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Hahaha, that's like my husband and I after seeing the Chems every time. Including the first time, I wasn't even 30 yet, and we were so exhausted that all we could do when Underworld came on afterward was hang out at the back like... like boring old people! Underworld were still a fantastic show - brilliant - and we were up on our feet for the last couple of songs. But after being run over by the musical freight train that are The Chemical Brothers, I was emotionally and physically spent. Thank God the last time we saw the Chems our 13 year old son was there to make sure our bones didn't completely disintegrate on the looooooooooong walk back to our car after the show!!

Krisper, on 16 June 2011 - 7:29 PM, said:

I'm like that sometimes in the hot aussie heat. I don't know how people take 'enhancements' or drink all day and think they'll get through to the end of the festival. I love festivals for the fact that its a big buffet of sampling different bands and if there not to your liking then you can sample another band elsewhere and not feel guilty you paid all that money just for that one band cause theres other things happening. And it is nice to see people enjoy themselves (as long as they don't piss you off if you're next to them like shouting the lyrics to all the songs when you want to hear the band not them! )

whirlygirl, on 15 June 2011 - 11:14 PM, said:

bouh seems to do. and me too. sometimes real fans (believe it or not) do not want to be in the first few rows, neither at a festival nor "proper" indoor gig. and it really sucks then being surrounded by people which I have mentioned who don't give a shit about the music and the work which is being done at stage but instead keep on talkign or checking facebook or whatever. I have seen archive recently and decided to stay in the back of the quite small venue and I was so very upset with all those around me talking and not caring at all what was going on. it is shocking to see such a behaviour at a gig where people come to exclusively see the band which is performing, it is also disrespectful against others in the audience and the musicians themselves. and yes, the same applies to festival gigs, people care less and beign disrespectful. and that's what upsets me, nothing to do with elitism.

and as to "lots of fans" - maybe I am old-fshioned but I cannot see how someone is a "fan" who comes to gigs when a group has a certain hit single and later never again. look at all those tricky gigs. he used to play far bigger crowds earlier. where are his "fans" gone? they just weren't proper fans. true fans stay with their heroes. was it anType who said "TGP" was too much for him (it defo was one of us) but he was staying. that is what I call a fan.

BoywiththeGoldenEyes, on 16 June 2011 - 6:00 PM, said:

You're so right BoywiththeGoldenEyes. Actually I need to be surrounded by people who enjoy the show in order to enjoy the show myself. It's quite strange, but I feel very frustrated when it doesn't happen.

I do not really like to stand in the first rows. There are not enough space to breathe and way too many drunk people and idiot teenagers...

So I need to choose between :
- Standing far away and being surrounded with people who don't care about the concert and who do not move,
- Or Standing in the first rows and dealing with teenagers on E.

too much words here

I know what Bouh and Bwtgeyes mean though.It IS a bit annoying when after all the excitement and anticipation of seeing the Chems live again you find yourself stood next to a bunch of idiots who are too out of it/drunk/rowdy/etc.Happened to us in Glasgow before, we had to move twice before the show even started.Or maybe I'm just showing my age?!
As Whirls and Krisper alluded to earlier, when you're a bit older,its only AFTER a Chems show that the dancing and general madness catch up with you.

BoywiththeGoldenEyes, on 16 June 2011 - 9:00 AM, said:

I do think you are reading to much into what I am saying. Please do not make assumptions about me believing to know what "real fans" want in terms of being front row. Is this really something worth arguing and is it our place to assume what other people want based on our own experiences? The Chems are great from all vantage points, something I am lucky to know from experience. These days I personally would leave the front row to those who have more guts to fight for it because my petite stature (yeah I'm a shortie!) leave me at a disadvantage when it comes to standing my ground and fighting for a spot just to enjoy the music I love. My days of coming home from shows with bruises are past me - I'm getting to be an old lady now. But perhaps I am jaded. Because really, I don't care if people are standing around a mile away from the stage, or if there's pockets of freakouts in the middle, or if some people are chilling out and enjoying the pretty lights, or nodding off to the side, or whatever. I can't say my way is the best and only way to enjoy music. It's a bit like saying you can't enjoy a Chems show or like their music unless you're candy flippin and tripping balls. And you know how utterly ridiculous and tiresome those arguments are.

Anyway, I do agree it's awkward (at best) and angering (at worst) to be at a show freaking out and having fun and you're standing next to some boring lump with his arms folded and watching his watch. I do agree that part of what makes a show great is the people you're surrounded by, because it's part of the experience. So no argument from me there.

As far as how fans are made. My fandom went from casual to overdrive because of seeing the Chems at a festival. In the very back of a crowd, about 3/4 a mile from the stage. But that's me, and I'm glad for it. And I think we're gonna have to part ways on this tangent. Because when it comes to judging how big or how devoted a fan is, well. I can't say. Peace out then. You win this as you seem to know what makes a fan and what doesn't...

BoywiththeGoldenEyes, on 16 June 2011 - 9:00 AM, said:

I think your definition of a fan is different (or maybe similar) from what we think what a fan is!

Fans have a right to make up their damn minds about who they listen to! I won't draw the line on who is a fan or who is not a fan!

Bouh, on 16 June 2011 - 12:04 PM, said:

I prefer it too, but I mostly rely on my own energy and vibe to enjoy the show. Put me in a crowd of idiots who are talking and not even paying attention to the show and I'll be the one with dancing!

BUFFETT, on 16 June 2011 - 2:54 PM, said:

Happens! Happened to me during the WATN tour! Alot of manhugs seem to calm those drunks down a bit! As for the rowdy ones, I usually stick it out, unless people start falling down because of the crowds that push!

whirlygirl, on 16 June 2011 - 8:44 PM, said:

My sexual( I mean Chemical) peak wasn't till CWU!

and right now I wish I was 10 years younger, so I can keep up with you younglings in here!

inchemwetrust, on 17 June 2011 - 5:42 PM, said:

I'll be right there with you.

inchemwetrust, on 17 June 2011 - 5:42 PM, said:

Ha ... you are a youngling!

Hm, I don't want to say we're arguing here, it's more a fruitful discussion in my eyes.

To come back to what a "fan" is or not - I am neither drawing a line but in some cases it is just clear. I remember all those guys who wanted to come to Chems gigs in Galvanize-era dressed up at clowns. Ah yeah. Some of them might have. Have these ever been seen on the gigs again? Probably some have but the majority has not turned into being fans IMO. If I see people who celebrate certain songs and then won't do with others, not at all... hm. I am not sure whether I should reagrd these as being fans. Or those kids on E as Bouh has mentioned, they were spoiling some of the Luxembourg experience - they seemed to celebrate themselves rather than Tom&Ed, they did not seem to care about the music much but doing twittering or facebooking also while the gig, "look at me, I am cool, I was at that gig!". Fans?

This is one of the things that has come up thanks to Facebook. Everyone is a "friend", and everyone is a "fan". I mean, I really like Tame Impala, think their album is great, would like to see em live - still, I would not call myself a fan, I just like the music and I will see how things develop. One can't be a fan of everything or a friend of everybody - if so, the meaning of "fan" or "friend" would be taken out of context totally. I really trust that most of us active users here are indeed being proper and hc-fans of the Brothers, seeing how much time we spent here alone and the Chems-related experiences we share. Regardless whether we have experienced them first with DYOH, WATN or whatever era, seen them live in a concert hall or on a festival gig or not having had the chance to see them at all so far. Just liking one album or few songs and probably hence having been to a gig also doesn't constitute someone being a fan. My opinion. Discuss, all you Facebook-heads!

Ha, Facebook, I resisted for so many years, but then I joined to follow the Chems and a few other musos. And apart from that I think it is good to keep up with real friends and family. It has it's good points and many bad. I certainly don't tell anyone on Facebook any personal stuff, I save that for these public forums .

Krisper, on 18 June 2011 - 12:03 AM, said:

and the only way to keep up with them is facebook? poor.
couple of years ago it has been no problem to keep up with them, why now it is a problem? why?

i hate facebook

ThePumisher, on 18 June 2011 - 4:36 PM, said:

Did I say it was the only way I catch up with my friends or family? No.

Facebook is very hateable, no argument there, but I did not say it was the only way to keep up with friends and family. Most of my friends and family live a long way from me so it is good to see and read what they are up to every few days rather than finding out once a year. I have a niece who recently had twins, I see photos of them at least once a week now, I have never seen them in person and it will probably be a long time till I do. I also have a daughter and 2 grandchildren who live in Las Vegas, I would never hear from them if I wasn't linked up through Facebook. So it has many good points too.

well, all my friends and family live on the other end of germany or in other parts of the world. still I am not on facebook. and still I manage to stay in touch. it must be very strange for the young generation in these days to understand how people could have had social contacts at all earlier without facebook and survive without the internet. well, it went extremely well, and it still works with me (at least without facebook) however, the more and more people rely on facebook, it is getting harder not necessarily become a part of it. wait for the one day that the internet is to crash (it is going to happen) and suddenly the people will lose all their "friends" and things they store in the cloud and many things which have been elemental parts of their lives. (hint: remember the hacker attack on sony's network and the turning-off? they had nothing to do for quite a while) those who have maintained proper social contacts will then still have friends, the others will be alone (if they had concentrated merely on facebook or similar networks which more and more seem to do. so blind!).

I haven´t joined Facebook and I´m not doing it anytime soon, I can´t understand people´s obsession over it. I miss the times when privacy was a valuable element.

it doesn´t help that i worked in the spanish Facebook PR office 2 years ago, my memories aren´t very nice...

GuerraRelampago, on 18 June 2011 - 9:27 PM, said:

whoa! you can work there without being part of it?

I wonder what people thought when the telephone was invented.



"What ? Speaking to someone that is not near you ? Stupid idea, how do you think we've been managing for all these years ? Meh !"

You're wrong bloke.

The telephone was a big improvement in people's lives.

Facebook can be useful, Krisper described it well. But don't you have any friend that spend their time on that social network waiting for their so-called "friends" show up? It's pathetic.

Don't think Bloke was serious there. And I also don't think one can compare the invention of the telephone with Facebook. The telephone is something to communicate with people who are not next to you. Facebook is something to present yourself and collect a massive circle of "friends" around you and it is just logical to be able to communicate with those then. But that is not the main feature of FB otherwise it would never have grown that big.

BoywiththeGoldenEyes, on 19 June 2011 - 12:09 PM, said:

Can't you just send a letter ? How do you think we've been managing for all these centuries ? ah, young folks and their "technology"...