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A 4 p.m. rock concert by Juliana Hatfield and Kay Hanley in Somerville raises the question: Should concerts be earlier?
Some of us would like to get to bed.
“Good morning!” joked Letters to Cleo singer Kay Hanley when she greeted the crowd gathered at The Burren in Somerville for her show there last month with Juliana Hatfield, which kicked off at the unlikely time of 4 o’clock. (Yes, in the afternoon.)
The ’90s Boston alt rock icons added the early slot after their 7 p.m. show at the venue quickly sold out — likely to the delight of the decidedly middle-aged crowd for whom, say, a 10 p.m. show might have been a tad past their usual bedtimes. But while sundown was still hours away, the crowd at The Burren’s Backroom didn’t show any less fervor as they rocked along to both sets. In fact, if anything we may have been more lively, since we weren’t exhausted.
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Hanley admitted that we were basically watching the rehearsal for the 7 p.m. show (which in turn was a warmup for the pair’s scheduled appearance the next day at the One Roof Concert for the Homeless in Northampton). And Hanley’s nine-song set — mostly from her solo work, with the exception of an explosive take on the LTC classic “Here and Now” — was particularly loosey-goosey, with lots of “what key is this in?” chatter that was frankly pretty endearing.
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Hatfield, for her part, was all business, clearly looking to make the most of her short outing as she cranked fervently through 13 favorites and rarities. (“Time is money!” she chided the band.) Hatfield’s set kicked off with “Feel It,” from her obscure early 2000s indie trio Some Girls, and included pretty much all you could have wanted to hear in that abbreviated of an appearance, including pulse-pounding versions of “My Sister,” “Spin the Bottle,” “Everybody Loves Me but You” and “Universal Heart-Beat.” (Added bonus: Hatfield ended with two tracks from her upcoming ELO covers album “Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO.”)
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Both performers laid down intimate, lively performances that would have been a pleasure at any time of day, but had the added advantage — at least for this concertgoer — of letting out at a time that allowed for a post-show dinner and a return home by 8:30 p.m. So sue me, I’m not 25 anymore.
Someone who would no doubt agree is the actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who went viral in March for her remarks about late concerts on the Today show. “Why are there no matinees? I’m curious,” she said. “I would love to go see Coldplay … The problem is, I’m not going to see Coldplay if they start their show at 9 and there’s an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1 p.m.”
So what’s your take? Should matinee concerts, or at least earlier shows, become a thing? Take the Boston.com poll below, or e-mail [email protected], and we may use your response in an upcoming article.
Should concerts be earlier?
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