Best of 2006 (5): Gerry Smith gigs

My gig attendance in 2006 was a bit lower than for many years.

All gigged out? No. Bored? Naaah. Just tired of crappy arenas/stadia. And of paying silly money – two people can now fly by Ryanair to any European city and stay in a 4 star hotel for the weekend for the same price as attending many gigs just up the road.

The music biz is getting too greedy – ticket prices for gigs are rising fast, while the cost of CDs, travel, books and just about everything else I spend my leisure pound on, is plummeting. So ignoring overpriced gigs, especially those in dreadful venues, is a no-brainer.

Despite this whine, I still made it to see numerous delightful, reasonably priced, shows (all venues in London, except where stated):

Jan: Barber of Seville, Royal Opera,

Feb: Rodelinda, Barbican; Figaro, Royal Opera

March: Hercules, Barbican

April: Eugene Onegin (Villazon), Royal Opera; Gotterdammerung, Royal Opera; Jim Moray, Mme Jojo’s

June: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, Royal Opera; Tosca, Royal Opera

July: Waterboys, Alban Arena, St Albans

August: Shostakovich 13, Proms

September: The Fall; Lady Macbeth of Mtensk, Royal Opera; Villazon/Netrebko, Barbican

Nov: Lucinda Williams (guest: Bruce Springsteen), Shepherds Bush Empire


Highlights:

1. Waterboys

2. Barber of Seville

3. Gotterdammerung

4. The Fall

5. Jim Moray

6. Shostakovich 13


Disappointments: the two big opera names – Netrebko, Gheorghiu.

So, 2006 was another very enjoyable, eclectic (if a bit opera-heavy, jazz/rock-light) year. And a reminder that London is a remarkable city for live music for grown-ups. Long may it continue.



Gerry Smith