Brian's tumblr post discussion

When articles like this one pop up in my google alerts and I decide to read them for some reason, I get painfully reminded why I try not to do that too often.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/08/02/208295896/when-stage-banter-goes-wrong

It's not that they don't have a point here or there but it's the way the article is written which makes me really angry. The article is only revolving around this 2 minutes before the encore, only with one word they honor that the rest of the set was "pretty terrific". During the whole article I have the feeling they apply double standards to Brian, as if he has to be better than any other frontman.

I do agree he should have probably stopped it earlier and continue with the next song but some things just happen. And you can't change them afterwards. That's how life works. We do something and we learn from it. Most of us without the media commenting on it.

But when he quoted his tumblr post with "For some reason I’m the one with microphone" but failed to add also the other part of this sentence "which may be a mistake entirely", this is where I lost it. Because with that he not only takes his words out of context but also makes him sound like a selfrighteous bastard.

I can't put in words how sick and angry the media make me sometimes. I don't know how I would cope with such things or if I ever could. I only hope that in this case Brian but also a lot of other artists can resist reading such articles. They are not easy to laugh off even with a strong self confidence.

And even though the media will never take the responsibility for it, I believe they are at least partly responsible for the consequences of the pressure they put on people of public interest.

The media usually always caters to the majority and will skew things that way. There are far more bruce fans than gaslight so a little editing on their part would be expected. But in this day and age it's not to hard for those interested to get the real story.

I think the article would make more sense had the writer not read the Tumblr post. I understand and even agree with the Tumblr post, but if I had only seen that footage of the show I would not be impressed.
But yeah, all quotes everywhere should be taken with a grain of salt. It's sooo easy to be misinterpreted, even if the quote is real. Context is everything.

I just read an interview with Frank Turner yesterday. (Sorry to bring up Frank again. I know I'm annoying! )

It doesnt exactly relate to this situation but he makes a good point:

"One of the things about being a solo artist is that the world (and indeed I) often doesn’t distinguish between the art and the person, because they go under the same name. So if someone hates my music (which they’re entitled to do) they quite often say they hate me, which is a little harder to stomach. It has certainly got to me at various times, not least the politics kerfuffle last year when I had a period of feeling pretty hounded and depressed.

But here’s the thing: it’s a facet of success in my chosen path. It’s easy to be in an underground band, because the only people who know about you are people who like you. If you extend your range beyond the underground, then more people will be exposed and some won’t like you. Big deal, deal with it, thicken your skin, it’s what you wanted."

The point is, there will always be haters, there will always be bad reviews, there will always be people who just want to get a story. That is something any artist should be prepared for and should try to handle it. And I think Frank is handling it in a very good way. He sometimes even reacts on critical and sometimes even insulting tweets he gets but always in a polite and friendly way, sometimes a little provocative, often with a lot of humor but never insulting. I think he tries not to let that stuff get to him.

When it comes to Brian I'm torn between hoping he gets a thicker skin and that he gets less sensible about situations like the Bruce incident or that he somehow learns to hide it better (at least on stage) when he gets hurt. That would probably be better for him (says my psychologist mind). On the other side his sensibility is one side of his personality and who he is and I like that he shows what he feels cause that's very honest and his personality including his sensibility makes him the songwriter he is. (says my fan mind who wants him to continue to write the music I love). If that makes any sense...

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

Here's some positive things about the show:

-thousands of people stood in rain and lightning on a pier in the middle of water to see the band play tonight

-the energy was great for the 1h 15m or so before the singalong fail

-there was a lot of crowdsurfing and dancing

-they played Halloween and Old Haunts!

I mean, it should also be mentioned that some people braved the commute all three nights (that alone can make a person mental) or traveled from far away just to come to these shows (DC to Florida to Italy to England, etc.) So it would be a shame to let, what I view as a total misunderstanding between Brian and a handful of "Bruuuce" people in a crowd of thousands, ruin the whole evening.

well said , we travelled to the 3 shows and had travelled from the UK, to be honest up to the Bruce thing it had been the best of the 3 shows, Halloween was a real bonus. Im a big Bruce fan myself in fact i was at 2 Bruce gigs just a couple of days before NY, it really does make me cringe when i hear the Bruuuce shouts , if and when Bruce does turn up its a suprise, no different to when ever any band has a special guest join them on stage , Bruce had Eric Burdon join him in Cardiff , doubt any one will call for Animals tune at any of his shows . Get over it people , show the band the respect they deserve.

Just saw a comment on Instagram where someone was telling people that were mentioning standing in the rain to shut up as if Brian forced us to stay/drive in. That is not why I brought that fact to attention.

I was trying to say it was a testament to how much people like the band and that it was a compliment to them that people had the kind of passion for them that caused them to ignore factors/obstacles that someone else might not want to deal with. I didn't want it to be taken as "Listen dude, I stood in the rain for you and dealt with jerkface drivers. YOU OWE ME."

The only thing I think a band owes me (or anyone on this planet owes me, whatever role they are in my life) is to be themselves, whatever that means, and I will make the choice about whether or not I will put my faith in them accordingly.

enola wrote:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/08/02/208295896/when-stage-banter-goes-wrong

"Bad banter"!? Never.

Sunday just got screwed up. End of story.

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

enola wrote:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/08/02/208295896/when-stage-banter-goes-wrong

"Bad banter"!? Never.

Sunday just got screwed up. End of story.

That article lost me at the first sentence.

"Last weekend the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon lashed out at his audience; an audience that had already been lashed by winds and rain during what was pretty terrific set in a spectacular new waterfront venue in lower Manhattan.

"Lashed out"? Oh please, maybe the crowd needs to develop a thicker skin. And while I acknowledge there's something to be said for standing out in the rain for a show (I've done it), the article doesn't need to be over dramatic.

NeverTrustAJunkie wrote:

The only thing I think a band owes me (or anyone on this planet owes me, whatever role they are in my life) is to be themselves, whatever that means, and I will make the choice about whether or not I will put my faith in them accordingly.

I couldn't agree more. People tend to forget sometimes that the choice is theirs. Nobody forces you to buy a record, a ticket or merch.

Nah, when a frontman is an asshole to a crowd without a legitimate reason to be an asshole that's not okay. Brian asked the crowd what they wanted to sing with the whole Bon Jovi bit and that is that... The crowd would have preferred to sing Bruce than Bon Jovi and Brian lost it over that.

He realized the err in his ways and apologized, stop being sheep. His apology meant the world to me, but stop trying to justify his actions that night. He was in the wrong and admitted so. It was what it was, we're past it.

rkirkpatrick25 wrote:

Nah, when a frontman is an asshole to a crowd without a legitimate reason to be an asshole that's not okay. Brian asked the crowd what they wanted to sing with the whole Bon Jovi bit and that is that... The crowd would have preferred to sing Bruce than Bon Jovi and Brian lost it over that.

He realized the err in his ways and apologized, stop being sheep. His apology meant the world to me, but stop trying to justify his actions that night. He was in the wrong and admitted so. It was what it was, we're past it.

Of course it's not ok, if somebody behaves badly but our point, well at least mine, was that it's up to you, to continue to go to shows etc.

Here we go with the sheep thing again, I knew it would come up

Ryan, I respect your perspective and I'm done debating this topic, but as one of the people who has been defending him (not saying he's perfect and innocent just that neither was the crowd) I ask that you respect our perspective as well, at least enough not to call us "sheep". (Disclaimer: No venom was meant with this post despite the tone that you'll probably interpret from the first sentence)

It's time to put this to bed

Where is the 'apology' people keep referring to?

Edit: My mistake, thought it was a public statement like the blog post.

jonester wrote:

It's time to put this to bed

Word.

Night....

Hi everybody,

I am brand new to this forum. I decided to sign up because I am a big Gaslight fan but none of my friends know about/care about them so it's nice to know there are people here who will listen when I want to talk about them.

I know this discussion has been 'put to bed' but I only just found it now. I read through every single post and  i gotta say, i am quite concerned about Brian- has anyone seen his Instagram in the last few days and all the memes of Skeletor? It's starting to get really weird and I hope that whatever turmoil he is experiencing (again, I can only guess what it is from following him throughout the last year on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram) he comes through it. Like the comment thats that was said already, i hope there is someone close to him that is there for him. It's really sad to see the change in him. I started noticing it from YouTube videos that surfaced around last October. Anyway, I realize all of this has been talked about, and it was kinda weirding me out how much this is actually concerning me when I don't even know the guy or the band.

I just hope Brian and the band can work through it. Their music is just too good. Anyway, sorry to bring it all up again. It's just been on my mind for days.

Took these on Thursday. See? He's still capable of smiling even after that weird night!  

That man has such a charming smile.

Harbortown wrote:

That man has such a charming smile.

That's half the bands appeal haha

Hey guys,
So I was actually in NYC for the now infamous Sunday show we are all now talking about here. I figured it would somehow end up here because for the first time in any video of the band playing or in my six times watching them play (including that night), Brian left the stage really pissed; that much was evident. But what wasn't mentioned nearly as often about that night was how much at fault the audience was. Brian just wanted to play a fun Top 40 kind of cover, a "sing-a-long" as it were, with the crowd. He was VERY patient with them, even as they chanted OVER AND OVER again, "Bruce." He never lashed out against the crowd, even when he gave up with "Nah, forget it, this didn't work," and "You ruined it," it was actually humorous. I can see how typed out, it looks different, but a lot of the crowd chuckled. Unfortunately through the rest of the encore, he didn't look pleased.
I can't imagine what it must be like to constantly get compared to someone in every interview I'd do, or constantly hear 'Bruce" at every show I'd play, after so many years I'm sure it more than disheartens one; let alone, becomes vehemently frustrating.
I LOVED his Tumblr post. I thought it poignant and 100% justified. I shared his disappointment in the crowd. Still, the show was phenomenal, the venue was terrific and I happen to think the rain (which didn't fall as dramatically as some of those articles suggest) added to the show. In fact, Brian played a few lines from Credences' "Who'll Stop the Rain?" which was a mighty treat.
I don't know if there is footage of that night's "crowd discussion," but if there is, you will just have to it see for yourself. Don't just read a greatly exaggerated blog or whatever, and call him arrogant because in this one man's opinion, you could not be more wrong.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

To me, it's a shame people aren't taking the tumblr post the right way. They're taking his words and twisting them to make it sound like he's saying "I'm too awesome to be associated with Springsteen" and that's clearly not what he's saying if any of these critics bother to read the post properly. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, just that people are taking it wrong.

Totally agree!!! I guess that might be the reason he wrote "To the spiteful reviewers… just remember no one’s singing for you." ...he probably expected some negative reactions...

rkirkpatrick25 wrote:

stop trying to justify his actions that night.

Were you even at the show?

After reading the discussion and watching the clip from that night a few times, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbNx-Rz0l-E I feel he just threw a bit of a strop about it all, still not sure what the problem is with being compared to one of the greatest artists of all time. Just do backstreets once in a while and he'll be fine :-)

backseat99 wrote:

Just do backstreets once in a while and he'll be fine :-)

Reread the Tumblr post and report back.