In the three years that I’ve lived in Manhattan, I’ve had the chance to frequent all the famous concert venues that this town has to offer except for CBGB. I know, I know. Let’s just not go there. It’s in these dark, damp and rank halls that I’ve seen a handful of amazing bands perform while watching others crash and burn. I’ve always thought that a band is only as good as their live performance and let’s be honest – most of today’s bands stink on ice.
I went to see The Giraffes at the Mercury Lounge a while back and they were the most amazing band I’ve seen in a long while. But I didn’t realize that until I went to the show because I always check a band’s MySpace page and troll YouTube for footage before any concert. Let’s just say that I wasn’t impressed by what I found on YouTube. There’s nothing more I could have asked for then a live recording of that Giraffes show. A video would have been better, but that’s just me being greedy.
Anyway, Webster Hall in NYC will soon offer patrons a way to keep those memories by charging them an additional $6 (at least that’s what the website place holder says). The concert hall has struck a deal to sell the “Live at Webster Hall” series with New York area Best Buy stores. You can also download albums from the Webster Hall website or through iTunes. Artists who choose to participate will get half the revenue and have the option of pulling out if they know they sound like crap.
Webster Hall via NYT via cmacowski