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09/06/2004 Gigs from Hell?
Regular readers will know of the esteem in which Daily Update holds Bob Dylan, the quintessential musician for grown-ups. If you've any doubts, just check out the review of November 2003's London shows. Dylan's about to play London again, 20 miles from my front door. But wild horses couldn't drag me there. I wouldn't go to the London Fleadh, in Finsbury Park, if promoters Mean Fiddler offered me free helicopter transport and "executive" box seating. Seeing music performed in a general admission park, surrounded by thousands insistent on having "fun", is my idea of Hell. Neither will I be going to any of the picnic gigs now spreading like a virulent rash across the length and breadth of the British Isles. No Van Morrison at Hampton Court Palace tonight. No Glastonbury. No Kenwood. No National Trust, English Heritage or freelance gigs set in heritage locations, in the shadow of stately homes or in the centre of landmark gardens. No sirree. Why not? Inferior sound. Avoidable, constantly chattering groups of tedious, ageing conformistas, whose only interest seems to be to impress each other. For them, it's a social event. The music is incidental, background noise, aural wallpaper. These outdoor gigs really aren't about music at all. They're about scoffing and impressing. Getting out and about in the summer is a delight. But I'd much rather play some tennis, go out cycling, or even discover a new city, than listen to sub-standard sound in a questionable venue. I've already done a two-day, 100 mile cycle circuit of Normandy, and plan to spend Midsummer's Day in Stockholm. Now that's a summer gig from Heaven. High summer? Low point of my concert-going year. Gigs from Hell. Gerry Smith
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