My phone and e-mail have been ringing about U2 and the Stones.<\/p>\n
I have no desire to see them.\u00c2\u00a0 Should I feel bad about that?<\/p>\n
U2’s indoor tour for "Achtung Baby" was one of the best I’ve ever seen.\u00c2\u00a0
Right up there with the Who performing "Tommy" at the Fillmore East.\u00c2\u00a0 But I just
don’t want to hang with those people.\u00c2\u00a0 Newly-rich Gen X’ers reliving their
college days.\u00c2\u00a0 Telling themselves how they still believe on the long walk back
from the arena to their SUVs.\u00c2\u00a0 If you can afford to waste all that money on a U2
show you’re inherently a disbeliever.\u00c2\u00a0 You sold out to the system long ago.<\/p>\n
Rock is about an energy.\u00c2\u00a0 A limit-testing.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, Sly Stone’s performances
were a celebration, but there was this edgy sexuality that had you writhing.\u00c2\u00a0 It
was all about the moment.\u00c2\u00a0 There was no nostalgia involved.<\/p>\n
But what’s worse is the Stones.\u00c2\u00a0 What would possess someone to pay $450 to
see these old farts, going through the motions.\u00c2\u00a0 Give the people what they want.
Ray Davies said it ironically.\u00c2\u00a0 The Stones are living it.\u00c2\u00a0 And the people in
attendance.\u00c2\u00a0 With their one of everything.\u00c2\u00a0 A mini-mansion, a vacation home,
an SUV, a Mercedes, a Harley.\u00c2\u00a0 This show is another notch in their belt.<\/p>\n
These shows don’t represent anything I got hooked on music FOR!<\/p>\n
Music was an escape from society.\u00c2\u00a0 A place where I went to lick my wounds.\u00c2\u00a0 A
place where like-minded people resided.\u00c2\u00a0 Castaways from society.\u00c2\u00a0 AM radio
was for the mainstream.\u00c2\u00a0 We had our FM.\u00c2\u00a0 And our Fillmores.\u00c2\u00a0 And our Bitter
Ends.\u00c2\u00a0 And our Roxys.<\/p>\n
I don’t think most people going to see the Stones ever partook of shows back
then.\u00c2\u00a0 It was just too dangerous.\u00c2\u00a0 Go down to the East Village on a weeknight?
On ANY night?<\/p>\n
U2 and the Stones are business.\u00c2\u00a0 If you doubt me, then why do you have to
join a fan club to buy the theoretically good seats for U2’s shows.\u00c2\u00a0 Bruce
Springsteen doesn’t do this.\u00c2\u00a0 And check the Stones’ merchandise display.\u00c2\u00a0
Who’d wear this shit?<\/p>\n
Fuck ’em all.\u00c2\u00a0 The major labels.\u00c2\u00a0 Clear Channel.\u00c2\u00a0 Everybody justifying their
behavior on the past.\u00c2\u00a0 The music business is just as bad as the movie
business.\u00c2\u00a0 Needing to preserve its release WINDOWS!<\/p>\n
Instead of Edgar Bronfman, Jr. railing how he’s not getting enough money from
XM I’d like to see him testifying in the press how fucking great the service
is.\u00c2\u00a0 But if he was ever a music fan, he’s forgotten.<\/p>\n
Give Jimmy Iovine credit for his success.\u00c2\u00a0 But isn’t the 50 Cent movie just a
replica of "8 Mile"?\u00c2\u00a0 Haven’t we literally seen this movie before?\u00c2\u00a0 Even if
people go, how good a taste does it leave in one’s mouth?<\/p>\n
The whole major business is moldy and decrepit.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s so far from the
underpinnings of the modern era, what this edifice was built upon, it’s laughable.<\/p>\n
First and foremost it’s about music.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not about hair.\u00c2\u00a0 Or appearances on
TV.\u00c2\u00a0 Or motherfucking Grammy awards.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s about being in a club, in the
dark, and hearing a sound that transports you.<\/p>\n
I don’t mind following my favorite act from club to arena.\u00c2\u00a0 If they give a
little time to me.\u00c2\u00a0 If they’re not touring arenas on their FIRST ALBUM!\u00c2\u00a0 Give me
a little time with them.\u00c2\u00a0 Before the machine eats them up and they wonder
what they’re in it for to begin with.<\/p>\n
Outside a Poquito Mas in Burbank today I heard the Subdudes’ "Do Me A Favor"
on XM’s Cafe.<\/p>\n
You’ve probably never heard it, never mind are aware of the band.\u00c2\u00a0 But this
is something I want to see live.\u00c2\u00a0 A group of people doing it for the JOY!\u00c2\u00a0 That
joy is contagious.<\/p>\n
The more ticket prices go up, the more they hype the big acts, the less I
care.<\/p>\n
Madonna.\u00c2\u00a0 Give me a break.\u00c2\u00a0 A desperate fortysomething worried her career is
tanking makes a dance record.\u00c2\u00a0 She’s got no soul.\u00c2\u00a0 If we cut her open I think
we’d find wires.<\/p>\n
And don’t give me that male\/female shit.\u00c2\u00a0 Did you ever see Laura Nyro?\u00c2\u00a0 She
touched your soul.<\/p>\n
But now I’m off point.<\/p>\n
I’m just saying real music fans are tired.\u00c2\u00a0 They don’t want to go to the big
shows.\u00c2\u00a0 Everything seems like a rerun.\u00c2\u00a0 Like Todd Rundgren said in the
seventies, can’t we go back to the bars?<\/p>\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My phone and e-mail have been ringing about U2 and the Stones. I have no desire to see them.\u00c2\u00a0 Should I feel bad about that? U2’s indoor tour for "Achtung Baby" was one of the best I’ve ever seen.\u00c2\u00a0 Right up there with the Who performing "Tommy" at the Fillmore East.\u00c2\u00a0 But I just don’t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-shows","category-music-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-3z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}