Reviews of historic Fiona Apple Roseland meltdown!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/30/05 at 10:32pm

I kept my stub!(LOL)

Review One:

There is an angry, long-winded rant about Fiona Apple's meltdown at Roseland last Tuesday night on my hard drive right now. I'm not going to post it anymore because this winded rant is better. Fiona is not getting any sympathy form me. I'm still irate about the show and it's been a week. That's three hours and twenty-eight dollars that I'll never get back. She tried to blame the sound equipment at Roseland for her poor performance, but I was standing way too close to her to believe that. Her voice was off from the opening song, which she performed in front of the piano, not the monitors she cursed at all night long. Although she wasn't duplicating her studio sound (Fiona and her band may be known for doing just that, but anyone who comes to a concert expecting the performer to sound exactly like he/she does on their record should stay home and listen to that record.), she was still putting on a show that would have satisfied everyone in attendance if she'd simply finished her set. I'm not just talking about the rose throwing, thirty dollar T-shirt buying, name chanting teenage girls that made up the majority of the audience, either. If she wasn't accentuating each missed note by violently turning her head to the side and screaming "F*CK!", no one would have noticed a thing.


The crowd shouted words of encouragement as she started to crack under the pressure she had placed on herself. I cheered for her, even as she threatened the critics' lives, choked off entire verses and forced me to watch Jimmy Fallon prance around like a jackass off stage trying to snap her out of her depression. He was the opening act and did a pretty funny parody of "What Would You Say." I realize now that Fallon wasn't doing a Dave Matthews impression that night. He was actually doing a John Mayer impression five years early. Anyway, after crying her way through Carrion" it was clear that all the sympathy and positive reinforcement in the world wasn't going to help. Fiona had decided that sending three thousand die-hard fans home unhappy was worth avoiding the wrath of the twenty music critics in attendance. The funny thing is, she's sure to take twice the heat for pulling this stunt than she ever would have for simply putting on a mediocre show.

Review Two:


Fiona Apple turned a performance marred by sound problems into an emotional train wreck that included tears, apologies, and threats toward music journalists in attendance at Roseland in New York City on Tuesday night (Feb. 29). Eyewitness reports suggest that the singer/pianist was unnerved from poor onstage monitor sound as early as the opening song. Things only got worse from there, with Apple repeatedly blasting the quality of the sound system and apologizing to the audience. "It's not you," she reportedly said at one point. "I want to do the best job I can. You deserve better than this." At times she wiped tears from her face as she performed. At least one song was halted midstream. Later, addressing the press in attendance, she warned, "If there are any critics here who give me a bad review because of this I'll f--king kill you."

The show finally ended after nearly a dozen songs when Apple announced she was taking a five-minute break that stretched into more than 20 until a club spokesperson came out and announced that the show was over. It was suggested that the show might be rescheduled and fans were encouraged to hang on to their ticket stubs.

By Wednesday morning the forum at Apple's official website (www.epiccenter.com/EpicCenter/work/FionaApple/) was abuzz with reaction, as some defended the artist, while some chastised her. "Get therapy if you have to," posted one fan, "but don't let that unhappy little girl inside, who obviously doesn't feel like she's good enough to please anyone, ruin it all for you by throwing tantrums… Oh, yeah. And give us our money back."

Calls to Apple's spokespeople were not returned at press time

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 8/30/05 at 11:18pm

I don't understand the Jimmy Fallon bit in Review one? Is that supposed to be serious? Is it a joke and I'm dense? I wasn't even drinking that night..except a Coke...and I only remember some hip hop? band playing before her. David Byrne said he was very interested to hear them before they played, then was happy with them after (I, OTOH, didn't like them at all). Can one blackout being sober?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 7:39am

Jimmy Fallon played two songs!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 7:46am

I was there. The reviews sum it up perfectly.

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 8:27am

Well, then obviously he didn't impress me much.
Have zero memory of him.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 10:42am

I don't truly understand the nature of this post. This meltdown was in February and it's just about September. This isn't news and no one prompted a question about Fiona. Am I right to assume it's just Voiceanth randomly posting about another celebrity in a slamming nature?
Updated On: 8/31/05 at 10:42 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 11:04am

she had played SNL the night before and they became buddies!

[Magicfingers2]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 11:06am

I a mvoiceanth buddie! I have this on mp3, too, wow she has a huge fit!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 11:26am

Fiona Apple is a really weird name.

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 6:21pm

The meltdown was actually 5 years ago. Time flies.
It was a perplexing, yet interesting event happening.

I think it was prompted by another Fiona Apple thread where this was brought up. She finally has a new CD coming out in October, which I believe most people are very excited about.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/31/05 at 6:27pm

"Fiona Apple is a really weird name."

Gywneth Paltrow named her kid Apple. Do you think she did it in honor of Fiona?