Drunkity Drunk Brian = Better Performance and Bummed Me Out

When he visited Manchester in March he seemed to be on a new page. Happy with life ya know. He seemed to have moved on from the things he went through the previous year. It was a noticeably better Gaslight than the previous October but I guess something must have triggered him wanting to drink a bit now.

rkirkpatrick25 wrote:

I think the larger issue at hand here is that Brian used to be so outspoken about not drinking.

He was very clear that he was religious, did not drink and did not use profanity....

I am worried about him and I do think it is serious....

The person we are seeing now is a complete 180 from who he used to be...

I saw Brian as an idol, someone I wished I could emulate.... Now, I'd be embarassed if I acted like him....

In the last year or so he's changed from someone I completely respected to someone I don't respect much at all....

I see what you're saying. I look to Brandon Flowers for that kind of levelheaded approach now. I'm bipolar and that straight-and-narrow line is by far the best one for me to walk, personally. I bring this up because I've wondered for years whether or not Brian is undiagnosed bipolar. He shows pretty much every tendency, but I know he'd freak out if he saw some fan trying to medically and psychologically break down his character. The mood swings, unpredictable behavior (particularly bouncing back and forth between affable and cantankerous) and strange shifts in opinion all fall in line with this thing I've been dealing with.

It's not uncommon for people--bipolar or not--to attempt to find some sort of normalcy in drinking or drugs when going through tumultuous times in their lives. So maybe Brian's got some shit going on. Either way, it's no longer his private affairs when it starts to impact his performance and, by extension, his fans and the ticket buyers. Concerts end up being expensive affairs when you take into account parking and drinks and so forth. It sounds like he still performed well, but if that changes at any point it's cause for concern and, honestly, he should be held accountable.

First off, Brian says a lot of things on stage, in interviews and so on that aren't quite true. There's pictures, Twitter threads and much more showing that he drank from time to time a lot longer ago than the last 6 months so maybe it's something he said off hand in an interview but wasn't 100% true.

Secondly, having a few drinks is far from a bad thing for a number of reasons. It loosens people up, gives them a temporary escape form the pressure they're under, breaks up the monotony of the touring/working life. And it's a whole lot of fun. The way some people are commenting on here you'd swear he was a priest who got onto the alter absolutely trollied out of his head.

Jack wrote:

Either way, it's no longer his private affairs when it starts to impact his performance and, by extension, his fans and the ticket buyers. Concerts end up being expensive affairs when you take into account parking and drinks and so forth. It sounds like he still performed well, but if that changes at any point it's cause for concern and, honestly, he should be held accountable.

It is his private affairs, always. Sure you can be pissed off at him if you decide he ruined your night but you have no business in knowing anything he's keeping to himself. Some fans (and not necessarily you, so don't jump down my throat at this next sentence) have a ridiculous sense of entitlement about this stuff. Whether you like it or not Brian is just a guy like the rest of us, and not some superhero that you've built up in your mind.

Daire wrote:

First off, Brian says a lot of things on stage, in interviews and so on that aren't quite true. There's pictures, Twitter threads and much more showing that he drank from time to time a lot longer ago than the last 6 months so maybe it's something he said off hand in an interview but wasn't 100% true.

Secondly, having a few drinks is far from a bad thing for a number of reasons. It loosens people up, gives them a temporary escape form the pressure they're under, breaks up the monotony of the touring/working life. And it's a whole lot of fun. The way some people are commenting on here you'd swear he was a priest who got onto the alter absolutely trollied out of his head.

Jack wrote:

Either way, it's no longer his private affairs when it starts to impact his performance and, by extension, his fans and the ticket buyers. Concerts end up being expensive affairs when you take into account parking and drinks and so forth. It sounds like he still performed well, but if that changes at any point it's cause for concern and, honestly, he should be held accountable.

It is his private affairs, always. Sure you can be pissed off at him if you decide he ruined your night but you have no business in knowing anything he's keeping to himself. Some fans (and not necessarily you, so don't jump down my throat at this next sentence) have a ridiculous sense of entitlement about this stuff. Whether you like it or not Brian is just a guy like the rest of us, and not some superhero that you've built up in your mind.

Yeah, its perhaps unfair to pschoanalyse him Im pretty sure he'd be annoyed to read this thread where people are making out that he's somehow an alcoholic. Whos to say he wasn't just making an exception for the last show of the tour, celebrating but maybe he went a little bit overboard and forgot his limit.

Yeh that's fair. Everyone who was at the show said he was in better form then than when they'd seen him previous so I wouldn't even say he went over board. I guess everyone's gonna have their own opinions on this based on their background and all that sort of stuff.

Jerseyrain wrote:

Daire wrote:

First off, Brian says a lot of things on stage, in interviews and so on that aren't quite true. There's pictures, Twitter threads and much more showing that he drank from time to time a lot longer ago than the last 6 months so maybe it's something he said off hand in an interview but wasn't 100% true.

Secondly, having a few drinks is far from a bad thing for a number of reasons. It loosens people up, gives them a temporary escape form the pressure they're under, breaks up the monotony of the touring/working life. And it's a whole lot of fun. The way some people are commenting on here you'd swear he was a priest who got onto the alter absolutely trollied out of his head.

Jack wrote:

Either way, it's no longer his private affairs when it starts to impact his performance and, by extension, his fans and the ticket buyers. Concerts end up being expensive affairs when you take into account parking and drinks and so forth. It sounds like he still performed well, but if that changes at any point it's cause for concern and, honestly, he should be held accountable.

It is his private affairs, always. Sure you can be pissed off at him if you decide he ruined your night but you have no business in knowing anything he's keeping to himself. Some fans (and not necessarily you, so don't jump down my throat at this next sentence) have a ridiculous sense of entitlement about this stuff. Whether you like it or not Brian is just a guy like the rest of us, and not some superhero that you've built up in your mind.

Yeah, its perhaps unfair to pschoanalyse him Im pretty sure he'd be annoyed to read this thread where people are making out that he's somehow an alcoholic. Whos to say he wasn't just making an exception for the last show of the tour, celebrating but maybe he went a little bit overboard and forgot his limit.

Yeah, that would be possible. At least I wouldn't overreact and wait for the next interviews and shows to be able to really rate the situation. But regarding that video of the Backseat I see what Clementine wondered about, haven't seen him going crazy like that for a while



btw: I think at the other shows he was playing one of the three guitars, which he apparently didn't do that night..

Thomas - thanks for the video. It's a good example.

Brian wasn't sans guitar the entire show. He played about 1/2 the show. He did a beautiful version of National Anthem.

I don't think he's an alcoholic, etc. It was the on stage contrast between now and even late Sept (when they played two Denver shows) that came a surprise. Social media lends itself to fans being in the know, of personal lives, even when the artists don't think they're in the know. So we're hip to a general idea of what he's dealing with (his Sylvia Plath's tweets are heartbreaking). I can't over explain my thoughts about it. It was a fun show (evidence in the above posted video). But I felt sad for him at the same time. With the support that Gaslight's music has lended to me - I only hope for the best for Brian (and all Gaslight members) in return.

thomas94 wrote:

btw: I think at the other shows he was playing one of the three guitars, which he apparently didn't do that night..

Yeah see in cases like that, if it was any other artist that a lot of us love (Dave Hause, Chuck Ragan, etc.) we'd be posting this video and saying Wow that was badass. He didn't do anything offensive and didn't forget the lyrics or something so as far as I'm concerned this is fine...It's actually what I'm LOOKING for in a rock show: a moment of pure release where he's going as wild as the crowd is. If a few drinks get him there then that's fine, I'd be a hypocrite to say otherwise.

When he goes off stage to vomit or says something offensive, then we can discuss the extent of his drinking. Right now I see no real issues.

eagles1139 wrote:

thomas94 wrote:

btw: I think at the other shows he was playing one of the three guitars, which he apparently didn't do that night..

Yeah see in cases like that, if it was any other artist that a lot of us love (Dave Hause, Chuck Ragan, etc.) we'd be posting this video and saying Wow that was badass. He didn't do anything offensive and didn't forget the lyrics or something so as far as I'm concerned this is fine...It's actually what I'm LOOKING for in a rock show: a moment of pure release where he's going as wild as the crowd is. If a few drinks get him there then that's fine, I'd be a hypocrite to say otherwise.

When he goes off stage to vomit or says something offensive, then we can discuss the extent of his drinking. Right now I see no real issues.

I agree. I do. I blame it on my following social media. If this is the version of Brian we get again I'd be looking forward to the show. It really was a better performance compared to the previous 6 shows I've seen.

eagles1139 wrote:

Yeah see in cases like that, if it was any other artist that a lot of us love (Dave Hause, Chuck Ragan, etc.) we'd be posting this video and saying Wow that was badass. He didn't do anything offensive and didn't forget the lyrics or something so as far as I'm concerned this is fine...It's actually what I'm LOOKING for in a rock show: a moment of pure release where he's going as wild as the crowd is. If a few drinks get him there then that's fine, I'd be a hypocrite to say otherwise.

When he goes off stage to vomit or says something offensive, then we can discuss the extent of his drinking. Right now I see no real issues.

a) people expect different things from different performers. that's totally reasonable

b) Even if it was someone like Ben Nichols where you totally expect him to have a drink or two during the show, there is a difference between "drink or two during the show" and "sloppy drunk"

Also a bigger part of the issue is that there is nothing new about Ben having a few drinks at a show. It happens all the time, he doesn't go overboard, so like, big deal.

With Brian, it is new, so there is a much bigger worry about things slipping out of control. It really seems to me Brian is starting this downward spiral and while at the current level it may not be too bad, it will be if he continues it and its perfectly reasonable as fans of the band to be concerned about that. Sloppy behavior could start to annoy the rest of the band and disunity between the band is the worst possible thing.

The world has enough rock stars who act like they are above reproach without Brian joining the ranks.

Daire wrote:

First off, Brian says a lot of things on stage, in interviews and so on that aren't quite true. There's pictures, Twitter threads and much more showing that he drank from time to time a lot longer ago than the last 6 months so maybe it's something he said off hand in an interview but wasn't 100% true.

Secondly, having a few drinks is far from a bad thing for a number of reasons. It loosens people up, gives them a temporary escape form the pressure they're under, breaks up the monotony of the touring/working life. And it's a whole lot of fun. The way some people are commenting on here you'd swear he was a priest who got onto the alter absolutely trollied out of his head.

Jack wrote:

Either way, it's no longer his private affairs when it starts to impact his performance and, by extension, his fans and the ticket buyers. Concerts end up being expensive affairs when you take into account parking and drinks and so forth. It sounds like he still performed well, but if that changes at any point it's cause for concern and, honestly, he should be held accountable.

It is his private affairs, always. Sure you can be pissed off at him if you decide he ruined your night but you have no business in knowing anything he's keeping to himself. Some fans (and not necessarily you, so don't jump down my throat at this next sentence) have a ridiculous sense of entitlement about this stuff. Whether you like it or not Brian is just a guy like the rest of us, and not some superhero that you've built up in your mind.

I didn't say I have any business knowing...anything. All I said was it's fair to have discussions about it and ponder these issues because it's seeping into the performance. To be honest, I don't care what Brian Fallon is like he's sitting at home. Luckily I've got enough going on in my life and enough people I enjoy spending time with that I really just couldn't care less. But yeah, the way he behaves onstage is totally a public thing, not a private thing. Blue-collar guys like Brian always say "it's a job like anything else" so going by that analogy, he showed up to work drunk. Typically you get fired. Of course it's not a job like anything else, but we are (essentially) all his bosses since we pay his salary (indirectly).

Basically, I'm more likely to pay to see goofy smiley Brian strutting his shoulders with a guitar strapped on than I am to see drunken Eddie Vedder Version 0.5. That's my opinion. The rest of my post (concerning the bipolar stuff) was just because I ALWAYS offer to help anyone going through that stuff because it's insanely difficult and I know that firsthand. So any time I see the warning signs in person, I monitor it. I don't know Brian, but I can't help but notice the signs. That's all. No more, no less.

And no, Brian's not an alcoholic. I went through about a 6-8 month stretch of time where every time I went out, I got completely shit-faced and vomited and passed-out and made terrible decisions. That doesn't make me an alcoholic, it makes me a binge drinker and a bad drunk haha.

I cannot belive the hysteria caused by one man having a drink or getting a bit drunk and then that launches into a psycho analysis of his current state. Im sure he would be laughing his head off if he read some of the comments

bringiton_ty wrote:

I cannot belive the hysteria caused by one man having a drink or getting a bit drunk and then that launches into a psycho analysis of his current state. Im sure he would be laughing his head off if he read some of the comments

Ha ha....yeah.....

I try to look at it as him breaking free from something and letting loose and simply having a good time

But then I go back to thinking, I would receive the change better if his tweets didn't imply heavy contemplation being "hurt"

bringiton_ty wrote:

I cannot belive the hysteria caused by one man having a drink or getting a bit drunk and then that launches into a psycho analysis of his current state. Im sure he would be laughing his head off if he read some of the comments

I don't think there's any hysteria here. For the most part, everyone's been just saying, hmm, this is new, where's this going and what does it mean for shows and the band down the road.

From a personal standpoint, I liked that Brian was seemingly different from other "rock stars" in that he wasn't all about drinking (having one or two beers is different than getting drunk). I don't judge him for moving away from that, he can do what he wants, I just personally prefer how he was before and hope I haven't seen the last of it. His strongest selling point to me, the thing that makes him unique, is his authenticity. I never felt like he was "putting on a show". Watching that video I can see the perspective of it being a better performance and yet, I don't like it. I think that's because it feels like he's not only putting on a show, but also like he's that guy in the crowd who has too much to drink and starts acting like a crazy person, only he's on stage. He can do what he wants and this is only one show, but I'd argue that in some ways it hurts his performance by making it generic.

I prefer the goofing around in things like the following picture, over things like the stumbling around in that video, but that's just my opinion.

Clementine wrote:

bringiton_ty wrote:

I cannot belive the hysteria caused by one man having a drink or getting a bit drunk and then that launches into a psycho analysis of his current state. Im sure he would be laughing his head off if he read some of the comments

Ha ha....yeah.....

I try to look at it as him breaking free from something and letting loose and simply having a good time

But then I go back to thinking, I would receive the change better if his tweets didn't imply heavy contemplation being "hurt"

I'd be careful about reading too much into tweets, especially retweets and lyric tweets. Sometimes a person's listening to a song or reads something and it's powerful, they like it, so they repost it. It doesn't mean they're feeling what the tweet says.

Maybe it is from an event that happened in his life recently, like a breakup in a relationship, or perhaps it is because they've had lots of success, he wants to celebrate, or maybe he just decided to start drinking. Who knows.

As long as they continue to produce good music and put on good shows, it doesn't make a difference. I am curious if everyone else is drinking too, or if it is just him. It is a bit odd though to see a musician do as many tours as they have with no signs of hard drinking, and now recently we've seen a few shows where he seems trashed.

pjk wrote:

Maybe it is from an event that happened in his life recently, like a breakup in a relationship, or perhaps it is because they've had lots of success, he wants to celebrate, or maybe he just decided to start drinking. Who knows.

As long as they continue to produce good music and put on good shows, it doesn't make a difference. I am curious if everyone else is drinking too, or if it is just him. It is a bit odd though to see a musician do as many tours as they have with no signs of hard drinking, and now recently we've seen a few shows where it seems trashed.

Hey PJK - what'd you think of the show this week?

Clementine wrote:

pjk wrote:

Maybe it is from an event that happened in his life recently, like a breakup in a relationship, or perhaps it is because they've had lots of success, he wants to celebrate, or maybe he just decided to start drinking. Who knows.

As long as they continue to produce good music and put on good shows, it doesn't make a difference. I am curious if everyone else is drinking too, or if it is just him. It is a bit odd though to see a musician do as many tours as they have with no signs of hard drinking, and now recently we've seen a few shows where it seems trashed.

Hey PJK - what'd you think of the show this week?

Actually, I didn't make it, unfortunately. I am currently not in the US, so missing all the shows

What did you think of it?

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Clementine wrote:

bringiton_ty wrote:

I cannot belive the hysteria caused by one man having a drink or getting a bit drunk and then that launches into a psycho analysis of his current state. Im sure he would be laughing his head off if he read some of the comments

Ha ha....yeah.....

I try to look at it as him breaking free from something and letting loose and simply having a good time

But then I go back to thinking, I would receive the change better if his tweets didn't imply heavy contemplation being "hurt"

I'd be careful about reading too much into tweets, especially retweets and lyric tweets. Sometimes a person's listening to a song or reads something and it's powerful, they like it, so they repost it. It doesn't mean they're feeling what the tweet says.

Ehhh... I dont think caution is needed. If a string of deep thoughts are tweeted out on the heals of "some really terrible things have happened"......you generally think, "huh, sounds like he's feeling low." Human nature empathizes and hopes that person is hangin in there.

pjk wrote:

Clementine wrote:

pjk wrote:

Maybe it is from an event that happened in his life recently, like a breakup in a relationship, or perhaps it is because they've had lots of success, he wants to celebrate, or maybe he just decided to start drinking. Who knows.

As long as they continue to produce good music and put on good shows, it doesn't make a difference. I am curious if everyone else is drinking too, or if it is just him. It is a bit odd though to see a musician do as many tours as they have with no signs of hard drinking, and now recently we've seen a few shows where it seems trashed.

Hey PJK - what'd you think of the show this week?

Actually, I didn't make it, unfortunately. I am currently not in the US, so missing all the shows

What did you think of it?

Ha ha...well...I started the topic....so.....

I will say it's a stranger crowd these days. Seems like in the past there was a more robust fan following showing up with a little more enthusiasm.

Clementine wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Clementine wrote:

bringiton_ty wrote:

I cannot belive the hysteria caused by one man having a drink or getting a bit drunk and then that launches into a psycho analysis of his current state. Im sure he would be laughing his head off if he read some of the comments

Ha ha....yeah.....

I try to look at it as him breaking free from something and letting loose and simply having a good time

But then I go back to thinking, I would receive the change better if his tweets didn't imply heavy contemplation being "hurt"

I'd be careful about reading too much into tweets, especially retweets and lyric tweets. Sometimes a person's listening to a song or reads something and it's powerful, they like it, so they repost it. It doesn't mean they're feeling what the tweet says.

Ehhh... I dont think caution is needed. If a string of deep thoughts are tweeted out on the heals of "some really terrible things have happened"......you generally think, "huh, sounds like he's feeling low." Human nature empathizes and hopes that person is hangin in there.

Oh of course, I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't have empathy and hope he's okay, heck I do the same. I'm just saying correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation. I like to tweet really dark lyrics much more than happy ones but I'm usually in a pretty decent mood when I do. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying there are other explanations for tweeting depressing things sometimes.

This thread is horrible. He plays in a ROCK band. He's singing the songs well and having a good time. Who gives a fuck! He's his own man, if you didn't like his live performance - sit at home and listen to your records.

Respect the man and don't waste your own time talking shit about a person who has given you amazing music. Especially on a fan forum.

If it was a real problem, he's got some of the best bandmates in the world to help him out.

Don't judge and let him have his privacy. Because stuff like this might one day turn him against this whole rock band thing.

40 Miler wrote:

This thread is horrible. He plays in a ROCK band. He's singing the songs well and having a good time. Who gives a fuck! He's his own man, if you didn't like his live performance - sit at home and listen to your records.

Respect the man and don't waste your own time talking shit about a person who has given you amazing music. Especially on a fan forum.

Don't judge and let him have his privacy.

Ha! There it is...I thought that response would pop up sooner

Ha. I edited my post slightly. Sorry to be so rude, but with all the interviews i've seen and shows i've been to, Brian has always maintained that he doesn't like the fame and attention that brings. So i wish people would just let him get on with it in his own way.

The music is what matters. Getting slightly drunk the last show of tour is letting off steam.

40 Miler wrote:

This thread is horrible. He plays in a ROCK band. He's singing the songs well and having a good time. Who gives a fuck! He's his own man, if you didn't like his live performance - sit at home and listen to your records.

Respect the man and don't waste your own time talking shit about a person who has given you amazing music. Especially on a fan forum.

If it was a real problem, he's got some of the best bandmates in the world to help him out.

Don't judge and let him have his privacy. Because stuff like this might one day turn him against this whole rock band thing.

You're not wrong, but to be fair, there's a difference between "talking shit" and commenting on how someone's behavior and performance has been different. I don't think there's anything odd or unreasonable about someone going to a show and commenting on it. We know Brian doesn't like the attention but unfortunately that's what happens. The music IS what matters but the live show is part of that and he's part of the live show.

Okay, I'm outta this thread before I keep talking in circles or say something dumb