Goldenvoice Presents.... No Doubt's Last RETURN OF SATURN Concert!
Feb 26 '01
The Bottom Line It was overall a good concert. A high energy show that I would recommend. I would not recommend the show to children under the age of 16.
No Doubt's Last Concert From Their RETURN OF SATURN TOUR
Going To The Concert-
It was Sunday, October 29, 2000 and I was trying to rush out the door, hoping I wouldn't be late. I didn't know who to bring with me to the concert, but I ended up deciding it would be my parents. My father refused, but my mother agreed to go. It was probably better that my father didn't go anyway. I've always been one of those kids that wasn't embarrassed to take the "Old People" out with me. Hey, if it were not for me, my parents would have never ever have even seen a concert. I had taken them to a UB40 concert for their first time. No Doubt on the other hand, wasn't really something my dad would most likely appreciate.
At last I get in the car and off we go. My father is driving, that way he can just drop my mother and I off at the gate and there will be no worries about where he's suppose to park the car. We waved at him as he drove away and proceeded to the line to buy tickets. There we were, at the A & B Amphitheater, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Maui, Hawaii! Most concerts in Maui are rather small, compared to a concert in New York. I think most people had bought there tickets days in advance. So the line to buy tickets wasn't too bad, but the people working there were as slow as molasses, which is common for Maui.
The Ticket-
The cost of the ticket was $30.00. The ticket itself says "Goldenvoice Presents No Doubt", "Sunday, October 29, 2000", "Gates 5:00 pm, Show 6:30 pm", "A & B Amphitheater", then comes the small print, "No refunds/exchanges, rain or shine, no re-entry, no cameras or recording devices". It's then followed up by some more small print, "Amphitheater Guidelines: For you safety and those around you: No lawn chairs, umbrellas, strollers, or metal frame items, no backpacks, bags, large purses, coolers."
That was one thing that I thought really stunk. The fact that I couldn't take a camera inside. I did have a purse, like usual, but they actually check your purse at the door and have you open it and show them what's inside it. I suppose I could have shoved it down my panties, but that's not sanitary. ha ha.
Amazingly enough though, they don't have metal detectors at the door. In New York they had things like that. I was even patted down once before going to a concert, but never in Maui.
The Atmosphere-
The atmosphere of the concert was not a bad one. I was a little late, for the time the doors were opened to the public, but I was still early for the show. In fact, the place was rather empty when I first walked in. It was an outdoor venue. People put blankets and beach towels on the ground. It was like being out on a soccer field. The sun was beating down on everyone and it was a little warm, but the trade winds were up and blowing. Thanks to the trade winds it wasn't brutal out.
On each side of the field there were portable toilets, and sinks that you pump with your foot to have the water come out. I was unfortunate to have used it once. They always stink, you don't dare let your butt touch the seat, and did I mention that they stink... but that's life.
Then on the right side of the outdoor arena there are the food, drink, and No Doubt t-shirts/album stand. I didn't buy any of that, but I did get a pizza and a soda. An expensive soda and pizza by the way. That soda is what cost me a trip to that awful porta-pottie.
Anyway, time seems to be creeping by, but finally the opening act gets up on stage. He was some local guy, I believe from the neighboring island of Oahu. He starts singing and does a few songs. He was a one man band. He stood up there singing and playing his guitar. The whole time he was up there the crowd was getting restless and more anxious to see No Doubt. I think people wanted to see him disappear so we could get to the main attraction. I'm not too into island music, so I was looking forward to it too. When he left the stage he received a weak round of applause. Poor guy.
By this time, there were tons of people crowding this soccer field kind of arena. When I first got there the front near the stage was pretty empty, now people were clustered very close to the stage. I inched my way forward, waiting for No Doubt to appear. As I waited I looked around and saw many strange looking people. Most of them were wanna-be's. They all tried to copy lead singer of No Doubt, Gwen Stefani. Dozens of young girls, not much older than 12 or 13, running around with pink hair, red hair, blue hair, green hair, and purple hair. Some even had their foreheads stained with color still, probably because they colored their hair right before the concert.
Oh, and lots of glitter was present! People at this concert loved wearing glitter. Lots of little girls with these scrimpy looking tops, can't say that this is something I like to see. Especially seeing as there's older people drinking, and these very young girls running around looking like tramps. Not that looking like a tramp is a bad thing. I'm guilty at times of the same thing, but I didn't start dressing like a tramp until I was 14 or 15. I saw girls as young as 8 years old looking like that. That's one of the reasons why I don't think a concert like this is a good environment for young kids. You also have the other extreme, that makes you wonder where all these freaks came from. It's like you don't see people looking like this on the streets of Maui, but they crawl out of the woodwork and flock to concerts. The freak show was present. This one girl was kind of beastie looking. She was fat, had a mohawk that looked like plugs of colorful hair going from the top of her head down to the top of her neck. She had a big ring in her nose, in the middle part, like a bull. She should have brought her horns. They would have complimented her military clothing. Anyway, enough about that.
No Doubt Takes The Stage-
You know what the fans looked like, but what about the band?
First off, No Doubt took a year and a day to get on stage. I have no idea what was taking them so long, but enough is enough. They were suppose to go on stage soon after the opening act, but everyone waited about 40 minutes after the first act had left the stage.
Finally No Doubt takes the stage. You first see everyone on stage, but Gwen. Tony Kanal, the bassist was wearing an orange t-shirt and a pair of pants, I think. The drummer, Adrian Young, was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, with his little devil horns hair style. Everyone starts screaming the moment the band touched their feet to the stage. They begin to play and then out of nowhere Gwen Stefani appears on stage and is singing. It looked as though she was wearing that same little white t-shirt with silver glitter writing that she wore in her "Just A Girl" video. She was wearing a pair of pants, kind of like the one's she wore in the "Just A Girl" video. They were not the same, but they had the same kind of style to them. I believe she was also wearing a thick, faux diamond studded belt.
As for her singing, I was very surprised. I had seen a live performance of them on television once and it sounded awful, but there standing feet away from the stage, she sounded great. She was on key, her voice was clear, and she didn't miss a note throughout the whole show.
Soon after the band started playing everyone started sparking their bowls, joints, and whatever else. The "Pot Pit" began. Another reason why I don't think young kids should be there. I might have received a contact buzz. I felt a little light headed, but maybe that was from the pizza. I don't have anything against pot, but when it comes to concerts I want to be alert and see everything.
Gwen sang a lot of the new songs from her album. She sang songs, "Staring Problem", and "Ex-Girlfriend". She sang them differently though, then what I had expected. I was actually quite surprised. Instead of her singing Ex-Girlfriend as "Should have thought about that before we kissed", she sang it as "should have thought about that before we F***ed!". She really emphasized the last part. I found it kind of irritating and unecessary. It was actually rather obnoxious and offensive. I don't have anything against cursing, but only when it seems to fit into the song. It didn't seem to fit. She did the same thing with the other song "Staring Problem" and also with her song "Excuse Me Mr.". I was kind of disappointed. This is another reason why young kids shouldn't be there. And there were parents there with infants to young teenagers. It wasn't a late show, so most people would probably assume it was alright as a family show. Then again, nothing on Maui ever happens late.
So other than being taken back by the change in lyrics I enjoyed the show. Gwen also went on and sang "New", "Bathwater", "Magic's In The Makeup", "Simple Kind Of Life", "Marry Me", "Spiderwebs", "Sunday Morning", and of course, "Don't Speak". She also sang a few songs from their older albums, but I'm not familiar with their older material, so I wouldn't know what it was. There are probably a few songs that I forgot, but I remember most of what was sang.
One thing that is for sure is that the band got the biggest reaction from the crowd when they did Don't Speak. The whole crowd went crazy, and everyone was singing together. It was a little strange. It was like some kind of spiritual experience. I actually felt a little emotional hearing the Gwen sing that song, and then everyone was singing with her.
One thing I can say in Gwen's favor is that she is the most energetic performer I have ever seen. The rest of the band isn't duds either. But Gwen really did stand out. She was jumping up and down! Jumping up high in the air! Over and over and over! Dancing and going from one side of the stage to the other. How she could jump up and down like she did, not get tired or fatigued, and still sing without missing a note is beyond me. That was truly awesome. I don't think there was a moment while she was up there on stage where she was still. It was like she was on speed or something. Wild!
The Maui crowd was a pretty mellow one, considering all the energy the band was putting out, but that's just Maui for you. There was a little bit of moshing going on, and some crowd surfing here and there, but nothing major. People did like throwing things though. I think the band helped encourage that. They threw a water bottle out in the crowd. It wasn't full enough to knock someone out if it hit them, but then after that was done people had the green light and started throwing more stuff than they were before. I had water splashed on me a few times.
But, nothing was as bad as the idiot parents that brought little kids to this concert. These stupids @sses, went and put the kids on their shoulders so no one could see. I can't tell you how many times I couldn't see the stage. Some of the young teenagers were doing this too. Only they were doing it because they thought it was cool, and then they would put their arms up in the air so that you had no chance of seeing anything. I was damn near ready to buy myself a water bottle just so I could fire it at the people on shoulders. Either that, or flick my cigarette their way and really make their night hot! hahaha. Plus it was impossible to push your way up front once No Doubt hit the stage. As it was I was standing there with my mother, people pushing into us, stepping on our feet, blocking our view, and a bunch of kids under 13 were huddled around smoking pot as the smoke drifted in our faces. That was a weird enough experience with my mother right there. ha ha.
One funny thing happened though. There was one girl who actually rushed the stage. She was up on stage with the band jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air, but it only lasted for a few seconds and then security grabbed her and whisked her off the stage. I don't know what they did with her, but she never went back up on stage. She looked so happy for those few seconds too. The crowd was kind of cheering her on, and the band didn't seem to be phased by it, but she was taken away.
The Grand Finale-
The finale was rather unusual. Not the first part though. The first part was very common. The band walked off stage and said bye, until the crowd screamed for more. They played that for all that it was worth. Finally after the crowd started getting louder, they came out to do about 3 more songs. The crowd was rather docile. Maybe that's why Gwen resorted to cursing. She even insulted the crowd a few times. It was like she was trying to get a reaction out of them and it just wasn't happening. I do admit, all of them could needed a fire lit under their butts. It was rather calm for a concert that played rowdy music.
Once they got done playing the last three songs or so, then it really came to an end. The drummer, Adrian Young had his own agenda. He's famous for doing something, and he didn't hold back for this concert. As soon as the music stopped. He kicked his drum set over and started throwing and destroying stuff, mainly the equipment. The crowd was kind of silent as he threw things like a madman. He then dropped his draws right there on stage with the bright lights shining on him! Yes, full frontal nudity! I couldn't believe what he was doing. I don't know if I was more shocked by the act itself, or by the size of his penis. If I were him I wouldn't pull my pants down for anyone. He had the smallest penis I have ever seen! I was laughing my *ss off. I couldn't stop laughing. I then turned to my mother who couldn't see and I was pointing. She finally saw what was going on and she too started cracking up. He then pulled his pants back up and smashed some stuff on the ground. He then pulled his shorts down again and there was this little stub again! He then picked up part of his drums and threw it hard against the floor. With that he turned around and bent over, exposing his hairy *ss to everyone, BENT OVER! At this point I was hysterical! He was down on the floor, naked butt up in the air, destroying the drums. He then got up from what he was doing, with his shorts still down and grabbed the microphone and shoved it in his butt crack, dragging it up and down his crack! That has got to be the grossest thing I have ever witnessed, but I couldn't stop laughing. Shortly after that he pulled up his shorts and ran off stage and joined the rest of his band. That was the end.
Conclusion-
I can't say I enjoyed all aspects of the concert, but I did overall enjoy myself. I didn't like all of their songs, just as I don't like everything on their albums, but there were enough songs that I liked to make it worth while. Besides, there's nothing much to see when it comes to concerts on Maui. You have to jump on whatever opportunity that comes along.
I did think they sounded really good live, Gwen's voice was flawless, the band was played terrific, and the band as a whole does put in a great effort to entertain you and they are extremely energetic. They do give you their all, and I respect them for that.
So I would have to say I recommend going to a No Doubt concert, just make sure you leave the kids at home. It's no place for them, and they only annoy the adults there. Between the drugs, drinking, the cursing on stage, objects being thrown, the gross naked drummer, people shoving and jumping, it's not meant for kids.
My experience wasn't bad, but it could have been better, but my main complaints were regarding the crowd, rather than the band. But, every experience is different and you shouldn't let that keep you from a concert. It was fun and a good way to kill a Sunday evening. I would do it again.
Thanks For Reading :O)
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Epinions.com ID:
botsybaby
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Member: Renee
Location: Prescott Valley, Arizona, Usa
Reviews written: 95
Trusted by: 140 members
About Me:
Not gifted, moody, chronic complainer, malcontent, emotional-basket case. That pretty much sums me up.
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