Loaded: 20/11/09
Sour Note: Yusuf's fans were not happy with the musical interlude at his show
Loaded wasn't at Yusuf 'Cat Stevens' Islam and, by all accounts, I'm very relieved I caught a stonking show from the Specials instead. It sounds like one of the most grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented gigs of recent times. Ed Power's review of the fiasco in last Tuesday's paper made for shocking reading. Ed told me that at one point he genuinely thought a riot was on the cards.
As you've probably heard by now, Stevens/Islam put an ill-advised segment of his forthcoming musical in the middle of the show. The reaction from some quarters of the audience really sounds extraordinary. Booing, hissing, slow hand-clapping, walk outs, arguments with stewards and security and a high level of aggression also became the talking points of the show.
The fall out continues on forums, message boards and radio phone-ins. "This truly was the worst gig I've been to in my life," slammed one irate fan. "The only other time I walked out of a gig was Bob Dylan, Slane '84." Weirdly, Islam said onstage, "Now I know how Dylan felt".
Another punter ranted, "Moonshadow [the musical segment] was the most excruciating live experience of my life. It was irredeemable guff that would have been condescending if it was the Christmas entertainment at an old folks home. And to then add Ronan Keating to the mix? There's just no excuse."
- On a happier, and certainly much hotter, note, Goddess of Pop Beyoncé plays two nights in the O2 this week and it's unlikely that there'll be a repeat of last weekend's uproar.
Last Monday, hubby Jay-Z showed up for Crazy in Love in London and Kanye West made his first public appearance since his stage invasion at the MTV Music Awards. It remains to be seen if either or both rappers will pop along to the O2, but even if they don't, I doubt anyone will get as worked up as a Cat Stevens crowd.
- Speaking of stage invasions, the attention-seeking clown that is Calvin Harris stormed the stage of X Factor while Jedward were performing, inexplicably putting a pineapple on his head and pointing at his rear end. "I was just inspired to make a mockery of the show, because it is a music competition, it is a joke and I think it should be treated as such," he said afterwards. "For the greater good of the nation I wanted to go out there and make an idiot of myself and sort of just bring the whole show into another kind of area in which it's treated as kind of a joke."
Jedward mentor Louis Walsh claimed that the singer and producer was just trying to "cash in" on the twins' success and said he had never heard of him, despite several chart hits including a number one with Dizzee Rascal and songwriting credits with Kylie Minogue and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
This year, Harris has done quite a good job in making an idiot of himself. After his current album received less than favourable reviews, Calvin had a meltdown that he shared with the world via every gossip journalist's online best friend, Twitter. Ranting in block capitals, he went off on an incoherent, foul-mouthed broadside against journalists and the entire music industry. Harris has also shared frequent Twitter spats with former NME editor Conor McNicholas. Whatever about all this malarkey, the bottom line is that the new album is lame.
- Loaded wishes Dan Deacon a speedy recovery after he was forced to temporarily postpone an American tour and his music career. Hospitalised with a back condition called acute sciatica, Deacon explained on his Facebook page: "On Wednesday evening, the pain had come to a peak. It was impossible to bear and it was frightening, since I had no idea why this was happening.
"I need to focus more on my health, which will lead to a clearer mind and a more focused music. I'm excited about the future and the various paths that are being presented ahead of me. I'm not sure what the future will bring but hopefully I'll see you there."
- Grizzly Bear, who released one of the albums of 2009 in Veckatimest, had a very close shave in Austria when their tour bus crashed. A short statement read: "The bus and trailer were hit and rendered immovable. The trailer was wrecked and the bus engine split. Everyone involved is fine and spent a day in Austria pulling things together."
While sounding rather frightening, mercifully no one was hurt and the band only had to cancel a single concert in Milan with Wilco. It seems the car crash story of the week is still poor old Yusuf.
- Eamon Sweeney
Irish Independent
