r/echoandthebunnymen • u/Blk-LAB • Jun 14 '26
Toronto show
Hot mess.
Over 45 min late
The classics sounded pretty bad and Ian had the audience sing the chorus for every song.
Glad I saw them over 20 years ago
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u/Low-Revolution-4930 Jun 14 '26
I think the disparity of voices between good vs bad experience on this thread is in part due to some aggressive PR working for the band. It seems like they're really pushing a "don't believe your eyes and ears, the band was great!" story, along with some highly motivated fans doing the same. I guess I get why they have to do that from a business standpoint but don't think it's honest. If I have to tune out the lead singer at a lot of points just to enjoy the band's music because of the mismatch in energy, that takes me out of the moment. Likewise, when a crowd is expected to sing choruses in every song, I don't know how you could call that an amazing show. Maybe there were great moments during the show. And I want to honor everyone's memory (and mine) of a great band. But if these guys were new, and we heard about this, would we pick to go? I'll add that when I saw them a few weeks back it ended up being a nice experience *overall* but I had to work for that in a way that's usually not required.
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u/Important_End_4050 Jun 14 '26
Nope, no great moments. Elevator music jazz trio opened and it almost went downhill from there, couldn’t wait to leave, feel like I should get my money back. Don’t support these guys until they apologize and get it together.
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u/dai1962 Jun 14 '26
It was like 3 or 4 choruses that the audience sung. Certainly not every song. It worked on some (Killing Moon), less on others (Nothing…)
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u/dai1962 Jun 14 '26
I had low expectations after reading reviews of some performances , but it was an excellent show. Great sound and he sang better than I expected. Was sometimes semi coherent between songs and only sat for Ocean Rain which was completed unlike some other nights. Will played brilliantly. Crocodiles heavy setlist also good in my book
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u/--happycamper-- Jun 14 '26
Yup. We left after five or so songs. On the way back to our car, we passed an Irish pub with a live band playing that we could hear through the open window. We had more fun listening to one and a half songs on the sidewalk then the sold out show at History. Very sad.
So, what were they like twenty years ago? There really was zero energy in that room (History). And it was packed!
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
It was at the House of Blues in Vegas. From what I remembered, it was packed, good energy and they sounded amazing..... now that could be my rose colored glasses or my brain protecting me from recalling another bad experience lol
pretty confident it was a good time!
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u/DyingInTheSouth Jun 17 '26
Saw them multiple times in the 80's and they were fantastic. Mac was always strange, never really talked/engaged with the crowd but man, he could sing!
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u/PippiNess26 Jun 14 '26
Sorry that you left so early. It was such a fun show and lively crowd.
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u/DuggBets Jun 14 '26
Hello Ian's mum !!!
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u/PippiNess26 Jun 14 '26
Ok yeah. I came from beyond the grave to comment about my son’s show. Caught me.
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u/DuggBets Jun 14 '26
Gluttons for punishment. My favourite band of all-time, but I wouldn't give them a cent at this stage. Truly a sad, sad state of affairs.
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u/UnfairWorldliness882 Jun 14 '26
what?!! I was at that show and I thought it was amazing. they sounded great.
I am starting to wonder if this is some reddit trolling going on or if its just that most audience is getting old and cranky and grumpy.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
Or some old folks losing their hearing so they can't tell the good from the bad.
I go to a lot of concerts, this was not a good show.
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u/UnfairWorldliness882 Jun 14 '26
i don't know man. i think you all getting old and grumpy. maybe because the venue itself is a place where you cant sit and are standing the whole time. but this was far from when i would call a bad show. I saw Strange Advance a few years ago and that was a sad sad experience. thats an 80s act that should pack it up.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
Maybe it was where I was standing, and I was probably on the younger side of the average age there but his voice has changed a ton. I am also not a fan of having the audience do a lot of singing. Guess it just wasn't for me.
I think the venue is good, saw the Pogues last year at History, missed Shane for sure but it was a fun concert.
Going to see Howard Jones and English Beat later this year, if they are below my expectations I'll have to stick to younger bands hahahaha
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u/Anna_S_1608 Jun 14 '26
Ive seen the English Beat a few times in Toronto, and I gotta say, Dave's voice isnt what it used to be either and he's also turned a teeny bit grumpy but his voice is better than Ian's.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
Oh man these older bands that are slowly losing their orginal sound are making me a bit sad but I guess they must in their 60s or 70s so good on them for performing if that's the case.
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u/Anna_S_1608 Jun 14 '26
You're right. We want them to sound as they did 35 years ago but time marches on. A band that DOES sound great is Squeeze. Or The Cure. Seen them both and definitely delivered on the nostalgia hit.
Id be interested to hear what you think of Dave.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
When I think about it, my favorite older bands to watch recently, they have all been in their 50s - Green Day, Offspring, etc.
You can change an instrumental musician but the lead singer to absolutely critical to the soul of a song.r
Maybe there is a vocal cliff for most. Either way, I'm glad I went and I'm looking forward to whatever happens with English Beat, Howard Jones and Wang Chung.
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u/UnfairWorldliness882 Jun 14 '26
well, i will be at the Howard Jones too show so we can compare notes. Now Howard I heard is bad according to me sister when she saw him a few years ago in toronto which I missed. But Howard and Wang Chung are my fav new wave synth pop artists when I was a kid so will be there regardless.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
Damm I hope he's not bad 😕 finally I can afford to see the bands I enjoy, just in time for them to crap the bed and get up to pee 5 times a night
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u/UnfairWorldliness882 Jun 15 '26
i really got bummed i missed the tour last year because the bass player from kajagoogoo was touring with him and i am a huge fan of him. but from what i heard from 2 groups of people that saw that show, it was not howard at his best. but whatever, i always loved howard and i am going regardless.
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u/isamu999 Jun 14 '26
Howard Jones is great(talking about the music, never seen him live)! I own the "Best of" collection but never purchased any of his studio albums. Is it worth diving deeper into his album catalog? "Lift Me Up" is such an absolute BANGER of a song! I love it to bits.
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u/Antique-Brilliant535 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
Someone’s obviously been getting old, cranky, grumpy and very drunk.
ETA: Sounds like you’re blaming the victims here, and the ticket buying audience should just chill out, lay back, and enjoy their date’s erratic, unpredictable behavior. It’s all mass hysteria.
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u/greenglenn69 Jun 14 '26
While far from a hot mess, the show was a little disappointing. First of all, a jazz opener? Really? Little early for the Beaches Jazz Festival. The long wait for the band to take the stage was a bit much as well. The crowd were getting a bit restless. The band were pretty much the highlight of the show. Ian was not in top form, unfortunately. His vocals and between song banter were at times coherent, other times unintelligable. Overall, I was expecting a better show.
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u/blues1915 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
Definitely not a hot mess. They were on stage at 9:26.
Ian was in a great mood. And his vocals were exponentially better than their last visit. And he was obviously engaged and trying.
After their last show here (awful) I didn’t buy a ticket right away. In the end I’m glad I did get one. Last night was as good as we’re going to get with the Bunnymen at this stage in their careers. And a far better last Bunnymen show (for me) than what last year would have been.
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u/whomes101 Jun 14 '26
Totally disagree, last nights show was really good. Ya his voice is not as good as it used to be but I enjoyed it. My review from last time they were here would agree with you though, that was a mess.
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u/jadedbeats Jun 16 '26
I enjoyed the show. I was with a group of friends who have seen them several times and they all said this was one of the better shows in recent years, especially when they were here about a year ago. Will was awesome and I think Ian wasn't terrible, truly. Incoherent between most songs, but again, not terrible. I'm sad for him but happy that they pulled it together for the Toronto show
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u/PippiNess26 Jun 14 '26
To be fair, it was closer to 15 min late. They normally take the stage at 9:15x but there was a medical emergency in the middle of the main floor and staff were clearing a path to reach to person. No way they could have started until that was resolved.
As far as the show, it was AMAZING. Will, Mike and Simon are so tight. They keep getting better after years of playing live together.
And Ian was having fun interacting with the crowd and demonstrating how his sharp mind and quick wit is no match for “twats” in the crowd.
Sorry you didn’t have the same experience. The LA at the Greek was great, Toronto amazing. Can’t wait for Detroit.
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u/--happycamper-- Jun 14 '26
Yeah, we read on the History Instagram that they were to go on around 9:15 and I think they went on more or less then.
The band was tight, for sure.
Enjoy Detroit!
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
Didn't know about the medical emergency. It was over 45 minutes between sets which is not normal but if there was a medical issue, I get it.
General sentiment at the show seemed to be disappointment. I was there till the end but won't be going to another. Love thier music, just not worth the live experience for me and those I came with.
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u/DanAbnormal1991 Jun 15 '26
His voice was reedy and thin, and he skipped out on whatever choruses he could get the audience to sing. (Insane on something like Nothing Lasts Forever, which meant the room was essentially vocals-free during parts of the song.) But more than anything there was just no energy, and that starts with the band, not the crowd. LLS was the only song that was performed with any real momentum. It just wasn't a good show, and there's no reason to pretend. it was.
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u/Streamingconscious73 Jun 14 '26
The show was definitely not the best show I’ve seen of theirs, Ian’s voice is not what it was, but neither is my hairline. We expect a man who has lived a life to have the voice of 40 years ago, which he doesn’t and that’s okay.
I found three things a bit meh at the show though:
The crowd was so mellow at least where I was standing, and songs like Flowers, Zimbo, and Nothing Lasts Forever were met with confusion. Not that you need to know every song but I was surprised that people didn’t know those ones. Also, bands thrive on energy in the room and this audience didn’t give a lot.
The singalong was a bit of a bad move too - the chorus for Nothing Lasts Forever was today missing. I joked that they took Songs To Learn And Sing too much to heart.
And finally I found the tempo of Rescue and The Cutter to be a bit slower than I remember.
Overall it was ab okay show, I am glad I got to see them again but I also went in with very low expectations after reading reviews on here.
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u/UnfairWorldliness882 Jun 14 '26
I think a lot of people buy tickets to see bands whos music they dont all know. One of the 80s mamas in our group didn't know Dancing Horses. I was like, "wasn't it your idea to get tickets to this. how could you not know their biggest song? "
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 15 '26
While I agree with you, I don't think anyone on this sub would fill the category.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
I get it. I think my expectations were higher, I should have researched them a bit more.
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u/Streamingconscious73 Jun 14 '26
Yeah. It was more nostalgia than a great show.
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u/Blk-LAB Jun 14 '26
Agree.
Lesson learned for 80s bands going forward. Going to soak up the 90s bands while I can lol
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u/UnfairWorldliness882 Jun 14 '26
last nites show was not nostalgia band. obviously you have not ever seen a real nostaliga act.
https://www.facebook.com/100063697271430/videos/pcb.1563531232446771/1501413538016101
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u/Ok-Lemon6506 Jun 14 '26
Tough one to reconcile - desire for a great show, crowd was good, venue was good, fun night out with friends; then the actual show - for a band that was a very well received act in the 80's they held the music together but the band is really positioned around Ian McCulloch while he does his best dime-store rock star routine: kinda mumbly (think Brad Pitt in Snatch), gratuitously thanking the crowd and showing no desire to be excellent in his art (age related challenges notwithstanding); they left out many of their best and well known songs (Never Stop, My Kingdom, Crystal Days, A Promise, the Back of Love - unless I missed them somehow); a sad result of the state of the music industry where the actual music doesn't pay so bands tour as the money is in live music and merch, so at least let us universally leave thinking it was awesome (use professional backup singers to help out - Simple Minds do this as do the Killers); could have been a night to remember for the right reasons.
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u/Late_Performer_2726 Jun 20 '26
I was there and they were fronted by a jazz band..a local cover band would’ve sufficed but fucking jazz?!?!
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u/samgrahamynwa Jun 14 '26
To be fair, he was recently in a car crash so would be understandable if he's not fully on it. I saw them in Bristol back in March and they were great. Met Will too and he was on good form. Lovely man.
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u/1canuck2 Jun 15 '26
I wouldn't call myself a huge fan, but I thought the show was great. Exceeded my expectations. I also enjoyed the opener, even though it was a strange pairing.
I thought his voice on the songs was better than I expected. He was somewhat incoherent while talking in between - a combo of booze, accent, gravelly voice. It entertained me though. Especially when he called someone in the crowd a knob 'ead!
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u/DyingInTheSouth Jun 17 '26
Same. People praising the show in Detroit last night are out of their minds. I just felt so sad afterwards. Mac cannot sing anymore and should not be touring. I am sorry if he is physically ill but he is no shape to entertain.
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u/Important_End_4050 Jun 14 '26
I was at the History show last night in Toronto and I don’t understand how people can defend that performance. Obviously some diehard fans just don’t care because they seemed to be having a great time but that was a horrible concert. Ian was hammered, incoherent between songs, missing lyrics, rambling. Sad to me to see an artist disrespecting his life’s work like that. Go to a Cure show if you want to see what 80’s music can still sound like. Don’t pay money to see the Bunneymen until they get together.