Entertainment Mailbox: Segal's response

03/12/09 - To Ms. Mitchitson, First and foremost, I appreciate you referring to me as Ms. Segal. I think it makes me sound more professional.

Secondly, I am glad that you wrote a letter to the Good 5-Cent Cigar providing your view of the concert. I am glad that you decided to utilize your First Amendment rights, just as I did in writing the article "Brand New is brand bad" last Friday.

One of the first things that I learned growing up was that no matter what, I had a voice. I have an opinion, and my opinion can be heard because of my First Amendment right to speak. My opinion can be written in the Good 5-Cent Cigar because of the freedom of the press.

And I used that right in my article last week following the Brand Bad concert that I saw.

To be fair to Ms. Michitson, I will explain the things she asks to be explained. But I think I will start from the bottom of her letter.

The Cigar didn't assign the review to me for any other reason besides the fact that I requested to be assigned to it. Actually, I bought my ticket to the show before I asked to write the article about the show. Why? Because, I am a Brand New fan. I have been since the first time I heard the song "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" when I was starting high school.

In fact, when I was in high school, my AIM profile was full of the beautiful lyrics that came off of Deja Entendu, and my high school project on the use of metaphors was all about the song "Play Crack the Sky." If you don't believe me, I ask you to check out my Facebook profile page where you will find Brand New listed under my favorite music.

I want to ask fans who enjoyed the concert to think back to a time when maybe they went to another concert or a movie and it didn't turn out the way they thought it would. My guess is that is how you felt when you picked up the Good 5-Cent Cigar on Friday morning expecting to read a review that matched exactly how you felt about the concert.

That is how Brand New's concert worked for me. Movies like "Super Bad" have received super bad reviews, and many people out there have enjoyed those movies. Different concerts come off in different ways for different people.

Ms. Michitson is correct in saying that how the concert was viewed could be determined by our locations in the auditorium. From where I was sitting, I had the perfect view of the floor crowd. Those making movement in the front of the stage were people directly in front of the stage, a handful of people, for a handful of minutes. There are a few illegally taken videos of the concert posted on YouTube, where the "subdued" floor crowd can be perfectly viewed. And Ms. Michitson is right, everyone on the floor was on their feet, but it's hard not to be on your feet when there are no chairs.

I agree with Ms. Michitson again when she writes that the band is famous for their lyrics. I even wrote that in my article. It just would have been nice to hear those lyrics. Sure, maybe you heard the lyrics perfectly from your spot on the floor Ms. Michitson, but other people could not make out the long "AHHHHs" from the real words, unfortunately. And again, I agree "screamo" ballads are present on the CD versions of songs, however, I can make out the lyrics on the CDs -- probably why I am such a big fan of the band's CD sound and not its live sound.

Lastly, Ms. Michitson questions the importance of the lighting that I referred to as dull. I will say it again - the lighting was dull. Lighting has a huge effect on the atmosphere and drive of the show. When I attended a Keith Urban show last year, without any feelings for or against the performer, I was astounded by the performance because of the huge light show he had going on. It helped him and his backup band stand out immensely. Maybe that could have helped an article titled "Brand Good" be written, but probably not. Seeing as lighting is an integral part of any concert, the dullness of it was well worth mentioning.

I am glad that people did enjoy the concert. In fact, I am ecstatic. But there are a portion of people out there that didn't enjoy the concert, and their voice can be heard as well. I think it is safe to say that neither Ms. Mitchitson nor I took a 3,000-person survey after the concert, so it will never be determined the draw between content people and dissatisfied people.

I did, however, overhear a number of comments as I walked out of the building. I overheard one group of fans say, "That was the worst concert ever," and another person added, "I have never sat for an entire concert in my life." And last, one of the people that I had the pleasure of going to the concert with used the word "lackluster.

Rolling Stone critics, New York Times entertainment writers and Boston Globe reviewers don't get paid to promote bands, movies or shows, and neither do I. If I wanted to be known as a promoter, I would join a street team.



Sincerely,
Libby Segal