It’s different here.\u00c2\u00a0 Everybody’s still a believer.<\/p>\n
There’s radio.\u00c2\u00a0 That everybody listens to.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s television, featuring all the new acts.\u00c2\u00a0 And tons of TV advertising and billboards to boot.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s a vibe here, music is part of the fabric.\u00c2\u00a0 David Byrne had it right.\u00c2\u00a0 Same as it ever was.<\/p>\n
At the Shepherd’s Bush Empire tonight I felt it was like 1964, and the Beatles were performing.\u00c2\u00a0 The venue is unlike any in the U.S., that I’ve been to anyway.\u00c2\u00a0 It looks like a legit theatre, but according to the history, it’s always been used for music.<\/p>\n
On the floor people were packed in so tight it was almost like the Who in Cleveland.<\/p>\n
And then there were THREE balconies.\u00c2\u00a0 Hovering seeming feet from the stage.\u00c2\u00a0 It was so intimate, you felt so THERE!\u00c2\u00a0 There was a level of excitement we used to have HERE in the sixties.\u00c2\u00a0 One that disappeared long ago, with the arena rock of the seventies and the MTV of the eighties.<\/p>\n
Speaking of which, the Feeling covered the Buggles’ "Video Killed The Radio Star".\u00c2\u00a0 I heard the initial notes and…couldn’t believe it.<\/p>\n
But even more stunning was that everybody knew the words.\u00c2\u00a0 They were singing along.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, many times during the show the audience functioned like a backup singer.<\/p>\n
You’d think it would be all girls, aren’t they the only ones listening to pop?<\/p>\n
But there were some oldsters like me.\u00c2\u00a0 And twentysomething dudes who looked like they’d whomp you in a blind alley.\u00c2\u00a0 But, they were singing along with every word.<\/p>\n
It’s like music is the national religion here.\u00c2\u00a0 Not like a sideshow in the U.S.<\/p>\n
All the money and all the celebrity conspired to ruin the mainstream music scene in the States.\u00c2\u00a0 The only shit worth seeing is under the radar.\u00c2\u00a0 Whether it be Robert Randolph or some band in a club.\u00c2\u00a0 The stars?\u00c2\u00a0 They don’t seem to be playing to the fans, but to the media.\u00c2\u00a0 Their devotion is to the bank, not the listener.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s palpable.\u00c2\u00a0 The mainstream music scene in the U.S. is so phony that you tune it out.<\/p>\n
But according to Richard, CD sales are UP in the teenage demo in the U.K.\u00c2\u00a0 I mean broadband penetration isn’t what it is in the U.S., but I see a lot of white headphones.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, CD prices are dropping here.\u00c2\u00a0 Tesco is in a battle with Warner, it won’t even stock a couple of hit records until they bring the price down.\u00c2\u00a0 Predictions are that CDs are gonna decline to five pounds, far less than half of what they were only a few years ago.<\/p>\n
And this gig?\u00c2\u00a0 Thirteen pounds and change.\u00c2\u00a0 Which works out to under thirty bucks.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, it’s cheaper than that.\u00c2\u00a0 Because our money ain’t worth shit over here.\u00c2\u00a0 Lunch at the museum today, a small salad, was twelve bucks.\u00c2\u00a0 The ten minute cab ride to the venue?\u00c2\u00a0 Twenty bucks.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not like we’re living in a third world nation in the U.S., but for the supposed greatest country in the world, we’re not looking too good.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, the FOOD is even good in London these days.\u00c2\u00a0 The Tesco at the gas station doesn’t only put 7-11 to shame, it eclipsed Ralphs in quality, if not breadth.<\/p>\n
So whatever anybody tells you, don’t take what’s happening in the U.K. to be representative of what’s happening in the U.S., and vice versa.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re two completely different worlds.\u00c2\u00a0 The U.S. has got Top Forty, comprised of hip-hop and a bit of pop, and the underground.\u00c2\u00a0 With dinosaurs ruling the live venues.<\/p>\n
In the U.K., the dinosaurs tour, hell, I saw an ad for HAWKWIND in "Q".\u00c2\u00a0 But the up and comers, it’s a very vibrant scene.\u00c2\u00a0 And it’s multifarious genres, in a way we haven’t seen in the States since the seventies.<\/p>\n
Sure, the acts sell out and do endorsements here, but it’s not as big a deal, because people don’t believe in the myth.\u00c2\u00a0 They know except for the Robbie Williamses, everybody’s doing it for a lark, and will be down in the pit working a day job with them soon.<\/p>\n
As for the band…<\/p>\n
The mix was HORRIFIC!\u00c2\u00a0 The bass sounded like a chainsaw and dominated the mix.\u00c2\u00a0 The solo in "Sewn" couldn’t even be heard.\u00c2\u00a0 And the lead singer was just as jive as he was in L.A.<\/p>\n
But it all didn’t fall flat here.\u00c2\u00a0 The audience clapped hard for an encore.\u00c2\u00a0 The early twentysomething girls in front of me drank their beer and shook their asses even though none of them had a man in sight.\u00c2\u00a0 It was about the MUSIC!\u00c2\u00a0 The way it made them feel.\u00c2\u00a0 Real good.<\/p>\n
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