as someone who would fight tooth & nail to put attack & release / brothers era black keys very very high in the rock contribution pantheon in the last 25 years I think I can fairly suggest maybe it’s just that their recent output has been a huge overproduced bummer I have no interest in seeing live
I interviewed booking agents, tour managers, and other experts about the Black Keys debacle and why some high-profile arena tours are struggling to sell tickets right now. New piece for Stereogum:
I also like el Camino, but this latest is just so bland and bad
and if I recall they were one of the groups that got very defensive about people who suggested "selling out" should maybe still be a thing after their music over-saturated the market
hell I could even get cautiously on board with turn blue, it was fine enough. I don’t expect nonstop plateau albums. but shit the downward slide is so hard to not hear when you have the whole picture in mind over ten years
"Rock Bands from my college years that haven't lost the juice" uh maybe QotSA? Vampire Weekend's recent had a solid start even if it never went anywhere.
I entirely realize this sounds misanthropic af but I do not want to go see a band I love play music I don’t love around people I do not fit in around who love the current version of the band
Small venue shows are the best, hands down. I've seen arena shows and small venue shows, and the arena shows just don't compare to having the band on stage like *right over there*. Depending on the band, sometimes you might even get to meet them after the show.
there’s a band out of ohio called murder by death and as far as I know they’ve never played a show bigger than a few hundred people (I know I’m wrong on this but it’s a generality) and every show I’ve seen has been a “holy shit why are these guys still so under the radar” experience
