This is not a Coachella issue, this is a music issue.

Yes, today marks the beginning of the festival season, with the first day of Coachella. Which means the news media is full of stories on the state of the festival business, in light of Coachella tickets selling slower than previously, in light of the Australian festival cancellations (no, the mainstream media didn’t mention these, but those in the business know about them).

It’s very clear. We don’t have a festival issue, we have a MUSIC issue!

In other words, we’re just not minting worldwide stars that appeal to everybody. And odds are it’s going to get worse. Then what?

Well, is Coachella Glastonbury?

Glastonbury emerged in the wake of Woodstock and has flourished ever since. But you can get to Glastonbury by train, and it’s not a long ride from the metropolis. And Glastonbury has become a national institution, embraced by both the public and the media. Furthermore, you can watch it on TV. Yes, they want to get the latest and greatest to appear, but they also want legacy acts, and acts that have been out of the spotlight for a while… In other words, Glastonbury is unique. And the question once again is, is Coachella Glastonbury?

That’s what we really want to know. Is Coachella’s name, history and the experience of attending so impressive, so dramatic, that it can survive irrelevant of the talent booked to appear.

For a while it looked that way. With tickets selling out before a lineup was announced. But there’s been an evolution in the music itself.

Boomers don’t want to go hang with the multitudes in the desert anymore, they’re all about creature comforts, they’re past their festival years. Ditto most Gen-X’ers. So you’re left with diehard music fans and the younger generation, which is notoriously fickle. Is Coachella an institution or a long-running fad that is on its way to extinction?

Credit Paul Tollett for trying to go along with the times, booking more modern acts as opposed to the ancient ones most festivals depend upon to draw people in. But do you really want to go to the desert to see Doja Cat? Even Lana Del Rey? My point being these acts are very successful, but don’t appeal to everyone. They’re not cult acts, they just don’t go broad beyond their verticals, and almost none of the new acts do. And, as has been noted seemingly everywhere, if you’re a true fan of these acts do you want to go to a festival to see them, to pay a lot for many other acts you do not want to see, to hang with the great unwashed, is this the experience you’re looking for?

Which brings us back to ticket prices. Despite the complaints, mostly from a small minority, there seems to be no amount too high for people to pay to see their favorite acts live. Sure, some may say their limit is a hundred bucks and sit at home. But most just pay the going rate, even paying more on the secondary market. That’s how hot music is, a unique experience. But how many want a specific unique experience? Don’t be overwhelmed by sold out arena dates, even stadium dates, when you add attendance up it’s still not that many people. You’ve got those who need to be there, who will do anything to get a ticket, a few who get squeezed out and the rest shrug their shoulders, they might not even go if the ticket is free.

Don’t compare this with yesteryear, when Bruce Springsteen was all over MTV and everybody knew not only him, but “Born in the U.S.A.,” and “Glory Days” and “Dancing in the Dark.” No songs have this reach today, NONE! Not that the industry or the media want to admit it. So the potential audience for a specific concert used to be much greater. But today? You can add up all the acts at the festival and still be unimpressed, there might not be ANYBODY you need to see. Furthermore, the undercard changes every year and virtually none of these acts grows into stardom. It used to be a badge of honor to say you saw the act first, when they were developing. The Police at the Whisky. Now these acts play festivals and…almost none graduate to theatres. You’ve got no bragging rights, because the act never becomes ubiquitous, most people are unaware of the act and don’t care.

Now in a world where there were only a couple of festivals, each one had the imprimatur of exclusivity and greatness. Now there’s a multi-act festival within driving distance of everybody, so why make an expensive journey to the desert, to ANYWHERE?

And, once again, is the multi-act bill passé?

Don’t forget that the Fillmore East used to have three act bills. When was the last time you saw that? It was a bond between the audience and Bill Graham, that he’d turn you on to great new music you might not be aware of. Now, many people don’t even show up for the opening act, and there’s only one, and the goal of the headliner is to do “An Evening With,” a multi-hour show that appeals to hard core fans with no opener at all!

We’re going narrower and deeper. And that which is broad…

Is failing everywhere.

It’s not only music, it’s in every vertical. People want specialization, not generalization. People have very defined interests, and if you’re trying to appeal to all, you’re heading for death.

So, do festivals go extinct?

Definitely not. Especially city-based festivals, like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Outside Lands. The lift is much lighter. You can commute there from home, you don’t have to drive a long distance or fly and get a hotel room… What the acts are and what you can charge? Those are interesting questions, along with who the attendees are.

Despite the international hoopla, Coachella is mostly a rite of passage for young Angelenos. The desert is part of their mind-set and they’re young enough to endure the elements and the hoi polloi. But if you’ve lived in Los Angeles long enough, you know that Westwood used to be the hip epicenter, then the Third Street Promenade, then CityWalk and now…I’m not sure there even is one.

But once again, this has got less to do with the audience and the festival than the music itself. If you’re expecting broad new superstars, you’re out of touch. Look at consumption, Spotify keeps telling us the share of the superstars keeps declining. Everything is becoming narrower, specialized.

And in truth, I’m less concerned with the health of the festival industry than the health of the music industry. The music industry is operating like it’s the pre-internet era when it positively isn’t. The labels keep attempting moonshots and all the action is in those who start independently. And of course acts break through, but fewer than ever before. So do you really want to go see a conglomeration of niches?

Ozzy can’t work anymore. So many classic acts of not only the sixties, but the seventies, are dead or retired. And there are the eighties superstars, those made by MTV, but they’re pretty aged themselves. And once we hit the twenty first century we have Coldplay and Dave Matthews… Coldplay is broad, but Dave Matthews is narrow. Metallica is broad in metal, but narrow overall. We all came together in the MTV era, but now we’ve all split apart, and outsiders, and even insiders, expect it to be the same.

Interestingly, the biggest new stars of the past few years, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan, come from the country world, which is relatively controlled. On the pop and hip-hop side…everything is more splintered. And country is going that way too.

So for all the news you read about superstars selling out buildings, in truth music is becoming smaller and smaller, acts have a smaller piece of the pie, and do you really want to go to a destination festival to see a ton of acts that are not superstars, most of which don’t appeal to you?

In some cases yes, but in most cases no.

All you have to know is Paul McCartney came to serenade Jimmy on his deathbed. Jimmy knew everybody, and everybody loved him.

Now when my mother died, my older sister said she wanted “She did it all” on her tombstone. Jimmy Buffett truly did it all. When I think of his time on Earth I feel inadequate. Talk about eating up life… It’s very sad he was cut down short, and I’m sure there was more he wanted to do, but when it comes to living life to the fullest, I know no one who has done that to the extent of Jimmy Buffett. NO ONE! And I know a lot of people.

And a lot of them were at the Hollywood Bowl last night. And a lot of them I do not know, but Jimmy did. It was the movers and shakers of Hollywood, there to pay tribute to an entertainer. Sure, Jimmy was smart, and educated, but he built his success out of thin air. From cogitation. He followed in no footsteps. He even created his own community. We hear about fan bases, but Jimmy’s was the apotheosis, once you were in the club, once you were a Parrothead, you never left. Some even went to live in Margaritaville retirement communities. And if you read the story in “The New Yorker,” it sounds pretty appealing: 

“Retirement the Margaritaville Way – At the active-living community for Jimmy Buffett enthusiasts, it’s five o’clock everywhere.”: https://rb.gy/olq4vv

Jimmy wasn’t selling raw hedonism. Not mindless fun. But middle class fun. You work hard so you can let go after work, go sailing on the weekend. Not only did Jimmy’s fans love his music, they wanted to BE Jimmy Buffett!

And Jimmy may have crashed a few airplanes, but he was not featured in the gossip columns, was not all over TMZ. Jimmy was reasonable, like you and me, but not like you and me.

Now the MC was Mac McAnally. Whom I discovered via his 1983 Geffen album “Nothin’ But the Truth.” And it was. And it made me a fan. But Mac was happier playing second fiddle to Jimmy Buffett than being the main draw. But last night, Mac was in charge, he did the intros, he drove the music, with his Alabama/Mississippi perspective, just like James William Buffett himself. You see the south has a long tradition of storytelling, and Mac fits right into that tradition.

So what we had here was the Coral Reefer Band, both by itself and with special guests.

Now the special guest I wanted to see most was Kenny Chesney, who followed in Jimmy’s footsteps, who took up the mantle of the pirate in the islands. Now if you’re a Chesney fan, you know one of his absolute best songs, my favorite of his, is “Back Where I Come From,” which was written by Mac McAnally:

“That’s where I come from

I’m an old Tennessean

Well I’m proud as anyone

That’s where I come from”

That’s where Jimmy went to make it, Nashville, to break through in the music business. And it took him a while to find his groove, but ultimately he had a hit with “Come Monday.” Which Brandi Carlile knocked out of the park last night.

Now the other song I needed to hear was “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” last night performed by Eric Church:

“Where it all ends I can’t fathom my friend

If I knew I might toss out my anchor

So I cruise along always searchin’ for songs

Not a lawyer a thief or a banker”

Jimmy became a billionaire his own way. He didn’t do what all his contemporaries did. He didn’t sell out. And it was the lawyers, the thieves and the bankers who came to his shows to experience the life they could have lived, if only they were willing to take a risky path.

Now not all of us can write songs. But that does not mean the path to fame is ever easy. Harrison Ford was a carpenter before he became Han Solo, a cultural icon. He testified. He talked about how cool Jimmy was, how he was inspired to get his ear pierced after lunch with the man, back when male piercings were a statement, not de rigueur.

And Don Johnson spoke of being invited to dinner at Jimmy’s house in Snowmass, with Jack Nicholson, the Eagles and a ton of cocaine. Yes, we’re old enough to own our past lives, our faux pas, we lived through it, it was a different era.

But not all the stars were on stage. Larry David was there, and left early, just as you’d expect him to.

But Les Moonves and Julie Chen did not, they stayed until the very end. I mean what else has Les got to do? Then again, even the punters don’t stay until the end in Los Angeles, I mean you’ve got to beat the traffic, right?

And David Zaslav, the most hated man in Hollywood, came dressed down to the point where you almost thought it wasn’t him.

Eddy Cue was recognizable from all the Apple presentations.

Bob Iger…it was kind of astounding that this was the guy in the news every day, running the Disney empire, involved not only in movies and TV, but theme parks and politics, wrestling with Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida. Wearing a sweater, he oozed no airs. Nobody did. Because that’s not who Jimmy Buffett was. He was the anti-tie, an emblem of doing it your own way.

Now James Taylor and Dolly Parton spoke via video. But Jane Fonda was there live, as were John McEnroe and Judd Apatow. It wasn’t like an awards show, people spoke off the cuff, made jokes, it was loose, just like a Jimmy Buffett show.

That’s what it was.

If you ever went to see Jimmy Buffett, you know the crowd didn’t sit in reverence. Some people stood throughout (three, unfortunately, in my line of vision). Others talked, others drank. Going to see Jimmy was like going to see the Dead, but unlike Garcia, Buffett was truly Captain Trips. Well, Garcia took you on mind trips, Buffett truly inspired you to journey…to everywhere there was a body of water, not only to relax, but to participate. Jimmy was a man of action. As Will Arnett said, Jimmy was either coming or going, always in motion.

Now there were some left field appearances. Snoop Dogg doing “Gin and Juice.” But it worked because of the vibe. As did Pitbull’s Miami party shtick. Although Pitbull knew Jimmy, told him he’d written the song “Thank God & Jimmy Buffett,” which he performed with Jon Bon Jovi last night.

And it wasn’t only the stars of the moving picture business there last night. Jimmy’s good friend Tom Freston was in attendance, the two were confronted by kidnappers in Africa, fame meant nothing there, and John Sykes and Allen Grubman, who had the chutzpah to tell those in front of him to sit down, which I did not. And, of course, Irving Azoff, who was Jimmy’s manager, then label head, then manager once again.

Jackson Browne played Bob Dylan’s favorite Buffett tune, “He Went to Paris,” but had to stop because he forgot to put in his in-ears. It was that kind of night, loose, mistakes were forgiven, after all, aren’t we all human?

It was a light evening. When most of these tribute shows are somewhat somber. It was a party. And Jimmy would have loved it. Before the show I thought it was sad that he was not there to experience it, but as you were watching you felt that Jimmy was the victor, everybody on stage was subservient to him, because he’d won the game of life in a way they hadn’t.

Except of course for Paul McCartney. As Solters said, he was the reason we were all here, doing this. And that’s true. Beatlemania was a real thing. Everybody picked up guitars, was glued to the radio, spoke with English accents. The only equivalent in my lifetime was the internet, and that was inert, tech, ones and zeros, whereas the Beatles were positively alive and human. Your heart still jumps when you see Paul. I mean he’s right in front of me, alive, still here?

Yes, and he sat at the piano and played “Let It Be,” after the Eagles performed a trio of songs, much heavier, with more gravitas than what had come before, which is what made them so great, they took it to the limit in both the city and the country, all over the world, and last night they paid fealty to the true boy of summer.

And then there was Mac McAnally’s story about performing for the Navy and the Admiral saying if Jimmy ever wanted anything…

Well, what Jimmy wanted was to be dropped from a helicopter in thirty feet of water.

Like I said, Jimmy wanted to do it all. And everybody there last night was just in his wake. He was accessible, and joked and played and there for advice, or comfort… Carlile talked about fishing tips, I think it was Kelly Slater who went on a hike with him.

Or maybe it was Jack Johnson, who sang Jimmy’s greatest song, “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”

“Mother, mother ocean, I have heard your call

Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall”

It was mentioned that Jimmy always had big dreams, and just waited for his feet to be able to take him there.

“I’ve done a bit of smugglin’, and I’ve run my share of grass

I made enough money to buy Miami but I pissed it away so fast

Never meant to last, never meant to last”

It was the seventies. We were all getting high. Not from the refined stuff you get at the cannabis shop, but from the pot dealer, who was not evil like the heroin dealer, usually just a guy you knew, or someone else knew… Then again, there were the big smugglers. They all got arrested, back when we thought marijuana was never gonna be legal.

And that’s the rock lifestyle. You make the money and you spend it. You’re not creating generational wealth. Jimmy had planes… It was only that he was so successful that he ended up so rich.

And every career extension was on brand. Jimmy had an identity. And the music was true to that.

“I go for younger women, lived with several a while

Though I ran ’em away, they’d come back one day

Still could manage to smile

Just takes a while, just takes a while”

When I met Jimmy he was separated from Jane. And, as a matter of fact, he was with a younger woman. But in one of the great love stories, Jimmy and Jane got back together. And were equal partners, seems like Jane got almost as many kudos as Jimmy last night.

Margaritaville is a state of mind. You can be in Alaska in the middle of winter and be in Margaritavile. You’ve just got to let go of your preconceptions, jump into the mental river and go with the flow. Oh, you’re allowed to steer, but if you don’t jump in you’ll never experience what Jimmy did, what we all want to, which is to have new experiences, meet new people, growing all the time.

Jimmy’s one of the few people whose business empire, whose brand extensions, might outlive his music. Margaritaville in all its manifestations, shows no sign of slowing down. It’s kind of like Elvis, not only with pure devotion to the star, but inspiration to take action and find your own way, never forgetting to have fun.

That was the essence of last night, fun. And that’s why Jimmy would have loved it so much. We’re only here for a short while. If you can’t make friends, get high and go on adventures, you’re missing out. You take one step, then another, adjusting along the way. You never know who you’ll meet, you never know what will happen next. But you will know that it’s so f*cking great to be alive. Take that risk now, check items off that bucket list now, that’s Jimmy Buffett’s ultimate message.

If you’re having fun, Jimmy has won. That’s what he did, pursued his dreams, followed his muse, wherever the fun would take him. And not only did it make him rich, it inspired millions of others to wake up and follow him. You can’t ask for more from life.

Guitarist extraordinaire Joe Satriani is presently on tour with Steve Vai, and after that he’ll be on the road with Sammy Hagar’s “Best of All Worlds” extravaganza. Joe is so down to earth and interesting, you’ll love listening to him.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joe-satriani/id1316200737?i=1000652129147

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/d5a7ba53-1ce6-4b78-9417-9ffa514eadd0/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-joe-satriani

The only people who care are those who don’t listen to his music.

Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, I’m not defending this heinous act. He was probably drunk, but he’s got a history of bad choices when he’s drunk, at some point you have to grow up.

But in the old days, a faux pas would negatively affect your career. Not anymore. Because you’ve got your fans and the rest don’t matter. And this is something the rest can’t understand. They’re sitting in judgment of bad actors, waiting for a penalty, and then nothing happens.

This is the essence of the red/blue divide. You’re asking why the Trumpers aren’t affected, disillusioned by the Donald’s bad behavior. They’re invested in Trump, there’s nothing he can do wrong. Didn’t he say he could shoot someone in the middle of the street and get away with it?

Trump is a bleeding edge character, a paradigm-buster, and no one in staid society is willing to admit it. They’d rather talk about his bad behavior. But look at it this way, Trump changed politics completely, he spoke truth. Don’t blow back. But that was his appeal back in 2016, he spoke in plain English when the traditional, compromised pols did not. And this appealed to people. Trump harnessed social media. Everything the “New York Times” hates Trump employed. They hate people who are on their phones 24/7, they hate social media, and Trump has used both to not only become President, but have a good chance of being re-elected President!

As for the stolen election… We had Fox News, but people were under the belief that there were some facts, some truths. But facts and truth went out the window long before Trump said the election was stolen, he just capitalized on this change while others ignored it.

And Trump understands our divided society, our competing teams. You’re either with him or against him, and if you’re against him you’re a pariah. It’s not only Trump, it’s America at large. Participate online and the haters will descend. You may not participate, you may be a lurker, but in truth you’re afraid, because if you enter the maelstrom you’re going to get bitten. The question is how do you keep on going? Taylor Swift sang one song after another putting men down and did it hurt her fan base? Well, for a minute there a few years back, when she was trying to be liked, when she was assembling her Girl Squad, but the point is her fans don’t care, they’re all-in, and if you’re not, it doesn’t bother them, they’re not listening to you.

Teddy Swims has the number one record. I like Swims, wrote about him a few years back, but have you even heard this record? Are you aware of Swims to begin with? What does a number one record even mean? Radio airplay? Who is listening to terrestrial radio? Talk about disinformation… The radio industry keeps telling us everybody is listening and I can’t find anyone under twenty five who ever does. Talk about a disconnect. What are you gonna believe, the corporation or your own eyes and ears? I’ll bank on the latter.

Yes, it’s every person for themselves.

And we don’t care about putting you down as much as we want to be able to follow our muse, do what we want to unfettered.

Furthermore, most people want gun control and now mass shootings are de rigueur, you see the headline, shrug, and then move on.

Yes, in many ways you feel powerless, so you hitch your wagon to something… Could be a musical star like Morgan Wallen, could be a techie like Elon Musk. You need a hero, someone to believe in, and if an outsider questions this hero and your devotion they should be prepared to be excoriated.

And Trump may be insane and dangerous, but Biden and the Democrats are living in the last century, they squandered an online lead to the Republicans and are all about TV advertising. Meanwhile, I think half of what interests me Biden is unaware of.

Don’t blow back, your knee-jerk defense proves the point. You’re invested and the rest of us need to STFU!

I’m sick of being told to STFU.

Just like the Morgan Wallen fans. They’re sick of being called redneck sh*tkickers. They’ve had enough with the pronouns. Even I, a dyed-in-the-wool leftie, have had enough of the left wing orthodoxy, especially as evidenced on college campuses. Trans rights, yes, bathroom rights, yes, but trigger warnings? It’s a damn BOOK!

These are people who are afraid of life, who want to be protected from it. Good luck with that, we’re all on our own, put on your armor and get into the arena with the rest of us. You think you’re better? We know you do, and you’re not.

So Morgan Wallen makes pop music, about life. He leads with his music as opposed to brand extensions. There are chord changes and choruses in his music. And that’s why people are drawn to him.

Even worse, haven’t you messed up when drunk? People are sick and tired of one strike and you’re out. Everybody screws up. Even RFK, Jr., and he’s running for President!

Once again, I’m not apologizing for Morgan Wallen. He should have known better, and when you’re a public figure, you’re held to a higher standard. My point is just because you’re pissed off, don’t think everybody else is. Just because you care, don’t expect everybody else to. And when you only weigh in when someone crosses the line… Wallen fans don’t care what a non-Wallen fan has to say. You carry the flag and soldier on, you’re sick of the intelligentsia, the self-anointed thought police, telling you they know better, that you’re wrong.

Wallen can’t fight this bad behavior with a donation. Even an explanation is not good enough. Even intoxication is no defense. He should not be emboldened by getting a pass from his fans, but man, he needs to wake up. For a guy who tours stadiums everywhere he seems to have quite the small town perspective. Aren’t you supposed to grow up and learn, be better?

Well, not Elon Musk, he’s locked in adolescence, and unlike Wallen Elon thinks everybody is the enemy.

But if you’re up in arms that Morgan threw a chair off the roof…

No one got hurt, and it’s not a third rail situation. Sex, racism… There are some bad behaviors that are beyond the pale. This chair-flinging is not one of them.

So continue not to listen to Morgan Wallen. It’s not going to hurt him a bit, his fans are still dedicated.

If you’re sitting in judgment of everyone else you’re missing the point, you’re not living your life. America today is about actors, not followers. Get in the game, then you’ll have some impact. But just because you went to college, live in a big house and drive a German car… I hope you care, because no one else does. You think you’re impressing others? People are too busy to care about you. They don’t have time for so much, you think they’re going to envy you because you wear a Breitling, drive a BMW and vacation in Martinique?

Keep dreaming.

There is an opening for leaders. Morgan Wallen is not one of them. He’s an entertainer, don’t confuse him with the Beatles. But know that Wallen has an audience and almost everybody bitching does not. It starts with your identity, there must be some reason people glom on to you. Build your audience and then you will have an impact. Because when you’re out there alone screaming at those who are not like you and don’t agree with you, it just demonstrates that you’re not living in the modern world, that you don’t get it.

As for Biden… I hope he wins, but man, how could you run someone who seemingly no one can relate to, and Kamala Harris is worse! That’s a good plan, forget personality, forget charisma, forget belief, forget team sport and just bitch about the other guy.

And Wallen knows it’s about a hit record. You can put out multiple albums, even stream a few million tracks yet be meaningless in the world. If you want power, and power is everything, you can’t complain you’re not getting paid, you must earn your perch, your station.

Furthermore, money isn’t everything, message is.

And my message is this chair incident won’t hurt Wallen at all, won’t dent his live business, won’t hurt his airplay, won’t alienate his fans. Rather than put down his fans, ask why. Those questions and their answers will open your eyes and unlock modern society for you.

Don’t follow leaders and watch the parking meters?

Bob Dylan had it right in 1965 and still does. The work triumphs. Investigate.