell drinks, albeit overpriced. I still don't think it will last but hope I am wrong.
Snappyguy - I was in the front. In the middle. Anyway, it's great they manage to get pretty good acts that appeal to a variety of people. I think it will last, every time I have been there it's been pretty full.
I hope it's not becoming the Club Bene or Westbury Music Fair.
Who's coming up next Zebra? Lover Boy? REO Speed Wagon? Maybe they'll be lucky enough to snag Terrence Trent D'Arby.
Herb: Aztec Two-step.
Bring back David Byrne, he was awesome!
Just want to comment on Ray Davies - he puts on a great show. We went to see him in Morristown awhile ago and he was really good. I love the Kinks anyway. And you know what? Maybe some of these shows aren't featuring the latest performers, but as a Baby Boomer I don't know who any of them are and would much rather see Al Green or Ray Davies! ;-) Remember there are other generations living in the Montclair area than the youngest ones.
I'll agree with the consensus that Neko handled the mic shock poorly. She is a veteran performer, and a technical mishap should not throw someone of her stature into such a fit. I am sympathetic to the situation. Imagine your finger being on the receiving end of a bad shock. Now imagine that shock on one of the most sensitive parts of your body, your lips, not once but twice. People handle pain differently and she could have legitimately been freaked out. Even if this were the case, though, someone should have offered an explanation for the lack of an encore and general unease that characterized much of the set from thereon out. And she definitely should have at least introduced the band, composed of fantastic musicians. That lap steel player was great.
But I have to say. I totally respect her "F-bomb" in response to the ignoramus who yelled out "Go!" after the initial shocking. Such a dumb thing to do, and far more offensive than Neko's rebuttal to the heckler. This guy was an ass. He deserved an "F-bomb," and I happily cheered upon its delivery. The offending expletive was pretty tame within the context that it was used, anyway.
And I'm sorry, but the reasoning that "If you want to be performer, you cannot have your back up singer be the front person for the band and do all the talking" is totally absurd. Bands play with this dynamic all the time. It may very well be that Kelly Hogan likes to take the lead on stage. Clearly, she does a great job with it. Maybe Neko Case doesn't. How that takes away from her ability to write solid songs and sing them pretty much flawlessly, in studio and on stage, I have no idea. I doubt anyone paid for a ticket to hear Neko Case's stage banter. Neko Case is not Tom Waits.
Performers have bad nights. All of them. I was certainly dismayed by her overall handling of the microphone mishap, and my opinion of her professionalism has taken a dive. I've only seen her once, though, and so I'm not in a position to say whether or not last night's show was a fluke. Just because we paid $30 to watch her perform doesn't make the woman any less human than the rest of us. Sure, I'll be less inclined to buy a ticket to see her live again, but to quit listening to her music for a less than stellar concert is a bit extreme.
Aztec Camera is more my speed, the old Scotish new wave band.
I get a kick out of these performers. It's their job. They'll be the first one to complain and cry about justice and whats right but when it comes to them, its all about them. Your fans paid to watch you perform and if there is an issue, laugh it off, take a break and fix
it.
Heck, your not the Beatles playing in front of 60,000 screaming teens at the Hollywood Bowl. It's a few hundred graying poneytailed groovesters trying to stay hip.
I was at the show. The backup singer's stage banter was indeed truly dreadful. It would have been poetic justice if she was the one who was shocked. Twice.
I have been to 3 shows at the Wellmont. I love the location of the venue and the way it is run. My complaint is that there is a terrible buzz in the sound system. Between songs it is loud and annoying. This has to affect the sound quality of the song. Has anyone else noticed the buzz?
Heh, I had 2 tickets to this show but sold them at the door (for a small loss). I guess it's a good thing my fiance had a surprise work trip this week.
There was definitely some noticeable buzz last night, but it wasn't too distracting. And the mix was kind of muddy in general. I don't know how it sounded in the rest of the theater, but in mid-orchestra the bass was barely audible and the guitars sounded like they could have been a bit more balanced.
Wish I'd known about the lousy sound issues in the balcony before I bought tickets. I saw Lucinda Williams at the Wellmont a few months ago, STANDING on concrete in the orchestra area. This time, my feet and back insisted on seats (and didn't trust that there would be actual seats in the orchestra).
Here's the irony: my seat was broken, and I had to stand until they fixed it.
In my opinion, the concert was blessedly short, the sound was so bad where I was sitting. And, with the mic biting and audience snapping, I wanted to GO.
Her voice and music is great, her backup band and singer, equally great, herself not so nice.
I've never been to a concert where there is no "encore", where the back up singer speaks, where the band isn't introduced.
Neko, wtf?
PS EVERYONE was grousing about the concert on the way out, I can't believe it didn't get back to management!
In this decade (century?) of greed and lack of respect for what's left of the social contract it is unlikely that the "management" of the Wellmont will improve anything as long as the sheeple continue to buy 'seats'.
You want better acts and a better venue - stop supporting the current regime.
Simple.
I find it funny that everyone always wants an encore. If you play your hardest and play the set you planned and you're tired, you're done. No reason to pretend and have an encore.
Plus it's a two way street. Some audiences/venues have bad days, and some acts do. It's just that there are more of us (the audience) to be irritated than of them.
An encore is not really required. A simple "goodbye" or "thanks" would have helped wonders. Nothing but 'tude from Ms. Case.
I thought I may try for free tickets for tomorrow night to be up close and ask for my $32 back -
http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/band-bench/
:)
JB
I have always liked encores, it's just part of the concert going experience...the noise from the crowd builds as does the sense of anticipation...and then here comes the band again granting the crowd's wish for one more musical gem. It's just fun.
I will still listen to Neko Case and yes, everyone has a bad day but the whispering to the other band members and the sudden exit from the stage was immature and in really poor taste. The vast majority of people there love her voice and her songwriting--and she seemed to have forgotten that and instead angrily focused on one possible negative comment. She could have been honest and said she was done for the evening for whatever reasons and graciously thanked her fans. I don't see any mitigating circumstances for not doing at least that.
There is no excuse for that performance - none. She had NO guitar techs and a crappy old amp on stage. She was surrounded by her 7 guitars and in between songs she had to unplug the one she was using and then tune and plug in the one she was going to use next - the jack lying on the floor while she choose the next guitar was what caused the buzz between songs, it was feedback and the crappy amp she had behind her and all the wiring is what caused the shocks.
I can listen to her music comfortably at home, but if I am paying $45.00 a pop for tickets, I expect someone with her experience to have a wireless system and a tech to tune her guitars off stage and hand them to her for each song. A concert, in other words. Seamless transitions between songs. The guy who shouted was wrong - but he was probably losing patience with the endless tuning and tweaking in between songs. It was sloppy and careless and when someone called her out, her response was something like - "this is where she turned on them". That was before the expletives. Her music might be great, but she can only blame herself for getting up there without updated equipment and no techs.
Whatever the guy yelled (I heard him say neKO!), he was being encouraging. Surely, she's had people yell out of excitement or joy or whatever at a concert before. Be a professional.
LOVED loved loved the two guys from Calexico. Their music was a simple feast.
I totally agree with you--bottom line, she should have handled the circumstances better. I can see why you'd be so upset.
I just think some of your expectations and assumptions are a little off base. She's experienced, absolutely, but that doesn't mean she should have a guitar tech. Being a performing musician myself and having frequented many shows that might be considered within her scene, from my perspective it would have been weird if she had a tech. She was just switching between guitars. They were right behind her. Adjusting your guitar's tune between songs, if it's a bit off, is frankly nothing to be upset about, certainly not careless or sloppy, and certainly not a tech's responsibility. It's typical for guitars to go slightly out of tune when you play them.
And about that shock...I've seen solo performers and members of much smaller bands be hit with the old mic shock, with the only electronics on stage being a guitar, an amp, and the mic. It happens. I do recall her taking on and off a sweater during the set...that might have been more responsible than the amount of guitars on stage or the amount of electricity running through the board. Hard to say.
And I'm not sure about the equipment...I couldn't tell what kind of amp it was from my seat. But just because an amp or a guitar, etc., looks old and crappy doesn't mean that it is. A vintage 60s era Fender tube amp, for example, could be beat to hell but still fetch thousands of dollars and sound amazing. You have to also keep in mind that she plays a few baritone guitars--you wouldn't plug a baritone guitar into a shiny Marshall full stack. Her sound and guitars might be better served by a small combo. (Could you see what she was playing through? I'd be interested to know what kind of rig the band had.) Also, wireless systems are often more trouble than they're worth, and often sound worse than the traditional 1/4" plug-in. The only reason you would use a wireless system is if you move around a lot. It makes sense for Coldplay's Chris Martin, but isn't necessary for a more subdued act like Neko Case. Many, many professional musicians perform with wires. This is not even considering that, from an aesthetic standpoint, it would be silly for Neko's band to go wireless. She does a lot of pop, but roots and folk influences inform a lot of what she does, and a wireless would clash with the spirit of that.
When you see concerts, do you typically see acts on major labels, or more established (read: better paid) performers? I understand that you're upset, but all told the quality of the performance itself was quite good. I'm right there with you regarding the sentiment that we all could have gotten more for our money. But, in my opinion, the only real issue was her attitude.
Evantap, you make some good points. Still, it was a crappy show. She walked off without using all the guitars so she cut it short. She walked on without even saying hello or an introduction. I saw Lucinda there and it was seamless and you couldn't drag her off the stage. And yes, she had a guitar tech. I work in the music business, and have done small showcases with much lesser known artists, who are also much younger and less experienced and still understand it's important to connect and appear buttoned up - and this was pretty unprofessional, IMHO. I usually see smaller acts. Never go to stadium shows or larger venues anymore.
I saw her at Beacon Theater last night in NYC and it was a very good show. She chatted playfully with the audience through the whole show, played a full set, and came back for an encore. Everyone has bad nights. Try not to feel too indignant about it, folks.
Yes jerseygurl, she definitely cut it short. Apparently the standard set for this tour has been 20 songs and an encore. I think we only got 18.
My point isn't that an audience shouldn't have high standards; it's fine to expect something when you pay for it. But those standards have to be contextualized. Lucinda Williams and Neko Case are very different performers, and I don't think it's entirely fair to expect their shows to have similar production standards or even a similar vibe. And thank goodness for that. I would assume that someone like Lucinda Williams (just going with that example) is going to put on more of a "show" than someone like Neko Case. For the most part, performers put a lot of thought into their image (or have someone else do it for them), and I don't think Neko Case is any different in that regard. Just a different style of performing, perhaps. We may disagree, but it's cool to hear your perspective as someone who has experience in the business side of music.
Thanks for the update, adamhasnofunk. Bad nights definitely happen, and I'm glad to hear that this was the case at the Wellmont. Did she play any covers at your show? My friend and I were hoping against all hope that she'd pull out "Beehive State" by Randy Newman, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Bring back Brewer & Shipley...one toke over the line sweet jesus.
I got a bad shock once switching guitars with a bass player. For a moment I had both guitars, mine and his in my hands and that's when I got the shock. I had to drop one of them. Guess which one it was...
It bounced!
they are really piling it on over at Brooklyn Vegan. Ouch!
Sounds like Neko wafer'd.