Annoying People At Gigs #2: Ronnie Scott's

I knew I could rely on George to furnish me with a tale or two for this feature...

That’s a picture of the interior of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Birmingham. Wherein lies a sorry tale…….

There have only been a very small number of concerts/gigs I have been genuinely excited about. One was the Dwight Yoakam concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1992. It was reported after that some Rolling Stones were in attendance, but no mention, for some bizarre reason, that I and my friend Joe were there as well. Another one was Calexico in Birmingham, 2004. 

Third: June 2001,  Laura Cantrell was putting on a show in Birmingham. And the venue was about three miles from where I lived at the time, so I was definitely going. Her first album had been released a few months earlier, and I was a huge fan. So a bus to the city centre and a stroll along to Broad Street, and what was at the time Ronnie Scott’s club. I was a bit taken aback at the layout inside, lots of tables near the front, it looked like a restaurant with a stage, but further back you could stand.  Ms Cantrell came on, and I would really like to say how much I enjoyed the show, but I can only remember one thing: a group of loudmouths seated at the front, drinking and talking loudly. As the show went on this group of ABs got louder and louder, spoiling the concert. And after probably 3 or 4 songs, someone behind me didn’t shout but BELLOWED that this group of blokes should shut the hell up, we came to hear Laura Cantrell, not them. The bellow was so loud that a startled Laura Cantrell stopped playing. 

I, and the rest of the audience, could only wish for a pile of woe for that group of ABs……..

Anyway, the ABs did indeed shut up and Ms Cantrell then carried on playing, but unfortunately an unforgettable show for the wrong reason. Totally ruined, no pleasant memories of the gig, no fond recollections of any of the songs. Sometimes, that’s just the way it is……

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club shut down a few months later and became a lapdancing place.

Thanks to Rol for posting this.

And thank you, George, for telling it the way it is.

If you have a story about an annoying git at a gig, please send it to me via the electronc mail.