We all grew up with music. Whether it’s listening to ACDC in the car with your Pops before saturday morning soccer, oldies when Mum use to pick you up from school, or the burnt CD you and your friends would make on Limewire while downloading Icy Tower and crashing that black Microsoft Laptop everyone had as a kid/teenager. From The Marshall Mathers LP, Hybrid Theory, to Nevermind, we all grew up listening and worshiping our favorite artist.
Concerts were pandemonium as fans would mosh, crowd surf, jump, fight, crash, rage, and PARTY. No fear of acting a fool, just letting the music and energy of the arena, concert hall, field of grass, or Denny’s take control of you. Whether it was Michael Jackson and his infinite aura in Bucharest leaving women to literally faint at the sight of him, Freddy Mercury in the white tank top captivating the world in Wembley Stadium with Live Aids back in 85, or DMX performing in front of what was estimated 200,00 people at Woodstock 99, These iconic performances are what fans of music look back at as some of the greatest performances of all time. And as time goes and the whiskey flows, concerts change and evolve with the times. But what happens when the crowds regress? What happens when the fans and concert goers don’t hold up their end of the bargain?
Live shows are in an odd space as we get ready to wrap up the year of 2024. Venues require clear bags, tickets bought online have more hidden fees than your cable bill, and when it comes to crowd energy, dare I say (Hot Take Alert) is lacking BAD. Crowds have an immense power of making a show into an unforgettable performance that will transcend and live for the end of time. A weak crowd, however, can make a good show feel forgettable. The crowd has more power than we give ourselves credit for, which is why it is so crucial that if you are going to a concert or live performance, that you bring the energy deserving of that artist.
A great example is Blur at Coachella this past April. Blur is one of the most well known Alternative bands of the last 30 plus years. In 2023, Blur put on an all timer for a packed show in Wembley Stadium with an electric crowd and a performance so good, they made a damn movie about it and released an album just from that concert! Fast forward to April of 2024, Coachella Weekend One. Blur goes on the stage for what can only be described as a lethargic and uninterested crowd. Now to be fair, as someone who’s been to 3 Coachella festivals in the last handful of years, I can understand that music festival culture is drastically different from seeing a specific band’s tour. With that said, THE POINT OF A MUSIC FESTIVAL IS TO EXPERIENCE ALL TYPES OF MUSIC! The fun of a Coachella is getting to see the artist you want, while also experiencing something totally new as you wait for the next artist on your list. What makes music festivals such a joy is that you can open your mind to new bands or artists and expand your musical taste.
Unfortunately for Blur, the audience did not share in my views. The audience couldn’t have cared less, and lead singer Damion Albarn had enough. To the point where he told the crowd “You’ll never see us again.”
This is why we can’t have nice things.
As sad as that is for Blur, you can make the argument that Coachella is a young bucks game and Blur being an older band, maybe doesn’t fit the younger demographic. But what happens when it’s for a band’s actual show?
Literally THAT SAME MONTH.
Lady Jams and I went down south for what I called an underground rock show. Brooklyn based band Petite League with their openers Vanillaroma were in LA located in what I can only describe as an old mechanics garage turned concert venue. Sheet metal doors, no windows, and a stage that was probably made that day, it was PERFECT for a rock show. We arrive at the venue and everyone is dressed in their best punk rock or indie rock fits. I order from the bar which is essentially just a guy giving out canned beer from his old fridge, you can’t get any more underground than this. Vanillaroma hop on stage and thrash their 50 minute set. The crowd? Calm, respectful, but quiet. Only a handful, myself included, did any sort of dancing. The rest of the crowd stood in silence. After they hop on set and walk through the crowd to get their beer out of the fridge, Lady Jams and I get ready for Petite League. Now I’ve been following this band for roughly 3 or 4 years now. Excited is an understatement. They hop on the stage, announce who they are and rip off their song “Dagger Eyes.” As Lady Jams and I start to dance and get a move on, what do we see? A still crowd. Clapping after each song, applauding the band but at a bare minimum effort, as if they didn’t pay to see them.
Maybe it’s a California thing. Maybe the laid back attitude of the state has made our crowds chill out and just soak in the music rather than dance or cut loose to it. Maybe fans are so focused on capturing the moment on social media that they miss out on actually watching the show. Whatever the cases may be, I’ll end this long winded blog with this.
I WANT MY ROCK SHOWS TO ROCK DAMMIT.
Case and Point: The Used, Taking Back Sunday, and Raue absolutely crushed the Savemart Center last Wednesday for the New Rock Fall Ball.
