There was a standing ovation after almost every song.
As previously established, my dentist turned me on to Yes. His nephew made an 8-track tape of the first album for him and we listened to it as the Dodge station wagon which needed a front end alignment trundled down I-91 from Vermont back to Connecticut.
Now if you know that initial LP, there’s an absolute killer version of the the Beatles’ song “Every Little Thing,” which had the misfortune of being on “Beatles VI” in the USA, a hodgepodge collection with a lame photo on the cover, but in the U.K. it was ensconced towards the end of “Beatles for Sale,” the band’s CD I’ve played the most, because it contains the original recording of my now favorite Beatles song.
But this Yes cover, it was majestic. I immediately purchased the album, played that song for everybody I knew, even during freshman orientation the first week of college, I thought it would close everybody instantly, but it took years for the masses to catch on.
After loving the debut, I saw the follow-up, “Time and a Word,” in the bin at Alexander’s, not evening knowing it existed, I thought the group was one and done, and I played it, but it was not quite as good as the first LP.
And then came “The Yes Album.”
I only purchased it because I was a fan of the band. I did not expect a great leap forward, but that’s what I got. The addition of virtuosos Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman lifted the band to a whole ‘nother level, pushing the envelope of what came to be known as prog rock.
Steve Howe was not there last night. Nor Rick Wakeman.
But unlike Chris Squire, at least they’re still alive.
And Bill Bruford’s replacement Alan White is gone too.
And it’s more than half a century later. Does anybody care?
That’s what I was thinking driving to the gig and during the first number, a full-length version of “Close to the Edge.”
The original Yes only had one hit, “Roundabout,” and this show was from that classic era, except for a few new songs from Jon’s collaboration with the Band Geeks, which fit in seamlessly and were actually quite good.
Most people come to oldies shows for the hits. And depending on how many you have, that’s how many tickets you can sell. Aged Boomers and Gen-X’ers do the calculation. They’ve got the cash and the time, is it worth spending it? I wouldn’t think that many people would want to go see a band with only one hit.
But they did.
But were these the only ones? I mean how broad is the Yes footprint?
I’m not sure.
But this music was from a point in time when hits were just icing on the cake, it was about the album. With none of today’s internet distractions we played them from beginning to end, over and over. And went to see these bands. But now?
This is not like going to see the Journey celebration. This music is too difficult to be pure nostalgia, it demands attention. I won’t quite say it’s work, but if you’re not involved, you don’t even want to be there.
And I’m asking myself why I am there.
It’s so weird, I’m sitting there thinking about what this music meant to me back when, but do I want to live in the past or the present? Stop in my tracks or keep pushing the envelope?
Now let’s be clear, it was my people who were there. Old and rumpled, with gray and white hair, some wearing t-shirts, in some cases band shirts from previous tours. This was not a night out at the Hollywood Bowl, no one was there to be seen. They came for the music, and the music only.
So is this material ancient, or is it our classical music? Were the people going to the show no different from their parents going to the symphony?
And marching forward… There can’t even be any shows like this.
First and foremost, there was no production, which the Spotify Top 50 specializes in. And the Spotify Top 50 also specializes in hedonistic, mindless hits, not much different from superhero movies. Will you really want to spend all that money to see these acts fifty years from now? It’s one thing if they’re part of a revue, but will you want two hours of their tunes?
The people last night did.
2
So what you’ve got to know is the Band Geeks do an excellent job of playing thematerial, but they are faceless. Which is a far cry from the Yes of yore, with Wakeman in his caftans…
And there still is a version of Yes plying the boards, sans any original members, but the band is lacking one thing, Jon Anderson.
This is not plug and play, this doesn’t work with an Ariel Pineda. It’s not about suspending disbelief. Unlike with Journey and other bands with soundalike replacement singers, the music is not bigger than Jon Anderson, he is intertwined with it. Yes is beyond songs, it’s creativity in the writing, the playing and the singing.
You need to see Jon Anderson sing these songs. And he’ll be 82 in October, and unlike so many of his peers, he still has his pipes.
So… You miss the other original players, their personalities… I learned way back that you need to be weary of replacing band members, because in addition to musical cohesion, there’s always some part of the audience that is attached to that seemingly secondary player. Don’t forget, George had fans, not only John and Paul, never mind the quirky, lovable Ringo.
And you want to see these people in the band.
And that was lacking last night, and was disappointing.
And to tell you the truth, even though I own and know “Close to the Edge,” it was never my favorite, but here we got the full side rendition. And when it closed…
People stood up clapping vociferously and…
There were no video cameras, no one to impress, they were just that moved by the music.
But then came “Perpetual Change”…
Never mind “And You and I.”
And then I was completely involved, it was not pure nostalgia, it was not like so many oldies shows, this music was alive and kicking, no one on stage was going through the motions, this was as vibrant as all of the new shows out there.
Once again, they’re doing it without a net. Yes, there are two keyboard/synth players, but like I said, there’s no production, it’s purely music. Sure, Anderson claps his tambourine, and occasionally paraded around with a giant flag, but this show was not something so much that you saw, but something you heard, something you experienced. That you were involved in.
And song after song, except for a couple of the new ones, generated a standing ovation. These people knew the music. They’d stand up spontaneously and thrust their arms in the air, they’d clap along and sing too. For all you knew, these people were still living in the seventies.
But it’s the twenty first century.
3
So if you’re a Yes fan, you’ve got to go. Since it’s only Anderson of the originals, it’s actually less nostalgic, it’s like Anderson has thrown off the past and been reinvigorated.
And the venues are not big. There’s no rip-off involved. It’s like it was back in the day.
But those days are long over.
So what do we make of this? Sitting there for the two hour long sets it was clear that we lived through something, whose formula seems to have been lost. Yes, we can call Yes prog rock, but they sounded nothing like their contemporaries Genesis or Gentle Giant. Each of these acts was on their own hejira. And nobody was sitting there saying “let’s write a single,” it was never about the hit. But this music has lasted.
So many of the acts from the seventies can’t even sell out a club. And even if you had a couple of hits, if there were no albums to back it up, there aren’t any rabid fans. But rabid fans will come out every year to see acts they’re invested in, just ask the metal bands.
But metal never dies. And prog rock is almost completely in the rearview mirror.
4
The apotheosis was “I’ve Seen All Good People.”
“Take a straight and stronger course
To the corner of your life
Make the white queen run so fast
She’s hasn’t got time to make you a wife”
Even if you don’t remember every word, you remember the melody. Takes you right back to your dorm room. And they started a cappella and then the voices ascended into heaven and it was positively mesmerizing. All I could do was lean forward, rock back and forth, nod and sing along.
There was joy in this music. It was the other. Not made for radio, seemingly not made for anybody but the people who made it, the band itself. And if the audience could relate…
And we did. And we couldn’t exactly explain why. It’s just that it titillated us, was one step beyond what we’d encountered before, was anything but me-too.
“‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time, and its news
Is captured for the queen to use”
Don’t ask me what the words mean, they’re open to each person’s individual interpretation.
“Don’t surround yourself with yourself
Move on back two squares”
“Your Move” goes on for minutes, it’s exquisite, prettier and more enticing than music half a century younger.
And then, when you’re completely entranced…
“I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied, I’m on my way”
5
There was no context. Other than the fact that this was music we knew and loved and wanted to hear performed.
It wasn’t about hype, there was no press, you had to find it yourself.
Once again, the music didn’t sound, still doesn’t sound like anything else, and rather than being set in amber it was scrubbed clean and moving.
I’m not saying this is for everybody. But it’s surprising how many it is for. Those who grew up in an era when music not only drove the culture, it was a constant bastion of innovation. You’d break the shrinkwrap and drop the needle and not know exactly what you were going to experience, even if you owned every one of the act’s previous albums.
It’s a lost formula.
Forget the music, you’ve got to have screens, lights, distractions, the belief is the music itself is not enough, certainly not if you’re playing to 1,800.
But last night it was.
P.S. No one got up and went to the bathroom during the show.
P.P.S. There was no undercurrent of conversation whatsoever during the show, a rare event.
The set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jon-anderson-and-the-band-geeks/2026/thousand-oaks-civic-arts-plaza-fred-kavli-theatre-thousand-oaks-ca-134841ed.html
(Not that I’d tell you to watch it, it reveals too much, you’re much better off taking the series in cold.)
There’s something about Suranne Jones…
So we were watching “Wrong Side of the Tracks,” a Spanish show on Netflix recommended by my cardiologist. She doesn’t watch much TV, she’s consumed with reading medical journals, and when she mentions a show, it’s worth checking out. (This is the difference people talk about when they reference the divide between the health care and longevity of poor people and rich people. If you’re willing to pay, doctors have all the time in the world for you, you can reach them nearly instantly, but it costs you. A sum most people I know are unwilling to pay. But my off-insurance internist diagnosed my leukemia, and this cardiologist says if I follow her plan I won’t have a heart attack, and in the last six months two people I know had heart attacks and two needed stents, so I’m paying up. Funny about money, what’s important to certain people and not others. Sure, you can drive a fancy automobile, but it doesn’t matter if you’re dead. I refuse to save money on health care, not that I don’t blanch at the cost.)
Now when we first started watching “Wrong Side of the Tracks,” I was wowed. It was the exact kind of show I go for. Dirty and gritty with truth. What you’ve got is a racist grandpa who owns a hardware store in a bad neighborhood insisting that his daughter’s adopted daughter come live with him, he’ll set her straight. And there are so many truth bombs. About this mother treating the adopted kid as an accessory, about her brother procreating without the means to provide…the series is so rich and to the bone and informative. Basically, there’s a dope dealer gangster who centers the action, and the crooked cop, the absolute star of the show who works both sides, and you can tell by the way I’m going on about it, I dug “Wrong Side of the Tracks.”
But it’s eight ninety minute episodes a season. A bigger commitment than most. And about halfway through, Felice said it felt like a soap opera.
Now I was trying not to be influenced, I was still into the show, but as I thought about what she said, I realized she was right. No one ever died. The consequences weren’t grave enough.
But we finished the eight episodes and…
There are three seasons, and you never know if each one is a reset. Sometimes the setting remains the same, sometimes the cast, I wanted to continue watching to see, even though Felice was less than enthusiastic. But when the same characters in the same places appeared, I turned it off. I wanted to know what happened, but I didn’t want to dedicate that much time.
So I went to my list.
My cardiologist had also recommended this Nordic noir series “Wisting.” But it turned out to be on AMC+, and we only get that with ads, as part of our Spectrum package. So I’m perusing my list, quickly, not wanting to hang Felice up, I get to choose but she gets to exercise judgment, and I saw this show on BritBox “Doctor Foster.”
I assumed it was like “Doc Martin,” a bumbling physician in the hinterlands.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Doctor Foster is played by Suranne Jones, and it’s set in the city.
So what we’ve got here is…
Suranne Jones as the head of the local surgery, and her husband as a real estate developer.
Is he having an affair?
Now I’ve got to tell you, at first you’ll find “Doctor Foster” frustrating, you’re just waiting for Suranne to come out with it.
But she doesn’t. And she wavers.
And, then the show turns into “The War of the Roses.” At least I think it does, I haven’t seen “The War of the Roses” for decades, and I know it’s set in one house, but my point here is the couples are battling.
And Bertie Carvel’s Simon, Suranne Jones’s Gemma’s husband, is categorically unable to tell the truth.
Like I said, at first the series is frustrating.
But then, just when you think it’s predictable.
IT’S NOT!
Everything plays out differently from your expectations. I mean we’ve all seen a lot of movies and TV shows, we know the tropes, we know what to expect, but “Doctor Foster” confounds us again and again.
Now you might be someone who married their high school sweetheart.
But if you’ve ever been divorced, if you’ve ever felt out of the loop in your relationship with your significant other, so many emotions will ring true. In Hollywood, stars get divorced and deny any consequences. In real life, people get divorced and the hangover goes on for years, they might be in your dreams until you die!
Now another thing different from American TV is that Gemma is not wholly likable, she doesn’t always do the right thing. She exercises bad judgment, crosses the line. But she’s possessed, and nothing is going to stand in her way.
Now the third party here is Jodie Comer as Kate Parks, whom you know from “Killing Eve.” Her role is not identical here, but what you notice is she’s so YOUNG!
Then you realize the first season of “Doctor Foster” came out in 2015. If you’re living in the U.K., the show is probably old hat.
But not in the U.S.
And what’s further astounding is it’s not been remade by a U.S. company. It’s been adapted in fifteen other countries, but not here. I guess studios want something that appeals to teens as opposed to adults, something that’s less chiaroscuro. I mean with the right actors you could remake this with a nearly identical script.
And “Doctor Foster” would be great with any solid actors in the key roles, but what truly puts it over the top is Suranne Jones.
You’ve seen her. She’s got credits an arm’s length long. I won’t list all of them, I’ll leave you to Google/Wikipedia.
But what you’ve got to know about Suranne… She radiates a sense of charisma, without being distant or mysterious. She’s just one step better looking than the average bear, she was not the best-looking girl in your high school, but she was the best-looking girl in your specific class.
But it’s not raw looks, when Suranne cracks a smile…
And she radiates an inherent intelligence too. She’s not a two-dimensional model with looks and little talent, she inhabits the role.
And as Doctor Foster she brings home the bacon. But when things go wrong for her and she questions why, her neighbor across the street says Gemma thinks she’s better than the rest. And it’s funny, because nothing has been said, but you can feel that, it’s true. She’s competent and good-looking and…
If someone’s that good-looking, there are scores of men who want to be involved with them just on this basis.
But Gemma… She’s difficult and flawed and she knows it. Then again, she’s aware of her power. She’s a blinking red light. But I’m telling you, there are so many guys who are willing to ride the tiger, they get mesmerized by looks and…
Now season two came out in 2017. And the BBC has just commissioned a final season three, nearly ten years later. But both of the initial two seasons play like they were shot yesterday.
The thing about “Doctor Foster” is on an emotional level, it can be very real. It can be over the top when it comes to plotting, but not too far out there such as to become laughable comedy. But while you’re watching, YOU TENSE UP!
At first you’re just viewing. But a few episodes in, it’s not so much that you’ve been in these exact circumstances as that you see them as plausible, you can foresee the consequences of actions, you can see people screwing up their lives, and when they do so it hurts. You. The viewer.
So on an absolute scale is “Doctor Foster” the best show I’ve ever seen?
No, it’s not in my absolute A tier.
Then again, it’s light years better than all of the stuff people e-mail me every day that is American pablum. They don’t understand that the TV works for you, you’re not subservient to it, this is not the old days of three networks, never mind Bruce Springsteen’s 57 channels. You’re responsible for finding good shows.
And in these shows is where you get the humanity, the points of discussion we used to get in music and movies.
When was the last time you debated a record?
And how much is there to say about superhero and horror flicks, they’re amusement park rides, forgotten right after they’re over.
But you will never forget “Doctor Foster.”
If this were an American show, it’d be the talk of the town.
That Winds of Change Podcast is a joke with the exception of the episode on Doc/Moscow Peace Festival which I found fascinating. Patrick Radden Keefe (one of if not the best non fiction writers out there) should be embarrassed. I’ve managed the Scorpions (pre Doc) and known them for 46 years…there is no chance anybody but Klaus wrote that song.
The whole spirit and ethos of the song is completely Klaus’s personality…easily one of the nicest human beings on the plant (despite firing Cliff and myself…ha)
_____________________________________
From: Dennis Arfa
Subject: Re: Comedy Is Hot
Date: June 26, 2026 at 11:03:07?AM PDT
Bob,
Def Leppard does all size venues including stadiums. The reason for this mid-sized success was that they recently did a 12-show sold out residency at the Colosseum at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.
_____________________________________
From: Michael Dorf
Subject: Re: Comedy Is Hot
Date: June 26, 2026 at 4:53:30?AM PDT
Bob,
Yes, we have shifted to about 30% of our programming to comedy from what was single digit percentage pre-pandemic. This is across all 10 of our cities, not just NY—all 350 seat rooms. Comedy is connecting with our audience because it is some of the only truth people can connect with right now given the Orwellian world we are living in. Hearing confirmation of the news, enjoying the sad irony of life’s truths with fellow humans in a room seems to be a great antidote for the millions of screens in our lives. Comedians are not algorithms telling us what we want to hear, in fact, they make us uncomfortable as an anti-algorithm, opening our eyes to the funny reality of our times. They have become more important than ever and connecting with our audiences.
Michael Dorf
CITY WINERY | FOUNDER & CEO
_____________________________________
From: Kevin Kiley
Subject: Re: New Music
Date: June 18, 2026 at 1:57:03?PM PDT
Made me think of this great Zappa interview…
_____________________________________
From: Stathis Panagiotopoulos
Subject: Re-Rush / Ritchie Blackmore
Date: June 17, 2026 at 5:20:50?AM PDT
Dear Bob,
I have been reading, enjoying and (mostly) agreeing with your letters for many years now, having been advised to follow you by Roger Glover of Deep Purple, who happens to be a dear friend.
I am also a big Rush fan, and I have a small bone of contention with Mike Bone’s recent letter : Ritchie Blackmore is definitely not a prick. He may not be the easiest fellow to work with, but he’s a really shy, smart, funny guy once you get to know him, plus he’s gotten much mellower in his old age.
Mike Bone has his facts wrong re: the photoshopped Rush sign : Rainbow’s label in 1978, Polydor Records, appropriated the photo (which was indeed taken at a Rush concert), changed the sign’s text to “Long Live Rock n’ Roll”, blacked out the fans’ t-shirts and used the “modified” photo in the inside gatefold of the “Long Live Rock n Roll” LP.
Blackmore had no idea until it was pointed out to him years later, and he wasn’t too pleased about it.
Just trying to set the record straight 🙂
Thanks for your work, please keep it up.
All the best from Greece,
Stathis Panagiotopoulos
A scuba diver.
_____________________________________
From: Barbara Barna Abel
Subject: Re: The Culture Club Movie
Date: June 15, 2026 at 7:13:40?AM PDT
Happy you wrote about this! I was Virgin Record’s first-ever college intern in London in 1983 (staffers shocked I was working for free would take me aside and insist “Richard’s exploiting you!”) It was a thrill to be there in the heyday of Culture Club (+ Human League and the 10th anniversary of Tubular Bells). George was a frequent, larger than life presence in the Vernon Yard offices but what’s truly memorable was how kind and respectful he was, without fail, to the receptionist, Lolly, and to his fans – girls just a little younger than me – who would gather outside. George would bellow, “American girl! Fetch me some records!” and I would dutifully scamper so he could sign them and give them away to the girls. Growing up with arena rock, I had never witnessed a performer behave this way towards his fans (I didn’t know any country artists at the time). I still happily have – and play – my original 12-inch of Do You Really Want to Hurt Me that the Epic college rep gave me.
best,
Barbara
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From: Paul Flattery
Subject: Re: Carl Wilson Playlist
Date: May 29, 2026 at 1:09:40?PM PDT
Great Carl Wilson playlist.
Back in 1989, my partner, director Jim Yukich, and I were doing a music video for “Somewhere Near Japan” – a chronically overlooked Beach Boys track IMO. Brian was shot in LA but we went to Florida to join the Beach Boys on tour to shoot their parts. They were all great to meet and work with. Being an accomplished musician himself, Jim always engaged the artists we shot about their music. When he asked Carl about the chord sequences for a track from his second solo album (“Youngblood” I guess), Carl lit up in excitement and said “I didn’t think anyone knew I did a second solo album!!”
A cool guy and under-appreciated talent as your playlist shows.
Paul Flattery
_____________________________________
From: Waddy Wachtel
Subject: Re: Playlist 2-Favorite Solo Song From A Band Member
Date: June 2, 2026 at 9:05:20?PM PDT
bob just a quick comment about leo..
i was in europe doing a show w a gal …
judi pulver she was in the band i moved to LA with… she sadly departed our realm recently and left a beautiful mark on do many whose lives she touched she was a very special lady
she got a solo deal and a short tour..
the most amazing part of the tour was we actually opened for Mott the Hoople.. so weird to have little band backing up a girl no one had heard of… in front this huge stage setup for Mott .. i loved “all the way to memphis” so i was blown away to be near them
.. i met ian then and im so happy to say we have collided over the years
saw him at a pArty after R&R hall of fame one night inNY.. he did “the only tray on o came to this party was cuz you were gonna be here!” we traded phone numbers after grinning and i met trudi his lovely wife
it was a gas gas gas!!
i played on three songs of his latest records i was soooo honored to do so!
love you ian!
blew me away that he asked me to play!
back to leo… we were in germany doing one of those music shows and right before we did judi’s song .. all of a sudden on a tv monitor was the clown … and when he started to ring i was hypnotized ..”the show must go on”!!!!!! i almost couldn’t post judi’s font cuz i was so knocked out by leo
i played on his record he did w richard perry
and we have crossed paths a few wonderful times ..what a guy and WHAT A SINGER!!
love him…!! dynamite !!
good to be in touch again bob!!
xxx
waddy
w²:)
_____________________________________
From: paul clegg
Subject: Re: More Wind Of Change Podcast
Date: June 8, 2026 at 7:08:55?PM PDT
Bob
I cannot say anything about CIA influence merging with hard rock ballads but I can comment with authority on the FSO influence upon Gypsy Punk. Scariest moment of my life was at the ironically titled Creation of Peace Festival in Kazan, Russia. Midway through a Gogol Bordello set, a motorcade of military G Wagons pulled up backstage. A squad of FSO soldiers soon appeared side stage and their Captain proceeded to ask who was in charge and someone referenced him to me. This terrifying beast of a man then walked over and pointed his flyweight machine gun in the direction of my torso and simply said in broken English ‘band stop now’ We obviously complied and the moment the stage went silent, the then ‘President’ of Russia – Dmitry Medvedev emerged from another of the vehicles, walked on-stage and gave an impromptu ten minute propaganda speech before the FSO troops cleared a huge space in the middle of the crowd so The Prez could go down and take pictures of himself dancing in the ‘fan zone’ As soon as the newly restarted song was finished, they all left as quick as they came. At least they didn’t ask the band to whistle any intro’s – that must be a CIA thing! Peculiarly, this was nowhere near the strangest thing that occurred on our many expeditions to the Wild Wild East! Bribing a visa agent with Britney tickets and an ill-fated show inside the Kremlin itself both spring to mind!
Dasvidaniya Comrade.
Paul Clegg
_____________________________________
From: Bob Cayne
Subject: Re: More Wind Of Change Podcast
Started writing the other night but I’m traveling. Glad someone else replied, I don’t need to be anonymous but I’ll admit one step removed from this gibberish.
I worked for Doc very frequently from 1988-1994. Did 3 Scorpions tours, BJ New Jersey and was in Moscow in 1989.
I distinctly remember Doc talking to the Band and Klaus and Rudolf going on and on “Doc, listen to this song, listen to this song” while they played it over the telephone.
While anything might be possible, this whole CIA thing sounds like bullsh*t sandwich w crappola on top. And Doc being Doc, I’ll just guess that he could be on that podcast thinking “I won’t deny, or confirm…” just to see what happens and amuse himself.
Just noting Doc’s mantra “If you’re not the Lead Dog, the view is always the same.”
PS – the stadium was packed with almost as many soldiers as fans. Ozzy and Scorps stole the show and when Scorpions started laying it down, I saw multitudes of soldiers just rocking their asses off.
That was a moment.
_____________________________________
From: tom werman
Subject: Re: Doc McGhee
Date: June 9, 2026 at 7:12:54?AM PDT
Bob,
While it may be true that Motley Crue “never got respect”,
at least 5 of their songs are “evergreens” and are still
in regular rotation at classic rock stations (“Home Sweet Home”, “Kickstart My Heart”,
“Girls Girls Girls” and several others).
I know little of Doc McGhee’s pre-Motley Crue history, and even less about the Russia gig — but managing, controlling, directing, promoting, safeguarding, booking, defending and bailing out Motley Crue required a load of patience, perseverance and creativity. Doc is a smart, resourceful, generous and wonderfully entertaining guy, successfully shepherding these “bad boys” whose reputation was accurate.
Of the more than 30 managers I worked with, Doc was the one who achieved the almost impossible.
Tom Werman
_____________________________________
From: Stephen Knill
Subject: Re: Comedy Is Hot
Date: June 25, 2026 at 9:31:18?PM PDT
In the mid 90’s I managed the Miller beer sponsorships of two Nashville based acts, Brooks & Dunn and Jeff Foxworthy. Jeff was sponsored by Red Dog Beer, one of the countless that just didn’t make it. Foxworthy was hilarious, saying every night on stage about the beer, “ That Dog Can Hunt. He shilled.
I was talking to Ronnie Dunn once, (on their bus I think,) about Foxworthy, and Ronnie, half serious, felt he needed to share a comparison about their different lives on the road. He said something like, “I’ve got 20 trucks, and a crew of 50 out their riding buses from show to show and Jeff gets up at home in Nashville, gets driven to the private airport, lands, goes to his hotel. Then he is chauffeured to the gig, has a snack in his dressing room, goes on stage talks for however long his show was, goes back to the hotel gets up and repeats. In short hop situations, he went home after the gig and and started all over. Dunn said something like “ Look at the money he gets to keep without all those costs. I want to be a comedian and lose all this stuff. He was joking but kind of serious. Ronnie is actually funny enough to be one and Kix not too far behind him. No wonder comedians are in the top of the Pollstar charts and, keeping much more bank than the music acts at the same level. Who are the smart ones now?
_____________________________________
From: Bob Cayne
Subject: Re: More Wind Of Change Podcast
Started writing the other night but I’m traveling. Glad someone else replied, I don’t need to be anonymous but I’ll admit one step removed from this gibberish.
I worked for Doc very frequently from 1988-1994. Did 3 Scorpions tours, BJ New Jersey and was in Moscow in 1989.
I distinctly remember Doc talking to the Band and Klaus and Rudolf going on and on “Doc, listen to this song, listen to this song” while they played it over the telephone.
While anything might be possible, this whole CIA thing sounds like bullsh*t sandwich w crappola on top. And Doc being Doc, I’ll just guess that he could be on that podcast thinking “I won’t deny, or confirm…”
just to see what happens and amuse himself.
Just noting Doc’s mantra “If you’re not the Lead Dog, the view is always the same.”
PS – the stadium was packed with almost as many soldiers as fans. Ozzy and Scorps stole the show and when Scorpions started laying it down, I saw multitudes of soldiers just rocking their asses off.
That was a moment.
_____________________________________
From: johnny daredevilproduction.com
Subject: Re: New Music
Date: June 19, 2026 at 12:33:36?PM PDT
Bob,
YOU ARE 1,000% CORRECT!!
When you look at the fundamentals of marketing 101, Reach & Frequency, the problem that labels are having breaking new music is obvious…
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
There isn’t enough repetition in their promo strategies to break an egg, much less an artist.
The Spotify playlists are long. The average Streams/Listener metric for an emerging artist on a playlist is 1.3 to 1.5. Everyone wants to conflate streaming numbers with promotion and market success, which was the truth with radio spins, but that’s not the case for streaming numbers on emerging artists. If an emerging artist gets 10,000 streams, the 1.3 to 1.5 streams/listener metric shows that 7,500 heard the song once and around 2,500 people heard it twice. If they get on a bigger playlist and amass 100k streams, they’re making 10x the money but with the exact same, horrendous market penetration…75k heard the song once, and 25k heard it twice. Same for an even bigger playlist that generates 1 million streams…750k heard the song once and 250k heard it twice. More streams doesn’t mean “more popular” or “more market penetration”.
The artist gets more money, but nobody has a relationship with the song. It’s going to take A LOT more repetition to make that song memorable for the consumer.
It’s astonishing to me to watch the dichotomy in the fundamental marketing strategies between a major label’s approach to promoting a radio single vs. a digital promotion.
Radio Single
They open the purse strings for at least 6-9 months.
They know it’s a grind
They push to get adds
Then push for rotation to create repetition
Then push for heavier rotation to increase repetition
They know it takes time to develop the drive and that single will stay on the radio playlists for months on end.
They move the ball enough each week to “get a new set of downs”
Digital Promo
They stroke a $50k-$100k check
If it doesn’t go viral in 2 weeks, it’s a failure.
Where’s the repetition?
Where are the marketing fundamentals?
Where’s the GRIND?
Bob, imagine an artist or artist’s management berating their label’s radio promo team because the single has been out for 2 weeks and they’re not #1, they’re not famous yet. That’s laughable, yet this is exactly how labels manage promotion on digital platforms.
Everybody still remembers the massive singles “Fancy Like” and “Old Town Road” because they broke on TikTok. The details on how they broke were because of UGC dance content…but the fundamentals of why they broke, and why we’ll never forget them is REPETITION. How many times did a consumer hear these song hooks as they swiped through endless TikTok posts of people dancing? Repetition is the key.
How is it that these brilliant label promo people will budget and tirelessly work a radio single, an effort that is firmly anchored in the fundamentals of marketing, and completely ignore these same fundamentals on the digital platforms?
On the surface it doesn’t make sense…until you realize nobody working at a major label wants to see a successful digital promotion and CERTAINLY nobody at a major a label wants to see digital promotion success become as repeatable and reliable as radio was BECAUSE THEY’D BE OUT OF A JOB.
It’s simple. They all have mortgages, car payments, and college tuitions to pay for.
It’ll play out just like the taxicab companies. Yellow Cab was probably the most recognized livery brand on the planet in 2014. They could’ve spent 1/10th of the money they wasted trying to eliminate Uber, on adapting by creating their own app and competing. Now they’re irrelevant.
The rank & file at the labels behave the same way…they aggressively shun all things digital instead of embracing the massive upside…
Whoever owns the traffic, rules the road.
That’s the credo for the digital age.
If you think about it, that was the credo for the radio age too…The labels had the supreme power to put an artist on the radio and take an artist off the radio. They OWNED the traffic…or at least access to the traffic and that domination manifested itself in crappy record deals because the artists didn’t have a choice. They had to play ball or not play at all.
But now the music business is literally the last vertical on the planet that still doesn’t know who their customer is. The artists do; but they don’t do anything about it. The DSPs do but they don’t own the traffic. Nobody goes to Spotify for Spotify, they go for Jay-Z, Van Halen, U2, etc.. In a 2020 NYT article, Jimmy Iovine said, “Hail to the artists, your time has finally come. It’s no longer the artist’s problem to worry about making more money for the label or the DSP. It’s the label’s problem and the DSP’s problem to worry about better serving that artist”.
This is true because the artists own the traffic. The power and reality of this was brilliantly demonstrated by Taylor Swift during her Master Recordings vs Taylor’s Version debacle with Scooter Braun. Who won that one?
The labels will never have the leverage over artists they once had, but they could adapt and reposition themselves to break new talent digitally and build up caverns of consumer data that could be very lucrative.
Can you imagine how many email addresses an artist like Blake Shelton, U2, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, or Ariana Grande would get if they offered a free download of a new song? Thank you for making me feel like a rockstar, I have a gift for you…you can only get this gift by going to this website and telling me where to send it”.
How easy would it be for a label to break an artist if they had the millions of email addresses from their top selling artists? Email is practically free when compared to the cost of a P1 radio single promotion.
Digital is MORE EFFICIENT!
A #1 on radio used to be a bankable metric of market penetration. When the Whitesnake 87 record came out, “Still of the Night” was the leadoff single, and it went Top 40. That was enough for Coverdale to leave the support slots and embark on a headlining tour. When they released “Here I Go Again”, it went to #1 on radio for like 14 to 16 weeks! Coverdale RENEGOTIATED his deal with the promoters and the promoters were willing to negotiate because BOTH SIDES KNEW they were gonna sell more tickets!
That’s what I mean by “bankable”.
Radio wasn’t the “magic” that happened in a marketplace to take an unknown, shy, singer-songwriter and break him, turning him into Bruce Springsteen; an iconic artist that sells albums and tickets (and creates a catalog the labels are still living off of). Radio delivered the magic, Bob. The actual magic was market penetration and market penetration happens from REPETITION.
Can you imagine having a #1 single on radio and knowing who heard it? Who Liked it? Who didn’t like it?
You can achieve market penetration on digital for pennies compared to what it costs on radio.
You instantly get ROI (Return Of Information) with data on who likes the single. Who doesn’t like the single. Who might like the single but isn’t ready to come into the market yet…and you can adjust your budget accordingly, only spending the money to create the repetition necessary to achieve market penetration on consumers that you KNOW are liking it.
Bob, I haven’t had a broadcast TV hookup in my home for the last decade. If you set the VERY new subscription + ad business models aside for the sake of my point, that’s the last time I saw a tampon commercial. They KNOW I’m not a buyer! The feminine product manufacturers spend exactly ZERO DOLLARS and ZERO SECONDS marketing their product to someone who isn’t a buyer.
That’s a crazy and massively lucrative concept when you compare it to the label’s obsession with radio promo today. Universal will spend about $1 million per single to take every Luke Bryan song to #1 on radio. Luke is a huge star, but not everyone listening to country music radio is a Luke Bryan fan. This means that Universal is regularly spending massive amounts of money to put their product in front of people they know don’t like him…when you’re an artist at the top of the food chain like Bryan, the juice is worth the squeeze for Universal. But when you’re a new artist, that means a very short runway.
_____________________________________
From: Lincoln Myerson
Subject: Re: Hi from Lincoln
Date: May 22, 2026 at 2:42:58?AM PDT
Hi Bob-
Ya know… life on the other side of the world… it’s pretty damn good!
It’s a quieter life to be sure. And I do miss the copious live music
intake that I enjoy in LA… and the after-show hangs. I miss that a
lot.
And family and friends. My social circle is waaay smaller over here.
But I don’t miss the low-level despair that I experience when I return
to LA and see my people. My sister lost her home in the Eaton fire. My
best friend lost his home in the Palisades. I have in total 10 friends
who lost their homes last year. They’re grieving still. Life is too
expensive and every day is an assault on their psyche.
Life is expensive here, believe me. But I’m not seeing or feeling the
despair. I have it good. I’m still madly in love. I hit the jackpot
with Helena.
We own a house and it’s paid for. We have a dog—first time I’ve had a
dog since I was about 9. I’m working in a vintage guitar store. I make
decent bread.
Health insurance is basically free. Last year I had some kidney stones
and I spent a day in the hospital, with a few doctors, got a CT scan,
a bunch of tests… total cost—$12. Twelve bucks! And get this—I met
an agent at a party and she started booking me in a few TV shows and
commercials—my American accent is a niche commodity it seems—and I
just finished a commercial directed by Taika Waititi (!) playing a…
politician! Go figure!
Oh and it truly is a beautiful country. My boiler plate joke: This
place makes Yosemite look like Culver City.
And the people are cool.
I had this conversation with a Kiwi some time ago. He says America was
founded on the premise of religious freedom (actually he says the
settlers wanted freedom to religiously persecute, but I digress!).
That’s what’s baked into the American DNA: Freedom. Any grifter in the
states can make a buck by throwing the word Freedom ® in front of
whatever they’re selling and there’s a minimum of 2 million folks who
will buy it sight unseen. He’s not wrong.
New Zealand, he says, was settled by small farmers who lost their
farms to British land barons—essentially corporate farming—and left to
find a fairer deal. So what’s baked into the Kiwi DNA is fairness. And
you can feel it. Fairness is the guiding principle amongst the folks
here for the most part and it shows up in everyday society, and that
was a refreshing adjustment for me to get used to. Folks are pretty
straight up and do what they say they’ll do. No one flakes on sh*t
over here. They have a great relationship to work/life balance. I
don’t really see any grind culture here. People are polite and laid
back and unpretentious for the most part.
But I will say this. The attitude toward the US has cooled. Trump used
to be seen as a funny clown who bemused the folks over here. The drunk
uncle at the party who says inappropriate stuff to the host. Now he’s
the asshole who wrecked the global economy. There is a recession here
and the tariffs hit hard and gas is just over $7/gal and this country
is a poor country. Our economy is basically farming. People are
getting squeezed and they blame the US.
When folks ask where I’m from, I say California.
The government took a rightward turn last election and the general
consensus is they’ll be run out of town in the upcoming election in
November. We’ll see. Fingers crossed. They are borrowing from the
Trump playbook and running on culture war nonsense because the economy
is in the sh*tter on their watch.
But enough of that.
You should come over sometime, Bob. Life is good here. We’re flipped
in the southern hemisphere so it’s winter now, and as a skier, you’ll
enjoy the South Island this time of year. Queenstown is the Aspen of
NZ—it’s where Peter Thiel and the billionaires are building their
bunkers, so there’s that, unfortunately. To be honest, the powder
isn’t world-class, but the scenery is truly amazing and it is pretty
otherworldly down there. And if you find yourself in Auckland, to the
north, look me up and I’ll show you around. I know a guy.
Well, this turned out longer than I expected. I had planned on a quick
reply and here we are, a full letter later. How about that?
Hope you’re doing ok. I read most of your letters but miss a few along
the way. Not sure if I’m up to speed on your health issues, but I hope
they’re looking better and that you are alright.
Take care of yourself, and as always, I look forward to reading what comes next.
Lincoln
PS—I saw the Split Enz reunion here. They’re the friggin’ Beatles of
New Zealand (there are postage stamps of their album covers. They are
truly beloved). And man, let me tell you, that band in this country
for a long-awaited reunion? No hyperbole—one of their best shows I’ve
seen in YEARS!
I was a casual fan… I knew their hits that got played on KROQ when I
was a 20-something… but their catalogue is deep. It goes back to
1974 when they were a prog/art rock band in the mold of ELP and the
early Tubes, if you can believe it, and I am really enjoying
discovering them for myself after all these years. They’re touring
Australia now and if the Finn brothers can keep from killing each
other, they might take this show to the states and you absolutely
should see them if they do.
PPS—Sparks play tomorrow. Can you believe I’ve never seen this band?
