Tour blog
For what it's worth, I saw the show at Higher Ground in Burlington earlier this week - making it the third time I've seen Jay/Son Volt at Higher Ground.
I'll admit that I was a little let down with the first half of the show. The music was great and the band was tight but it just lacked any energy. The exception to the low energy being that Jay seemed to be in a really good mood and actually interacted with the audience a bit.
But then...the second half of the show! A rock and roll masterpiece. They've nicely dressed up songs like "Damn Shame" and they put some outstanding noise behind Bandages and Scars (possibly my favorite 'volt song). The whole second half was just fantastic and made up for what I perceived as the monotony of the first half.
Of course, I suspect Jay's good mood vanished later in the evening when the other guys got booted from the nearby hotel.
I'll admit that I was a little let down with the first half of the show. The music was great and the band was tight but it just lacked any energy. The exception to the low energy being that Jay seemed to be in a really good mood and actually interacted with the audience a bit.
But then...the second half of the show! A rock and roll masterpiece. They've nicely dressed up songs like "Damn Shame" and they put some outstanding noise behind Bandages and Scars (possibly my favorite 'volt song). The whole second half was just fantastic and made up for what I perceived as the monotony of the first half.
Of course, I suspect Jay's good mood vanished later in the evening when the other guys got booted from the nearby hotel.
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countryfeedback wrote:Not intending to overanalyze, but if Iam reading between the lines correctly, Masterson was indeed fired?
"Following a very frustrating day, I needed someone to blame and there can only be one: Jay Farrar. I laid into him and management for putting us up in such a flea bag hotel. Farrar has been trigger happy as of late and he subsequently fired me for insubordination and has since replaced me with someone who is cheaper and takes up less space. He even fooled me into training my replacement:"
The "Farrar has been trigger happy as of late" part is what caught my eye as possibly being based on fact...The rest of course is in jest.
Very very interesting. You think Dave slipped a little eh? Well, it's their business though i'd hate to think that that's the case. I'm not sure James would be cheaper considering they get paid by the lick.
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Not intending to overanalyze, but if Iam reading between the lines correctly, Masterson was indeed fired?
"Following a very frustrating day, I needed someone to blame and there can only be one: Jay Farrar. I laid into him and management for putting us up in such a flea bag hotel. Farrar has been trigger happy as of late and he subsequently fired me for insubordination and has since replaced me with someone who is cheaper and takes up less space. He even fooled me into training my replacement:"
The "Farrar has been trigger happy as of late" part is what caught my eye as possibly being based on fact...The rest of course is in jest.
"Following a very frustrating day, I needed someone to blame and there can only be one: Jay Farrar. I laid into him and management for putting us up in such a flea bag hotel. Farrar has been trigger happy as of late and he subsequently fired me for insubordination and has since replaced me with someone who is cheaper and takes up less space. He even fooled me into training my replacement:"
The "Farrar has been trigger happy as of late" part is what caught my eye as possibly being based on fact...The rest of course is in jest.
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I think he's just being honest after a daily run of shows and road travel, tired...and its great he's honest. Dude is human, has a wife and baby and interests beyond playing. Lets face it, being in Son Volt is great because of Jay and the music.
No one joins Son Volt for the party lifestyle.
I sense he's a positive dude, not a bummed out dude.
One who happens to be an awesome drummer. And a more than decent blogger.
Dude's cool.
I say we lay off the psychoanalyzing.
No one joins Son Volt for the party lifestyle.
I sense he's a positive dude, not a bummed out dude.
One who happens to be an awesome drummer. And a more than decent blogger.
Dude's cool.
I say we lay off the psychoanalyzing.
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I was just thinking the same thing. I don't know Dave from Adam, so I don't know if he's a naturally depressive dude, but if I wasn't a Son Volt fan and all I had to go on was this tour blog to help me decide if I should go see a SV show, I'd run the other way as fast as I could. I mean, there's hardly anything good being reported from the gigs from the band's perspective.Mule wrote:Anybody else get the sense that Dave doesn't really thoroughly enjoy the Son Volt scene? Just wondered if I'm the only one who senses that he's growing tired of the small(er) crowds, poor choices of venues in which they're being booked(I totally agree with him), the bs of life on the road...
Not that it's Dave's job to market the band... I'm just sayin'.
Also, never having been in a band I probably get an overblown sense of how fun and romantic it would be touring with a band like SV. I'm sure it can be hell at least as often as it's heaven. Just seems like it would beat the shit out of sitting in front of a computer 8 hrs a day...
Last edited by professor_squishy on Wed Sep 23, 2009 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I got that feeling a little bit reading today's post about the bed bugs. But in general, I think he's just being entertaining in his blog - not holding back on sarcasm for instance. I think with a tour blog like his, if you say nothing that could be construed as negative, then it's boring .. and if you say some truthful things in a funny way, it could come out as being unhappy. He complained a bit about some of the venues they played with the Cowboy Junkies, but some of those shows had big attendance figures too, so I imagine it wasn't the biggest complaint in the world - just stating it's a challenge to play in front of seated fans, or at lower volumes at the Zoo. I think he's just calling things like he sees 'em, and life on the road aint always a blast .. but I also get the sense that he very much enjoys being in Son Volt.Mule wrote:Anybody else get the sense that Dave doesn't really thoroughly enjoy the Son Volt scene? Just wondered if I'm the only one who senses that he's growing tired of the small(er) crowds, poor choices of venues in which they're being booked(I totally agree with him), the bs of life on the road...
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