Roger Waters to tour The Wall

[Orkie]

Greatest show ever.

[embiggen]

Greatest show ever.

 

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I'm sure this is an epic show, quite literally, and I'm sure he sounds good enough for the audience. I, too, will mourn the passing of the great rock (and folk) icons. To me, we are truly coming to the end of a musical renaissance, and nothing will replace it in our lifetimes...and that's okay. When the great jazz legends of the 20th century were gone - Coltrane, Miles, Lee Morgan, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday - there was nothing close to replace them. Sure, there are still great musicians playing jazz, but nothing on a level like back then. If I could time travel, I would see them all.

Similarly, the rock dinosaurs are nearly extinct. Dylan will be worthwhile to see until he dies, but who else will? The only thing that will fill stadiums or arenas in the near future is, possibly, rap or hip-hop shows, and I don't even have to finish my comment on that. It's sad, but the end of an era is nigh. Then again, I'm just glad I have been able to participate, because it's a great time to be alive.

[Orkie]

Holy freaking cow what a show. Night 2 at UC was insane. Perfect sound, performances, visuals, everything.

[Winston Legthigh]

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/09/concert-review-roger-waters-performs-the-wall-at-united-center.html

 

Greg Kot's review. Too bad he doesn't review the performance, but instead reviews The Wall.

The first reader's comment after the article is hilarious - the writer calls Wilco a shoegazing band.

[Sir Stewart]

It's sad, but the end of an era is nigh. Then again, I'm just glad I have been able to participate, because it's a great time to be alive.

 

Your writing is damn good. It's just a shame you missed out on rock 'n' roll. It's over.

- Over?

It's over. You got here just in time for the death rattle. Last gasp. Last grope.

- At least I'm here for that.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Your writing is damn good. It's just a shame you missed out on rock 'n' roll. It's over.

- Over?

It's over. You got here just in time for the death rattle. Last gasp. Last grope.

- At least I'm here for that.

Well, Lester Bangs was wrong there, but I do think that the end -- at least, for now -- of the epic megastar rock show is just about here. Maybe some day there will be a whole new batch of rock bands who can fill large arenas (and Wilco deserves to be one of them), but probably not too soon, given the cultural zeitgeist and the economic situation...

[embiggen]

Lady Gaga and Madonna , but I guess they aren't rock n' roll...

[Orkie]

Well, Lester Bangs was wrong there, but I do think that the end -- at least, for now -- of the epic megastar rock show is just about here. Maybe some day there will be a whole new batch of rock bands who can fill large arenas (and Wilco deserves to be one of them), but probably not too soon, given the cultural zeitgeist and the economic situation...

 

 

You need a pretty high caliber of songs and the talent to pull it off. You need classic after classic album as well like a Zep or Floyd. I'm not sure there are any "modern" bands which can pull that off. The "zaniest" live act is the Lips, and they aren't close to pulling it off.

 

U2 is the only band that can. They've got some incredible tunes and a fine sense of showmanship - but certianly ntohing on the level of the Wall live.

[Moss]

Even though my favorite shows have always been in small clubs, it is kind of cool being alive in the era of Dylan, Floyd, Stones, McCartney, Waters... It will be strange not having them around, they have always been there my entire life. Then again Chuck Berry is still going strong so we could have a ways to go yet.

[embiggen]

Even though my favorite shows have always been in small clubs, it is kind of cool being alive in the era of Dylan, Floyd, Stones, McCartney, Waters... It will be strange not having them around, they have always been there my entire life. Then again Chuck Berry is still going strong so we could have a ways to go yet.

 

 

and don't forget Jerry Lee Lewis. he has a new record out!@

[Mr. Heartbreak]

They have always been there my entire life, too...not to mention Bowie, Elton, Neil Young.... I also think of those who haven't been with us for a while, like Jerry and Uncle Frankie. I still wish I could see either of them again.

 

Because the music business is so fragmented now, and tends to be dominated by pop acts, rap/hip-hop and indie bands, I can't visualize a big resurgence of major rock acts who can fill the big arenas or stadiums again. But then again, I couldn't visualize America electing Dubya, so what do I know?

 

Of course, it's fair to mention that Roger Waters wouldn't fill them either if he wasn't playing one of Floyd's main sellers. He couldn't pull it off with Meddle or even Animals...which is a shame, really, because those songs would be AWESOME to hear live!

[Orkie]

He played lots of Animals songs the last tours.

 

And it wouldn't matter what Floyd album he toured. All the marquee would have to say is "from the former main songwriter of Pink Floyd". When people see that band name, they think "high quality live event", and will come in droves, as they are doing now.

 

What a show!

[jff]

 

 

Because the music business is so fragmented now, and tends to be dominated by pop acts, rap/hip-hop and indie bands, I can't visualize a big resurgence of major rock acts who can fill the big arenas or stadiums again. But then again, I couldn't visualize America electing Dubya, so what do I know?

 

 

 

This comment (or similar) has been made a few times now, and I'm not sure I can go along with it. There are numerous current rock acts that play arenas and sheds. Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Weezer, etc. all play 15,000+ venues when they come to my city.

 

Most of the stadium acts, such as the Stones, Floyd, etc. played fairly small venues in their heyday. Almost none of the classic acts played stadiums when they were producing their best work.

 

Maybe I don't know what you mean by "major rock act." Can an "indie band", such as Arcade Fire, not be a "major rock act"? If not, why not?

[tinnitus photography]

This comment (or similar) has been made a few times now, and I'm not sure I can go along with it. There are numerous current rock acts that play arenas and sheds. Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Weezer, etc. all play 15,000+ venues when they come to my city.

 

Most of the stadium acts, such as the Stones, Floyd, etc. played fairly small venues in their heyday. Almost none of the classic acts played stadiums when they were producing their best work.

 

Maybe I don't know what you mean by "major rock act." Can an "indie band", such as Arcade Fire, not be a "major rock act"? If not, why not?

 

here's my take...i think the original premise is spot on. if you look at the makeup of the scheduled dates for outdoor sheds and arenas, it's probably 40% 'classic rock' bands, then about 25% pop/hip-hop/country, with 25% being a mix of 'modern' or jam bands, and then 10% 'other.'

 

to even open the doors and turn on the power to one of these venues, you need a fairly considerable amount of revenue to pay the staff and pay the electric bill. so, you can't sell 10,000 tickets at $15 a piece, and expect a successful business model. if a particular band (no matter how good they are) does not have a pretty broad fan base, you will not fill the building even if you give tickets away. people have other things to do.

 

couple this with the dilution of marketing power, in terms of radio and print mags like Rolling Stone...the era of the superstar is OVER. the kind of band with a long, storied career and unbridled popularity?...they are T Rex and the meteor called Shawn Fanning hit them a few years ago.

 

I am very curious to see what sort of events are held in hockey arenas in ten years' time, and how many.

 

 

edit:

There are numerous current rock acts that play arenas and sheds. Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Weezer, etc. all play 15,000+ venues when they come to my city

 

the problem is, bands like Radiohead and Arcade Fire only tour once every 3 or so years...REO Speedwagon, Styx, Motley Crue...all the B level FM bands that fill the summer schedule bills tour every year. how long can they manage that?

[jff]

 

 

 

the problem is, bands like Radiohead and Arcade Fire only tour once every 3 or so years...REO Speedwagon, Styx, Motley Crue...all the B level FM bands that fill the summer schedule bills tour every year. how long can they manage that?

 

My guess is they can manage it until Kings of Leon and Weezer become the new Styx and REO Speedwagon.

 

Or, 2017, to be specific. Give or take a year.

[tinnitus photography]

that's two bands...there are a ton of FM bands from the 60s/70s/80s...not too many current bands that are on the radio for more than a year or two.

[jff]

that's two bands...there are a ton of FM bands from the 60s/70s/80s...not too many current bands that are on the radio for more than a year or two.

 

Surely you see the fallacy in comparing 30 years to "current."

[tinnitus photography]

current = fleeting pop stars, one-hit wonders.

 

ok, let's pick an arbitrary date...1998...give me a roster of bands who released their debut LP on or after that date, that could routinely play 5K+ venues today.

 

 

outside the well-known A listers of classic rock radio, you always get packaged tours like 38 Special/Foreigner, or Pat Benatar/REO Speedwagon, or Poison/Warrant/Ratt, etc...every single year. those comprise a large chunk of the shows that hit these kind of venues, at least near me.

 

there are two large outdoor theaters (Comcast Center (~20K) and Bank of America Pavilion (5K) near me, as well as the a couple of large indoor venues (TD Garden, 15K; 8K). their schedules have been riddled w/ aging dinosaurs or pop sensations, with very little 'new' bands on the schedule. off the top of my head, i can think of these bands that played BofA:

 

Black Keys

Arcade Fire

MGMT

Vampire Weekend

 

at Comcast, i can't think of one band fitting that criteria who headlined a show.

 

 

maybe where you live it's a different story.

[Dmada]

green day came close to selling out giants stadium

dave matthews sells a lot of tickets at the major baseball parks

phish could probably come close to selling out a stadium in the right place on the right night

not sure if you consider these "modern" rock acts

 

also, Jay-z/eminem sold out yankee stadium and although its rap, they put on quite a show and it was the hottest ticket in town

 

there are a few "modern" acts that can do stadiums, and do them well-but I do agree that its nothing like the late 70s-eagles, stones, zep floyd, fleetwood mac, ac/dc, aerosmith, sabbath-Im probably forgetting a few

 

the big difference between then and now is the record companies' control over the music that was promoted and the limited avenues in which to do so-radio and concerts

 

now the artists have greater access to the markets and many many more ways to promote their music-and that has led to the fragmentation mentioned above

[tinnitus photography]

i am not denying the fact that some current bands can draw big crowds. there's just not enough of them to sustain the current system.

 

Coldplay is about the only band i can think of (and admittedly this sphere isn't where i spend a lot of time, so i am likely missing a fair number of bands) who started releasing material in 1998 or later and can fill an arena. surely a dozen years is enough time to grow an audience to this size, right? edit - Kings of Leon also qualify.

 

my argument is that it was MUCH easier (and faster) to do this pre-Napster (which, coincidentally, started in 1999).

 

 

I don't see any compelling rebuttals against my premise.

[suites]

My guess is they can manage it until Kings of Leon and Weezer become the new Styx and REO Speedwagon.

 

Or, 2017, to be specific. Give or take a year.

 

 

So True.

 

It is amazing that those bands were really loved during their time...now they are shit on in a big way. I don't understand how I like them so much then and can't listen to a single song today and enjoy. I remember seeing Styx during early eighties and thought they were the bomb...what was I thinkning. I should have been seeing the Clash.

[jff]

current = fleeting pop stars, one-hit wonders.

 

ok, let's pick an arbitrary date...1998...give me a roster of bands who released their debut LP on or after that date, that could routinely play 5K+ venues today.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't really follow current acts and it's been years since I've been to a venue with 5,000+ capacity, so I can only name a few of those acts. I think it's a bit short sighted to try to tell the future and pretend there won't be any younger arena acts.

 

Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire both play arenas, and both released their debuts after 1998. I'm sure the full roster is much longer than that. Avenged Sevenfold, and other groups like them play arenas, too.

 

You're probably going to be surprised in 20 years by how many of these groups are still playing large venues.

 

Please note...I'm not saying any of these groups are good.

[Dmada]

i am not denying the fact that some current bands can draw big crowds. there's just not enough of them to sustain the current system.

 

Coldplay is about the only band i can think of (and admittedly this sphere isn't where i spend a lot of time, so i am likely missing a fair number of bands) who started releasing material in 1998 or later and can fill an arena. surely a dozen years is enough time to grow an audience to this size, right? edit - Kings of Leon also qualify.

 

my argument is that it was MUCH easier (and faster) to do this pre-Napster (which, coincidentally, started in 1999).

 

 

I don't see any compelling rebuttals against my premise.

I forgot about coldplay

 

 

As far as filling arenas, I dont see how it relates to napster at all. Napster promoted piracy. If anything, you would think that would increase concert attendance due to it becoming a primary source of revenue. I beleive that is why you are seeing all the nostalgia acts-much fewer folks are buying their records these days.

 

Its the internet in general. The increased exposure of so many types of music and artists being available through so many different sources. And its the emergence independent labels and artists breaking away from the record companies' traditional method of selling music. Somewhere in there live nation/TM and the increase in prices along with the economy has affected bands' ability to fill arenas. Its the sum of all these parts IMHO.

 

So who is filling the arenas? R&B, rap, pop and country artists-with the occasional-latin or reggaeton star-unfortunately, these are what is popular in our country right now.

 

But I cant say Im unhappy about it. The only arena/stadium acts I see are Pearl Jam and Furthur. Otherwise, I am very happy that I can see MMJ at terminal 5 or wilco at the bushnell.

[tinnitus photography]

I don't really follow current acts and it's been years since I've been to a venue with 5,000+ capacity, so I can only name a few of those acts. I think it's a bit short sighted to try to tell the future and pretend there won't be any younger arena acts.

 

i think you are missing my point. i'm not saying there won't be any. I'm saying there won't be enough keep the same rate of scheduled dates for these sorts of venues, as it has been.