Backstage Pass
Academy 1 (Manchester Academy)
3rd November 2000

This was a really odd and at times pretty uncomfortable gig despite the music being great. It took place in the Academy 1 but unusually the venue was set out with unreserved seating and there was still a barrier set up a few feet in front of the chairs. Everyone sat for the whole show which started with a solo female singer songwriter from America. I can’t remember her name, her music was sweet and gentle but for some inexplicable reason a few people in the audience started giving her an incredibly hard time. The first couple of heckles were slightly amusing but it quickly got embarrassingly relentless and I felt pretty ashamed of what was happening around me even though a couple of people shouted for the hecklers to leave her alone. The singer started to lose her cool, mentioning how many albums she had sold in the States (always a sign that things are getting a bit desperate) and then she tried to win the crowd back by telling them an anecdote about a Manchester based fan. She told the room that earlier that day a young man had come to the Academy during her soundcheck, listened to her play and told her how much he loved her music. She ended by saying “So at least I have one fan here tonight.” Without missing a beat a loud clear heckle came out from the crowd “KILL HIM!”. Seeing one person being roundly set upon in such a big room was really painful and I was close to standing up and shouting at the audience but knew it probably wouldn't help. I just looked at the floor and waited for it to end.

When Eels came on stage I took photos along with about two other photographers but we were told we couldn’t stand up so we had to go inside the pit and squat through the first three songs which was just so weird as we tried to move around waddling on our haunches. When it was time to leave I realised I was the only photographer left in the pit but there was no security there and someone had shut the barrier so I had difficulty getting out. Eels did a great set but played their usual trick of sneaking back on stage for another number after the house lights had come on. I had seen the band do this before and so stayed put but some of the audience had already started to leave and we saw people desperately trying to get back in through the side exits and being pushed back out by security. It was a weird end to a strange night on a rather ironically named tour.