Get up, stand up
Last night my husband and I braved the sold-out crowds at Webster Hall to go see The Frames, who I’ve always heard do a great live show. They did not disappoint -- rolling waves of sound, building to a peak and gently releasing, and ecstatic audience singalongs. Frontman Glen Hansard (who wowed us in the movie Once) is charismatic and funny and engaging, and he makes this amazing scream like nobody else. It sounds like he’s ripping his vocal chords out, yet it’s thrilling (in a good way, not an “ouch” way).
But despite the performance, we left after about an hour of the Frames. Why? Well, it was 11pm, both my husband and I have real jobs that necessitate us being awake before noon, and we live way uptown. But aside from that, we were sick of standing.
We had arrived at Webster Hall at 8:30pm, half an hour after the doors opened, and we barely found a place to stand in the back of the room. And we stood, through two good opening acts, until the Frames came on at 10pm. In that 90 minutes, we were stepped on by some drunken frat boys, we were jostled and squeezed and shoved, and finally, just before 10pm, a really tall couple decided to stand right in front of us. I spent most of the hour watching the Frames craning my neck in a funny way to the left so I could see Hansard, who was in the middle of the stage. My husband muttered, “I hate these standing shows.”
And I’m kind of inclined to agree. We’re young and healthy, but standing for 2+ hours after a day at work (didn’t get my disco nap!) wears on you. And I found myself thinking, hey, I paid good money for these tickets, and I have to stand all this time and shove for a place like I’m on the subway at rush hour? Not to mention what happens when the chick in front of me starts head-banging, emphatically and dangerously.
Some artists are better suited to a standing show than a seated one, I agree, and the Frames have that kind of big, energetic sound that wouldn’t really suit a sleepy seated crowd. But I have to confess I’ll think twice before going to another standing show, especially on a weeknight, and especially if it’s sold-out. (I realize this is sooooo not rock ‘n roll of me, but anybody who knows me will tell you I’m not that rock ‘n roll anyway.) And next time, I won’t be wearing flats.
What do you think of standing shows? Are there places in town that you just won’t go, no matter who’s playing? Or are there some artists who are worth standing for all night?
