To be angry with the Arctic Monkeys?

[Dulra]

Last night the Arctic Monkeys headlined Glastonbury. Three days earlier they were due to play a sold out gig in Dublin but cancelled it the day before stating the lead singer Alex Turner had laryngitis. He sounded pretty pitch perfect last night 🤔

The gig in Dublin sold out in minutes last September. My dd was due to go and was really upset and disappointed. She has just finished her state exams and had been really looking forward to it. Many people lost money in their bookings for hotel rooms, buses, trains because they cancelled so late people couldn't get refunds.

I just think it is so disrespectful to your fans but obviously the notoriety of Glastonbury is more important to them then their Irish fans. I certainly wouldn't book to see them again.

I thought he probably should have backed out of Glastonbury his voice didn't sound great.

Especially without travel insurance

I though he was struggling, not his usual performance,

Completely agree.

Absolutely this. And, OP, you can recover from laryngitis in 3 days, just about. He's probably realised his voice is going to let him down for good, this could be the the last hurrah for doing something he loves. He's a human being.

’The ChurnUps’ surprise set was announced at the end of last month & it was basically common knowledge it was Foos. They weren’t there as back up but it had been rumoured in the week that if AM cancelled then Foos would step in as headliners instead.

As it happens OP I think your daughter had a lucky escape, I bloody love Arctic Monkeys but think they’ve been pretty dire live since about 2018, they fuck with the tempo and words of their hits so the crowd can’t join in & their newer stuff is a big audience divider so never really gets any atmosphere going! Plus AT seems to have forgot he’s from Sheffield & takes on an American Club Singer from 1962 sort of persona on stage now.

She should be grateful she didn’t go, they’re awful 😂

OP, I’m so sorry your daughter missed her much awaited AM gig. Absolutely heartbreaking. She will get to see them again soon I hope.

We were at Emirates on Sunday (with obsessed DD aged 17) and it was packed full of actual AM fanatics. Th concert was incredible- but watching back clips on YouTube- his voice was definitely cracking after 3 nights there. Its one thing being at a gig full of fans who appreciate every single album track - charted or not singing every single word and then a quite frankly toned down version of the same gig at Glasto on Friday night (we watched on telly) to the masses who are there to party to well known anthems.

So they weren’t shite - just not everyone’s cup of tea. I loved both versions.

I’ll need a stiff drink get through Elton tonight - Alex Turner all the way for me🤔🎶😍

They should have rescheduled the date for Dublin so as not to piss off their fans.
They've done themselves no favours by playing Glastonbury though as it was bloody awful - slow and dull.

@mellicauli I meant it was easier to throw a small audience under the bus than the Holy Grail that was is Glastonbury, rather than as a "national slight".

I was surprised that laryngitis is a two day thing.

In other words, if he was sick enough to cancel Dublin (with no alternative date) then give yourself a week to rest and recover rather than what has been a sacrifice of the least important venue and capitalise on our big deals.

On a personal level, YANBU. After a concert to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers was cancelled last year while I was en-route on the train for it, I decided I probably won't travel for a gig again as it's too big a risk. You can't get your money back for travel and accommodation mostly.

However, objectively I can understand the decision they made, to sacrifice the smaller show for the bigger show of headlining Glastonbury.
Rumour has it RHCP did that with my gig due to poorer than expected ticket sales, cut their losses and went to their festival gig...

To my mind the real problem is the overscheduling of tour dates, leading to the musicians becoming burnt-out and ill and thus the frustration for fans of cancelled gigs. It's not fair.

I have to say contrary to a lot of views I did like AM's set on Friday night.

I once drove for 4 hours to see Stereophonics, by myself, and got there early to stand in the queue on my jonah like a nob, so I could stand near the front. Ticket said doors open at 7pm, which they did - for management to come out and say sorry, cancelled due to band member's chest infection.

I have nothing helpful to add, just that illness happens and maybe they prioritised the bigger gig with greater exposure?

A singers voice is their money maker. He’s not going to risk pushing himself too hard when he is ill, possibly making him sicker for longer, losing money. It’s a shame for his fans that he cancelled, but that’s life, people get sick, and after they rest, they get better 🤷🏻‍♀️

He didn't sound good.

totally agree I’d be pissed to if it’s any consolation I didn’t think they performed that well bit boring tbf and Alex Turner looked so pretentious, Guns and Roses were better…but yeah it’s absolute bollox I hope your got to celebrate regardless!

anyone who actually listens to the Arctic Monkeys will be able to tell his voice was completely shagged !
I saw them at Coventry and his voice was far far better - he had to sing the songs in a lower key - which is what you have to do if you have trouble with your voice . Also if he had laryngitis and had to cancel , with rest and meds it would get a bit better .
I will be honest the station shows of this tour give you such a poor view that In my opinion it was far superior watching them on tv despite Alex Turners obviously reduced vocal range !

It depends on the artist's schedule, the management company's schedules and the venue's vacant spots. If they can't match up within a reasonable time then it gets cancelled rather than rescheduled.

Maybe they will postpone and allow tickets to transfer over. I was at a meatloaf gig where he walked off the stage saying he would sever sing again. He was so I’ll. it was awful. As he had played for so many minutes we didn’t get a refund. Meatloaf went on many tv shows apologising and saying he wanted to give refunds but the promoters had a rule meaning he couldn’t. His fans were loyal though and when he did come back every single ticket holder got a free CD. Obviously not the same value but the sentiment was definitely there. Sadly his performance still wasn’t as great as his old days and then his final ever one after that was similar. His voice was shot.

From what others are dating on here (I didn’t watch) it doesn’t sound like his voice was all recovered for Glastonbury. Maybe he should have cancelled that too. Maybe there’s other pressures behind the scene which stopped him from cancelling.

Guns & Roses were pretty fucking awful so no comparison tbh.
Becky Hill got my money!😇

I know a couple of them (not Alex but 2 of the other band members) …. They really didn’t want to cancel but when you’re being flogged to death on a massive tour and your agents etc control much more than the general public know, sometimes they’re forced to prioritise (and not through their own wishes).

Watching Lewis Capaldi was heartbreaking - he’s clearly not well and should not have been made to feel like he had to perform at Glastonbury. I certainly hope that by the time my kids are old enough to work, they never feel their physical or mental health is less of a priority than their ‘customers’ ‘ wishes

Over £340 for a Glastonbury ticket. Elsewhere people using food banks and complaining about rising costs of everything.

Oooooooookay........ Some people are on the bones of their arse.... And some people can afford nearly 400 pounds for a concert ticket .... That's life. What's your point?

Have you seen the price of concert tickets recently? £100+ per ticket is normal for big names. If you are a person who is fortunate enough to have some disposable income and if you choose to spend it on live music then Glastonbury is pretty phenomenal value: three days and nights of a huge range of performers, plus five nights’ camping, for £340.

Same!

AM gigs used to be frequented by lots of very raucous young laddish types who threw their beers about and were generally badly behaved, which I think explains why the band don’t try too hard to get the audience going.