Some live events are quite simply, nothing of the sort.
The majority of bands seem content when playing live, to peddle worthy yet pedestrian and faithful renditions of their songs. Most bands opt for just virtually trawling through the requisite album to be promoted and the 'hits', making most gigs a futile exercise in self-promotion. In a word - entertainment. Or in three or four, fabulous, life-enhancing entertainment. With Howe Gelb and his faithful cohorts due on stage at 8.30pm, when they finally amble on at around two hours later, apart from a few polite heckles about catching the last tube home, people are remarkably unperterbed about the band's extreme tardiness, explained away with an oblique apology about them having to wait for the cats.