I'm going up to Aberdeen on Wednesday... this year its the all-seated AECC. Last year the Music Hall was good cos you have that mix of standing downstairs seating upstairs like the Carling Academy and Dundee Caird Hall. But the Aberdeen crowd is also a lot less vocal than the crowds in Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester. But i think the band know how to use that to their advantage. Sorry to say it but while a Glasgow crowd or a Liverpool Pops crowd will go mental for the 90% of the set that is well known songs... throw in a quiet, new or off the wall choice and you can lose them in an instant like a crowd of nice but rowdy schoolkids... so, i would point to the Liverpool Pops crowd wandering to the bar and ordering ice creams during the cover of Beautiful Boy in the summer... they didn't do it en masse by any means but there was a noticeable amount of people using it as a breather and a chance to start having a gab or get some food or drink or go to the loo before the finale (whereupon they reverted to full on sooped up first class fans)... recent Glasgow example would be Friday 2006 campfire section (not a problem the next night) and this year the din during Let Your Hearts Be Troubled (you'll hear it on the concert live CD)... an Aberdeen crowd wouldnt make a noise through the more obscure choices which means although they may not be as boisterous as a Glasgow or Liverpool crowd it canbe a great place to hear something obscure... quiet vrowds in Bristol and Brighton got to hear stuff like Indigo Sky and Riches!

I've made too many football references on here lately... but when teams move to all seater stadiums and get rid of the terracing lots of fans complain it kills the atmosphere. I think people need to tailor their expectations of how a venue will set the atmosphere. Deacon Blue at Barrowlands will come across differently from Deacon Blue at SECC Hall 4 or Deacon Blue on Glasgow Green and Deacon Blue at the Royal Concert Hall even though we are talking about the same band doing a lot of the same songs in the same city and possibly i front of a lot of the same people!

I'm off to Aberdeen tomorrow and have tickets for the second row.  My my mate and I are intending to stand up, dance etc as we normally do. It's not our fault that it's an all seater venue unlike the music hall last year. 

Mind you we still had the typical loud mouthed heckler last year at the music hall who pushed her way to the front.  We were in the second row standing, but no one was going to argue as she was so drunk and looked as if she wouldn't worry about lamping you one.  She's the one that Ricky talks to on the concert live CD.

I apologise in advance to anyone sat behind me but I'm going to enjoy myself and that's how I do it.  During the quiter songs I won't be the one talking about what was on the telly the night before I'll be listening, or singing along.

u stand, have glow sticks wave ur hands about, make a point!!

Random.....was on bebo searching for a Deacon Blue bebo [none... ]

and I came across a profile in which I recognised the text! A couple of ladies - sisters, had quoted both Doddsey and iheartthemusic in their bebo comments and it flashed up in the search!

Ladies - just so you know, I don't think he doddsey was talking about you [but I agree with your sentiment!!!!], it was defo us in the very front row, stage right!

Hope the two of you had a great gig!!!!

Ursy - I was one o the quiet folk behind you - you at the front need to lead by example so that when you stand up, if I'm behind you, I then have to get up to see and the effect filters back. That said, I checked behind to make sure the folk behind me were also up!! See - you dont know how important you can be! As I mentioned already, I thought the crowd were slow but RR looked like he'd had a stroke during the first few songs!

Were you hit by the falling tumbler before DB came on stage?

how come your lead by example worked?!?!?!

were you guys in the front row in the very middle? if so, I saw you and was very jealous of the fact you were allowed to continue standing! wish we had been next to ya!

Nice to 'meet' you anyway!!!!!

xx