I've wanted to see Brian Jonestown Massacre for a long time, so when I saw they were coming to a local venue, I bought tickets the minute they went on sale (six months ago). I took my dad, who introduced me to good music before I could walk, and we got there early to grab some reserved loft seats. The guy at the door (named Marley, because HIS dad, who used to live in Jamaica, gave his son a name with some of the strongest musical roots ever), took great care of us, and got us the seats we wanted, early enough to get our thirst quenched before the show started. All was perfect. The opening act, Mercury Rev, was impressive and got the mood right....
When BJM took the stage, I was pretty stoked, and my dad an I enjoyed the show from the comfort of our beers. Still great, until the lead singer, Anton Newcombe, started berating the members of his band, apparently for not playing the songs right...(?) I think I can speak for everyone in the audience when I say that the songs were great, and the performance was everything we came for, but for Anton to stop the jamming, and make the band start over (not once but about four different times), was just kind of annoying and narcissistic. I believe in striving for perfection, but the time for practice and training is BEFORE the big game, coach! Once your players are on the field, let them play!
Again, so glad I finally got to see them, but not sure I'm as big a fan as I was before this show... Great venue, perfect place for an up close, intimate show, and thanks again Marley for getting us in the door and much less thirsty!