Gigs: Price and Predjudice

[Nicklab]

Originally posted by getz76:

Jeremy, that was one of the loudest clubs I had ever been in.

 

Almost as loud as Don Hill's on the West Side. (NYC folks know what I'm talking about)

Going to that place is like dealing with someone who is hellbent on jamming icepicks into your ears.

 

I agree that live music, at least on the local level, is on the decline. I know there have been so many venues in NYC that have gone away just in the past 10 years that it's frightening.

 

I think a lot of why live music is on the decline is because people in bars and clubs want music that they know. There's a great number of people who just want to hear music from a CD or vinyl. I don't think it's much more complicated than that. There's also the fact that a lot of music that has come out in the past decade or so does not lend itself to being covered by a band. Hip Hop is one of the most signifigant parts of the music industry now, but do you see any bands out there covering it? The same goes for a lot of club music, industrial and the like.

 

I think another issue is that there are just SO MANY more entertainment options for people now. For those who are in their 30's or older, what were your entertainment options during the 70's? If you were in a major metropolitan area you had maybe 7 channels of television, the movies, live music and other assorted activities.

 

Fast forward to now. If you've got DirectTV you have HUNDREDS of channels of television. You've got the internet which is virtually endless. You've got mega-multiplexes instead of standalone movie theaters. You've got movies and other entertainment in so many different recorded formats that it's ridiculous. It's truly bordering on sensory overload. With so many entertainment options it's no wonder that people are doing so many other things than going to see bands.

[jeremy c]

Following up on what Nicklab just said, I have a large screen tv connected to my very large home sound system. (12" woofers, etc., etc.)I can buy a DVD of a group that I like and hear and see them WAY better than if I actually go out live.

 

For instance, I've gone to a venue called the Great American Music Hall many, many times. Recently I got the Boz Scaggs concert DVD which was filmed there. The sound was so much better than the sound is when you actually in the place that it was unbelieveable.

 

I also could see everyone on the stage. And usually I end up sitting behind a pole when I go there...after facing Bay Bridge traffic and driving around in circles for 20 minutes looking for a parking place.