15 July 2023
Let me start out by saying that yes, I am very aware I have a concert problem (as in, I go to way too many concerts). And I mostly make dumb decision to go to another gig right after coming back from one. With a certain Scottish duo, I learned to book and plan for the last night of the tour straight away, because otherwise I would just end up deciding to go last minute anyway, and trains and hotels would be that much more expensive. I could never accept that a gig was the last one for me, unless there were no gigs left to go to.
I didn’t think I needed that same strategy with Arctic Monkeys. But then suddenly, there I was, having just come home from a gig of (sadly) only one half of that same Scottish duo, feeling sad that it had been so short, and wishing I could go to the concert AM were playing in France the next week, on my birthday. There was no chance of that, as the concert had long been sold out and flights to the south of France were too expensive. But being as stubborn as I am, I checked out the next few concerts and was surprised to see there were still pit tickets left for the gig in Milan. To my credit, I did not buy a ticket immediately; I knew better than to make that decision at 1 AM. I told myself I’d wait until the next morning and if the pit was still available, I’d be seeing Arctic Monkeys one more time this summer. Eight days later, I was getting on a plane to Milan.
Something else I should mention is I usually go to smaller shows – mostly club gigs, sometimes even smaller. This means I’m kind of spoiled with always having a pretty decent view. I may have to spend all night moving left and right to see past the tall person that will inevitably be in front of me, but I’m never too far from the stage. I get to see actual people on the stage, see their faces. I’m not a fan of huge concerts. But unfortunately, those big venues are the only option if I want to see AM live – and I really do want to see them. And luckily I had a pit ticket – so I wouldn’t be so far from the stage, right?
On the afternoon of the concert, I found out that too much walking around in the Italian sunshine on too little food is not very smart. I ended up having to take the rest of the day to cool off and rest up, and arrived at the venue only about an hour before AM would start their gig. But not too worry, I had a pit ticket, everything was going to be fine!
Of course I’d studied the venue map before getting my ticket, and the pit was just a small rectangle in front of the stage (the entire venue was standing area only). So I expected the pit to be maybe about 500 people big. I was wrong. In reality, the pit alone was bigger than most of the music venues I usually go to. It must have been several thousand people. I was the farthest away from a stage I have ever been – maybe not in my entire life, but in the last 15 years at least. I have to admit, I was disappointed and standing there, waiting for the concert to begin, I felt pretty stupid for flying all the way to Milan to see a bunch of ants on a stage far, far away. But then the band came on stage, and it was time to get over the disappointment and just enjoy the gig. And I really tried. Maybe I was trying just a little too hard, maybe the crowd around me wasn’t the greatest, maybe it really was the distance…. I did enjoy the gig, but it was missing that spark from live shows. It’s been a bit hit or miss with the Arctic Monkeys concerts I’ve been to. They’re not the best at connecting with their crowd. At my very first AM show, in Prague last summer, I was so far to the side of the stage that I didn’t even feel like I was at a live show at all. Milan was much better in that regard.
The setlist, however, was the most disappointing one of all the AM shows I’ve been to. Especially looking at the setlists from other shows before and after this one where they bought a few older songs back – we got all of the same songs they always play in Milan. All of my skip songs got played, but no Knee Socks, Mardy Bum, or Suck it and See just to name a few. And, as was the case for most shows on the The Car tour, very few songs from The Car were actually played. Probably because they aren’t that suited for the big venues they are playing. I would have loved to see them at a smaller venue and playing more music from their latest album, as well as TBHC.
Even if this wasn’t the high I’d hoped for my last AM gig on the tour, I don’t regret going. I’m glad I got to experience this concert and see my favourite band one more time, before they probably disappear again for a few years once this tour ends. (But oh how I wish I could be seeing them in Dublin next month!)
Born In The Eighties 
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