Back when "Armageddon It" was a highlight of a live show, performed by long-permed British rock gods, with big-haired women of the 1980s drooling over very average-looking men, one could expect the magic of the live concert to transcend all boundaries, classes, races, or even to save those in need. This sense of camaraderie created the Live Aid shows and all manner of good-hearted live music sharing. To go see a concert was a big freaking deal, and worthy of an all-day celebration.
Even recently, live music as a special, a seriously sacred time shared between performers and participating songwriters, where something that could only happen once happened, has been replaced by the ticketed party atmosphere with a band playing behind your stupid club dancing or pub-crawling. Jeff Tweedy sums it up in the most perfect way possible:
Yet this week marked a new low point for the recording music industry and the live music industry. Live Nation and Ticketmaster, two of the most corpulent concert ticketing and festival creating forces in the US have merged, pending antitrust approval.
While the purchase may or may not happen, it is a good time to look briefly at the way concerts are done anymore, and to guess at how the moment of musical transcendence that Jeff described above could survive, if it can.
Ticketmaster and/or Live Nation will, up to this point, only be involved if there is a semi-to hugely popular artist or tour involved. If you are going to your local arena, probably Ticketmaster. I even had to buy from them, with their ridiculously inflated and feed-up prices for a small theater show in Denver, of Jimmy Eat World. The world of paying 100 bucks or more to see Madonna or Miley Cyrus might not interact much with music lovers, but to pay for mid-size theater shows or even largeish events like the Foo Fighters or Death Cab For Cutie will put you in their claws.
However, you can keep your local theaters alive and thriving by buying from the box office, or supporting local ticketing online, and going to smaller shows from up-and-coming artists, keeping that level of touring alive and moving. Artists make most of their scratch from this kind of show, where merch is sold direct, and tickets are handled through a booking company or label. This helps immensely, and the concert-goer is a participant in the art, an executive producer, in these cases.
All over the US, independent venues promote quality music, from Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK, to Studio B in Brooklyn, to the Metro in Chicago. Keep your support for these places intact.
And when you do go to a show, be mindful of the people around you. Be polite in crowded spaces, be quiet in quiet shows. If you want to do any of the following:
1. pick up a guy/girl
2. get faded
3. dance up on a guy/girl (dance bands excluded from this)
4. hear your favorite songs
5. hear another band's favorite songs
6. talk
7. play pool
8. play guitar hero
Go to Henry Hudson's or your local misspelled on purpose club named Spyce or something. Don't go to a concert.
Remember, the man doesn't own you, he just owns most of the music markets. Enjoy music.
Dustin
Even recently, live music as a special, a seriously sacred time shared between performers and participating songwriters, where something that could only happen once happened, has been replaced by the ticketed party atmosphere with a band playing behind your stupid club dancing or pub-crawling. Jeff Tweedy sums it up in the most perfect way possible:
Yet this week marked a new low point for the recording music industry and the live music industry. Live Nation and Ticketmaster, two of the most corpulent concert ticketing and festival creating forces in the US have merged, pending antitrust approval.
While the purchase may or may not happen, it is a good time to look briefly at the way concerts are done anymore, and to guess at how the moment of musical transcendence that Jeff described above could survive, if it can.
Ticketmaster and/or Live Nation will, up to this point, only be involved if there is a semi-to hugely popular artist or tour involved. If you are going to your local arena, probably Ticketmaster. I even had to buy from them, with their ridiculously inflated and feed-up prices for a small theater show in Denver, of Jimmy Eat World. The world of paying 100 bucks or more to see Madonna or Miley Cyrus might not interact much with music lovers, but to pay for mid-size theater shows or even largeish events like the Foo Fighters or Death Cab For Cutie will put you in their claws.
However, you can keep your local theaters alive and thriving by buying from the box office, or supporting local ticketing online, and going to smaller shows from up-and-coming artists, keeping that level of touring alive and moving. Artists make most of their scratch from this kind of show, where merch is sold direct, and tickets are handled through a booking company or label. This helps immensely, and the concert-goer is a participant in the art, an executive producer, in these cases.
All over the US, independent venues promote quality music, from Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK, to Studio B in Brooklyn, to the Metro in Chicago. Keep your support for these places intact.
And when you do go to a show, be mindful of the people around you. Be polite in crowded spaces, be quiet in quiet shows. If you want to do any of the following:
1. pick up a guy/girl
2. get faded
3. dance up on a guy/girl (dance bands excluded from this)
4. hear your favorite songs
5. hear another band's favorite songs
6. talk
7. play pool
8. play guitar hero
Go to Henry Hudson's or your local misspelled on purpose club named Spyce or something. Don't go to a concert.
Remember, the man doesn't own you, he just owns most of the music markets. Enjoy music.
Dustin
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