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Date Posted: 18:43:50 10/05/02 Sat
Author: sam
Subject: saw bonnie prince billy 4 first time lastnight. and now i have somequestions.

i saw bonnie prince billy 4 the first time lastnight. i was wondering, do very many people dance at these shows ? i felt that the crowd was a bit disrespectful. oh yeah the show was in kentucky (usa). i felt a connection with the music off and on. there were alot of people chit chatting and drinking alcohol. lots of cell phones being used during the performance. i kept hearing people talking about how they thought will was a very imbalanced person b/c of the way his eyes looked and his supposidley crazy stage presence.
i personally felt offended by these comments but let them slip into the chatter noise. it seemed like the band was so full of energy at first but then at times things seemed to drag a bit. i started to wonder of the effects the crowd had on the music. or if these things even effect this particular band.
i felt that certain individuals did not want me there. i felt like some were offended that i was dancing. perhaps i should explain a bit about myself to give a clearer picture.

most people cant place me in a general stereotype of style or tastes. i dont want to be identified by a group or by the things i take interest in anyways so that all works out well. this might not be a point of any significance in most cases but it may be in this situation, i wear birkenstock sandles. im 27 years old.
i have very eclectic tastes in music and most other things in general. for example some of the bands i love: the grateful dead, jerry garcia band, garcia & grisman, the cramps, dar williams, suzanne vega, widespread panic, joan baez, palace/bonnie billy, the dead milkmen, culture, israel vibration, thrill kill cult, lords of acid, bob dylan, i think you get the point.
one thing that i believe most of this music has in common are things like the raw purity of music, and honesty. i feel like music is a very spiritual thing that invokes dance, and if taken far enough trance.
i felt so excited to see wills band. drove three hours to do so ( this is a common thing for me to do, often driving farther to see bands and calling it vacation ). i love music.
i guess i was taken by suprise with some of the aspects of the crowd though. i have always felt that wills music is sentimental and timeless. i always felt that he seemed to pour himself into the music in a deep way, full of feeling. i guess what i am asking anyone who reads this is what has your individual experiences seeing this band been like.

i always felt that this music would draw a crowd that fit the music in some way. im not saying this crowd did not, but i seem to have been taken by suprise. most of the bands that i have seen seem to have had a dance culture within the scene. with people coming together for the music. the crowd at this show seemed to stare blankly at the band while remaining very still and focused on watching william.

commenting at times about how crazy he looked and how that was just so wild. i felt like i had to equip myself with an invisible sheild to keep from overhearing comments about myself having a good time enjoying the music. it seemed like alot of fashionable sad people drinking and commenting on my dancing as if it were uncool to dance to music.

i shrugged off the verbal arrows and sunk into that place where it was just the music and the energy. i felt at times the crowd may have prohibited the music from going beyond a certain point. is this just my own interpretation or has anyone else experienced this music in different settings amongst different crowds and noticed any differences concerning the quality of the performance ?

i have seen other bands for like eight shows in a row on a single tour and noticed differences between certain crowds locations and venues.
i will go back to see this band. i am curious to have something to compare my first experience with. i was also curious as to how will felt about some of these issues but didnt want to approach him for fear of seeming too pretentious. i felt like who am i to pose such questions about something i have only experienced once. with only my other music relationships to compare it to.
i will admit most of the music scenes i have involved myself with have seemed more open to diversity. seemed more accepting to a larger variety of individuals.
i would like to hear what others have to say on this topic. are there valid points here or am i just a nowhere man who must learn that i must identify myself and conform with a certain group of people to be accepted in this world (or is that just the american way at its finest).
my girlfriend felt similarly. we wondered if people were there for the music or if they were there to be involved in a cool underground scene that was being infiltrated by dancing terrorists.
i had a great time shaking off the the ills of life through dance but for the first time i felt like i left a musical experience with more ills than i came with.
i know this had absolutely nothing to do with the music or the band. mostly the crowd. i just couldnt go see this band i have been listening to for four years and not get a groove on. we just recently got a computer and before that i had no way of knowing how to find out about wills bands shows. now that i can access the info i actually have the option to see his bands. its nice.
thanks for reading this. take care, be safe.

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