Dear Joe
My wife and I attended your concert in Zurich on 22 October 2010. This was our third or fourth concert, and together with the seven CDs we have I think we can be called Joe Cocker fans.
The concert was up to the usual high standard – sound, lights, length (the ‘warm-up’ band from Switzerland was also excellent).
I do have a small observation. Did you notice that the atmosphere was not quite as ‘exciting’ as previous concerts? It’s the first time I can remember remaining in my seat for the whole time. Why? Because everyone around me did the same. People who come to your concerts know and love the Joe Cocker they have on record (remember the old plastic LPs?). They want to hear their favourites. Of course it’s impossible to include all of the many ‘classics’, but I would have thought they should form the main part of your concert. The Zurich concert contained far too many songs from the new CD ‘Hard Knocks? (which I bought before the concert). People didn’t know these songs; they couldn’t ‘rock along with them’.
I know some artists use a concert to boost sales of their ‘latest album’. I wouldn’t have thought this was your intention. If ‘Hard Knocks’ was artistically different i.e. introducing a ‘new’ direction for Joe Cocker I could understand including more material from it. But the ten songs are songwriters putting words to Joe Cocker’s style – nothing wrong with that, but most of the audience were not familiar with them, and were waiting to hear their favourites. Was it the record company that insisted on focussing on the CD content?
So, Joe gives us the songs we love (with just a sprinkling of new material to whet our appetites) – you have more than enough to fill a 90 minute concert!
Keep coming back to see us. I look forward to the next concert.
Dear Joe
My wife and I attended your concert in Zurich on 22 October 2010. This was our third or fourth concert, and together with the seven CDs we have I think we can be called Joe Cocker fans.
The concert was up to the usual high standard – sound, lights, length (the ‘warm-up’ band from Switzerland was also excellent).
I do have a small observation. Did you notice that the atmosphere was not quite as ‘exciting’ as previous concerts? It’s the first time I can remember remaining in my seat for the whole time. Why? Because everyone around me did the same. People who come to your concerts know and love the Joe Cocker they have on record (remember the old plastic LPs?). They want to hear their favourites. Of course it’s impossible to include all of the many ‘classics’, but I would have thought they should form the main part of your concert. The Zurich concert contained far too many songs from the new CD ‘Hard Knocks? (which I bought before the concert). People didn’t know these songs; they couldn’t ‘rock along with them’.
I know some artists use a concert to boost sales of their ‘latest album’. I wouldn’t have thought this was your intention. If ‘Hard Knocks’ was artistically different i.e. introducing a ‘new’ direction for Joe Cocker I could understand including more material from it. But the ten songs are songwriters putting words to Joe Cocker’s style – nothing wrong with that, but most of the audience were not familiar with them, and were waiting to hear their favourites. Was it the record company that insisted on focussing on the CD content?
So, Joe gives us the songs we love (with just a sprinkling of new material to whet our appetites) – you have more than enough to fill a 90 minute concert!
Keep coming back to see us. I look forward to the next concert.