Robert Earl Keen last night

52,939 Views | 403 Replies | Last: 3 days ago by LawHall88
Kolache Snob
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$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!
Well to combine the 2…..REK played no less than 2 JJW songs last Friday….but didn't have time for The Road Goes on Forever or The Front Porch!
Kolache Snob '92
Goodnight Irene
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$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!


I believe Jerry Jeff's words were you drink the effing beer and I'll sing the effing songs. That was my group he got cranky with that time haha!!
bam02
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Ag_07 said:

Could be worse...He could've sat up and spewed his worthless liberal dribble the whole time.

Silver linings and all


Uhh. Yeah he's a lib but he doesn't spew a bunch of politics on stage. Seen him dozens of times and I've never seen him get into politics at a show. I know he's done some campaign-type events. That's different.
$3 Sack of Groceries
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Goodnight Irene said:

$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!


I believe Jerry Jeff's words were you drink the effing beer and I'll sing the effing songs. That was my group he got cranky with that time haha!!

Hahaha. Nice. He may have said that too but I know for a fact he said the part about the football game. I have never forgotten that!
Goodnight Irene
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$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Goodnight Irene said:

$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!


I believe Jerry Jeff's words were you drink the effing beer and I'll sing the effing songs. That was my group he got cranky with that time haha!!

Hahaha. Nice. He may have said that too but I know for a fact he said the part about the football game. I have never forgotten that!


He probably did, but we were all already pretty far along in drinking the effing beer hahaha!
Know Your Enemy
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Goodnight Irene said:

$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!


I believe Jerry Jeff's words were you drink the effing beer and I'll sing the effing songs. That was my group he got cranky with that time haha!!

My group got him to sing Pissin' In The Wind at Harry's around '95 but he said he was going to sing it to get us to shut the **** up.
Goodnight Irene
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Sounds like in a short three years he got really cranky
DannyDuberstein
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Seems bad form to use retirement publicity to sell tickets and then not play the biggest hits they have. I have been a fan of REK's music, but there has always been something about him that just seemed dickish. He broke thru more than most musicians, but he never fully broke thru. Over time, it seemed like maybe just a bit of bitterness set in, and especially when his attempt at bluegrass failed. At that point, he threw himself into touring even more heavily to keep the $$$ flowing and I think just burned himself out which probably explains some of the shows people have seen.

As far as JJW, REK, or any other musician goes, I don't care if any singer (or comedian) tells distractions to shut the F up. None of these aholes in the audience are ever as funny or clever as they think they are.
Know Your Enemy
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Goodnight Irene said:

Sounds like in a short three years he got really cranky

Oh he was pissed at at us big time (no pun intended) but at least he played the song.
Baby Billy
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We were there on Saturday, too. Always been a big REK fan but had never seen him live. It was a horrible show. Last song was I'm Comin Home, as soon as the last note was played he immediately got up and walked off the stage without saying a word.

Turnpike was phenomenal, just as they were at Billy Bobs in April. Going to see them again at Whitewater in October
TXAG 05
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Kolache Snob said:

$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!
Well to combine the 2…..REK played no less than 2 JJW songs last Friday….but didn't have time for The Road Goes on Forever or The Front Porch!


I've seen him about 10 times over the past 20 years and I don't think I've ever seen him play front porch. As far as road goes on forever, that's like asking for margaritaville or smells like teen spirit. Yeah it's a good song, but there are so many other songs he has that are so much better.
JABQ04
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I've seen REK at at least half a dozen times over the past 4 years. Never had any bad experience. Plan on going to the 1st game of the season and seeing him open at Aggie Park. He's always played his hits, and wife and I plus friends always enjoyed his X-Mas shows. Like the above poster said, never saw him perform the front porch song with the exception of when he and Lyle opened for George Strait at the HLS&R 4 years ago.
Kolache Snob
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TXAG 05 said:

Kolache Snob said:

$240 Worth of Pudding said:

Ag CPA said:

Better than JJW's habit of stopping in the middle of a song and telling the crowd to STFU back in the day when they were getting to loud for him, talk about a ******.


Saw him do this EXACT thing at Floore's in about '98. Some college kids were there and started chanting "Pissin' in the wind! Pissin' in the wind!" Finally JJW stopped the show, looked over at them, and said "Hey y'all shut the hell up! This ain't an fking football game god dammit!!!".

I mean they were being a little obnoxious but it really soured my opinion of him. I mean, what an ass-ole!!
Well to combine the 2…..REK played no less than 2 JJW songs last Friday….but didn't have time for The Road Goes on Forever or The Front Porch!


I've seen him about 10 times over the past 20 years and I don't think I've ever seen him play front porch. As far as road goes on forever, that's like asking for margaritaville or smells like teen spirit. Yeah it's a good song, but there are so many other songs he has that are so much better.
Ironically, I have seen him about 10 times as well and this is the first time he didn't play the Front Porch Song. Always played when his band took a break about mid show. And trust me, some of the obscure songs he chose to play instead to apparently appease himself were not better than the front porch song....He just played it at his Fort Worth Show last spring....
Kolache Snob '92
DannyDuberstein
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Btw, that bluegrass failure bitterness and throwing himself into a lot more touring (which he said he did because he could control it) is something he admitted early this year. He also admitted some not so flattering stuff about bailing on shows last minute if they didn't sell enough or didn't have a setup he liked. Again, I think he's struggled with having a pretty good run, struggling with the fact he could not make the next step, and then burning himself out on live shows he thought were beneath him as his popularity waned. Mix all that with just getting old, I'm not surprised to hear of some low energy shows and some of these complaints
maroon barchetta
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DannyDuberstein said:

Btw, that bluegrass failure bitterness and throwing himself into a lot more touring (which he said he did because he could control it) is something he admitted early this year. He also admitted some not so flattering stuff about bailing on shows last minute if they didn't sell enough or didn't have a setup he liked. Again, I think he's struggled with having a pretty good run, struggling with the fact he could not make the next step, and then burning himself out on live shows he thought were beneath him as his popularity waned. Mix all that with just getting old, I'm not surprised to hear of some low energy shows and some of these complaints


That's one of the things that Rush fans have praised them for - the way they went out and ended their careers.

Neil had recurring tendinitis and knew that he wouldn't be able to pound the skins like that forever. Geddy and Alex weren't ready to be done but Neil only wanted to perform if he was at the top of his game. He didn't want to give the fans any less than the best.

On their R40 documentary Billy Corgan said at intermission that it would be amazing to see guys in their 20's pull off that first set he had just witnessed, that they still had it.

It's sad to see that REK doesn't feel that way about giving his best to his fans. I watched his ACL performance that was maybe the same week that friends saw him in Santa Fe at the Galveston County Fair. They said he was pretty good and the ACL show was good.

But to read so many posts here with people saying they have had bad experiences is just sad. If you are going out to perform one last tour, give the people something good to remember you by. Not "he was an ass and didn't play a good set list".
ElephantRider
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DannyDuberstein said:

Btw, that bluegrass failure bitterness and throwing himself into a lot more touring (which he said he did because he could control it) is something he admitted early this year. He also admitted some not so flattering stuff about bailing on shows last minute if they didn't sell enough or didn't have a setup he liked. Again, I think he's struggled with having a pretty good run, struggling with the fact he could not make the next step, and then burning himself out on live shows he thought were beneath him as his popularity waned. Mix all that with just getting old, I'm not surprised to hear of some low energy shows and some of these complaints
I'm about as big of an REK fan as you'll find...but man, that bluegrass album was terrible.
DannyDuberstein
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Which in the interview I read early this year, he honestly still seems surprised by. I think he had some folks close to him in the business (including Lyle Lovett) blow some sunshine up his ass about it, then he was at a loss when no one else paid any attention to it.
Proposition Joe
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Ultimately he's burnt out, which is why it's a retirement tour.

I think he had grand plans to be this true to form traveling troubadour and hit up all the small stops along the way that he played as he was coming up... but where Fort Worth, Austin, College Station, Houston still have a large enough fanbase to pack the house -- when you start playing Odessa, Midland, Bum**** Louisiana, and the like... well... you're going to be playing venues that either aren't in the best of shape or too big for his caliber.

The price point on many of these shows failed as well. Like many artists, he's cashing in on his final tour -- but $70 balcony seats in Midland ain't a price point he can support.
AggieArchitect04
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Saw him at the Tobin Center in SA Friday night and it wasn't his best performance. Sunglasses and sitting down the entire time (my guess is health issues).

Also, the singing/music was just kind of okay, but when he told stories it sounded like he had marbles in his mouth. No one could understand him.

Venue was beautiful though (never been) and Randy Rogers opened - he killed it.

ETA: Also, I was sad he chose not to play Road Goes on Forever.
DG-Ag
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Saw him last summer at Nutty Browns in Austin and he was awesome. Saddens me to hear these reports of his most recent performances.
Emotional Support Cobra
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It's really too bad because I have seen a ton of great REK in the last 20 years since I moved to TX. He killed it at his xmas show at the Tobin Center a few years ago.

Last time we saw him at Floores he tested out a few songs from Rose Hotel etc and the whole audience nearly fell asleep. The he goes, "okay lets play a bunch of songs from 30 years ago" and the concert was interesting again. It has to wear on you that nobody likes your last 15 years of innovation.



Oyster DuPree
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Ghost of Bisbee
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REK kinda sucks. Not sure why anyone is surprised
Quincey P. Morris
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Ghost of Bizbee said:

REK kinda sucks. Not sure why anyone is surprised


Wow. No.
Seersucker Ag 2011
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We got a quart of rum drank it all that day
When the big gig come we were just to drunk to play
(It happens that way)
C@LAg
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Ghost of Bizbee said:

REK kinda sucks. Not sure why anyone is surprised
this may be the first time I have starred a post of yours.
Ghost of Bisbee
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C@LAg said:

Ghost of Bizbee said:

REK kinda sucks. Not sure why anyone is surprised
this may be the first time I have starred a post of yours.


It's an acquired taste
texagco2003
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Wife and I wanted to see him one last time and grabbed tickets in Decatur, AL. Wasn't his best performance we've ever seen, but played Road Goes on Forever and Front Porch Song, neither was part of the encore either.
Honestly thoroughly enjoyed the show, he looked old and tired but I told my wife afterwards I couldn't think of one song I wanted to hear that he didn't play.
Zona81
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I saw 2 shows on this final tour. One on the West Coast and one on the East Coast. Both were outstanding, with a great packed audience and lots of singing and energy. Both concerts were close to 2.5 hours. Yes, his voice came and went, and his playing was ragged at times, but the guy put on a great show. You can tell he's in some pain when he's walking, so standing for that long isn't in the cards.

As far as the politics comment, I've seen him probably two dozen times at venues all over the country. Never once has he said anything remotely political. Which in a world where politics seem to infect every part of everyday life (including the TexAgs Entertainment board) is saying something.
Ag CPA
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Seersucker Ag 2011 said:

We got a quart of rum drank it all that day
When the big gig come we were just to drunk to play
(It happens that way)
Yah, guess you can't accuse him of not living out the songs he writes; he's authentic.
SidsBurnerAccount
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Southlake said:

Used to watch him at A&M back in the day and he could be a real turd.
I negotiated a contract for a client to have him play a private event. His list of even day/odd days requirements was pretty detailed. It's straight out of an entitled musician joke.
Reel Aggies
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Saw him in key west a few years ago and he was chain smoking the cigs before the show. That has to catch up with you. Put on a good albeit brief concert. Was cool being down there and finding out he's playing lol
DannyDuberstein
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SidsBurnerAccount said:

Southlake said:

Used to watch him at A&M back in the day and he could be a real turd.
I negotiated a contract for a client to have him play a private event. His list of even day/odd days requirements was pretty detailed. It's straight out of an entitled musician joke.


Can you elaborate more on this? He literally had a list of random requirements that were dependent on the day being even or odd?
Hey Nav
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Has Rich Brotherton made any appearances for this last tour?

He was a big part of the performances being so much better back in the day...
maroon barchetta
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DannyDuberstein said:

SidsBurnerAccount said:

Southlake said:

Used to watch him at A&M back in the day and he could be a real turd.
I negotiated a contract for a client to have him play a private event. His list of even day/odd days requirements was pretty detailed. It's straight out of an entitled musician joke.


Can you elaborate more on this? He literally had a list of random requirements that were dependent on the day being even or odd?


No brown M&M's?
 
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