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Topic: A big thank you!< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
TOBY Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 13:52

Sounds like the fan meeting was actually more enjoyable than the concert. Which in some ways doesn't come as a surprise because there was a fan meeting the day after the TB2 concert here in Edinburgh in 1992 and it was actually more enjoyable than the concert the previous night, certainly warmer  :D

I think it is a shame though that the fans were treated a bit second class. I mean this website, Dark Star and the other German ones have put  in tons more effort over the years to keep Mike's PR flame burning than a bunch of journalists who may well not even bother writing about the event anyway. When you think about it that way all you guys that went should have been given front row seats with free drinks served on command.
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manintherain Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 15:52

Quote (zedder @ Mar. 10 2008, 19:03)
I did chuckle to myself when Mike just put his guitar over his shoulder and left without a encore I will be interested to know why ? maybe he was upset that his fans were in a poor position!!!!!.

Never!

Sorry, but true!

:(
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crises1980 Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 16:42

I can imagine that mixed feelings of joy for the music, disappointment for the treatment, angry because of the location, happiness for the rendition...

But, anyway, I thought the chance of getting fans into the event had to be thank to the Spanish community, isn't it? I've heard they really pushed hard Universal for making not only this possible, but even other events, such a masterclass and stuff.

Did Universal do anything at all?
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Bag O'Secrets Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 16:46

Quote (TOBY @ Mar. 10 2008, 13:52)
I think it is a shame though that the fans were treated a bit second class. I mean this website, Dark Star and the other German ones have put  in tons more effort over the years to keep Mike's PR flame burning than a bunch of journalists who may well not even bother writing about the event anyway. When you think about it that way all you guys that went should have been given front row seats with free drinks served on command.

I don't want to be too critical of them (Universal et al) as they weren't obliged to invite any fans so we should be grateful that a small number of lucky ones got in. On the other hand it's a pity they seem to have been treated a wee bit shabbily compared to cynical, indifferent journalists who have either ignored or been derisory of Mike's work over the years.

I suppose it all comes down to the cold hard realities of business, keeping the journalists on side is the top priority as that's what "boosts unit sales in the target demographic" (forgive my cynicism).

Anyway, it sounds as if everyone enjoyed the cameraderie! Hopefully things will be more in our favour next time.  ;)


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...and nothing was ever heard from him again, except for the sound of Chew-bew-lar Bells.
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crises1980 Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 16:52

Quote (manintherain @ Mar. 10 2008, 15:52)
Quote (zedder @ Mar. 10 2008, 19:03)
I did chuckle to myself when Mike just put his guitar over his shoulder and left without a encore I will be interested to know why ? maybe he was upset that his fans were in a poor position!!!!!.

Never!

Sorry, but true!

:(

Yeah, it seems that Mike himself forced the organisers to keep the fans aside in a place where he couldn't see them... or the gig would never happened.  :O
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 17:07

Quote (crises1980 @ Mar. 10 2008, 21:42)
But, anyway, I thought the chance of getting fans into the event had to be thank to the Spanish community, isn't it? I've heard they really pushed hard Universal for making not only this possible, but even other events, such a masterclass and stuff.

Yes, the Spanish certainly did a lot. I know Dark Star did a fair bit of work too, and we applied pressure ourselves too, as did people in Germany. I think everyone did what they could, but I think as the event was being organised by Universal Spain, I can certainly believe that the people in direct contact with them had a lot of influence over all of this. I think the fact that there were signs of demand from more than one place was important, though.

It was definitely a thing to be grateful of that fans were allowed in at all, and a good sign that they bowed to fan pressure. It's just a shame that some people left the concert upset, something which I suspect was a result of nothing more than a lack of communication. It would be nice if that could be avoided, should an event like this take place again.
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Matt Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 17:25

Quote (Korgscrew @ Mar. 10 2008, 22:07)
It's just a shame that some people left the concert upset, something which I suspect was a result of nothing more than a lack of communication. It would be nice if that could be avoided, should an event like this take place again.

What were people upset about? Restricted view was already known certainly here at tb.net as admins had wisely made that clear. Mike leaving quite so rapidly doesn't strike me as something that could be fixed by better communication?

Hopefully most people agree it is very good that through such hard work some fans were allowed to be present as an event like this that would usually just be press only. And the feedback suggests that the fans meeting up was almost as much of a highlight as the premiere!


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"I say I say I say I say, what's got three bottles and five eyes and no legs and two wheels"
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manintherain Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 17:33

The Germans were annoyed because they couldn´t see Mike and he was almost inaudible!

That´s all!

:(
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 18:04

Universal had made the restricted view and the fact that people would be standing clear to us, and we'd made it clear to people entering our draw. I don't think every group was told about the situation, though - I assume that was what was responsible for some of the problem. People expected something different to what they got. That's just my interpretation - like I said, I suspect it was a lack of communication, but I don't know for sure. I think the main complaints were from the people who found themselves at the back and on the right hand side, unable to see anything at all.
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Inkanta Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 21:35

Good evening!

Thanks, Richard, for your incessant work and diligence to make this possible! You spent countless hours on the phone, writing emails, working with Universal, etc. Well done! Tim, thank you, too, for your efforts!

A HUGE thanks to Rume, who collected us at the airport! It was great to meet you after all these years!

Here are a few thoughts to share about that evening.

In my IMHO, there isn't much that compares in the musical universe with a live, orchestral performance--all that experience, energy, and passion in one room, channeled by a conductor.

When the orchestra kicked in after the introductory notes of music, I had chills up and down my spine, and that was the first of many. Hayley W's solos were shining, crystal lights--breathtakingly gorgeous--goosebump producing. Mike's guitar solos, sorry to say, were not the highlight of the evening. They seemed to get lost in the rest of the orchestra--too weak to highlight or punctuate much of anything. But--that might have only what was reaching my cloth ears.

From time-to-time, Mike looked around at various sections of the orchestra. Perhaps he was interested to see how the musicians were reacting--which made me wonder if it would have been better for him to have been in the audience and to have had a guest guitarist. It was being recorded so he probably wanted to be the one playing. It was interesting to watch him as a member of a team taking direction from a conductor.

I was one of the fortunate few to actually be able to see Mike during the performance. It was distressing to learn afterwards that those in the back couldn't hear in addition to not being able to see. Despite being in a decent position, I was in so much pain that it was distracting. I had worn very comfortable boots and am used to being active and on my feet. But there was something about standing in one place for a long time. I was just so happy to be there that I took it (no pun intended) in stride. We had expected to stand, and were told that the view would probably be somewhat obstructed (but auditory obstruction hadn't occurred to me).  

If the fans had been seated among the journalists, we'd have been invisible--there wasn't any difference in our looks or our demeanor. The difference might have been in our knowledge level--which in turn could have been very helpful to the journalists. Tubular.net, the Spanish group, Hiawatha, Dark Star, etc. represent the new media--the new type of journalism. Our groups promote and increase record sales, maybe even more than journalistic reviews. Our sites are high traffic and we are credible sources. And you know? Universal Music gets this. They are in an incredibly difficult position of being in the middle between the fans who they know are the ones who drive the market--and artists who may have a different take on everything. Not a wrong take from, say, Mike's perspective, but not one very conducive to customer happiness.

I wonder if any of the journalists commented in their accounts about the stoic, standing-up fans.

Besides being present for the launch, it was absolutely wonderful to meet the other fans--the resulting networking and camaraderie was fantastic! It was remarkable to watch Marko, cartoonist extraordinaire, draw. What a privilege!

In fact, we fans had such a great time, that we're entertaining the thought of future outings! Hergest Ridge, anyone? Who can bring airplanes? :D Actually, there are many talented musicians in the Oldfield community, so perhaps guitars, drums, bagpipes, voices, etc. would be in order. Maybe we'd even invite Mike. Hmm.  :p


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"No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From:  Moongarden's "Solaris."
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Moz Offline




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Posted: Mar. 10 2008, 23:58

It's very interesting to read about all of this.  (For the record, I would never have been able to come along, so I didn't enter the competition.)

I particularly agree with Inkanta's point:

Quote
If the fans had been seated among the journalists, we'd have been invisible--there wasn't any difference in our looks or our demeanor. The difference might have been in our knowledge level--which in turn could have been very helpful to the journalists. Tubular.net, the Spanish group, Hiawatha, Dark Star, etc. represent the new media--the new type of journalism. Our groups promote and increase record sales, maybe even more than journalistic reviews. Our sites are high traffic and we are credible sources. And you know? Universal Music gets this. They are in an incredibly difficult position of being in the middle between the fans who they know are the ones who drive the market--and artists who may have a different take on everything. Not a wrong take from, say, Mike's perspective, but not one very conducive to customer happiness.


I found myself nodding in agreement to all of that... :)

Either way, I think it's great that some fans were able to attend. :D


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Nacho Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 05:07

The problem with the sound of Mike's guitar was that the loudspeakers from his amplifier were they all directed to the front audience, so people who was in the side of the atrium couldn't hear it well. I even would say that the people in front of the whole orchestra didn't have a perfect sound when the full orchestra played. But the overall experience was really really fantastic.

Myself, for example, could not talk to Mary-Carol or Markus, people that I've been reading through the years, as I was busy with DS people and taurusIV people, but I was so happy seeing all them going inside the auditorium.... I strongly agree that apart from the Oldfield stuff, meeting all you people, is very emotional and satisfactory to me.  :)
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Nige Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 09:36

Interesting collection of posts on this topic - lots about the view, aching feet, treatment of the fans and the great time everyone had but not a lot of insight about the performance!

Unfortunately, the less than ideal treatment of the fans doesn't surprise me.  I've been following MO for some 32 years now, have seen him in concert around 20 times and have met him 3 times.  Sometimes, he's been fantastic - telling the security guards to let the fans stand up and dance, inviting 20-30 fans including myself to his dressing room after a concert etc.  On other occasions, things have not been so good - giving three other fans and me a curt 'no' and walking off when I asked him for an autograph after a Wembley gig in 1982 sticks in my mind but the press has also been full of the less charming side of his character over the years.

What I have learned is that to be a fan of MO is a bit of a rollercoaster, particularly as he experiments with new concepts.  Sometimes, the experience is pure ecstacy - for example the first time I heard Ommadawn played live in 1980, the 1981 tour, TSODE, the guitar solo on the long track on the Pekka Phjola album (don't know what it's called as I have a Finnish copy) etc.  Other times, it's the opposite - e.g. Earth Moving and, unlike many of you, I'm not particularly looking forward to MOTS.

There's bad news and good news here - the bad news is that we're all fans of an incredibly complex guy who is impossible to predict.  The good news is that we're all fans of an incredibly complex guy who is impossible to predict!  It's such a shame that the first live experience of MO that some of you got was spoiled by poor sound and a poor view but the best advice I can give is put your favourite MO album or DVD on and remind yourself why you're a fan in the first place!
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clotty Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 12:43

Quote
Yeah, it seems that Mike himself forced the organisers to keep the fans aside in a place where he couldn't see them... or the gig would never happened.


Just wondered what the source was for this - is that true or are you speculating?

Thanks


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Clotty
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yanouch65 Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 13:09

Clotty is right......
Tell us the source please!

:/


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Ray said : "it is a shame you don't play"

manintherain said: "You´d better ask Mr. Y who was first"

yanouch65 says: "I am in love with Scotland"
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Markus K. Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 15:03

Quote (crises1980 @ Mar. 10 2008, 23:52)
Yeah, it seems that Mike himself forced the organisers to keep the fans aside in a place where he couldn't see them... or the gig would never happened.  :O

Okay...which one of you has a restraining order and what did you do to get it?  :D

Sorry...  ;)


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Markus K.
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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 16:24

Quote (yanouch65 @ Mar. 11 2008, 15:09)
Clotty is right......
Tell us the source please!

:/

One of the spaniards - Santi Ruiz from Mike Oldfield blog has posted a big email to the spanish mailing list where he discussed what really happen before the premiere...very interesting to see why some choices were made.

Santi on this email said that it was Mike's choice to put the fans outside his viewing.For me,it seems that Mike wanted to shield himself,a protection,to make him a bit more confident.I also feel that he was forced to do the premiere at this stage,since it had been postponed before,and Universal did want to promote MOTS strong enough because they believe in the final product.

I've imagined myself in Mike's place,a recent dad with a 1-month-and-a-few-days boy,and he had to deal with those promo work,rehearsals,interviews...he's in a phase where he really wants to be more Michael Gordon Oldfield than Mike Oldfield...he even said that on a spanish interview:"I've said to my wife I have to go and be Mike Oldfield for 30 minutes".We all know he's 100% perfectionist,but the lack of rehearsals really impressed me...and that was one(but not the only one) of the reasons that have made him stressful at the end of the premiere.


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"But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014

"I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011
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manintherain Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 16:42

Sorry Tati,

he had some 6 months to get used to do the premiere and taken the time given, even I would have done better!

No excuses!

Alright Mike, if it was you who put us aside in the Guggenheim Museum - shame on you! We don´t deserve to be treated like that!

:(


Edited by manintherain on Mar. 11 2008, 17:32
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Ray Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 16:47

I think Fans freak him out - he can't understand them.  He almost says that in the book. R

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Looking out over the harbour in Peel.......
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manintherain Offline




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Posted: Mar. 11 2008, 16:55

Maybe we remind him of himself?

:/
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