@art_vandelay said:

I'm usually OK with criticism, and I've occasionally lobbed a few shots myself in the past, but this particular review/recap misses the mark IMO. If I hadn't attended this show myself, after reading this I would've thought the band was bumbling through their performance and drawing ire from the crowd as a result. There were far more hits than misses, and whenever they DID miss, they quickly dusted themselves off and went back to taking care of business. Everyone I talked to after that show was beaming, myself included, and deservedly so. This recap certainly didn't capture the vibe of what was happening that night in Alpharetta, and kinda comes across as a hit piece, whether intentional or not. I know what I saw Sunday night, and it didn't resemble anything I'd read here...

Perfect summary of how I felt after hearing the show and then reading the review!

I also do not mind criticism when it is due. And no, I don't mind the flubs being pointed out. But to let the overall show review be a message that the show was not listenable, enjoyable, etc., is where it failed, at least to me. I am not a listener who expects every review be 100% praise and fluffery. And while the author was quick to offer me the adjectives used to praise parts of the show, it is clear what the overall message was just from a simple read (and yes author, I did in fact read the entire review). Thus my message, if you can't have fun with that show, maybe you just can't have fun anymore?

My biggest worry is that the super-high expectations and not-deserved, overly critical show reviews push this band into re-thinking their audience and continued love for new music (while not neglecting the old music)...