This Sunday, September 25, Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown kicked off his headlining UK tour. Marking it the first one in about a decade, Brown played O2 Academy in Leeds and the tour is planned to go to October 7 when it’s supposed to wrap up in London at Brixton Academy.
But judging from the fan response and some fan-filmed footage, it’s pretty safe to assume that it’s going to get canceled. We’re not sure how anyone gave a green light on this or thought that it was a good idea, but Ian Brown performed without a band, basically doing a karaoke show at the sold-out venue in Leeds. And, to make things even worse, Ian sounded awful. Here’s just one of the fan-filmed videos from the show:
A bad show? Well, everyone’s got one, right? Well, the problem is that this one was about £40 (around $43-44) per ticket. While certainly not a super-massive name, you’d at least expect somewhat of a decent show with an actual band and even Ian’s singing and overall awkward performance would be tolerable.
Needless to say, the word spread like wildfire. Aside from the fan-filmed footage that’s available all over the internet, concert attendees and fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the whole thing.
One Twitter user said:
“Gutted to see @ianbrown turn up to his £40 a ticket, sold out gig at leeds tonight WITH NO BAND. I’m a life long fan but it was bad. #ianbrown does karaoke and butchers his own tunes. Most were too pissed to care but I had to get out after this one. Longsight M13 was a highlight.”
Gutted to see @ianbrown turn up to his £40 a ticket, sold out gig at leeds tonight WITH NO BAND. I’m a life long fan but it was bad. #ianbrown does karaoke and butchers his own tunes. Most were too pissed to care but I had to get out after this one. Longsight M13 was a highlight. pic.twitter.com/8owVy2NHjS
— Steven latham (@I_R_Mole) September 25, 2022
However, some even called it “hilarious”:
“That Ian Brown clip is hilarious mind. Who’d pay 40 quid to see the unvaccinated mandrill, honking away at his songs like a cow on fire, band or no band. You’d be a fool. It’s not as if he ever had a great voice.”
That Ian Brown clip is hilarious mind. Who’d pay 40 quid to see the unvaccinated mandrill, honking away at his songs like a cow on fire, band or no band. You’d be a fool. It’s not as if he ever had a great voice.
— fourfoot (@fourfoot) September 26, 2022
And, of course, you can’t ever avoid those who are just waiting for the opportunity to crack jokes. One user said:
How does Ian Brown ever get into his house? When he struggles badly to find the right key. https://t.co/mlgAuDX07P
— Peter O’Hanraha-hanrahan (@PeterOHanrahaH) September 26, 2022
However, some people look at the whole thing from another perspective. One user explained:
“Saying ‘I paid £40 to watch Ian Brown and I’m annoyed that he was rubbish‘ is a bit like saying ‘I stapled my scrotum to an oak tree and I’m annoyed that I can’t put my swimming trunks on any more‘.“
Saying "I paid £40 to watch Ian Brown and I'm annoyed that he was rubbish" is a bit like saying "I stapled my scrotum to an oak tree and I'm annoyed that I can't put my swimming trunks on any more".
— Simon, off of the Plastic Jeezus. (@TOther_Simon) September 26, 2022
Of course, the internet has much more to offer on the topic and these are just some of the examples. And besides, this isn’t exactly the first time that he had a disastrous performance. On the other hand, the audacity to charge the ticket and actually go out there on the stage without a band to cover for his bad singing is beyond disrespectful. We’re yet to see how this tour will continue. Or if it goes on at all.
Photo: Man Alive! (Ian Brown), Twitter screenshots
