Flea's National Anthem at Lakers vs. Jazz

[bluesparky]

Unless I've missed it on here (apologies if there is a post about it, I couldn't find one), did anyone else see the footage of Flea playing the National Anthem (stars and stripes) and the L.A. Lakers vs. Utah Jazz basketball game a few days ago?

It's certainly divided the community elsewhere, he's been seriously criticised for overplaying and having an awful tone, but also for simply not removing his cap during the national anthem(!).
Me, personally, I didn't enjoy it at all and I've been a massive fan of his for almost 3 decades now...

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8itum6etNcM"]www.youtube....h?v=8itum6etNcM[/url]

Edited April 15, 2016 by bluesparky

[ras52]

Meh. I still prefer Beyonce.

[media]http://youtu.be/JI1kq6CA_38[/media]

[Daz39]

America eh - take guns into grocery stores, pass discrimination laws at will, but don't dare stand to solemn attention during the anthem...

[Number6]

So a bassplayer is given the oportunity of playing a very high profile tune on a very high profile event and he plays sh*te like that! Hahahahahaha unbelieveable really
Bassdom should feel let down.

P.S i'm not a Flea fan i might add.

[roman_sub]

Eesh. Aimless noodling at the big stage.

[KevB]

Another top player showing us why bass isn't really a solo instrument.

[ahpook]

It's less interesting than a 'traditional' rendition with trumpets and whatnot, so....

FAIL.

Edited April 15, 2016 by ahpook

[John Schoen]

Recognisable part, noodle noodle noodle, recognisable part, noodle noodle. I didn't like it. IMHO the overplaying did not add anything to it, when it comes to instrumental versions I prefer how Jimi Hendrix played it at Woodstock.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKvnQYFhGCc[/media]

Edited April 15, 2016 by John Schoen

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='John Schoen' timestamp='1460721798' post='3028161']
Recognisable part, noodle noodle noodle, recognisable part, noodle noodle.
[/quote]

Jazz is an entire genre based on this tried and tested format...

[Marvin]

They should have booked Mark King.

[Bassnut62]

Was Flea miming and the tape got stuck in the machine again?

What truly awful tone.

[Conan]

Blleeeaaarrrggghhhh!

One of the youtube comments hit the nit on the head:

"Sounds like a bagpipe raping a cat".

Obviously not a Scot, otherwise he would have know that that the singular term "bagpipe" is incorrect...

[BigRedX]

And the timing's all over the place. Even when he's not pointlessly noodling away when a single note would have sufficed, it sounds like a beginner playing - each note is played as and when it can be reached and not when it should be. This is a thing I notice a lot with solo bass pieces irrespective of the technical ability of the player. There's no flow between the phrases.

[Beedster]

At last there's something I can play better than Flea

I reckon he might have let the occasion get the better of him, he looks genuinely nervous at times, and that's certainly not an emotion I've ever associated with him. There's a couple of nice things in there but they just didn't come off, especially in the context of the 13-yr old jamming in their bedroom feel of the rest of it.

[Cato]

To be fair there is an American tradition of having high profile guest performers slaughtering the national anthem at sporting events.

There seems to be some sort of ongoing competition among the performers as to who can insert the most additional notes into the original piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpXkyL6s0E

Edited April 15, 2016 by Cato

[barneyg42]

Got halfway through.....switched off! That's all!

[cameltoe]

Bloody hell, what that hell was that? If I was one of the team lining up i'd have been fighting back the hysterics. It seemed like he was genuinely searching around for the right note a few times too, he would go off for a wander then come back on the wrong note and have to slide up (which was then out of time).

He's quite obviously bought himself a new pedal too, which he seemed to be enjoying.

[KingBollock]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it sounded really amateurish. If he had played it in his bedroom and put it up on YouTube, the comments would have gone:

[i]You're doing well for only playing three months. Keep it up!

Dude. You need to relax and learn the basics first.

Lol!!

I want to have sexual relations with your mum.

Don't cry, you should just get more proficient before putting stuff on YouTube...

Failed guitarist! Lololololol!!!1![/i]

Still, love those cabs, they look ace (going back to the aesthetic look of amps and cabs thread). I was sooo close to buying a couple of the 4x10s a couple of years ago, just because they look cool (and they were going cheap).

Edited April 15, 2016 by KingBollock

[bluesparky]

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1460727025' post='3028231']
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it sounded really amateurish. If he had played it in his bedroom and put it up on YouTube, the comments would have gone:

[i]You're doing well for only playing three months. Keep it up!

Dude. You need to relax and learn the basics first.

Lol!!

I want to have sexual relations with your mum.

Don't cry, you should just get more proficient before putting stuff on YouTube...

Failed guitarist! Lololololol!!!1![/i]

Still, love those cabs, they look ace (going back to the aesthetic look of amps and cabs thread). I was sooo close to buying a couple of the 4x10s a couple of years ago, just because they look cool (and they were going cheap).
[/quote]

I have spent quite a while chortling at a fair few of the comments on a couple of threads here and there..

[40hz]

I absolutely love Flea but that is just AWFUL.

[Lw.]

I'm a big fan of RHCP & what he does with them but that was absolutely terrible. Bad tone & bad playing - someone just needs to tell him; you are not Jimi Hendrix, get out there & show them a funky bass version not some rubbish guitar-wannabe trick.

[Beedster]

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1460728412' post='3028251']
I'm a big fan of RHCP & what he does with them but that was absolutely terrible. Bad tone & bad playing - someone just needs to tell him; you are not Jimi Hendrix, get out there & show them a funky bass version not some rubbish guitar-wannabe trick.
[/quote]

Must admit I was expecting a slapathon

[Lw.]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1460728807' post='3028256']
Must admit I was expecting a slapathon
[/quote]

As tedious as wanton slapping can be, at least it's bass specific not just a poor interpretation of something else. Turning their national anthem into a funky groove & maybe adding a little slap in there would probably be quite cool, cooler than that over fx'ed rubbish at least.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Lw.

[Sibob]

It basically just sounds like Stefan Lessards SSB rendition from the Dave Matthews Central Park concert, not awful, but meh.
I'm not sure what tone people are expecting him to play with, a nice fat P-bass tone isn't going to cut through in a stadium like that, it isn't a band after all.

Si

[bluesparky]

[quote name='40hz' timestamp='1460728265' post='3028247']
I absolutely love Flea but that is just AWFUL.
[/quote]
Me too, when videos of players and bands who're new / inexperienced / don't have the abilites yet to perfect the songs they're posting are heavily criticised for doing so, I'll shy away from making negative comments as I was them once.. But when it's someone who you know damn well can actually play, and can play well, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow and wonder out loud what they hell they're doing!