Opening bands have more fun.

In October 1998, even with interest starting to wane in Better Than Ezra, an opening slot for the Baton Rouge, LA band at the 9:30 Club was a good performance slot.  Knowing members of the opening band, my friend and I were invited backstage.   As we were milling around between sets, a musician friend of Better Than Ezra’s who also happened to be in the midst of a national tour stopped by to say hello to everyone.  Since the aforementioned musician was not instantly recognizable without his drum-kit, my friend engaged in conversation with him as if he were just another member of the entourage.  When gentleman mentioned he was leaving D.C. that night to travel to his band’s next gig in New York City, my friend naturally asked “where is your show”?  The response was “we are opening for Barenaked Ladies at Madison Square Garden”, and the even quicker response back was “be prepared for a late arriving crowd”.

What is it about the opening band that generates negativity and disrespect?  Although I have heard the term ‘second tier’ thrown around to describe an opening band, I have been pleasantly surprised many times.  Recently this happened with the support band for The Gaslight Anthem at their September 2013 show at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh, PA.  The band is The Sidekicks from Columbus, OH and their Weezer-influenced sound and raw, unabashed style and delivery definitely earned them their spot on the tour.  Another solid opening act to check out in 2014 is Foy Vance – he has already supported some European dates with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and the United States leg of his tour has him appearing with Brett Dennen.

An opening act or supporting act is the entertainment that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner".  Although a lot of times, the opening act will usually be an up-and-coming group with a smaller following than the featured artist, there is typically a reason the band has been selected to perform.  And outside of the ability to get your friends and family to the show, it’s not easy in getting in front of the headliner’s crowd.  Some fans resent the fact that the opening act is prohibiting them from being able to watch and listen to the act they have paid to see.  Rolling Stone even conducted a ‘Reader’s Poll’ to determine ‘The 10 Best Opening Acts in Rock History’ and one of the highlights of the list was the fact that Guns N' Roses opened up for Motley Crue in 1987, shortly after the release of 'Appetite for Destruction'. 

The satisfaction of converting other fans to your music must be ranked up there with the USSR crowd rallying behind Rocky in IV (check out the 6:40 mark).  So this spring/summer as you head out to shows, the next time you see a band working hard in advance of the band that you actually came to see, stop for a moment and listen.

Thanks for reading!

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

According to Eric Barker of the blog ‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’ (http://bakadesuyo.com/) the music you enjoyed when you were the age of 20 you will probably love for the rest of your life.  I recently spent the weekend with my cousins (who are over 40 years of age) at the same time celebrating another cousin’s 40th birthday.  And similar to the past 20+ years, our go-to conversation was music.

But unfortunately a lot of people over the age of 40 are no longer regularly going to see live music.  I have heard having children, pets, a job, money, etc. are contributors to people no longer going out to see music.  At the same time, since you are never too old to discover new music, there are some excellent resources.  For example, one of my cousins prefers Sirius XM satellite radio.  However, in light of recent 1990s reunion tours (i.e. Neutral Milk Hotel), music fans (no matter what their age) are getting very tired of all the snarky hipster critiques.   As I still try to define what ‘kitchen-sink psych-folk’ is, I think yes, it is very cool to say that I saw G. Love & Special Sauce at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ in 1993 with approximately 50 other people as opposed to their recent reunion stop at Stage AE in Pittsburgh this past February, but then again it is really at its core only cool to me.

It is not over at 40 for musicians or their fans.  While many people leave listening to music to those younger, there are others who still have some impact on today's music scene.  We’re conditioned to believe that if we’re going to be involved in music then we have to do it at a young age.  However, that is not the case.  According to two of my friends who are very invested in music, “The ‘cool’ quotient should be irrelevant.  There is simply music you like and music you do not like.  The ‘coolest’ people are the ones who like what they like without shame and do not bend to hipster peer pressure.  

When I worked in Los Angeles as an intern in the mid-1990s, a guy I became friendly with swore by the band Oingo Boingo – a band best known for their semi-theatrical music and high energy Halloween concerts.  He confided to me that everyone who enjoys music roots for their own band/artist the way he pulled for Oingo Boingo.  I agree with this thought process and have my own bands who fit into this category.

One of my favorite sources for new music performed in a live setting is “Live From Daryl's House” – a monthly, free, live performace webcast featuring Daryl Hall and an eclectic guest list.  In fact, the most recent episode featured the band Johnnyswim and although there is not a long list of people who would consider Daryl Hall cool or the folk, soul, blues, pop music duo of Johnnyswim so cool, I really dig the program and by coincidence my over 40 cousin was the one who recommended Johnnyswim in the first place..

Thank you for reading!