Does Live Get More Hate than the Average Band? Options

[Schlomo]

I'm sure there are a ton of band's from the 90's that people don't care for, but a lot of times if you mention Live people will laugh and call them terrible.

You have the hate from websites like Blender (any others?)

They get backhanded compliments from places like MTV for being the chick flick of rock bands.

On a basketball website I was participating in a song draft where try to pick the best songs of all time and somehow Live was brought up and the consensus was that they were awful.

Just my experience?

This post has been edited by Schlomo: Aug 17 2009, 2:48 pm

[SecretInsomnia]

yeah, even here in Holland - the LIVE paradise like ED probably will call it - when you check the internet, there's a lot of hate for the band. When there are written reviews of new albums, shows or just news about the band, the comments are almost always hating. At least by the general public. Although I must say that those comments often proof that those people doesnt know a shit about this band, and just repeat what the masses say (they only made 1 good album). Those f*ckers just should take a listen before bashing a band.

[Hoodstock]

I'm sure there are a ton of band's from the 90's that people don't care for, but a lot of times if you mention Live people will laugh and call them terrible.

You have the hate from websites like Blender (any others?)

They get backhanded compliments from places like MTV for being the chick flick of rock bands.

On a basketball website I was participating in a song draft where try to pick the best songs of all time and somehow Live was brought up and the consensus was that they were awful.

Just my experience?

Usually, in regards to any topic or situation, the people who are commenting and talking about something are the people who dislike it.

People like to go out of their way to bitch or put things down so there is always more negative talk than positive about anything. People who enjoy or like something typically don't respond or spend the time to go out of their way to express it.

[Waterboy]

Live definitely gets more than its share of the hate.

I chalk it up to people (especially here in the States) going with the flow and trying to be trendy.

When things like American Idol, the Jonas Brothers, NASCAR, Britney Spears, all 1700 reality tv shows that are really garbage, all the really bad movies that still become popular - it makes you realize people never take the time to find the good things in life because they are too busy following the big crowd.

I am used to the hate. I love hockey - it doesn't even get a blip on anyone's radar here in the US, but I think it is far and away the best sport on the planet.

And then there is LIVE...my favorite band of all time - yet one of the most underrated and hated.

But who cares. I'll appreciate their music until I die.

[Pokey]

People gotta remember that as much as a very few select group of us here do love Live, they are just a very small blip on the radar of music history, they really only had one really dominant year. Think of other bands you know that have seemingly come and gone and had one really dominant years (even if they've still remained slightly relevant and done bits and pieces since) ... Matchbox 20, Muse, Tonic, Queens of the Stoneage, The presidents of the USA etc ... there's a massive list, Live is just one of them. So to many people Live are one hit wonders album-wise anyways ... they don't leave a great lasting imprint on people's minds. Maybe if some of those people looked further into it they might see a lot more of Live that they liked or didn't like.

But Live cops a lot of flak for coming off too preachy, and I can see how that can come about. My cousin who is just a casual fan came with me to the Birds of Pray gig and Ed said right before Lightning Crashes something like "this song is for all the children of the world, we love you", to which my cousin turned to me asking if it was a joke?

There's nothing really about Live that stands out as being a truely amazing band that will go down in history as one of the greats .. it's about the way certain people can connect with their music, for the few that do then Live means the world to them, and thats a fair majority of the people here, but other than that they're just not that loved.

Live has some great musicians, CT just said it recently where Pat and CG are the stars, some truely talented drumming and bass playing there but it gets buried when songs that are released are The River and Heaven .. nothing that shows people who appreciate good muscicianship that talent of this band. Green Day is a good example, they're popular for whatever reason, but they have a fucking amazing drummer, Tre Cool can lay some great beats, Dookie was just an amazing album, but now days it's just buried in amoungst all this crap they make and not given the chance to shine. If the Live-nay sayers went to a gig and saw CG pounding away and Pat getting his groove on they might think differently, but they're not going to go to a gig when all they think they'll hear is The River or Heaven. So you can't blame them for having a negative opinion which we as fans who know the band more see the other side of.

[Merica]

People gotta remember that as much as a very few select group of us here do love Live, they are just a very small blip on the radar of music history, they really only had one really dominant year. Think of other bands you know that have seemingly come and gone and had one really dominant years (even if they've still remained slightly relevant and done bits and pieces since) ... Matchbox 20, Muse, Tonic, Queens of the Stoneage, The presidents of the USA etc ... there's a massive list, Live is just one of them. So to many people Live are one hit wonders album-wise anyways ... they don't leave a great lasting imprint on people's minds. Maybe if some of those people looked further into it they might see a lot more of Live that they liked or didn't like.

But Live cops a lot of flak for coming off too preachy, and I can see how that can come about. My cousin who is just a casual fan came with me to the Birds of Pray gig and Ed said right before Lightning Crashes something like "this song is for all the children of the world, we love you", to which my cousin turned to me asking if it was a joke?

There's nothing really about Live that stands out as being a truely amazing band that will go down in history as one of the greats .. it's about the way certain people can connect with their music, for the few that do then Live means the world to them, and thats a fair majority of the people here, but other than that they're just not that loved.

Live has some great musicians, CT just said it recently where Pat and CG are the stars, some truely talented drumming and bass playing there but it gets buried when songs that are released are The River and Heaven .. nothing that shows people who appreciate good muscicianship that talent of this band. Green Day is a good example, they're popular for whatever reason, but they have a fucking amazing drummer, Tre Cool can lay some great beats, Dookie was just an amazing album, but now days it's just buried in amoungst all this crap they make and not given the chance to shine. If the Live-nay sayers went to a gig and saw CG pounding away and Pat getting his groove on they might think differently, but they're not going to go to a gig when all they think they'll hear is The River or Heaven. So you can't blame them for having a negative opinion which we as fans who know the band more see the other side of.

Good post.

[Marije]

Long time reading here, but only first post now..

I think Pokey hits the nail on the head when he says Live (or actually mostly Ed in my opinion) is too preachy. Other bands (like U2) also bring the message of love, but in a different kind of way. It really turned a lot of people off when Ed was only singing about love and god almost like he is a preacher. I was always attracted to Live beacuase of the music in combination to the lyrics. But at a certain point it even turned me off a little bit. Way too much.

Besides what has been mentioned before I think there is a lot of hate for Live because of Ed and the way he shows his body always taking his shirt off etc. Some girls might scream and drool over it, but certainly it turned a lot of male fans away (and even female fans). My god, he even shaved all the hair on his chest and loved to show it at concerts. Not really a rock-n-roll-thing, he's not in a boyband! I'm glad he stopped doing that at the acoustic shows

Anyway, Live is my favourite band in the world and always will be. They mean so much to me and had such an impacton my life. Met so many great friends, just because we love this same band. But it certainly is true that Live gets much more negative attention in the media and a lot more hate from non-fans than most other rockbands around. Just my thoughts.

[+Ed+]

.I think Pokey hits the nail on the head

always

[Merica]

I gotta disagree about U2 bringing the love in a different way. Bono is a preachy man, surely?

[Pokey]

Yeah I think Bono is much worse than Ed could ever be ... maybe because Ed talks spirituality and there's hardly anyone to listen ... Bono gets audiences with world leaders and royalty for god knows whatever reason and has more pull.
I'm sure if Bono were actually given a place in politics some of his views would change very quickly when he has to look at things in a different light.
It's like Peter Garrett, former front man for Midnight Oil, spent years in a band singing about climate change and environmental issues, he leaves music and gets into politics, suddenly finds himself as the federal environmental minister and instead of having a microphone in his hands he has a pen and paper where he can actually make changes, except the things he does is contradicting a lot of what he was preaching earlier ... most people blindly call him a sell out ... I'm sure what's really happend is that he's realised how easy it is to stand on stage and sprout out about peace and how to save the world ... now that he's actually involved he's realised it's not as easy as that and things aren't just black and white.

That's why it always amazes me how much people care about singers opinions on world issues, like somehow they're more important or valid, especially when they get preachy because most of the time they're way out of their depth, they're just the same as everyone else but with an device to project their voices.

Kinda strayed from the point there, but I think a lot of people see Ed as preachy and are put off by that.

[Sonic Tonic]

That's why it always amazes me how much people care about singers opinions on world issues, like somehow they're more important or valid, especially when they get preachy because most of the time they're way out of their depth, they're just the same as everyone else but with an device to project their voices.

So fucking true.

Quite easy to stand on a stage and yell peace and love and blah blah blah. Then you start selling coffee.

This post has been edited by Sonic Tonic: Aug 18 2009, 6:01 pm

[Hoodstock]

a lot of times if you mention Live people will laugh and call them terrible.

Who, Live? .... Fuck 'em

[Deku]

Ed said right before Lightning Crashes something like "this song is for all the children of the world, we love you", to which my cousin turned to me asking if it was a joke?

Yeah that's not really what you want to hear at a rock & roll concert...or anywhere else for that matter

[Soxwsc]

They don't get much love either..

Most of the recent concerts I've been to, no one in the crowd shows appreciation.. most people just stand there and then you hear the standard cheers after each song.

I went to an O.A.R. concert recently, and the crowd went absolutely crazy from the time the lights went out, throughout the whole concert. It was the type of cheers you'd hear at Game 7 of the World Series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eosyagjJ7dc

[Badman]

When I mention my favourite band is Live I usually get "Who?" I say, "They sang Lightning Crashes... I alone... ?" They reply "Oh Yeah..."

I doubt anyone of my friends actually remember who Live is. These people remember Alice in Chains, Van Halen, Supertramp but no one considers Live big enough to remember.

I say the band isn't hated, just forgotten. Maybe it's the name?

This post has been edited by Badman: Aug 19 2009, 10:19 am