Tour: 2018

[Curtster]

Let me just say that I would gladly pay $120 for the acoustic show described, I hope it happens too.

 

I hope this upcoming tour turns out awesome, and I'm sure it will.  I still may break down and end up going, we'll see.

[gweeps]

No Kingston date? Would have been nice to catch them.

[Crusader]

All the tour dates, pricing, and age restrictions are up on the site now: https://www.nearfantastica.com/concerts/

 

e: The fanclub pre-sale password is DECADES.

[Guest Idioteque]

From what I can see in the seating charts for the arena shows is the stage will be closer to the middle, leaving one half of the arena sectioned off. This tour will likely sell out the more I think about it.

 

Best case scenario for any of the sold-out arena dates is they keep pushing the stage further back if there's more demand for tickets.

[hoogie]

From what I can see in the seating charts for the arena shows is the stage will be closer to the middle, leaving one half of the arena sectioned off. This tour will likely sell out the more I think about it.

 

Best case scenario for any of the sold-out arena dates is they keep pushing the stage further back if there's more demand for tickets.

 

 

I'm sure most will be sell outs.  For London, the Budweiser Gardens holds about 10k for hockey.  They do an intimate setup for smaller acts that they're doing for this tour.  They basically put the stage at center ice and only use one end of the arena.  Works pretty well to make it intimate for such a large space.

 

Not that he's here anymore (thanks to whoever ruined that), but I would certainly pay $120 for an acoustic show as described as well. 

 

I'm personally not sure if I want to pull the trigger on this one.  If Matt is optimistic that he can do two tours this year, then I might hold out for a headlining one.  If I do go, it definitely won't be with the VIP.  No offense to anyone involved, but that's a big ask for what you're getting.

[adam_777]

It's unfortunate Matt plans to not post here anymore because of issues with people contacting him about personal stuff.  I'm quite surprised by that, I really thought the majority of the people here would be more respectful than that.  Anyways I appreciate him sending his thoughts through Anton just the same.  

No secret that Matt is very good at what he does and his longevity is testament to that.  Also he hits the nail on the head about his fan base being made up of 99% casual fans and a few diehards.  For most of these fans it's lets go to one show, hope we hear a few favourites and that will be awesome.  Those are the people Matt needs to satisfy to keep his career financially healthy.  Lets face it, if he went out there and played anything off of Ghetto or White Light beyond White Walls and Alert and most in the audience would probably think he was debuting a new song.  We're very much the fringe here and thats something we need to keep in perspective.  

I give Matt a great deal of credit though, despite the limitations financially and economically he does strive to hit some of this fringe group of diehards wishlist items and I am grateful that he does care about us lunatics.  

It's unfortunate I won't be attending a show on this tour due to a number of circumstances listed previously.  But hopefully Matt can work things out to do another swing through Canada in the fall or something.  As for the acoustic show, since Matt first mentioned it a few years back, I've had money set aside to make sure I can attend if he ever does pull that off, I think it would be an amazing night and rewarding for both Matt and the crowd.  No problem whatsoever with a ticket price of $120  

[mackie1023]

How gracious of Matt to even address some of the comments here through Anton after someone crossed a line. It's unfortunate to lose the communication we had from him.

 

I too would gladly pay the $120 for the show that was described.

 

I'm starting to get excited for the upcoming tour and hope I get to hear a few of my favorites from the new album. Hoping for Days Come Down, bad guys win, something like a storm, bullets and this is night. Ya know, basically half the album haha. Tripoli would be pretty cool if that ends up happening but I'll gladly take what I can get.

[Some Random]

that's a solid pass for me. no time for OLP and, honestly, i can't see ever surpassing being front row at the Rebecca Cohn in Halifax when he was touring Arrows. Garden of Knives standing right in front of Jimmy Reid with Matt directly to the right was the best it's gonna get for me.

[yensid]

I can't believe some yahoo (s) felt it appropriate to insert their opinions into Matt's personal life and wreck his interaction with the rest of us.  Not that Matt posted here a lot, but when he did it meant a lot to me and you knew it meant a lot to him.  To have lost that is infuriating.  

 

Not being an OLP fan I'll wait for a solo tour so that I can get the normal, full Matt experience =)

[foats]

yensid    Disney backwards.  Good stuff. I do know a good bit of OLP fans and a good bit of OLP shows get recorded. Hopefully the tapers are generous and record Matt's set also. Could be some great recordings from this tour.

[andydanger85]

I'm going to go ahead and echo the sentiments of many in the above; it's a damn shame someone had to interject themselves into Matt's personal life, especially given how generous he has been with his time in his interactions here. He's a true class act!

I would also gladly shell out $120 plus for the type of show he describes in the above.

Edited November 21, 2017 by andydanger85

[PlasticSoldier]

i just got an email from ticketmaster saying the show start time changed from 7pm to 7:30pm

[emmit643]

I'm going to go ahead and echo the sentiments of many in the above; it's a damn shame someone had to interject themselves into Matt's personal life, especially given how generous he has been with his time in his interactions here. He's a true class act!

 

I would also gladly shell out $120 plus for the type of show he describes in the above.

 

Same.

[RileyLewis]

Based on what Matt said (especially about having a second tour perhaps later in the year), I'll probably be skipping this one. I'd hate to miss songs that I will possibly never hear again (I would kick myself if I never heard Bullets in a Briefcase with a full band), but I'm not paying $500+ and travel 7 hours just to possibly hear that song and a few more, plus the singles. 

 

I hope the second tour he does later in the year would be for the album, but even if it's an acoustic one then I will be there. Unlike others, I'm not a huge fan of a huge acoustic show going through his career. The reason is that while I love many of his songs that work well solo...I also feel that many of them don't. As an example, I enjoy hearing Apparitions on acoustic, but if I'm going to hear Near Fantastica or Non Populus, it's got to be with a full band. Changing an instrument-heavy piece to a single acoustic guitar only really retains the lyrics, and while the lyrics to Matt's songs are usually great, it's his sound that I love. Some songs just work much, much better with a full band.

 

EDIT - And while I think that discussing Matt's personal issues is completely fair game on a site since he is a public figure (though the forum operators have a right to ban such discussion, as they clearly have), it's in bad taste to contact him directly, unsolicited. 

Edited November 22, 2017 by RileyLewis

[Guest Idioteque]

I found his statement confusing, did someone personally message him or are people just discussing it within The Bored's private messages. Not that I think we should get into it, it is what it is unfortunately. Maybe he'll come back around, I think we are one of the healthier forums on the web.

 

Even though OLP's forum thinks we are whining too much over this tour hahaha. HEY I'm fine with the tour, wasn't me.

[andydanger85]

EDIT - And while I think that discussing Matt's personal issues is completely fair game on a site since he is a public figure (though the forum operators have a right to ban such discussion, as they clearly have), it's in bad taste to contact him directly, unsolicited. 

 

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree, here. It's one thing if it's trying to gain insight behind lyrics or refer to personal anecdotes featured in interviews, and another thing to litigate someone's private life in a forum where they are/were a member. Can you imagine being talked about in the third person while you're in the room?

 

It's at best weird, and at worst, crosses a boundary. Ditto on the bad taste to contact him directly, and no hard feelings, I just don't agree :)

 

Anyway, I am excited for the tour. Money is tight for everyone it seems, and while I understand the compulsion to save money on the "hits" show, 17 year old me is going to enjoy the shit out of Matt and OLP playing together. I have a very specific memory of lying on my bed in Grade 11 going back and forth between Beautiful Midnight and Spiritual Machines for hours a day, for weeks on end. That guy is going to enjoy it like it's 2002.

[uglyredhonda]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree, here. It's one thing if it's trying to gain insight behind lyrics or refer to personal anecdotes featured in interviews, and another thing to litigate someone's private life in a forum where they are/were a member. Can you imagine being talked about in the third person while you're in the room?

 

If I were in this position, I would be fine with open discussion, if only because it would tell me what the fans were thinking. If it's worth me stepping in and saying something, I could do that. I'd rather that stuff be in the open then festering behind the scenes where I wouldn't know about it.

 

I gently disagree about him being in the room. He was here occasionally, but not as a regular participant. I don't think discussing it here would be any different from discussing it on Instragram or anywhere else that he'd be able to see it.

 

And, to be fair, he opened the door - he talked about some of his personal life stuff himself. I hate saying it that way, because his honesty is maybe the attribute I most respect him for. But that's the problem with being that open - some humans have this annoying tendency of condemning people (especially strangers) if they feel they've acted inappropriately, even if they don't know what actually happened. If you're uncomfortable with people talking about your personal life, that stuff has to stay off-limits.

 

I agree that the PMs are out of bounds. But the reality: humans are shitheads. Just ignore them, delete them and move on. If it's so bad that you don't want to come around anymore, so be it.

 

But in the 15 years I've been a fan, my biggest frustration with MG's psyche is how destructive he can be when he gets upset. I think the long-timers here will remember how often he used to delete his blog wholesale.

 

For those who hadn't noticed: every post he's ever made here is gone. 10 years or so. To me: if you're that upset, log off and walk away. Change your account email to something bullshit, change your password to random characters. (I've done this, btw.) But don't shred the entire thing. There's a lot of historical insight that's now gone, all because some random morons were assholes.

 

 

And just so I'm not entirely off-topic - I've been debating it hard, but I'm probably skipping this tour. I saw OLP in '95 and '97, but kinda bailed after Happiness. (Man, Raine was such a weirdo at that '95 show.) I don't necessarily want to commit to that much travel for that, especially since I'm still kinda hazy on how long MG's set will be.

[Crusader]

Hi folks,

 

I just want to make it clear that MG didn't ask for us to bar the discussion on his personal life here. That was a decision we did not take lightly on this site but it was our own decision. His IG is still up and still very open.

 

None of us know the full story so let's all take a step back and take a breather. Let's also not be too quick to judge.

 

Matt is always welcome to come back here and I hope he does one day.

 

But for now, let's please keep the discussion to the music.

 

Thanks

[Guest Idioteque]

I agree, bummer his account had to go though because all of his comments are deleted or atleast I can't find them. That's years of information hopefully archived.

[Guest jjazz]

I think that in my 15+ years of being on MG boards such as this one, I can always recall times on each where the scrutiny and harassment reached a boiling point, leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth...especially Matt's. I think at this point in his career, and really considering how accommodating he's been to us here, it's fair we respect his privacy when and where it's requested.

 

I really hope he comes back, and I hope the harassment stops. Its a shame his old content got deleted. But that stuff is all profit for fans like us. And I think the guy has every right to take it away if he sees fit. He's made himself available to us at every crossing, and if this is the sort of blowback he receives for it, I can see where he might want to draw the line. If we're going to make a mess on his front lawn, it's up to him to tell us to clean it up or to get the fuck off of it.

 

A few bad apples. Really shitty.

 

Anyways, the more and more I think about this tour, the more excited I get about it. I wish I had seen the original OLP lineup, but I'm sure OLP fans feel the same about MG. I think we're gonna get treated to some really fun live shows. I wouldn't mind hearing the hits in a show where EVERYONE is stoked for them. If we get some deep album cuts (Tripoli would blow my mind) then I'm all for it. This will be my first time seeing OLP and it's a bucket list band for sure. Clumsy and Happiness are some of the best albums I've ever heard, and hopefully the band can still deliver.

[andydanger85]

I think that in my 15+ years of being on MG boards such as this one, I can always recall times on each where the scrutiny and harassment reached a boiling point, leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth...especially Matt's. I think at this point in his career, and really considering how accommodating he's been to us here, it's fair we respect his privacy when and where it's requested.

 

I really hope he comes back, and I hope the harassment stops. Its a shame his old content got deleted. But that stuff is all profit for fans like us. And I think the guy has every right to take it away if he sees fit. He's made himself available to us at every crossing, and if this is the sort of blowback he receives for it, I can see where he might want to draw the line. If we're going to make a mess on his front lawn, it's up to him to tell us to clean it up or to get the fuck off of it.

 

A few bad apples. Really shitty.

 

Anyways, the more and more I think about this tour, the more excited I get about it. I wish I had seen the original OLP lineup, but I'm sure OLP fans feel the same about MG. I think we're gonna get treated to some really fun live shows. I wouldn't mind hearing the hits in a show where EVERYONE is stoked for them. If we get some deep album cuts (Tripoli would blow my mind) then I'm all for it. This will be my first time seeing OLP and it's a bucket list band for sure. Clumsy and Happiness are some of the best albums I've ever heard, and hopefully the band can still deliver.

 

Yes! I'm on the same wavelength. I think it's gonna be great in ways that are as yet unseen. Who knows, maybe some fun collabs? You get two guys as intelligent and worldly as Matt and Raine in a room and maybe things can/will happen. Even if it doesn't, what a one-two punch live show. 

[RileyLewis]

 I wish I had seen the original OLP lineup, but I'm sure OLP fans feel the same about MG.

 

I think the difference is that it has become painfully clear that Raine Maida was not the creative force behind OLP's original 4 records (Naveed, Clumsy, Happiness..., and Spiritual Machines). Their music changed massively when Mike Turner (guitarist) and Arnold Lanni (producer) left the band. Most of the albums since then have been bad to middling, with the occasional good song mixed in. The only original member of the band is now Maida, and his voice is a shell of what it once was (not entirely his fault, it's probably mostly aging). Their first four albums still hold a special place in my heart, but their sound has been entirely simplified and dumbed down, and I just don't care much any more. I've seen them live 2 or 3 times and it was enjoyable, but there's nothing drawing me back in. 

 

Anyway, the difference between MGB and OLP's lineups changing is that Matt was clearly the creative force behind the MGB (certainly in collaboration), while with OLP Raine was mostly there for his unique voice.

Edited November 23, 2017 by RileyLewis

[Guest jjazz]

I definitely agree. Mike Turner was a huge driving force in that band. Massively overrated. And though I feel the same as you in regards to OLP being a shell of their former selves, the only difference is I haven't seen then yet. I know I'll enjoy it.

[Outtahere]

I'm definitely skipping this tour. The last OLP music I liked was from "Happiness...". After that record there's nothing they've done I've enjoyed and I can't stand Raine's voice live. I'll wait until he does a 'normal' tour for a lack of a better word.

[foats]

So I have decided to do something different for the 12 days of Goodness this year.  In addition to MG/MGB shows, I will post an OLP live show each day also for fans who haven't heard them or for fans who may want to fall back in love with them. No better time than now right?