The Pogues Tickets
Overall Rating
4.4
By TedMM
Pogues!
Terminal 5 - New York
Since it was a general admission show, where everyone was going to be standing, we got there massively early, I had a Guinness or two while waiting, and we made sure we got a great spot. Second level, right up against the side railing, perfect view of the whole stage. At about 8:00 the opening act went on stage. Titus Andronicus (oddly enough, they're apparently from my home town of Glen Rock, NJ). Looking them up today, they've gotten lots of positive reviews for the two albums they've put out, but they were not good. The lead singer/lead guitar player could neither sing nor play guitar well, and their energy on stage was not positive. The singer and the girl guitar player/fiddler tried to fake it, but their attempts at energy came off as very fake and forced. The whole crowd was pretty much non-plussed by them, except for a couple of really drunk people. Then, after about a half an hour of switching the stage around and such, out come the Pogues. First, the band all runs out, full of energy, and then a minute after everyone else is in their places, out shambles Shane MacGowan. When he spoke, you could maybe understand a couple of words out of every sentence. For the couple of songs he wasn't singing, he staggered off stage, where he was kept by his handler and then sort of pushed back on to stage when it was his turn to sing again. Other times he sat down in front of the drums, and for a couple of songs had a chair brought out for him. In one great moment, a water bottle fell down on the stage, he tried to kick it, and missed. He smoked, he drank (a glass of what could have been anything from water to vodka, all I can attest to was that it was clear) At the end of the show, he went to smash and break the chair he had been sitting in, and it took all he could manage to get the back to break off. It could have been sad. It could have been funny. It wasn't. It was incredible. For all that he was visibly diminished, and at a point where the ravages of decades of whiskey and drugs had taken a huge visible toll, he was still amazing. From the moment they started with Streams of Whiskey to the end of the show, there was never a moment where you didn't feel like you were in the presence of greatness, and with there being only two more shows in this tour that's expected to be their last, there were definitely times where the emotion of the band was palpable. The energy on stage, was great. Even though he was incomprehensible when he wasn't singing (and occasionally when he was) MacGowan's personality and artistry shone through every moment he was out there, and they played a fantastic show. All in all, it was an experience that was amazing and unforgettable.
By lozak
Gotta love the Pogues!
Terminal 5 - New York
It was a very great and expected performance by the Pogues. It was good to see the band again and see them draw such a large crowd and give off such energy. I am very happy I went because I am sorry to say that I don't think Shane as many performances left in him. I brought guests with me who never heard of the Pogues and they had a great time and became instant fans.
By OldPerfessor
Going out at the top of their game
Terminal 5 - New York
After an overly loud opening act the Pogues came out and opened up with Streams of Whiskey, and I was immediately transported back to the 1980s when I fell in love with this band from the opening notes of Fairytale of New York. Next it was If I should Fall from Grace with God and a long stream of standards from their early albums. I have all of the albums, but that did not prepare me for the intense high quality of the performance that night. Shane McGowan looked like hell, but he never sounded better on any of the records. The plus-sized accordion player carrying a plus-sized accordion flew around the stage with manic intensity. My personal favorite for the night was "Thousands are Sailing," and, oddly, they never sang Fairytale. Overall, it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended in my life, and I've seen nearly everybody. I hope it isn't true that this is the end of the road for them, but I feel blessed to have seen this.
By KateKG
The Pogues are amazing!
Terminal 5 - New York
This is our second time seeing The Pogues, once in Atlanta and then we travelled to NYC to see them this St. Pat's Day. Totally amazing show, very cool venue!
By Juus
Wild Irishmen
Terminal 5 - New York
They put on a great show, really talented band. Terminal 5 in general is not my favorite venue but the band was great.
By martinmomma2
The Pogues were AMAZING!!
Terminal 5 - New York
My husband and I are huge Pogues fans and when I saw that they were going to be in New York City for St. Patricks Day I knew it would be a chance in a lifetime to see them. We drove 14 hours from Chattanooga, TN and could not have been more pleased with the whole event! We had a great view of the stage and the sound was great. The Pogues totally rocked! It was a shame it had to end.
By Mo12Mo
the Pogues - sorry its a parting glass
Terminal 5 - New York
Had a grand night!! visitng New York for St Patricks Day and the Pogues were on top form. typical Pogues style but the atmoshere was great, non stop entertainment. great venue for this type of gig.
By Anonymous
Terminal 5 - New York
The Pogues were great, as always, even though they didn't play a few favorite songs. But Terminal 5 is a terrible venue. Dark, dreary, feels dirty. Employees are not very friendly.
By DanO3141
A fine show.
Terminal 5 - New York
The boys don't disappoint... lots of energy! Just what I'd hoped for on a St. Pat's show in NYC. Not thrilled with the venue, but large enough to hold all the fans... and boy, were there lots more than I'd thought!
By jaime138
Best Show Ever. Ever.
Terminal 5 - New York
Wow. The show was amazing and the venue was awesome. Being a chick is not always the easiest when you want to get down and dance with the boys, but everyone in the pit was in the best spirits and totally friendly. Love The Pogues. They never disappoint.
Bio
one of the last true punk rock bands. For Australian members of said legion, the 23 year wait to see The Pogues on home shores will soon to be over, with the band - including Shane MacGowan, Jem Finer, Spider Stacy, James Fearnley, Darryl Hunt, Andrew Ranken, Philip Chevron, Terry Woods - announcing their first Australian tour since 1989.
The Pogues, or Pogue Mahone (kiss my arse in Gaelic) as they were then known, came kicking and screaming into the world in 1982 when founding members Shane McGowan, Peter 'Spider' Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley united for a show in Kings Cross, London. From the outset it was clear to see that this band were something different. Whilst hordes of young hopefuls at the time were cranking amplifiers and expounding the politically charged lyrical fixations of punk rock, The Pogues instead did away with thrashing about on electric guitars and mustered their power through an arsenal of traditional Irish instrumentation and folk storytelling- creating a genre so entirely their own it would become legend.
The seminal album Red Roses for Me soon followed, and with the follow-up Rum Sodomy & the Lash, critical accolades began to appear for front man MacGowan as he hit his lyrical straps- and in doing so became known as one of the most poetically adept storytellers of his generation. The next two albums - If I Should Fall from Grace with God and Peace and Love- brought the band commercial success, but cracks soon began to appear resulting in MacGowan being cast adrift immediately after the recording of the band's 1990 studio effort Hell's Ditch.
The band continued on with punk godfather Joe Strummer filling in for McGowan for a time, until Spider Stacy took on the bands vocal duties. Two further albums were recorded, being Waiting For Herb and Pogue Mahone, before he and the band decided to call last drinks in 1996. Just over a decade after MacGowan's departure The Pogues reconvened in 2001 with their front man refreshed, yet as wild as ever, and this April will bring their own brand of fiery, literate, celtic punk rock to Australia.