By Marc Lostracco

Torontoist thinks it’s pretty disprespectful when the din of bar chatter drowns out a performer, and our hearts go out to anyone who’s ever tried to entertain a crowd of drunken patrons who think that opening acts are merely background music to obnoxious, beer-soaked conversation.
Tim Perlich, NOW‘s longtime resident music crank, also finds issue with chatterbox barfolk, writing in this week’s issue (p. 46) about Kelly Joe Phelps’ show at Hugh’s Room on March 30. Perlich legitimately complains about patrons who “natter[ed] loudly” through the opening set by Michael Weston King. Now, King was new to the room and is known for his challenging, dark material, but he eventually gained control over the audience (as Perlich reports) by pulling away from the mic and singing directly into the crowd, which subsequently quieted down.
Adding to the distraction of the evening, Perlich says, was “the shushing of annoyed patrons,” but we hear that NOW‘s music chief may have been oblivious that some of the hushing was directed right at him. Loose lips inform us that Perlich allegedly spent Kelly Joe Phelps’ entire set engaged in a deep and very audible conversation at the back of the room with—oops!—Michael Weston King, barely registering a note of the headlining act. Tsk, tsk.
Ticket image by the Concert Ticket Generator.