By Allison Brennan
I had a blog half-written about e-book royalties, but it's release to possess to expect because I'm too trite to be analytical this late Saturday night (early Sunday morning. Why? Because I just returned from my first rock concert in ages.
Before I had kids, I went to a lot of concerts. I'm sure this is standard fare for most of us. For me, I love rock. LOVE it.
But I'm still fairly traditional in my rock taste. In the 80s, I was a reversion to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who and a feeling of harder rock like AC/DC and The Scorpions. In the 90s, I still liked the same bands, but add in U2 and The Eagles and The Steve Miller Band and Kansas. A little less hard. But current bands? Ugh. I couldn't see anything new I truly liked.
After kids? Getting out to concerts is difficult, to say the least. I believe we've been to 2 or 3. I know Steve Miller was one, a long time ago.
The 2000s have seen a revival in real rock bands. When I said "real" I mean rockers who can really play an instrument AND entertain. Saturday night I saw Nickelback with 3 Days Grace.
To say the concert was fabulous is an understatement. And yet though I'm over 40 and brought my two teenaged daughters and my eldest's boyfriend, I even enjoyed myself. One thing I noted immediately is that these bands drew in a full array of ages. There were a lot of older teens, but only as many 30 and 40 somethings-so I felt good at home. (Unlike "Jingle Ball" a couple years ago which was all pre teens and teenagers and other than Katie Perry who can really represent the guitar and knock out a song, none of the performers were anything more than mediocre.)
Both bands have real gift for music, songwriting, and singing. But as we all know, talent is but one part of a successful artist. These bands both know how to entertain. They put on shows-Nickelback complete with pyrotechnics. But it wasn't only the bells and whistles. Nickelback came out to a point in the middle, away from the lights and gimmicks, and simply sat on stools playing guitar and singing. That shows confidence. That they don't take all the other material to bring good music.
Some of the fun stuff was playing riffs from popular and timeless songs -such as Pink Floyd's THE Fence and Travel and Bon Jovi, among others. It not only showed the bands roots and influences, but showed an admiration of those who came before them.
Needless to say, I was impressed. I loved the entire concert (perhaps still more than my teenagers! and would go again in a heartbeat.
A talented band is surely necessary to love a concert, though there are some musicians who are more performers than artists (such as so many of the popular "pop" bands of today. These type of performers couldn't put the gimmicks aside and sit on a pot and play guitar and establish the audience an amazing show. Because they are nothing outside of the bells and whistles; their talent is entirely in the operation itself.
One highlight was Daniel Adair, Nickelback's drummer. Not merely is he talented, but he is evocative of the best drummers of my favorite bands. While no one compares (IMO) to Jon Bonham, Adair was awful to heed to, and his alone was truly remarkable. The drummer often is overlooked in bands, but a bad drummer is noticeable, and a good drummer makes every song better. Drummers are the back of rock.
Writers are unlike in that we don't "perform", but we do want to entertain. No one is passing to pay to hear to us learn from our books (at least not most of us! but they do buy books because they need to take a few hours of enjoyment. Whether they get their pleasure from the charge of a suspense, the beat of a mystery, or the centre of a romance, they wish to close the book and think, "That was a full story."
There are a few other bands I would know to see in concert, and maybe I'll make to lead them down. The Howling Diablos are one, but I haven't heard them playing outside of Michigan yet. They're more bluesy, maybe I could see them in a club. And so there's The Dropkick Murphys from Boston who my friend Carla Neggers saw before attending the 2009 Thrillerfest (and yes, I was jealous. And maybe Eagles of Death Metal because they get such fun songs. But if Nickelback or 3 Days Grace came back? I'll be there.
What current band would you wish to see? What band would you have loved to see? (For me? Hands down, Pink Floyd's THE WALL. Though The Who would be a last second.)
For your enjoyment:
Nickelback performing Burn it to the Land in 2009
Nickelback performing Animals in 2006
Daniel Adair's drum solo in London last year:
Three Days Grace performing Riot in Detroit
Three Days Grace "Break" music video
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