Phoenix Park Verdicts

Slutmonkey57b

How did everyone think it went? For me, I'd have to say full marks to the bands themselves but -10000/10 for MCD. Brutal organisation and the show setup was a joke.

* 8 Video screens but only 4 of them in use? And some of the time none of them? And garbage on them as well? FFS get them working before the gig starts.

* 2 pits that require passes but the 2nd over half empty most of the time? Morons. If they're not going to stay in the pit take the pass off them and give it to one of the people getting crushed on the outer barrier.

* Did they not realise that they're not at slane and there isn't a natural ampitheatre to allow people to SEE WHAT'S GOING ON?? They had 100ft of rigging to hang the screens from and where did they hang them? Just above head height. So if someone or something is blocking your view of the stage, fair enough we can expect that. But when you can't see the screens that are there for the purpose of ELIMINATING that problem, that's just fsking stupid.

* Line up made no sense at all. It was a case of "Who's available? Stick em on!" rather than planning the concert as a day that hung together. Pixies fans are hardcore and their music is NOT made for getting a "happy day out" crowd jumping and going. A great band for a smaller venue made up of people that know the music, yes. Big blank festival day? No. (don't get me wrong, I'm glad I saw them, but it's true, right?) None of the bands had anything in common, unlike slane last year.

* I have never been at a concert with more a$$holes in my entire life. Half the crowd were either not there to see a band or were Thrills fans (same thing). People complained about knackers at Slane, but scumbags were actually nice people here. It was drunk culchies and dumb b!tches in designer gear that were totally ignorant causing the problems. Not here for the music? Fine, "fcuk" off to stephens green and sit in the sun there. Plenty of other fashion obsessed tossers to preen about to.

* The sound was abysmal. Didn't matter so much for the Pixies as the lyrics make no sense and there's a lot of noise involved but when you can't hear the Chilies because of the crowd, that's just pathetic. No volume, no balance, terrible all round. The sound was better when you were half a mile down the road than it was in the venue.

dee mm

Sounds like you had a good day out.:D

Gerry

Couldn't agree more Slutmonkey. I was really disappointed by the venue, it seemed to slope up towards the stage. Surely they could have found a better slope somewhere in the phoenix park?
I thought the pixies sounded brilliant, maybe it was just where I was standing ( just outside the pit ). As you say they don't need perfect sound, but at least their levels were right. They sounded as good as the recordings I've heard of their other gigs.
The crowd moshing just behind the pit seemed to be hardcore pixies fans. Most of the people further back seemed to be "there for the chillies", but to be honest they were probably just there for a day out, and not the music as you say. Most of them probably wouldn't know anything before 'Californication' except maybe Under the Bridge.
The chillies sounded absolutely brutal, and they are not impressive unless they have a good sound setup. Also, they seemed to be just going through the motions.
Still, was worth it just to see the pixies

It wasn't me!

Yeah. From what I could see, there was more going on outside the pits than there was in the second pit. The screens were disgraceful. Gerry's right though. The chili's should really think about calling it a day. The Pixies stole the day out from under their very noses and they really weren't doing anything we haven't seen them do before. Then again, the Pixies were outstanding. Truly the reason I listen to music.

weemcd

i had an excellent day out. i was at outside the pit, as close as i could of gotten without being in the pit. I had an amazing day, lol it was my first time hearing a pixies song and i ****ing loved them seemed to suit the mood of the day perfectly. Chillis were excellent and were i was the crowd was lovin every minute of it. fantastic day out, which i wont forget

Tusky

Originally posted by weemcd
i had an excellent day out. i was at outside the pit, as close as i could of gotten without being in the pit. I had an amazing day, lol it was my first time hearing a pixies song and i ****ing loved them seemed to suit the mood of the day perfectly. Chillis were excellent and were i was the crowd was lovin every minute of it. fantastic day out, which i wont forget

You had *never* heard a pixies song before ? I find that hard to believe !

weemcd

smeh ir only 16 mabye i did hear them b4 i cant remember, they are brilliant

Belle Ende

I missed seeing the Hothouse Flowers

Groove Armada: 7/10
The Thrills: 6/10
Pixies: 8.5/10
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 6.5/10


The sound was a bit poor overall.

The big screens were a effing joke. Especially one very dodgy screen (halfways back into the crowd) that kept freezing on the bottom half. And during the Pixie's "Caribou" the main screens froze into a Windows desktop. Awful and unprofessional.

The food stalls and toilet facilities weren't a problem. Mmmmm, donuts!

Plenty of scumbags around (like any gig, you can't avoid these tossers). Pass me the sniper rifle. It's most peculiar that people pay big money for gigs and then start fighting, or messing, or shouting rubbish while the songs are being performed.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed the day. It was definitely worthwhile seeing the Chilis and Pixies, and none of the other bands I saw were shabby either. Definitely not the best gig, but equally not the worst gig either.

.
.

Things noted:

---

* The Thrills dedicate a song to the Peppers.

* The Chilis dedicate one back to The Thrills!

* No interaction from Mr. Thompson, but Kim Deal was smiling and making an effort on that front. I think her comment about being able to see the gig from the Wicklow mountains wasn't interpreted correctly.

* Joey Santiago's drumstick'n'guitar interlude was pretty cool.

* Vodaphone text message on the big screen: "The guitarist of The Thrills looks like Ruud Van Nistelroy".
Made me laugh!

* Vodaphone text message on the big screen: "D Pixies R crap... BRNG on D Chillli's!! Luv Caroline.."
Made me cry! :rolleyes:

* Another round of 'Sinne Fianna Fail'. The Chilis know how to work a crowd.

Slutmonkey57b

I don't think the Chili's put on a *bad* show but they did suffer from 2 factors:

1: The sound levels were borked - there was no balance between the band so Keidis was drowned out by the drums. This was also a problem in Slane when Flea was doing his solos but otherwise it was barely noticable. This time it really was. And in any case there was no volume so even if they did sort out the levels you still couldn't hear them.

2: They really had nothing new to show us over last year. 4 shows in 4 years is fine if you're playing to different crowds or if you have new material to play (or even a wildly different set list) but not if you're playing pretty much the same thing 3 years in a row. Given the 20 year back catalogue they really shouldn't have an excuse for playing the same openers over and over. Suprise us dammit! Even the national anthem bit was done last year - and evidently they still didn't notice that we don't know our national anthem - another case of 2 lines of singing followed by flea standing about listening to silence and shuffling of feet.

They certainly came out with plenty of energy (I thought they'd been reading the slagging they were getting on boards and were trying to prove us wrong when they first started), and looked like _they_ were enjoying the show, but I can't say the crowd was. I left early in case you were wondering. Verdict: They put on a good show if you didn't see it last year but the crowd was denied access to it.

hacktavist

Anyone else see the guy climbing up the speaker tower at the end?
I wonder what happend him, Id say the bouncers bet the ****e out of him.

the cat

I had a great day I was at the very front in pit one. I was disappointed by the chilis' performance. The pixies were amazing. They chilis were good but not amazing the pixies definitely stole the show.

kano476

i had a great fcking day!
got in just in time for hothouse flowers - they were brilliant, groove armada were class to and got the crowd going, i hate the thrills so i spent most of the time at the bar - 5euro for a watered down pint of heineken = rediculous. btw anyone underage like meself had no problem getting served after about 5pm the whole cheking for id's went out the window about then.

manaaged to get a pit2 pass by giving my pint to some drunk scanger and got in there for second half of the pixies who were really good but their music didnt suit the day unless you were a fan. the rest of the bands fitted in perfectly even groove armada - hence the token scum methinks.

it was the first time seeing the chillis live but i have seen the dvd of slane and they did seem sh*t hot that day. still though i was not let down by them although i would have liked them to play some more older stuff and they only played for an hour and half - i thought they would play the 2 hours but hey, i enjoyed it.

i didnt think the knackers were that bad the day seemed pretty good natured and the atmosphere was really good - got talking to loads of people especially in the pit.

for me its been the highlight of my year so far.

Atomic Pineapple

How does music suit a day? I dont understand what you mean by that.

The pixies were amazing and the chance to hear them live anywhere is not something to take for granted.

the fact they had to play support to such a dire headline act is disgracefull, feck mcd for not giving the pixies there own smaller gig in ireland were the whole crowd would be there to appreciate there music.

It wasn't me!

I got stuck in a really good section of the crowd where everyone was loving the Pixies and giving it loads. Some fabulous circle pits and all going. It was brilliant. A pyramid fell on me though. I was too "enlightened" at that stage though to care. It was a fantastic day. I think they really should have dropped the barrier for pit two though. The bloody thing was empty!

Evil_Bilbo

After the gig we all went to get busses into town. Walked for about an hour and a half (couldve just walked into town) to realise they had put all the busses in fecking Chapelizod.

What was the point in that. They made us walk and walk and walk to get a bus into town. Why didnt they drive the busses up that road so we didnt have to walk as far? The fcuking road was closed for the gig anyway.

Without a doubt the worst organised gig I was ever at. The pixies were good, but I lost everyone halfway through, so couldnt really get into the buzz. Will never go to the pheonix park again (not even for rent boys)

Standard Toaster

Agreed with all said so far. The only good thing to come outta the concert for me is I'm a new Pixies fan:D

And they could have had a few more bars too!:mad:

davej

I was really only interested in seeing the pixies and we arrived just as they started. They were pretty excellent I have to say, played a good deal of their classics. I stayed around for the Chillis purely for anthropological reasons. It was just so interesting to watch what people were getting up to.

I left for the buses at islandbridge, just as they started Give it away.

I saw the Chillis (incidentally supported by Frank Black) a decade ago at Sunstroke and for me, in terms of live performance, they were *ok* then but have gotten worse since.

And yes the sound/visual engineers should be banned from ever working at a concert again.

davej

It wasn't me!

Originally posted by The_Edge
I'm a new Pixies fan:D

Welcome comrade. Check your hat and coat at the door because you're never leaving! We're all in this for life!

Standard Toaster

Originally posted by It wasn't me!
Welcome comrade. Check your hat and coat at the door because you're never leaving! We're all in this for life!

Can you recommend a Pixies album to check out for this newfish?

PiE

Probably best to start out with Death to the Pixies, it's a "Best Of..." album. If you don't like that, you prrrrobably won't like the rest

Oh and yea, the Phoenix Park is a shockingly bad venue.

Standard Toaster

Originally posted by PiE
Probably best to start out with Death to the Pixies, it's a "Best Of..." album. If you don't like that, you prrrrobably won't like the rest

Oh and yea, the Phoenix Park is a shockingly bad venue.

Danke;)
I don't wanna hijack this tread btw!

Hell_en_earth

I agree the sound was terrible they didn't have ahlf the speakers working and when they treid to use them they sent out peircing noise that would make your ears bleed!!
The Pixies rocked, The Chillies where excellent, Groove Armada got the crowd going, the Thrills sucked a$$ and I missed the hot house flowers
I though it was a great gig. it was a weird mix alrite. To many ppl swaning around not paying any attention to anyone at all . You gotta respect those around ya and not stand on ppl!!

eth0_

Originally posted by Hell_en_earth
the Thrills sucked a$$

Course they did, they're the Thrills, an over-rated, fscking atrocious band.

nobby79

Sound was excellent for Pixies, it all depended on where you were standing. The guitars and bass were clean sounding and the drums and vocals were perfect. All in all a class day. I found most people to be laid back and pretty cool. Diverse mix of people but you are going to get that with 100,000 + people. As for the bands having nothing in common, thats ****e. They all draw the indie crowd and are respected acts in the alternative field. Funny how people get different expieriences from the same day. The weather and music was class, don't let the monitors ruin your day.

As for the new Pixies fan check the come on pilgrim/Surfer Rosa cd, both on same cd.

funky penguin

Originally posted by draffodx

the fact they had to play support to such a dire headline act is disgracefull

Thats kinda harsh, dont you think?

Hell_en_earth

The Chillies where excellent!!! Pixies where Brillant!! It was a kick a$$ gig!!

It wasn't me!

The Chili's were.... OK, but the fact that I actually had to try to enjoy them kinda pointed out to me that I don't really like the Chili's anymore, except for some of their old stuff of course

d4

I thought it was pretty crap.The pixies were ok, chili's set was nearly the exact same as slane last year(:o ).I dont know how long the thrills were on for but i thought they were brutal.The sound was brutal 2 for ALL acts.The hole set up of the gig left me very disappointed.Like what was the deal with one end of the place not able to see the stage.All you could do was look at a big screen.I'm paying €65 for a concert and i EXPECT the sound to be good and not have to watch some of the concert on a big screen.:(

Cindy Love

i wasnt really lookin forwerd to the gig at all.the thoughts of hangin around with my guitarists trophy girlfriend and her 'wacky' mates wasnt the most enticing.I went along then with not so much as high hopes but a little trepidation.We walked from castleknock down at about 1245 or so and luckily (wink wink)only had to go through one friskin.As i was more interested in gettin loosened up with a beer and a smoke we left the girls do there think and flirt with the buncers to get wrist bands.There was a hefty cue for the wristbands at this stage and i really wasnt arsed spendin the next 3 or so hours listenin to music which being honest im not a fan of.oh and also the securty where refusin people in to the pit if they had beer with them.so i made a bold decision to get drunk....which we did.for some reason the security knobends emtpied the pit of everyon and then only let people back in once they showed there wrist band.As we didnt have any band we where told to cue.Luckily we where standin in the right place at the right time and within about 20mins they started givin out new wrist bands to us shmo's.(its only since readin other poeple posts that i realise how lucky we where to get into the pit)anway in the pit it was actually comfartable compared to other gigs ive been to.Now that was either a mastersroke of pure genius by the security or maybe they just hadnt let as many in as they could/should have?but the sound up the front really wasnt the best, i mean i know outdoor gigs arent the best but i was deaf after the gig!and appertly some poor sods coudnt hear the gig down the back!man some sound 'engineering' that was.The Pixies where good...i would have appreciated them more in a smaller venue cos i dont think they where suited for saturday....or maybe its for festivals like this?!I liked the way they played there set with no frills just rock twas cool.Didnt bother watching groove armada (though i do like em)and the thrills i dont have much interest in...they remind me of teeny disco music its so fookin sanitised and bland(grrr)The Chillis where good but i think if flea asnt so entertaing and impressive it would have been a different day.Anthoney Kidies seemed genuinely at a loss of what to do with himself on stage,i was well dissapointed with him.Frusciante was another surprise he played a fantastic rendition of an old soul number(who's name escapes me.if anyone remembers please post it here or p.m. me)he displayed a competent singin voice and physically looks alot healthier then the last tim ei saw them.Oh did anyone else see when he got smashed in the head with that football.i think it actually cracked his guitar neck (you could make it out on the big screen)Chad smith was pretty cool and played some led zep (rock n roll+misty mountain top or was it 4 sticks intro's)anyway this rant is gettin almost biblical in length.overall it was a good gig but not a great one.With the acoustic porblems-some of us where deafned while others couldnt hear the sound engineers have to claim responsiblity but i think the Chillis show was lackin a certain charisma.They have had 20years gigin experience they didnt seem as thirsty for it as one imagines you should be performin in front of 100,000 people.and im sorry for 60bills a go the simple and you would think obvious idea of raisin the TV screens or at the very least turnin them on should have took place....very ****in rock n roll that

meesh

where do I start

ok I'm a Chilis nut - Phoenix was my 10th show in 3 years and I saw them for 11th time in Edinburgh on Sunday. Phoenix Park was by far one of the best performances I've seen them do. Last year I was backstage with the band and side stage for the show and it was one of the worst performances ever. Being side stage we saw everything that happened and everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. Phoenix on the other hand went quite smoothly for them. As much as I love them, AK can't sing at all and I'm pretty sure I could hear him sing in tune at Phoenix Park *shock horror* something that doesn't really happen/ To me the music is far more important than listening to AK singing.

At a personal point of view I have never ever seen John Frusciante looking so happy as he did on stage that day, he's a very troubled individual and usually shies away a bit more on stage but at Phoenix he was smiling (even when the sound was ****ed) and gave it his all. Flea sounded as supers as ever. I was in the front pit this time so sound was far more superior that it would have been further back. Be grateful they actually used as many screens as they did - most bands don't even bother with them (I go to a **** load of gigs so know what I'm talking about).

The Slane DVD looks so good because its edited between Slane and one of their sets at the V festival the weekend before. Slane show was so ****ed up and the band hated it and so much was cut out.

I follow bands on tour, Chilis are just one of many and I'll go see a band 4/5 times in one week and every band use the same principal when it comes to a set list. Three quarters of the set will be the same every night then they switch the other songs around, sometimes throwing in a cover. Yup they have a huge back catalogue but this tour is more to promote newer material. It's the same with any ****ing band.

This show is designed for stadiums not parks and that's why things seemed a bit off to people, nothing to do with the band, just the choice of venue. After selling out slane and playing Lansdowne Road there was only really one more venue for them to play in Dublin and that's Phoenix - that's why they played there - realistically (for supply and demand) it was the only venue big enough.

As a true fans point of view it was an excellent show. That's not just coming from me but also massive chilis fans who were at the show with me. People like myself that follow the band wherever and have been fans a hell of a lot longer than me. There was 11 of us at the show - 8 of us have seen the band 10+ times. It was by far one of the best performances I've seen them do.

emagdnim

Originally posted by Cindy Love
Chad smith was pretty cool and played some led zep (rock n roll+misty mountain top or was it 4 sticks intro's)

Rock n Roll and Good Times Bad Times was the two led zep intro's that he played.....the only reason i remember Good Times Bad Times was becuase me and my mate kept on singing after he stopped the intro, and we got funny looks off some of the young people around us!

funky penguin

Originally posted by meesh
where do I start

ok I'm a Chilis nut - Phoenix was my 10th show in 3 years and I saw them for 11th time in Edinburgh on Sunday. Phoenix Park was by far one of the best performances I've seen them do. Last year I was backstage with the band and side stage for the show and it was one of the worst performances ever. Being side stage we saw everything that happened and everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. Phoenix on the other hand went quite smoothly for them. As much as I love them, AK can't sing at all and I'm pretty sure I could hear him sing in tune at Phoenix Park *shock horror* something that doesn't really happen/ To me the music is far more important than listening to AK singing.

At a personal point of view I have never ever seen John Frusciante looking so happy as he did on stage that day, he's a very troubled individual and usually shies away a bit more on stage but at Phoenix he was smiling (even when the sound was ****ed) and gave it his all. Flea sounded as supers as ever. I was in the front pit this time so sound was far more superior that it would have been further back. Be grateful they actually used as many screens as they did - most bands don't even bother with them (I go to a **** load of gigs so know what I'm talking about).

The Slane DVD looks so good because its edited between Slane and one of their sets at the V festival the weekend before. Slane show was so ****ed up and the band hated it and so much was cut out.

I follow bands on tour, Chilis are just one of many and I'll go see a band 4/5 times in one week and every band use the same principal when it comes to a set list. Three quarters of the set will be the same every night then they switch the other songs around, sometimes throwing in a cover. Yup they have a huge back catalogue but this tour is more to promote newer material. It's the same with any ****ing band.

This show is designed for stadiums not parks and that's why things seemed a bit off to people, nothing to do with the band, just the choice of venue. After selling out slane and playing Lansdowne Road there was only really one more venue for them to play in Dublin and that's Phoenix - that's why they played there - realistically (for supply and demand) it was the only venue big enough.

As a true fans point of view it was an excellent show. That's not just coming from me but also massive chilis fans who were at the show with me. People like myself that follow the band wherever and have been fans a hell of a lot longer than me. There was 11 of us at the show - 8 of us have seen the band 10+ times. It was by far one of the best performances I've seen them do.

I would do anything, anything anyTHING, to meet the chillis! Even just flea. Just to have a little bass jam with him.....I could learn so much.....:(

BrianD

I would do nething, nething NETHING, to meet the chillis! Even just flea. Just to have a lil bass jam wiv him.....I cud learn so much

Perhaps you could go back to school and learn how to write??

funky penguin

you happy now? Happy that the world is closer to your idealistic perfection?

hacktavist

It should be "Are you happy now?"

funky penguin

What is this? The pick on funky penguin thread?

spectacleinrock

personally i had been looking forward to seeing the pixies, but was dissappointed. They really hadn't a clue how to deal with such a large crowd- and i was in the front pit. Compared to the energy of the chili's it was a very dull performance. They would have been better off in somewhere like vicar street. Chili's were better in slane but still had fun, would have liked more of a mix of songs

nobby79

"personally i had been looking forward to seeing the pixies, but was dissappointed. They really hadn't a clue how to deal with such a large crowd- and i was in the front pit. "


The way they dealt with the large crowd was to re-create the same sound they did on their records , perectly. What did you want a handshake for being in the pit or maybe some celeb , showbiz style cabaret about how much they love Ireland and it's their favourite place.

funky penguin

Would hav been nice.

nobby79

:rolleyes:

Peanut

What was the song that the Chillis played that started out like Joy Division "Transmission" ??
or was it just some jammin...?

spectacleinrock

The way they dealt with the large crowd was to re-create the same sound they did on their records , perectly. What did you want a handshake for being in the pit or maybe some celeb , showbiz style cabaret about how much they love Ireland and it's their favourite place.

recreate same sound as on the record? Wouldnt i just play the cd if i wanted that??? Some bands just aren't good performers and thats how i felt about the pixies on the day. And yes performing is important when you pay 60 quid to see a band and all you get is what you got on the cd.....and i was only pointing out that i was in the pit to show that i could hear and see the band well unlike a lot of people at the gig.