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Thread: Fake Reviews ???

  1. #31
    Stuck on the Border Delilah's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    “What’s All the Excitement About?” made me chuckle. You know it’s not gonna be a rave review with that title, lol. It’s not surprising the band’s turmoil was probably being reflected in the later performances. I think a lot of the positive reviews that are published now are due to many of these older bands being more settled with nothing really left to prove.

    That was interesting, My My, it’s much appreciated.

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  2. #32
    Border Rebel Pippinwhite's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    @Delilah-- Very interesting! Yeah, it doesn't surprise me this happened at some of the larger papers. This would have been termed a "meet and greet" or "media event," or even a "press conference," because Azoff & Co. were smart enough not to offer cash payments, which could well have gotten the writers fired (payola, bribes, etc.) Chances are, they would have invited a couple of radio station people, and maybe even a reporter from the local TV station, just to make it look a little more legit. However, reporters are human too, and free beer is a great enticement for some of them. LOLOL.

    But, at a little bitty pissant paper in north Alabama, no one was inviting US to media events. Hehehehe. When I was working there and doing concert reviews, the circulation was about 30,000 -- not even a blip on most promoters' radars. If you got a media pass, that was a large concession. LOL. Even the music writers at the Birmingham papers, which had the largest circulation in the state, would probably have only rated a couple of tickets, unless the promoters decided a press conference would be a good thing. But I doubt you'd have seen it, especially so close to Atlanta. Newspaper people do tend to stick together though, and if a band did have an event in Atlanta, chances are the B-ham people could have made some phone calls and scored a set of press creds.

    The couple of interviews I got were solely because I slinked around toward the front of the stage, found the PR person, showed my press ID and asked for a quick Q&A. That worked best if you were at a show where the artist really hadn't "hit" that big, yet, or they were considered a nostalgia act. The security wasn't as tight. That's how I got an interview with Tim McGraw. It was the summer before "Indian Outlaw" hit, so his PR person was still glad to get some publicity, even from a smaller paper. Of course, that wasn't a concert review, but an actual story.

    That's the kind of stuff I miss from working at the newspaper. But my current job is WAY lower in the stress department.

  3. #33
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    Quote Originally Posted by Delilah View Post
    The practice of paying for positive reviews is problematic, but if it’s happening, I seriously doubt it is a “new” or “recent” development as is alleged by the OP. Perks and advantages have been bestowed for positive reviews, not just in the entertainment industry but others as well, probably since the early days of print media.

    However I agree there is NO evidence that such a thing is happening with the Eagles or even JD and the Straight Shot, although the unusual focus on the latter did not escape me. I have never heard of this National Rock Review organization; how wide is their readership? It appears none of these reviews have been carried by any major news or media outlets. Their ability to influence a significant portion of music fans is questionable. As for the Eagles concert review—this is what Irving Azoff is supposedly paying money for? It’s a fairly tame by-the-numbers review.

    You know, it is possible that after decades of performing and honing their craft, the current Eagles are capable of putting on a good show, yes even without Glenn. There have been numerous positive reviews of other older nostalgia-type acts and much of it is due to good old-fashioned experience and musicianship. It doesn’t have to be a great mystery why they keep getting positive reviews. The comments section more often than not show agreement with the positive reviews by those who actually attended the concerts.

    Reviews which are 100% positive & have no criticism AT ALL, not even minor ones, need to be questioned. I made my position clear in the Legit thread. I will repeat it briefly here. Where is any analysis of the difference the loss of Glenn makes & of the performance of the two new musicians? The most they will do is say lamely 'it's not the same' BUT and then they go on to make excuses. I don't wish to repeat myself but one more time, these new shows CANNOT and NEVER will be the same.

    What is being said is that it makes no difference & it doesn't matter because all you are seeing is a human jukebox, even if a huge part of what made the sound special has gone. I suppose if that is what people want, good luck to them. If reviewers don't feel obliged to look closer at this, then in my view they are not doing their job, no matter how often I am told 'but the shows ARE good''! In my view there is more to seeing a band than just going to hear the songs. What matters is who is performing those songs. Contrary to Henley's apparent belief, what we have now is NOT the band which recorded those songs. It's at best an imitation of it.
    Last edited by Freypower; 04-22-2018 at 08:27 PM.

  4. #34
    Stuck on the Border WalshFan88's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    Quote Originally Posted by Freypower View Post
    What is being said is that it makes no difference & it doesn't matter because all you are seeing is a human jukebox, even if a huge part of what made the sound special has gone. I suppose if that is what people want, good luck to them. If reviewers don't feel obliged to look closer at this, then in my view they are not doing their job, no matter how often I am told 'but the shows ARE good''! In my view there is more to seeing a band than just going to hear the songs. What matters is who is performing those songs. Contrary to Henley's apparent belief, what we have now is NOT the band which recorded those songs. It's at best an imitation of it.
    Amen, FP. Amen.
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  5. #35
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    Delilah- Yes, I'm sure the Eagles' turmoil and maybe general burnout had a lot to do with it's performance and review. Of course, being an avid Eagles fan, I didn't agree with the review at the time. (I always read the reviews of the concerts the next day. That and the little column that always appeared next to it listing the arrests near the venue that evening, LOL! Oh, teenagers, what are you going to do with them?!!)

    Zach Dunkin, the reviewer, had a weekly feature in the News called "Rock Pile" and he received many angry letters from fans. It's kind of funny reading them now, but I remember being pissed about the review a the time. And the reviewer for the Indianapolis Star gave it a much better review than the News did.

  6. #36
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    Cool Re: Fake Reviews ???

    I can guarantee you that any "turmoil and… burnout" in this band leading to the suspension of touring and recording was not due to reviews or outside opinions, good, bad, or indifferent. It just didn't work that way.

    And Souther says, and I've no reason in the world to doubt him, that neither he nor anyone connected to his band or management has ever paid anybody to positively review any performance or album release.

    The concert promoters I've worked for always try to maintain good relations with local media, but I've never seen anyone bribed to produce glowing concert reviews.

  7. #37
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear, peneumbra. I didn't mean that the bad reviews and outside opinions lead to their breakup. I think the bad review was possibly just a reflection of the burnout and turmoil of the band a few weeks before their breakup.

  8. #38
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    I think I saw an interview that Glenn did with Bob Costas years ago where Glenn mentioned a "punch 'em on sight list" for critics who gave unflattering reviews. There must have been at least a couple of negative reviews or Glenn was telling one of his many jokes or both.

  9. #39
    Stuck on the Border Dawn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    Quote Originally Posted by WKMB55 View Post
    I think I saw an interview that Glenn did with Bob Costas years ago where Glenn mentioned a "punch 'em on sight list" for critics who gave unflattering reviews. There must have been at least a couple of negative reviews or Glenn was telling one of his many jokes or both.
    Yes, that is correct he did say that.

    Good memory!

    P.S. Also can't forget the infamous Rolling Stone v Eagles softball match.


    "Let's burn our long johns and head west" - Glenn Frey 1948-2016

  10. #40
    Stuck on the Border MaryCalifornia's Avatar
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    Default Re: Fake Reviews ???

    Quote Originally Posted by Freypower View Post
    In my view there is more to seeing a band than just going to hear the songs. What matters is who is performing those songs.
    Though fans and reviewers alike miss Glenn, the two new members are virtually criticism-proof (which I'm sure was completely intended and strategic on Don and Irving's part).

    No reviewer in his right mind will criticize Deacon. And yes, I believe that Deacon is 100% fair game by putting himself out there. I could care less if a reviewer tells it like it is and says he is lacking in his performance or his voice, I have no reason to be defensive on his behalf. But I think the most we'll get is what we've been getting - he's not as polished/seasoned as the other guys but he's fine and boy, he sure reminds us a lot of his dad.

    As far as Vince, he's a ringer, musical performance wise. A virtuoso guitar player with I think nine (9) best male vocal Grammys to his name. He doesn't have to carry the show, he only sings four or so songs. He's not going to get a bad review, because he's not bad. The songs are completely in his wheelhouse and he will be excellent every time. Again, I think the most we're going to get is "different from Glenn, but sounds good." I could care less if a reviewer is critical of his performance, I'm no apologist for him or the band.

    Also, I know that FP recalls some significant criticism from the HoTE shows, and I'm just going to have to disagree with that. There may have been mentions of the guys' (all of them) voices not being what they once were, but we're seeing that in these reviews as well. I know that specifically Don's voice and Joe's voice have been called out in the last month. I stand by my statement that the HoTE reviews were overwhelmingly positive, show after show, year after year. They are all in this board. The only reason this is important is it forms the basis of the "they're paying for reviews" conversation - they used to get criticized all the time, and now they don't.

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