Nightwatchman show downside

LaFours

I saw Tom on Sat. at Jammin Java. Been a huge RATM fan since they started. I've taken their anti establishment views with a grain or two of salt, they were on Sony records after all, plus they played Corporatestock.
So Tom + small coffee house=Good Times. He put on a really good show, pretty funny and personable.
Now the negatives....after Tom's set he came back out with the two opening acts for a jam session as it were. First up CCR's Fortunate Son. Now everyone here I assume is a PJ fan so I guess you all know this tune. Know who didn't know the song and had to use lyric sheets....Tom. WTF? a quintessential protest song of the sixties, Mr. Socialist, anti capitalism, doesn't know how to play or the words to this tune, strike one.
After Fortunate, they do Woody Guthrie's This land is Your Land. Very cool. Now the deal breaker for me.... Tom says he's doing a meet and greet after the show. Usually I don't bother with these things, what the hell am I gonna say in the minute I get with him? Anyway, me and my friends (3 of us) decide we'll stick around. While in line we find out that in order to get this "opportunity" to meet Tom you have to buy a piece of mechandise, then you'll get a pass, and he will only sign Nightwatchman merch. Double WTF?!!!
I have no issue with bands using this policy, I've seen it before. But coming from tom it just left me a little taken aback and bitter. This man has spent his musical career spouting off on the evils of money and blah bblah blah. If this is how he wanted to do it be up front, tell us from the stage, "Hey if you buy some of my crap out there hang around after the show to get it signed". Anyone buy any thing? Where were the shirts manufactured?
All I am saying is that how can anyone take him seriously when he pulls something like this. If you can't stick around to meet a few people who have supported you without compensation, I say don't stick around at all.
I guess after all it's all about just buying...just buy.

catefrances

RehabDoll wrote:

I saw Tom on Sat. at Jammin Java. Been a huge RATM fan since they started. I've taken their anti establishment views with a grain or two of salt, they were on Sony records after all, plus they played Corporatestock.
So Tom + small coffee house=Good Times. He put on a really good show, pretty funny and personable.
Now the negatives....after Tom's set he came back out with the two opening acts for a jam session as it were. First up CCR's Fortunate Son. Now everyone here I assume is a PJ fan so I guess you all know this tune. Know who didn't know the song and had to use lyric sheets....Tom. WTF? a quintessential protest song of the sixties, Mr. Socialist, anti capitalism, doesn't know how to play or the words to this tune, strike one.
After Fortunate, they do Woody Guthrie's This land is Your Land. Very cool. Now the deal breaker for me.... Tom says he's doing a meet and greet after the show. Usually I don't bother with these things, what the hell am I gonna say in the minute I get with him? Anyway, me and my friends (3 of us) decide we'll stick around. While in line we find out that in order to get this "opportunity" to meet Tom you have to buy a piece of mechandise, then you'll get a pass, and he will only sign Nightwatchman merch. Double WTF?!!!
I have no issue with bands using this policy, I've seen it before. But coming from tom it just left me a little taken aback and bitter. This man has spent his musical career spouting off on the evils of money and blah bblah blah. If this is how he wanted to do it be up front, tell us from the stage, "Hey if you buy some of my crap out there hang around after the show to get it signed". Anyone buy any thing? Where were the shirts manufactured?
All I am saying is that how can anyone take him seriously when he pulls something like this. If you can't stick around to meet a few people who have supported you without compensation, I say don't stick around at all.
I guess after all it's all about just buying...just buy.

sounds a bit like a bummer for you. i too am a huge morello fan.
there is no way in hell i would ever BUY something in order just to be able to get it signed and meet tom. or anyone elses for that matter. so im with you on that score. however i would also make sure tom knew of my displeasure and what a crock of shit i thought it was.
now, about fortunate son. this has always been one of my favourite songs. but since pearl jam have started singing it i get screwed everytime i sing it cause of eddie's penchant for changing the words. give the man a break he was 5 when that song came out and lets face it he cant possibly know the words to every protest song out there. don't whether even zdlr does. though granted unless it was a last minute brainstorm by someone you should know the words to songs youre gonna sing.

wickedmonkeyz

so what if he needed some help with the lyrics for fortunate son...big deal

I've seen Ed do the same on more than one occasion...It's Ok from TB2K, Little Wing gorge II, just to name a few

just be glad you were there to hear it

and for the signing, you seem to know that this wasn't tom's decision...it was most likely the record label, so don't take it personally

I met Tom a few weeks ago at Bonnaroo and they tried to pull the same shit...it turned out that each security guard had different feelings towards the matter, call it bad communication...but when it came down to it Tom, when asked was signing anything...in line they were telling people they had to buy the record or whatever, some guy had his electric guitar with him (if you've been to bonnaroo you know how odd this would be) they tried to tell him no, but from like 20 feet away he starts asking tom if he'll sign it, and sure enough tom said yes and had him come right over to say hello

anyway, Tom was cool and signed my evil empire cd that I grabbed from my car


sorry these things irked you but I think you stressing out a bit much

hippiemom

I don't think this is Tom's policy. I met him in Cleveland a couple weeks ago when he opened for Ben Harper. No passes, no one had to buy anything. I had my CD with me, so I got that signed. Other people had other things with them (somebody brought his guitar to this show too!) and he signed everything ... looked everyone in the eye, thanked them for coming. My daughter and I didn't want to hold up the line, so we went back to the end, and when we got up front again we asked if he'd mind taking a picture. He hopped over the table, big smile, took pictures with each of us, talked for a few minutes. Nicest guy you'd ever want to meet

mauichick

At The Bowery Ballroom show, the merch girl said that if you were in 1st 100 people to buy a cd or a tee, you'd get a pass for the M and G.
I wasn't offended, thought it was cool. I was planning to buy the cd anyway

No scalping, bribing, begging or pleading needed

And tkt $ for the gig couldn't have been more reasonable
Granted it wasn't Rage show, but after seeing him and hearing his stories, I'd go again even if he wasn't playing a note

The guy's in a unique position and the fact that he speaks out and uses his fame to shine a light on causes should be commended

clarefromscotland

This is disappointing. I did meet Tom in 2006 and spent half an hour or so chatting with him at the playback of "Revelations" in London. I wrote the occasion up for the Audioslave official fanclub magazine. I found him personable, charming and more...well, Italian than I expected: closer to a cosmopolitan sophisticate type than your usual champion of the people, but I didn't see any reason to doubt his sincerity.

So this stuff about the m&g is sad to read. Nightwatchman is a pretty small scale operation and I can't see Sony bullying him into a policy like this. I could be wrong, but I'd imagine he gets to call the shots. So let's hope it's bad communication, or whatever.

Considering that people have moaned about Chris Cornell's meet-and-greets because they felt they didn't get to chat to him for long enough...well, we all know he will sign anything, any of his CDs from the whole of his career, photos, T-shirts, guitars, people's own stuff, people's skin so they can get tattoos, whatever. And you don't have to buy something to meet him. Chris's m&g winners even get free double tickets to the show.

So this is just a bit sad.