Dinners With Dan #14 - What about that note, Mate?

Daniel Balcombe
Feb 5, 2018
5 min read

Hey, so this week I’ve taken a suggestion from one of (the only) one who reads my ramblings and decided to have a look at what bands are great in recording, but terrible live and vice versa.

So it’s a hard topic to tackle, as it is very opinionated. Well, I’m very opinionated so this should be easy enough, right? I’ll start by saying, I don’t want to bash any bands, I never do. I mean realistically, music is so subjective and so ‘how you feel’ I don’t think anyone has the right to bash it. Unless of course it’s some over produced bullshit that is made for the one fact – gain lots of money (But who doesn’t want to make money writing music right?) - but that’s for some other time, maybe. In saying that, I am here to talk about music and to express my opinions on music. Love it or hate it, music is always special and can change how you feel in any situation.

This one will be harder for me, admitting to things I never thought I would admit. I promised myself I would love certain bands no matter what – well, that was a fucking lie.

The first band I will pick out is a band that was very personal to me at a time in my life when I was deciding ‘who’ I wanted to be.

My Chemical Romance - I remember being a 16 year old (or there about) and hearing their album "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" for the first time. I was blown away, I was connected. I felt loved and hated at the same time. I was so hooked I started learning all the lyrics and all the chords I could. Then they came out to play live, I was beside myself. How could I fathom watching them play live? Well, I wish I didn’t. I don’t know how or what they sound like now, but when I got myself into that mosh pit, and got myself excited for them I was severely let down. It was then I realised, you didn’t have to be able to sing like you did on the recordings to be considered ‘BIG”. It was all about image.

I’m thankful that they connected to me at such a age that would determine a lot of things in my life. I’m also thankful that they taught me to not believe everything you hear being recorded. They told me that maybe sometimes, it’s not about the music. I don’t want to beat down on them, because they DID write songs that really defined me as a teenager, but they were also the first real musical letdown I faced in life. A band I got behind 100%, not caring what others said. Then I saw them live and well, everyone else was right. Gerard couldn’t hold a note and the music was shambles. Maybe it was a bad day, as a musician I KNOW we all have them and have them plenty of times. But this was the be all and all for me. I know it may be harsh, but I was let down. The first time I was let down Musically in my life and I will never forget that.

AFI – AFI were another one of those bands that I loved growing up as a angsty little shit. From the look they had, to the lyrics they screamed and the guitar work they produced, I was in love. Now to set the scene. I was young, like barely pushing 16 or so when I decided I would see them. It was my first actual gig, so I had expectations of the highest calibre. I’ll say this, I’ve seen many many, many bands in my almost 30 years of breathing. But AFI are still one of the best and most fun times I’ve experienced. They were flawless. That’s’ something when you sing like front man Davey Havok sings. For the entire set he never missed a note, never missed a scream and the whole band were tight. They were my first real gig, and they are still one of my favourites I’ve seen live. Their energy was raw, their sound was on point and they played with a great energy level that never dropped.

Metallica - I have always been a huge fan of them. Ever since I could really remember music they were always a part of it. My brothers loved them so it was hard for me to miss them. I finally got to see them when they were out here for their 'Death Magnetic Tour'. I went with my two brothers which was appropriate considering they got me into them. To be honest I was a bit worried. I wasn’t the hugest fan of their eight studio album "St. Anger" and later music. Although "Death Magnetic" was a return to their roots but it seemed a bit forced. Plus they were getting old and their music was based around speed and power that I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Mate, they were the best. They were perfect and never missed a beat. Sure they looked older and James sounded older. But I’ll tell you that they still played like teenagers. It was probably the best gig I’ve ever witnessed, most likely due to the fact that Kirk played the solo to ‘One’ (my favourite song of all time) right in front of me. I could taste the notes!

Bliss n Eso - This was my first Non-rock gig. I didn’t really know what to expect so I decided to take a seat towards the back of The Enmore so I could just watch them and enjoy them. I was with my best mate, under the influence so it was always going to be fun and it sure was. It’s hard to compare a rock gig to a hip hop gig, but they sure did put in a great show and had the crowd moving constantly. It was great fun and they played a great show - from what I could remember of it anyway!

A Day To Remember - I saw them at a Soundwave at the peak of my love for them. It was towards the end of the day so I was tired/drunk/sunburnt but I was still primed for them. They were ok. They were let down by Jeremy not being able to sing half as well as he did in the recordings. I guess that’s telling considering the auto tune he uses now almost puts T-Pain to shame. Their music was good but it’s hard to really enjoy a band when the singer can’t keep it together, although his screaming was solid so maybe they should go back to that and not the overly pop centered music they are playing now!

Like I said I don’t want to bash bands. I don’t think I’m any better then anyone else musically and god knows I can’t sing well myself. But when it comes to recording you really need to be able to do that live. There is not a lot more disappointing then seeing one of your favourite bands play live for the first time and then see them fail epically. Stick to what you can do, especially when it comes to singing!

Dans Nostalgic Track Of The Week - Radiohead // Karma Police