That is a thoughtful overview, Russell, and the complications you mention are certainly part of the situation. My own view is that they should basically leave Concert alone, as it is, because it is not merely a station - it is an established community, a culture, to which much of the local tradition of classical music (the composers and the performers, young and old) are thoroughly connected. It has specialist staff and does a great job of recording concerts. It is locally the only station of its kind. Uproot that culture and it is likely never to be fully re-created. Like the listeners of any station, I have always grumbled about one aspect or another, and Concert could certainly do with some fine tuning. But our country, with its comparatively small population, is a fragile place for communities and cultures of that kind, and it is just not a good idea to muck around with them in any drastic way. I support many other types of music also, and agree with you about jazz and the 'brown kids in the suburbs' - they need more exposure - but those are different communities and different needs. I would hope that even those who don't listen to classical music themselves would see the value of diversity.

I agree with Heather Gaye that Grayson Gilmour was a special moment. A very original guy – if anyone doesn’t know So So Modern, check out their great CD. But I must say that GG’s set was almost wilfully defiant of the BDO context. For example, he chose to do a number that was extra long and extra slow. Like Heather, I was impressed, but quite a few of the 20 or so people who were present at the start of the number were no longer in the vicinity by the time he got to the end. I hadn’t seen GG before and I was curious to know if he was always so relaxed about holding (or losing) his audience. Certainly a very interesting and talented musician.

This BDO thread is running out of steam, but still I would like to add my 5 cents worth. I come to BDO each year to see something new – bands I haven’t seen live, or bands I don’t even know about. I think the BDO’s choice of bands has become more commercially conservative in recent years. It used to make a bigger effort to get edgy new bands. You could count each year on seeing half a dozen hot new bands that had maybe just released their first CD. Now there seem to be more repeat performances. I was so bored seeing Rammstein again (a fireworks act with no new musical interest, not to mention their boring tongue-in-cheek Fascist aesthetic). For the cost of one Rammstein, BDO could afford half a dozen interesting NEW bands. This year I was pleased to be able to sample Ratatat, and Crystal Castles – and I hadn’t seen MIA before – but there were a lot of other new bands (from places like Brooklyn and LA) that I had hoped they would bring out but they didn’t. I guess that’s the corporate approach these days, don’t take too many chances, and count on most of the punters being happy with familiarity.

Just to say I am very pleased that some people have criticised the security at BDO. I have been going to this event for many years and it's felt to me as though the security presence has become more obtrusive every year. I am a quiet guy about four times the age of the average BDO customer and I don't see myself as representing a major security threat. I got really fed up being searched every time I came out of a drink area (like the Lily Pad). On the first occasion I was physically grabbed because I had simply not heard the guard ask me to stop. Again, I could not get near the main stages until I checked my bag. And even then I got searched. It started to feel as though Homeland Security or Blackwater were on the job. In the course of the day I did encounter a helpful security man in the Boiler Room (we chatted and he got me a cup of water) - but later I got pushed back by a different one simply because I was in the front row. I don't want to be a nostalgic old hippie, but rock festivals in the old days were (in my experience) a lot more relaxed and better for everyone. I agree with Steve who says "that the whole thing has turned into an A&P show and we are the cattle, herded around from sales point to sales point. The whole exercise is like a corporate monopoly state." Officious security people can create the very anger and violence they are supposed to be guarding against.
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