blueheaven Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 BH if that is the case that it caters to all - why is the ratio of opera/musicals/guff much much higher than that of music gigs? as always perth is shite for anything half decent - a good should to make the old concert hall a palce for gigs I haven't said that it caters to all. I think that what I did say is that inevitably you can't cater for every single person's tastes. But, to attempt to answer your question, I'd imagine that the reason there's so much opera/classical/etc stuff is probably because it's easy to book, easy to organise, cheap, and - contrary to what some on here would have everyone believe - fairly popular. Let's face it though - no matter what they have there, there will always be some locals who think that what's on offer is shite. If there's one thing that really disappoints me about Perth, it's the amount of people who are so down on their own home town, often with little real justification. I think your statement of "as always, Perth is shite for anything half-decent" is a prime example of that. I think Perth is a terrific place to live, but if you're looking for a constant stream of well-known bands/singers/rappers playing there, then you're living in the wrong place. It's not a big city after all, but then again a lot of people don't want it to be one. I know I'd much rather live in Perth than Glasgow, for starters. I do think, though, that Perth's music scene must have really taken a hit when the Twa Tams (in its previous incarnation) disappeared. It was a great small venue in that it managed to attract recognised names from music as well as provide a good platform for unsigned acts. Going a bit further outside the town, I think the loss of the Beinn Inn as a music venue is also a big blow for the region. There's a big gap in the local market now for a pub to fill that void, but I think it'll only ever happen if someone who has good music industry contacts is interested in doing it. Sadly I think that's pretty unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint.Justin Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 It is absolutly pathetic... Glasgow has at least 10 decent venues... off the top of my head i can think...cathouse,arches,barrowlands,qmu,union,secc,o2 acad... and we cant even get our concert hall to get some decent bands..? even one of my fav bands "bloc party" are playing in fekin dunfermline in october! really makes me angry cause i was looking forward to the conny hall when it was built.. real let down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUZZ Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 yeah, blueheaven you are right about the twa tams. i used to go there every weekend to catch a good mixture of local bands and up and coming bands from all over the uk. it was great. the highlight was an acoustic set by ocean colour scene which was brilliant. i even played there a few times myself i really miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City63 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 It's just typical Perth. We have a nice town center but the rates and rents are so high we can't get decent brand shops. We have an ice rink "for curlers", a leisure pool for "paddlers", a cinema full of screens no bigger than some living rooms and a "concert hall for arty farty things that used to be in the theatre. Okay so we wont attract Oasis, U2 et al but if the likes of Morrissey etc are good enough for Scumdee what's wrong with Perth???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calypso Kid Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I saw Idlewild there a couple of years back, who are a band that will sell out most mid-size venues in Glasgow or Edinburgh, and the place was only half full. Also saw The Blues Band in there and it was an all-seating "Radio 2" type affair but brilliant nonetheless. The Off The Ball show in there was pretty good and it was full house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_Beatson Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Calypso - I was at Idlewild as well. I'm told that it was effectively sold out, as they did not want to sell tickets for the upper tier of seating, and most of the people who had tickets for the lower level seating chose to stand in the pit area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faircityboy Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Leon jackson's appearing there soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geo69 Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Has Daniel O'Donnel sold out yet? Shakes head in lament at what the conservative, sorry, concert hall could have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranmere Saintee Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Has Daniel O'Donnel sold out yet? Shakes head in lament at what the conservative, sorry, concert hall could have been. Guess that was an attempt at humour, but hate to point out the Dodo's concert was the fastest selling concert of the year anywhere in Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calypso Kid Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Calypso - I was at Idlewild as well. I'm told that it was effectively sold out, as they did not want to sell tickets for the upper tier of seating, and most of the people who had tickets for the lower level seating chose to stand in the pit area! The pit bit wasn't even that full, that makes the level of apathy even worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeronAddict Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Have some friends that work at the Concert Hall and agree that we really need more events to appeal to younger people. However, despite what's been said here already, the only show by so-called "younger" artists that actually sold out was by Amy Macdonald. Zutons, Idlewild, Calvin Harris etc still had loads of seats avaliable, even if the standing areas were quite full. Quite a loss was made on these shows, hence the lack of quality artists for the 16-25 age group. The reason there are so many classical concerts, and stuff like Vampires Rock and Bjorn Again, is simply because they are reasonably cheap to put on and the general age of ther Perth populace (40 to really really old) love them, and they almost always sell out or very nearly sell out. Daniel O'Donnell is a case in point - 1200 tickets gone in 5 hours. Its sad but unfortunately Perth just doesn't really have enough people into what i would call "good music" to turn the Hall into a proper touring venue that bands are gonna want to come and play, and can also make some money from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueheaven Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 The reason there are so many classical concerts, and stuff like Vampires Rock and Bjorn Again, is simply because they are reasonably cheap to put on and the general age of ther Perth populace (40 to really really old) love them, and they almost always sell out or very nearly sell out. Daniel O'Donnell is a case in point - 1200 tickets gone in 5 hours. Its sad but unfortunately Perth just doesn't really have enough people into what i would call "good music" to turn the Hall into a proper touring venue that bands are gonna want to come and play, and can also make some money from. I agree with all of that, but everyone has their own views on what's "good music" and what's not. I dare say the people who've bought Daniel O'Donnell tickets would quite passionately consider him to be a peddler of "good music", but then again the world would be rubbish if everyone agreed and liked the same stuff. I'm under 30 but personally I don't see the dull, repetitive dross Calvin Harris comes out with as any bigger a draw than O'Donnell. There should always be options on for young people, but different young people like different things just as different old people do. If more people are buying tickets for O'Donnell than the Zutons, who are any of us to say they're wrong? To me, that's exactly the sort of attitude that puts me right off the way music in general is covered and thought about these days. I'm no O'Donnell fan, but he's massively popular (as suggested by the ticket sales mentioned) and sells loads of albums - surely it's a good thing that Perth is attracting an act like that? It's not as if he's taking up a space that would otherwise have been filled by Coldplay/U2/Girls Aloud/Michael Jackson/Oasis/Take That etc. It sometimes seems as if people complain because the big acts aren't playing in the town, then they complain again because it's not specifically the big acts that they personally happen to like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeronAddict Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Agree BH, reason I put "good music" in quotes is because that's my opinion. Very few people that i actually listen have/ever will play there. But that doesn't mean people shouldn't go and check new stuff out. Went to see Peatbog Faeries a few weeks ago - awesome, but something I would never normally go and see. Obviously everyone's taste is different, and I think the hall does actually put on quite a wide variety of acts from across the spectrum from Kult the biggest band in Poland a few weeks ago, Ladysmith Black Mambazo in November, The Proclaimers etc etc. If people in Perth were a bit more open minded generally the town really would be a much better place to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkfish Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 . If more people are buying tickets for O'Donnell than the Zutons, who are any of us to say they're wrong? I don't know about the Zutons, but Daniel O'Donnel is utter shite, and thats not a matter of opinion, it's fact. FACT. No point in moaning about the concert hall, everyone knows what Perth is like, it's not that hard to cart yourself through to Glasgow is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancientsaint Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I don't know about the Zutons, but Daniel O'Donnel is utter shite, and thats not a matter of opinion, it's fact. FACT. No point in moaning about the concert hall, everyone knows what Perth is like, it's not that hard to cart yourself through to Glasgow is it. He might be "shite".....but he seems to do alright - so i guess Perth has more "oldies" than "youth" at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 He might be "shite".....but he seems to do alright - so i guess Perth has more "oldies" than "youth" at the moment. Sold out four nights in Glasgow as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lethamsaintee Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Because there are too many fuds in this town who can think of nothing better to do than write into the PA saying that some people were actually having a wee bit of fun at a gig, whilst drinking beer. Oooh, ****ing scary. It is one of the things that really piss me off about this town, full of muppets that can't see anybody actually having a good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUZZ Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 It is one of the things that really piss me off about this town, full of muppets that can't see anybody actually having a good time. i could've written that myself. too true mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUE MAGIC Posted January 23, 2010 Report Share Posted January 23, 2010 they seem to have a few top-rated comedians booked atm, and all sold out, also biffy clyro`s only scottish gig on uk tour, so maybe things are looking up. Does anyone know how many people it holds? someone said to me they thought there were around 1200 seats, but the front section of seats can be removed, so there is more standing area which would mean more capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Harry Curran's Love child Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 Stephen K Amos playing there tonight, seen him a few times on Tv and looks like that will be a cracking night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronaldosbaby Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 Going to see Stephen k Amos tonight. Hopefully he'll be as good as what i've seen on tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiguelSimao Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 It holds 1200 seated or 1800 standing/seated. It's funny watching people with very little clue about how the live music/arts industry functions getting stuck into a venue for its booking ability. What kind of bands/acts should Perth Concert Hall be striving to book, do you think? U2 perhaps? Or maybe The Rolling Stones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calinho Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 It holds 1200 seated or 1800 standing/seated. It's funny watching people with very little clue about how the live music/arts industry functions getting stuck into a venue for its booking ability. What kind of bands/acts should Perth Concert Hall be striving to book, do you think? U2 perhaps? Or maybe The Rolling Stones? I don't think anyones expecting bands of that calibre, Fat Sams is no great shakes and it has live bands there on a weekly basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiguelSimao Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 (edited) I don't think anyones expecting bands of that calibre, Fat Sams is no great shakes and it has live bands there on a weekly basis. Fat Sams Live holds 1000 and has none of the infrastructure and nothing like the staffing levels of the Concert Hall. They've got a very different booking strategy to PCH and a very different audience to aim at. They're very different venues. Most of the gigs put on at Fat Sams Live are booked by DF Concerts - the biggest concert promoter in Scotland and the people behind T in the Park. Perth - like it or not - is not on the touring map for bands of the type I suspect people are pining for. Put simply, it's just not worth their while playing the town, ergo, it's not worth a promoter's while to bring them. Nevertheless, DF Concerts have been involved in booking bands for Perth Concert Hall, but when they do, it's not worth much to PCH beyond increasing their reputation. DF do these gigs on a "venue hire" basis. They pay whatever the fee to book the concert hall is and that's as far as it goes. The profits (if there are any, and there frequently aren't) are DF's. NOT Perth Concert Hall's. The reason PCH don't do more rock and pop bookings themselves is pretty complex. But put as simply as possible, the big promoters have the tour circuit locked down. Bands go with the big promoters because they can book lots of dates and have connections with ALL the big venues. If they go outside of them, the big promoters throw their weight around and often freeze them out. The dangers of this are pretty obvious for bands given the vast majority of their earnings now come from live performances. In addition, as is the case for DF when booking in Perth, there often isn't much money to be made in putting on rock and pop bands of the size the concert hall can sustain. The bands' guarantee (the fee they get for the gig) demands are often prohibitively high, and get higher the further off the beaten track the gig. These demands mean ticket prices get higher and reduce the chances of a sell-out, in turn reducing the chances of the venue turning a profit. It's a catch 22. Unless you're guaranteed a sell-out (and from experience I can say you're NEVER guaranteed a sell out in Perth) there's a huge risk in putting on rock bands. Dundee can sustain these gigs regularly because, demographically speaking, it's vastly different to Perth. There are over 15,000 students in the city and tens of thousands more between the ages of 18-30 who go to gigs regularly and, by extension, are actively involved in consuming music. That doesn't exist in Perth on the same scale. It's a shame, but it's a fact. Perth Concert Hall, in my opinion, does the best it can with what it's got to work with. People need to realise they live in Perth, not London, or even Dundee for that matter. And no, I don't work for Perth Concert Hall. Edited January 24, 2010 by MiguelSimao Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 Can mind a couple of years ago when Jonathan Davis (KoЯn singer) was booked to play at the concert hall. Not a huge fan of them but had tickets to go anyway out of curiosity. One of my mates kens someone that worked there & he went in a few days before the gig & apparently there were only 60 something tickets sold. Bearing in mind the guy is the singer in one of the biggest rock/metal groups of the 90s and has sold millions of records but nobody seemed to notice. Clearly gash promotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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