Ben Howard - 3Arena - 14 April 2015

aka accounts 2010

Ben Howard will play the 3 Arena, Dublin on Tuesday 14 April 2015.

Tickets priced 39.05 on sale 31 October 2014.

wolfyboy555

Presale tickets available through his website now.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Anybody get tickets for this?

DC10555

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Anybody get tickets for this?

Nope not yet, it didn't sell out ether but that was kind of expected especially since his Olympia gigs went on sale not long ago, gonna give the new album a whirl over the week if its decent I might head to the 3 Arena gig too..

WarZoneBrother

Anybody know how the "Missed Event" works?... I bought 3 tickets for this... We got the Missed Event by mistake so it was like 4euro extra per ticket... Turns out one of my brothers is going travelling next week so can't attend... How do you get a refund?... Can I just get a refund on the 1 ticket or does it have to be all 3?...

wolfyboy555

Anyone know stage times for tonight?

SteelyDanJalapeno

Wheres he playing tonight?

wolfyboy555

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Wheres he playing tonight?

Sorry. I meant next week!:)

Jcreh

wolfyboy555 wrote:

Sorry. I meant next week!

He's playing the 3Arena. Starting at 6pm; the support act Aero Flynn.
Heading myself

Slow Show

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ben-howard/2015/echo-arena-liverpool-england-1bc89d90.html

Setlist from his show last night in Liverpool, he played a lot more old tracks than normal so I'm getting very hopeful now. I do love the new album, and get that he must be sick of playing the same songs over and over again, but the habit has been to play the entire new album interspersed with about two songs from Every Kingdom, and I don't think the new album is as concert-friendly as Every Kingdom at all. Really excited regardless.

hada

Just back from the gig... Have been a fan since Every Kingdom back in 2011, but maybe it was just me, but felt completely underwhelmed by tonight's gig. He played a lot of the new stuff, which while I like it, is just too mellow and introverted for an arena. The band seemed to be enjoying it but I didn't feel any engagement with them at all for some reason.

That and the fact that the majority of people standing had absolutely no interest in seeing him perform, kept leaving to go to the bar, talking at full volume etc, meant I just didn't feel any "connection" with the band.

I would be interested to hear other people's views.

lc180

Was there a big crowd for this?

marwelie

I'll put my cards on the table at the start and say I'm not a fan, a friend had a spare ticket for tonight because he couldn't get tickets for the Olympia so I tagged along. I like a singer songwriter and Ill give anybody a chance but must admit to being bored to death from about 20 minutes in. No interaction with the crowd (I'm not sure whether that's his thing or not) which doesn't sit well with me when the audience has paid 40 quid a head to be entertained. The 3Arena was too big for him IMO, but there's nowhere smaller after hes filled the Olympia twice. Decent guitar player but no stage presence. The sound wasn't particularly good either so I couldn't make out what he was saying when he did actually talk near the end. One song seemed to blend into another.

It was a hipsters paradise tonight, I did well to restrain myself from going down the back of the seated area upstairs and slapping those people who spent the entire evening swaying.

Zipp101

Underwhelming is the right word to describe tonight's gig. The new stuff is good but it can feel self-indulgent at times.
He played a slow version the The Fear which just didn't work well.

Far too big a venue for this type of act and a lot of the crowd were more interested in getting every song on they're phone than taking it in properly. Taking videos/pictures/selfies needs to be stopped at these gigs, being around it really cheapens the whole experience.

It had its moments though. The end of the affair was great, as was old pine. Overall a bit dissappointed though.

Vinny-Chase

Cards on the table I am a MASSIVE Ben Howard fan, like fan boy status. Last night was 4th time to see him live. I was lucky enough to get to have a pint with him before the Olympia gig and he was as sound as you'd expect. When I heard he was playing the 3 I thought "ooohhh, dunno if that will work in a venue like that." But I knew I would have been kicking myself if I didn't go.

Last night's gig just did not work! It was exactly as I thought it would be. Could not see him perform, no screens for people to see I wasn't too bad, I'm 5' 10 and could move a bit to catch a glimpse, the OH couldn't see a thing and was bored.

He does very little interaction with the crowd anyway, as he seems to be a fairly shy guy, but he does normally say a few bits. He never said one word to the crowd until the very end, even then he didn't even introduce the band like he normally does. So he kind of set the tone from the very start. Not even "Hello Dublin" at the start or anything. It's kind of my profession to be aware of people's behaviour and it just seemed as if he was not in the mood for the gig; not enjoying himself. The band and India Bourne seemed to be up for it and seemed to enjoy themselves but not Ben. I've been on stage countless times as an actor and sometimes if you've got **** going on in your personal life it takes great effort to go out there, but that's the job. The Bond brothers weren't with him and maybe they've had a falling out or something and that was showing. I'm just looking for reasons to explain the lackluster show if I'm honest

We stepped towards the back after about 50 minutes and the amount of people leaving early. Disappointing I must say. Would not dream of going to see him again if he played there again. The new songs sounded good though.

*Turns out the new song wasn't a new song, it was a cover of Every Time The Sun Comes Up by Sharon Van Etten. Great song though. Clip here: https://youtu.be/l54u2m49E_I

Furious-Red

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-reviews/ben-howard-at-3arena-dublin-review-he-impressively-cuts-it-in-live-musics-premier-league-31144658.html

hada

Furious-Red wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-reviews/ben-howard-at-3arena-dublin-review-he-impressively-cuts-it-in-live-musics-premier-league-31144658.html

Was the reviewer at the same gig?!

Slow Show

I loved last night's gig. That said, I was close to the very front and the people around me were generally really enjoying it and up for it, the only bad part was when a few annoying girls pushed through to the front and proceeded to have a big chat and take about forty selfies, so if that represented more of the crowd further back I can definitely understand grievances with the audience. :pac:

They should have had the screens on though, I was fine because as I said I was up at the front but I can imagine how it wouldn't have been great at all to be far back and short. And The Fear was kinda meh tbf, didn't like that version. I agree with these complaints.

It's a real pet hate of mine though when people complain about others taking photos or videos. I understand that it's super annoying if the person next to you or right in front of you is videoing the whole concert and getting in your way, but most people just take a few videos and photos, I do it myself and it's really nice to look back on later. Also, he introduced the band twice. :pac: I was listening to catch the new drummer's name as he seemed to be the happiest person alive, and all names were definitely said twice.

I'm now doubting myself and feeling like I was at a different concert to all of y'all here, perhaps I'm biased. The people I was with loved it too though, and everyone around me seemed to be loving it. Would definitely go see again.

Vinny-Chase

Slow Show wrote: »

Also, he introduced the band twice. :pac: I was listening to catch the new drummer's name as he seemed to be the happiest person alive, and all names were definitely said twice.

He introduced the band twice?! When?! Must have been that one time I popped to the toilets.

That drummer is an absolute legend!!! He is the drummer for the band that supported Ben in the Olympia in November. Can't remember the name of them, big enough band.

They were clearing off their gear after their set and EVERY TIME the drummer came on stage he was getting applauded. The women in there loved him. I'd love to know who is. I've never seen someone so happy. He has a look on his face that says "Oh my God!!! I'm actually playing a gig."

I think up the front is where you need to be, the intimacy of his music gets lost and the energy gets sucked into the large room and crowd.

Vinny-Chase

Slow Show wrote: »

the only bad part was when a few annoying girls pushed through to the front and proceeded to have a big chat and take about forty selfies, so if that represented more of the crowd further back I can definitely understand grievances with the audience. :pac:

That did represent the crowd further back.

SantryRed

Seen BH at Lollapalooza two years ago and thought he was amazing. Last night was a good gig, but I wouldn't go any further than that. I really like his new stuff, but the changing up of the first album was just stupid, and I just don't get why more artists are doing it these days. Keep Your Head Up, The Fear and The Wolves were completely different to the album version. And just not as good tbh because he dropped the beat out of them completely.

Paolo Nutini did the same thing and I just don't enjoy hearing his first album live any more. I hope the same doesn't happen to Ben Howard, because the first album is a masterpiece.

Vinny-Chase

He actually played a lot more older stuff last night than in November, the whole set was devoted to the new album, with a only a few older songs. The previous times I've seen him the likes of Old Pine, Wolves etc were stompers that had the place jumping...including Longitude. All of last night was so subdued. I think he sold himself short by doing those versions. I'm a fan and liked the twist on the songs, but not at an Arena tour. The crowd were up for it and were singing the "oooohhh ooooohhh" for Wolves. 95% of the people there I'd say, only knew his anthems. He was playing to the "real" fans but really missed out by not performing the songs to their full capacity.

For all my views on the gig, I can't fault him as an artist. Black Flies was chillingly good. Musically/ performance wise there isn't much that can be said wrong about that side.

SteelyDanJalapeno

I heard this gig went down like a bag of ****!

A lot of walk outs

Vinny-Chase

Definitely a lot of walk outs, seen that myself.

hada

As I said previously, been a fan since 2011, and I was one of the walk outs. It wasn't that I was mad, or let down, I was just bored by 10pm. It was my view by that time that I'd seen what he had to offer and it was pointless staying any longer.

I actually figured he'd play for a while longer and then play some of his old stuff. I was actually quite surprised to find out that he actually only played 3 - 4 more songs, with the majority being newer stuff. Snore fest.

I hate saying it, as I do not want to be a crank, but the crowd at the back were just dire. The constant leaving and going to the bar when he'd finish a song, the talking etc. This wasn't just a random tent at festival, which I could understand the lack of interest - this was a dedicated Ben Howard gig.

You combine the lack of any "oomph" from Ben and the band on stage, with the dire crowd and you basically get a bad gig.

As previously noted though, you couldn't fault him musically (bar the change up of his earlier stuff) - the band sounded tight and musically great live.

ArnieSilvia

I was at that gig too, my wife asked me to go with her. I only heard few songs but they were promising enough to justify making the effort.

Musically (as in skill wise) the band was up to the job and professional.

Entertainment wise - no interaction with public at all

Most of gig was dull. Songs were of similar beat/note/concept of song, felt like all were the same and nothing new there. Bored to death and walked out early.

In essence, this was an attempt to repeat the climate that The Cure offered long time ago. Only attempt though. This sounded like music for someone on a lot of drink or smoking something.

Public was a joke, all these drunk people at the back, people smoking weed around me everywhere.

Don't even start me on the band performing at 19:00, bunch of clowns.

Would never go their concert again. Waste of time.

seachto7

Problem is you have a lot of trendy twats who just want to say "yeah man, I was at Ben Howard last night". It's trendy to be seen to be into music and gigs, as opposed to actually *really* being into it. tossers

threein99

I wasn't at the gig, I like his music but I cant imagine his gigs been very lively, it the kind of music I listen to to help me get to sleep

marwelie

http://www.dublinconcerts.ie/ben-howard-at-3arena-dublin-review/