The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Benefit was held at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary over the weekend, and while I did not intend to write about this little shindig again, the number of comments left on this site over the past 3 days have convinced me otherwise.There's a lot of uncertainty regarding what went on back stage that night. Did Pete Townshend show up and was not allowed to play by the town or venue management because the event had gone past its curfew? That's what some people are saying. (Including concert organizer Rick French, though he didn't use Townshend's name and then the post he put up on the event's forum explaining the situation was "deleted by a hacker." I would not make that up. The entire forum has since been taken down.) If that's true? Then...wow. Such a scenario would demonstrate not only a lack of consciousness on the part of the rule makers, but also an incredible lack of planning on the part of those running the show.
But I digress. Instead of me ranting about the show -- because I wasn't there and did not care to be -- I'd like to share a small sample of the comments left by disappointed concertgoers who have shared their experience on this site.
Oh, and here's the kicker. After all this, Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht wrote on his blog that Rock Hall officials told him Saturday night that they'd be glad to return to Cary for next year's show, which will (according to French) focus on 80s hair bands and the period leading up grunge rock. Until next year, folks...
lukabrasie said: Well this show is now all said and done and I was one of the ones that was saying this is going to be a huge show. And while it wasn’t a bad show, but i must say it was more of a tease. … They should be ashamed of themselves for putting this show on and not producing what was supposed to be an incredible night.
gcoleman99 said: I am still incredibly pissed about this, because I ended up driving up from the Columbia, SC area and spent a total of around $4-500 to basically see Dennis DeYoung and Alan White (who were both very good, but not worth THAT type of money). ... I will NOT be making this same mistake when (or if) they hold this again.
Anonymous said: This show ended up being a huge letdown, just as I predicted in August when I posted the "bait and switch?" post on the Rock Hall's own forum (which was later conveniently deleted by them as ticket sales faltered). The show was ok for $50, but came nowhere near the hype, and flat-out lies that Rick French spewed for months.
Anonymous said: The show was pathetic and the after party was even more pathetic. I hope Rick French was volunteering his services because you definitely get what you pay for. ... I saw several people sleeping. SLEEPING at a Rock and Roll concert!! I only hope to forget about this show because today I have a serious case of buyer's remorse.
Anonymous said: Memorable? The BAD part is this WAS a memorable show. I will never again be able to listen to those great old songs without remembering how they were butchered at this show. THAT is the tragedy.
Anonymous said: The neysayers were correct- Rick you failed big time here. All of that pre-concert hype was a bunch of hot air. And if the Cary curfew was to blame, why wasn't this addressed PRIOR to the show? Hey maybe the Randy Parton theater has some work for you, Rick.
For full remarks, please go back and check out these original posts:
Rock Hall benefit announces "Saturday night showstopper" 7/24/08
Rock Hall benefit organizers announce more headliners 7/9/08
Backlash begins with Rock Hall benefit lineup 6/25/08
Rock & Roll Hall benefit lineup supremely unimpressive 5/27/08
3 comments:
I found a review here:
http://stockforrest.com/2008/09/23/rock-hall-of-fame-benefit-concert-review/
As one who did not attend due to distance and personal reasons yet I am a huge fan of Jack Bruce and wanted to check out some of the attendees reviews, all I found was a lot of annimosity promoted on this site long before the event; continuing after the show. This site is wallowing in politics about event management. The show was a "benefit" acts and artists who performed did so to entertain and connect with the audience for the music. The Who didn't play, Cream didn't play but Jack Bruce and the others did. This site's operator didn't go to the show having taken an attitude long before the event and has stoked the fires of discontent.
I attended most of Saturday’s event. I went into it with low expectations, and the low expectations I had were met. At one point my guest and I were walking back up to buy beers and we saw people in their lawn chairs reading magazines, books etc. The place was probably only a quarter full at 5 pm. However the promoter continually talked about “special guests” which would make us remember the event for the rest of our lives. Well, no other special guest (that wasn’t already on the bill) ever showed. My feeling now is that Townsend and Daltrey’s camps had turned down the event long ago, but the organizer knew the prospect of them playing would increase beer and vending sales, and prompt people in attendance to call friends to have them come and buy tickets. I would be really surprised if the Rock Hall ever wanted to come back. Maybe another organizer can convince them otherwise. Overall I felt it was a real missed opportunity. The venue wasn't the problem here, promotion of the event and inability to secure a better headliner plagued this from day one
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