IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MUSIC

In today’s everybody is a star world you show up to parade and have your own experience, shoot photographs and laugh with your friends. The longest line I saw all day was to take your picture in front of the “Life Is Beautiful” sign.

NO ONE HAS TIME FOR SECOND-RATE ACTS

Every band has fans, but not many of them. Forget the developing acts, even those with established names like the Cold War Kids draw very thin crowds, which may be passionate and singing along, but the rest of the attendees ignore them. This is significant. We live in a winner-take-all society. And we only want the best. Sure, there are left field acts with little traction who have fans, but most acts just aren’t good enough. That’s the story of America, we were taught anyone could make it and found out it was nearly impossible to make it. We live in a country of over 300 million people, walk the festival grounds and be amazed, the thought of gaining everybody’s attention is mind-boggling, it’s astounding anyone achieves it. You used to be able to go viral, now you cannot do it alone. You need to float on the coattails of those who already have a fan base or the people who run the game to begin with. Sure, there are exceptions, but expect fewer and fewer. And these exceptions will be speaking the truth with little agenda, like David Hogg. The right wing did its best to marginalize him, but since he wasn’t selling merch, not trying to get rich, only spreading a message, they couldn’t. So ask yourself, what’s more important, message or money, and therein you will have the answer as to the path of your life. If it’s about message, you might make money in the end, but there’s a good chance you never will. Forget all that hogwash about do what you love and the money will follow. Money’s hard to get. You need enough money to live. People don’t want to sacrifice. Artists do nothing but sacrifice.

HIGH POINT OF MY DAY

I entered the comedy venue for a good seat for Michelle Wolf. There was a singalong going on. To the Backstreet Boys’ song “Everybody.” There were endless rehearsals and then a broadcast on Facebook Live, not that anybody saw it. You can make it and it can go totally ignored, there are so many messages. But it was so much fun to participate, to sing along. And then I realized… This song was twenty years old, and it was the bedrock of those in attendance. This is what the baby boomers used to do, grab a guitar and sing folk songs, Beatle songs, the hits…nobody does that anymore.

THE WEEKND WAS FAKE

As in there was no way this act was fully live. The man had fans. They knew the tunes. But as a veteran of shows the whole thing seemed canned, with tracks on hard drive, I’m not sure if Abel was singing to track or there were too many effects on his vocals…then again, every now and again he spoke and it was crystal clear, making me wonder what the rest was. If this is today’s live music, I want no part of it.

MICHELLE WOLF WAS DIRTY

Like the comics playing Vegas in the old days, saying all that cannot be said on TV, not even YouTube I don’t think. But the best part of her show was when she remarked how she constantly heard how ugly she was and then said this means she must be A REALLY GOOD COMEDIAN!
We love it when people have a sense of self.

WOMEN OUTNUMBER MEN

I’m still trying to figure this out. No one has an answer. My thought is that women know how to socialize better, hang with their friends and have a good time. Men go to hear the music and meet women. But they’re clueless at meeting women. So for an event like this, there’s not that much of a draw. They’re at the Rush show, or the metal concert. If only men learned how to talk to women.

THE ONLY VENUE CONSTANTLY FULL

Was the dance tent, from opening to closing. It’s part of the participatory culture.

PEOPLE LOVE FREE FOOD

In the artist compound, which seemed to be populated by everyone but artists, people lined up for free chicken sandwiches. We were taught not to waste food, then we learn they’re not starving in Europe anymore, not really starving much of anywhere anymore according to “Factfulness,” but I still find it impossible to throw out food.

YOU CAN HAVE ENOUGH INFRASTRUCTURE

The lack of lines at Life Is Beautiful is astounding. They’ve got enough port-a-potties, enough bars. This is not your daddy’s rock festival, not even a music festival of a decade ago. Everybody hates lines, eliminate them and people will be your friend.

THE ART INSTALLATIONS

Are truly a selling point. Lying on the grass under the dome of lights as the classical music plays is soothing.

PEOPLE DON’T COME ALL DAY

It’s too much, most people come when it’s dark.

CONCLUSION

So what we’ve learned is there is a demand for festivals. As long as they’re well-planned and well-executed. You can’t abuse your customers, no way. But if your draw is music, you’re in trouble. There’s just not enough consensus for three days. As for discovering acts at festivals, forget about it. Not enough people see you. Actually, the biggest festival buzz this year is for David Byrne, an antique. Everybody, pros and amateurs, agree it’s a must-see. The man hasn’t had a hit in decades, but he’s delivering a choreographed show. Proving you can always reinvent the wheel if you’re a genius. But very few people are, despite them and their press agents and the press itself telling us so. Am I gonna stand in this parking lot on the hot tar listening to a band whose music is not grabbing me or go in search of artisan food or just walk the streets looking at the endless parade of people. The latter.

He pointed.

That’s one of the first things you learn in media training, not to. You remember Bill Clinton, with his arm outstretched, thumb tucked into his fist, they called him “Slick Willie,” one thing’s for sure, Beto O’Rourke is not slick.

We need leaders. And there’s a vacuum in the Democratic Party. And give the Republicans credit, anybody who rises above they denigrate, they shoot slings and arrows until that person is perceived as a pariah. Exhibit #1, Elizabeth Warren. Somehow, this law professor is against the people, against the country, do you ever read what she says, she’s the only person in Congress with convictions on the left who seems to put them forth every day. The rest of the elected are worried about their sponsors, their donors, they’re playing a game, our country is not a game.

As for Hickenlooper, the supposed next President, who is he and what did he do?

And Cory Booker is forthright and then wishy-washy.

And Warren is old.

And the Republicans are so good at the game, they’ve got Democrats themselves hating on Nancy Pelosi. The Democrats are the gang that can’t shoot straight, it’s like fielding a team without a coach, except when it’s the Democratic National Committee, which seems more concerned with protecting its insiders than its members.

And then along comes Beto O’Rourke.

It’s kind of like a rock star. At first no one’s paying attention. Then you start hearing a few words. He’s got a unique name, not given at birth, you laugh and wonder where it comes from. And it used to be rock stars were outsiders, with rough edges, outlaws, true to themselves.

And that’s who Beto O’Rourke is. That’s why he appeals. Want to make it in the music game? Be yourself. Be honest. Speak to the audience not the gatekeepers. Don’t try to win over everybody, just those who count.

Beto O’Rourke is running in Texas. He’s visited all the counties in Texas. He’s not like a polished musician running to convince fans of genres who don’t like their music to listen. That’s the MTV paradigm, broad and for everyone. Now we’re in the era of niches. There is no center, no outlet that reaches everybody. There’s only one superstar, and that’s Donald Trump. We all have an opinion, we all watch his antics, and the rest of what goes on is a sideshow.

And music has no impact. The only people protesting are those without traction. And one of our biggest stars, an African-American, supports Agent Orange. This flummoxes us. He’s not a country musician into guns, he’s a member of the oppressed. Then again Kanye keeps telling us how we’re holding him back. That’s the last thing we want to hear, the challenges of a millionaire. Then again, the brain dead fans continue to pay fealty at the altar, and the press plays along with the charade.

Forget the biased Fox News. Even forget the left-leaning MSNBC. Let’s talk about the newspapers, which still run this country. Most especially the “New York Times.” Even though it’s been falling on its sword ever since missing the election, the newspaper is still out of touch. And I single out the “Times” because it sets the agenda for the nation. The “Journal” has become an also-ran, it broke the Theranos story, but little else. The “Times” covers business better than the “Journal.” And the “Post” is known for politics, and has only had a resurgence since the Bezos acquisition. But what is wrong about the “Times” is not fake news, but the lack of insight into the culture, what is really happening. The “Times” is a club, that is so insular it cannot take the temperature of what is truly going on in this country. It missed the racism, it missed not only the rise of Trump, but Bernie Sanders. Something is definitely happening with O’Rourke, and we keep hearing about his flaws. How about Ted Cruz’s flaws? That’s right, the Republicans attack first, you’re so busy defending yourself you can’t get your message across. And then, and then, we come to Beto O’Rourke.

You know this guy. You went to high school with this guy. He was in the top classes, he was not a complete nerd, but he was not cool in any way. You could drink a beer with him, but he did not date the cheerleader, he was focused on academics and then forgotten.

Now today the smart people are grinds. They’re so busy getting ahead that they only give back when it looks good on their college applications. But Beto O’Rourke is just a bit older, but I’m becoming convinced, this is what the future of the Democratic Party looks like, this is the future of our country. As Beto says, we need not run on fear but COURAGE!

This is not Obama and “hope,” hope didn’t get us far. Kinda like thoughts and prayers. Do you have the courage to take action, to make the hard decisions, it’s easier to lay back and criticize, to do nothing. And that’s what the Republican-controlled Congress does, do nothing, other than give back to rich donors, most especially corporations, the public is angry about this, but we’ve got no choice! The Republicans scare you with social issues, tell you illegal immigrants are gonna kill you. Meanwhile, you can’t afford health care, you’re having trouble making ends meet, your priorities are more basic, but you have no one fighting your fight.

Hillary Clinton is brilliant. But too calculated and slick. I won’t say Beto O’Rourke looks like he just fell off the turnip truck, but he’s as unpolished as it comes in this genre. He’s punk in an era of corporate rock.

And he’s speaking the truth.

We know the truth. There are more Democrats than Republicans in this country. And they know what they want, they just don’t have anyone to believe in.

But now a Mr. Smith might go to Washington.

Watch the below-linked video. This is not aged Bernie Sanders shouting, but a wimpy kid with a backbone making most of the same points. And remember how far Bernie got, the inroads he made, he’d have been President if he’d started his campaign earlier.

But that was then and this is now.

This is Chance the Rapper, who not only did it on his own, but gives back. That’s why Chance can sell out stadiums, people believe in him.

And people are believing in Beto O’Rourke.

We yearn for people to believe in in a world run by corporations. Isn’t it sad that we have more fondness for our mobile handset than any leader?

Sure, the below clip is edited. Sure, Beto O’Rourke is boring at times.

But underneath it all, he’s inspiring. That there’s somebody on our team. Who may be imperfect, because we all are. But is impervious to the slings and arrows because of his message, manna from heaven, the truth.

A new day is dawning.

And not a moment too soon.

We took the stage last night for the first debate of this Senate race. Watch the recap video, RT to share it, and join us in running a campaign for this state, for this country, by and for each and every single one of us. pic.twitter.com/vBPIfTAqFq

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 22, 2018

They could save rock and roll.

I went to see Natasha Leggero in the Kicker Comedy room. She asked how many women had seen a man masturbate in public. Half of them raised their hands.

I think there are more women than men at this festival. And if you’re a girl-watcher, your eyes will bug out. Some may have been naked at Woodstock, but now it’s an endless parade of cleavage and skin. Along with tattoos. When did face tattoos become a thing? If you’re not famous, how do you function?

Now the comedy lineup started with a woman from SNL, sorry, can’t remember her name, but she was pretty funny. Doing the man/woman thing. And I realized this was so different from being home, in front of the flat screen. That’s where all the action is, in your living room, your bedroom, on your handset, but once you encounter real life it’s somehow electric, different and exciting. But the guy who followed the SNL woman was terrible. Nothing worse than a third-rate comedian. And I was stunned that all three were not more political. Same as it ever was, with a bit of @MeToo thrown in, just a bit. That’s the jump between Chappelle and the rest. Unless you’re telling the truth, it’s hard to get my attention, isn’t that how Hannah Gadsby flew to the top in an instant?

Anyway, I didn’t know public masturbation was a thing. Natasha said women never do it, but then she started taking stories from audience members, giving testimony. Makes you wonder about the male population.

From there I scooted over to hear French Montana where I encountered very little on stage and a ton of flashing lights and video screens. I guess this is the new world, canned beats with a few vocalizations thrown on top, the people seemed to dig it. And the big track this week is “I Love It,” by Kanye & Lil Pump. Eventually the beats get to you, but have you caught the lyrics?

You’re such a fuckin’ ho, I love it (I love it)

Now I’m not offended. I was the guy who had to get the dirty version of “Kick Out The Jams” with the f-word in the gatefold. But the MC5 had a political message. What is the message here, endless hedonism?

I’m not saying we all don’t enjoy a good lay. But for those around when music tested limits, spoke truth to power, it’s quite a change.

And after exiting the main stage I went to the Church of Rock & Roll.

It’s Jason’s thing. He’s been kicking the idea around for years. But he got Zappos to support him and tonight was the debut. To the degree I understand it, it’s half money-making and half giving back. The Church is gonna go on tour, not necessarily with Greta Van Fleet, and then raise money to build restaurants, but that all could change. Tonight…we were all fitted with vests from the Zappos-funded Music: Not Impossible. That’s right, vibrating vests and wrist and ankle vibrators so the deaf could “hear”/feel the music. Quite a sensation. And Jason gave an intro, and then Pastor Nadia told us she prayed at the altar of the Ramones, Iggy and Bowie, and then Greta took the stage, in this tiny club filled with a hundred fifty people.

This is the third time I’ve seen them. They’ve become seasoned on the road, they’re comfortable in their own skin. And at first I thought it was the venue, then I felt they could play the big stage, but what got me most was this was the sound that addicted me and you all those years back when.

Yes, at times they’re ersatz Zeppelin. Unlike Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, they did not spend years doing session work. Yes, the lead singer echoes Plant. But the secret sauce is the guitarist, who’s got the chops on his SG, and the bassist who occasionally plays keyboards.

This is a band, as far away from French Montana as can be.

And they’re ever so young, I’m not sure all of them can legally drink. But they’re into it, you feel the passion.

Remember when moms and dads bought their kids guitars? That could happen again.

You see it seems like so much fun. There’s so much energy. Banging and playing. And this is the end. It’s not about lifestyle, it’s not about sponsorships, it’s about the sound, the songs, the onstage vibe. Remember when you went to the rock club and were enveloped by the sound? That’s what it was like. Life Is Beautiful may be called a rock festival, but that’s not what it is, we’ve gotten so far from the garden that the plants have wilted.

And I was not expecting to be wowed, I was not expecting to get it.

I felt the rush of adrenaline in the first two songs. And then I listened. The material was not A+, but they were performing it like it was. And then…

Oh lady when you come on down
Won’t you come on down

At this point I was sitting on a stool by the bar, assuaging the pain in my aching back. But I couldn’t sit still any longer. I started thrusting my arm into the air. Nobody else was, but I had to, it was involuntary.

And then I was standing, and moving closer to the stage, to the music.

Oo mama what you gonna do
With all that lovin’ in your heart

I’m banging my head like Beavis, or was it Butt-head. All the bad thoughts in my brain were squeezed out by the sound, all I could do was move to the music.

Rock is dead as a doornail. Because it’s played by guys too old, who know too much, who are too self-referential, who don’t understand that first and foremost it’s about songs, about hooks. And you don’t have to be the best player, but just good enough. And it doesn’t matter if you wrote the lyrics or not, you need a lead singer who can deliver.

What you’re trying to do is light the flame, every night on stage, have that firecracker explode, reach the audience one by one, who continue to come like lemmings.

I’m not sure all the old tools will work. The push, the massive exposure. Nobody can live up to that hype. But never underestimate the power of a riff like the one in “Safari Song.” With loud and quiet, dynamics that Zeppelin employed and punk eviscerated. With a banging drummer and a vocalist topping it off with melody. This is what the business was built on. And maybe it’s gone for good, but I’m betting it’s not. We’ve all got to blow off steam, we’ve all got energy. We want to embrace the swagger. Not that hip-hop cannot coexist. But for far too long they’ve been playing records in clubs, and although I do not think bands are coming back, tonight they did.

Same as it ever was.

And I’d tell you I’m grinning from ear to ear, but that’s not what it’s all about. Rather it’s a rekindling of what once, what I used to believe in and everyone seems to have forgotten. The power of a band. The power of giving it your all. The power of rock and roll to save your soul.

There’s a feeling I get
When I look to the west

And my spirit is crying for staying.

It’s palpable. The feeling you get when you enter the gig, the performance space, after they’ve checked your ticket and you’re inside, where it’s all happening. No different from years ago, when I was still in my teen years. That’s the magic of music, it ties in with your young spirit.

Actually, at lunch, I was the oldest person there. And then it occurred to me, I didn’t see myself that way. They saw me as old, I just saw myself as one of the assembled multitude. But it’s all about going with the flow. Felice’s mother is 94, but what keeps Ginny young is her friends, she’s got as much gumption and get up and go as any youngster.

And the millennials are into food. That’s one thing we missed in my heyday. My father was a gourmet, he was all about getting the best and eating out at fine restaurants, but if you went to a gig you got a boiled hot dog on a stale bun. Although it was a $1.50. Today’s lunch was as good as a Four Seasons buffet. Well, not quite, but close. But it’s de rigueur for millennials.

But their festivals are different. Ours were held in a big field with poor security and so-so sound. There’s are micro-managed with so many options.

So Life Is Beautiful is set in downtown Las Vegas. Forget the slots, forget the Strip, it’s as if they hollowed out a city and plopped a rock festival inside. That’s Tony Hsieh’s mission, to renovate the city. That’s another millennial credo, giving back. But it’s got to be real. Too many corporations pay lip service and today everybody can sniff out a fake.

So it’s unlike Coachella, unlike Bonnaroo, you don’t go away to the festival, it’s right at your doorstep. So you walk around the city blocks and it’s like a bombed-out amusement park, like being in Freedomland today. With neon signs from motels that no longer exist. Sculptures from a futuristic era more akin to “2001” than 2018.

And some of these sculptures are permanent. Like the fire-breathing dragon, like the curve of cars.

And it is hot, but not as hot as I expected it to be. That’s right, Dark Sky says it’s 99 degrees, but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s the angle of the sun. It is not brutal. Although the producers are anxious about the heat.

They don’t come from the music business. William Barker, the Chairman, comes from finance, comes from tech. He runs a fund of a half billion. But he got roped into this and he’s trying to apply a tech perspective to a music festival.

Now everybody selling is a hypester. Steve Jobs being the greatest of all time. He’d say something was innovative when in truth it was copied. But Barker told me he was using data from the app to adjust on the fly. That’s right, you download the app and then the promoters track you. I know, I know, there are privacy concerns, and you can turn the tracking off, but the team uses this data to adjust. They bring in more cooling stations, see what is popular for next year.

They’re all about change on the fly. On a whim they gave away popsicles upon entry. Simple idea, but sourcing those items was not.

Nothing is set in stone.

And they’re building a brand, it’s not only about the festival.

But Tony Hsieh is revitalizing downtown Las Vegas.

So while the techies are denigrated, it’s Elon and Jeff that are pushing the envelope in space. And Jeff and Marc have made a push into publishing. And Tony is trying to save a city. Funny how the values of the traditional corporations and their leaders are not the same.

We live in an era of giving back.

We live in an era of experiences.

Life Is Beautiful is not your parents’ festival. First and foremost it’s not only about music. There is comedy, I want to see Michelle Wolf, but even more there are art exhibits and food trucks and so many other diversions. It’s a theme park for those who’ve outgrown Disneyland.

And Coachella and Lollapalooza have the brand names. And a bunch of festivals have been cancelled this year. But in its sixth year, Life Is Beautiful is profitable. Actually, last year too. Before that, money was lost. Concert promotion is not for the faint of heart. And consolidation in promotion has been the story of the past twenty years. But a few independents are going their own way, and that’s where the innovation lies.

So sure, there are masses of people. Sure, you don’t know all the acts. Sure, it takes an effort to come.

But when you are here you feel something, a fire deep inside that you thought was flickering or burned out. It’s not exactly hope, but your identity. Welcome back to the garden.