Years ago Ella Fitzgerald came to play in Buffalo. The day of the performance I was talking to the critic that was reviewing the show. He said that he had most of the review written before the performance. I opined that this seemed a touch dishonest. He said the woman is 70 years old and the Queen of Jazz. The very least I can do is give her the kindest review possible due a person of her stature.
Someone (Zappa? Van Halen? I don’t recall who) said that music critics often write about themselves more than the musician/album they are reviewing anyway.