Bad Good Reviews

Every once in a while, I'll come across a review of a show I actually attended. Reading through Kevin Allen's account of Thursday night's Mike Doughty show at The Vic, a few things jumped out at me.

First, as of showtime, I'm pretty sure it wasn't sold out. Maybe they moved the remaining tickets in the hour between then and when Doughty took the stage, so I'll give the benefit of the doubt, although there's a bit of doubt.

Second, the bit about Soul Coughing songs is just wrong. Doughty also played "St. Louise is Listening" from El Oso.

Now, I don't often find myself in a position to comment on the accuracy of these kinds of reviews, but I have to ask, are they always this sloppy? Or was it that this effort was from a "staff reporter" and not one of the Sun-Times' more regular music scribes why the review reads like a compendium of cliches interspersed with incorrect facts?