Rage Against the Machine…trying to calm people the fuck down.

This post was inspired by my two buddies out in Arizona who are currently training for an upcoming Ironman. I’ve been following their progress via their blogs, A Mighty Adventure and More like Aluminum, Less Like Iron. They’re doing it for charity so if you feel like doing so good, head over.

I’m a runner, which is to say I can do five miles without vomiting my insides out, but I’ve never done a 3K, Marathon or an Ironman (which combines running, bicycling, swimming and, for those who don’t train, crying).

So I’m always fascinated that these two dudes who I’ve had some epic drunken nights with, can muster up the desire to push their human bodies to the limit.

It got me thinking about running and listening to music, and those drunken nights (one in particular involves a Cure concert where we mocked opening band Interpol by screaming “McFly!” at the bassist…we felt he looked like Crispin Glover).

What concerts were you at that inspired you to run around like crazy and into the mosh pit to challenge some dude you had no business challenging in the first place?

The first time it happened to me was during a Green Day concert, circa 1994, when “Dookie” just came out. It was the one in Boston when the band left the stage because the audience started throwing mud. It was my first official mosh pit-crowd surfing experience and I went nuts. At one point, I’m pretty sure I was running around in circles.

After that, a Distillers show comes to mind where I through myself into the pit while my buddy hung out in the back drinking beer from a broken glass bottle (somehow, his insides weren’t ripped apart). After that, I rode a bike home drunk off my ass and came close to hitting a couple of trees.

That’s about as close as I’ve ever gotten to an Ironman. How about you?

What was the last live album you bought? I know, took me a while too. I have some DVDs I’ve gotten and some live tracks that I either got off mixes or “found” on the Internet. But other than that, I really can’t think of the last one I seriously went out of my way to buy.

And that thought made this article in The Independent with the headline “Live Albums are Dead, and Music is the Lose” all the more interesting.

The one album that sticks out for me is AC/DC Live, one of the first CDs I bought for myself. I liked three-chord rock and songs about sex (wait, I still do). But I also liked hearing the crowd chant and hearing them explode when Angus Young started “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” It was like another crazy world and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

After that, the only other live album I can really remember is Nirvana’s Unplugged one that came out a couple of months after Cobain’s suicide. I remember initially taping it off the radio before buying it. (Oh! I also remember that crazy Pearl Jam experiment when they sold live recordings from their national and world tour). And Johnny Cash’s prison albums are still in heavy rotation on the iPod.

So with that, is it true? Is the live album dead? The article blames shoddy live recordings found on Youtube (and even more on Songza) that have led to the live album’s demise.

I hesitate to call the live album dead, especially when iTunes has its iTunes Live sessions (those may just be available in digital format), the most recent one featuring R.E.M. There’s also NPR’s Live in Concert from All Songs Considered, where the public radio station records a concert and posts it as a podcast on its site (the Swell Season one is my favorite so far).

So I really don’t think the live album is dead…it’s just in different forms and I think the article shows just how angry an old man can get when he doesn’t understand technology and long for the days when music only came in a physical form.

Thoughts?

The great Bonnaroo music festival is this weekend, meaning that hipsters, stoners and lucky bastards who could afford the tickets will be headed to Tennessee for a weekend of aural (and possibly sexual?) bliss.

But someone (or thing) is also headed toward the festival. It’s a musical beast that, in years past, has battled music fans and taken a giant goddamn shit on the great genre that is metal. I speak, of course, of Metallica.

(BTW: did you hear their latest dick move? They invited bloggers to a listening party of their new album, and then demanded told them to remove the reviews of said album off their blogs. First thought: they have a new album?)

Some are worried that Metallica’s inclusion in the festival will ruin it (others say the festival, despite Metallica’s involvement, is already on the way out in terms of being “cool”).

I came across an article today that listed the five reasons why Metallica would doom Bonnaroo. And while it’s funny, the list does make some good points (It’s also rumored that the band is behind the high gas prices too).

So is Bonnaroo on the outs? And is it Metallica’s fault?

I think Bonnaroo has peaked. it’s about that time that someone comes along to gut it or burn it alive. As for Metallica, I don’t know what’s going on with that band. I lost interest after the Napster war and haven’t looked back since. Oh and when Jason Newsted left, there was no hope of me going back.

Any thoughts on the actions of Metallica?

The other day I read an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News with the headline “Are Cellphones Ruining the Concert Experience?”

I immediately read it and found artists like Feist, Roger Waters, Steve Earle, and Ice Cube all bitching about playing a show and seeing a sea of cell phone/digital cameras in the audience instead of faces. Yup, you read that right. They are pissed that you’re taking a picture or video of them. Maybe it’s because they believe part of their soul gets taken away. Or maybe they just don’t want their fans to document their experience.

I’m sorry, but I barely feel any pity for musicians who don’t want their picture taken at a concert, especially when fans are paying more for tickets these days. If you really don’t like it, pull a Kanye West and put on a show with an insane light show that makes picture taking impossible, even for the New York Times.

The article also had Michael Stipe saying “It’s a really interesting trend – instead of clapping, they’re blogging.” You know what’s more interesting than that? REM joining the trend by allowing their fans to post pictures/reviews/video of their shows directly on their website.

As one of the many who suffers from a “strange archiving addiction” (thanks Feist), I took immediate offense to the comments these artists made in the article.

I am not “micro-bored” at shows. Nor am I there to take a video so I can have the highest views on my Youtube account. A concert is about an experience and people want to share that experience with others.

Is there harm with taking a video of a Led Zeppelin concert, especially when most of the world won’t be able to see it?

Or what about Pink Floyd? Do you not want fans to see little snippets of your show that may inspire them to buy some merchandise from you?

Or is a concert now a closed-off thing, that only the elite who can afford to pay the rising ticket prices can see?

If so, that’s bullshit. This site is about sharing that concert experience with our fellow drunkards, bloggers, fans, musicians and writers.

Though, I’ll be honest. When someone is taking a video, my eyes do tend to wander over to their tiny screen, lit up in the darkness with the tiny images and, at times, it can be a bit annoying. But, at the end of the night, I’m thankful for that person because 9 times out of 10, the moment I loved from the concert will be up on Youtube the following week.

Thankfully, the article wasn’t all one-sided. Billy Bragg, who is now a hero to this site, stuck up for music fans and their documentary tendencies.

“My bottom line is communication,” says English rocker Billy Bragg. “If they want to capture a photo of me and send it to a friend who can’t be at the gig, I don’t have a problem with that.”

So, readers of 52 shows, what are your thoughts? Are you using your camera or phone at show because you’re bored or cause you care? And any words for the artists who don’t want to look into a sea of cameras/phones?

My sister, who’s pen name is “Mimi Sasalito” (her first post is tomorrow), just returned from a weekend at Coachella with stories of public drunkenness, celebrity sightings and near-death experiences. Needless to say, i was pretty jealous (I was covering an independent film festival all weekend, which is only fun if you’re all coked up and can’t sleep).

Anyway, we were talking about the stuff she should have brought to the festival (bike light, a better camera, maybe a hang glider for fun).

With festival season in full gear, we want to know what you bring to these things (either legally or snuck in) to survive.

Or, if you’re like my sister, if you simply want to brag about all the festivals you’re going to this summer, then so be it.

As for me, I’ll be going to none. I was gonna check out the Newport Folk Festival (can’t afford it) and the REM/Modest Mouse/National concert (will be at a wedding), but the universe, apparently, is getting its revenge on me for the petty crimes I committed in the 8th grade (and I don’t care what the universe says…those pigs wanted to be free).

Peace…and don’t forget, we still want to see your pics of any epic people/t-shirts you see at shows.

And now, for no reason at all, a picture of a donkey being hoisted up on a cart.

Recently, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward made hipsters cream themselves with the release of She & Him “Volume One,” a collaboration that combines Ward’s musical talent with Deschanel’s general awesomeness.

She’s always been great in films, delivering that much needed sarcastic tone/look/atmosphere that can elevate a film like “Failure to Launch” into the “watchable” pile.

But which do you prefer? Here are some videos to help you decide.

Zooey Deschanel in “Failure to Launch”

She & Him “Dream a Little Dream”

And by the way, if you haven’t picked up She & Him, it’s worth it, provided you like a throwback to the sounds of a ’70s summer and a cover of “You Really Got a Hold on Me.”

As for me, I think I prefer concert Zooey. Even “Elf” gets tiring after the 12th viewing and I can tell I’ll be listening to “Volume One” for a while.

*Update: Just found a NY Times article this morning on She & Him that’s worth your time.

*Thanks to commenter Daniel for finding this

I was at a show recently and saw this funk/soul band with a female bass player who was making the best faces on stage. It was as if she was possessed by the funk and it was ravaging her body with sweet, sweet sounds.

And I’m not just talking about the eyes-closed-head-nod. This was full on lips-out, mouth open, talking to herself, half-strut half twisting, body-shaking movement. It was distracting and awesome all at once.

So in terms of facial/body gyrations on stage, who does it best? Video/photo evidence would be awesome.

“It’s too loud!”

That’s what I think at a concert whenever I see someone walking around with orange earplugs in their ear (or I guess now there is the more stylish clear ones that don’t call as much attention). I know it protects one’s hearing, but I can’t help pointing out how they make people look like tools. Of course, those people will have perfect hearing when they’re 65 and I’ll be dead.

Or am I wrong? Has it become socially acceptable to plug one’s ears? Or do others think it’s a little…weird. I’m assuming they muffle the sound of a concert, which I’m not cool with. Then again, I have been known to make really horrible and incorrect assumptions (like the time I assumed that my ex would enjoy throwing empty beer bottles at a wall).

And if you happen to use them, more power to you…just know that there are people like me snickering and staring intently at your ears.

Whether you loathe or love them, some bands have that one rousing song that everyone knows and, when played at a show, everyone feels the need to sing it with the band at the top of their lungs.

The Foo Fighters have these songs. So do The Decemberists. Bon Jovi is probably the king of this type of music.

And I’ll admit it. I love these moments during concerts, when everyone is singing off key and no one cares. It’s a level of connection that isn’t often felt.

So with this week’s Reader Request (yes, I know it’s late), I want to know about either new sing-a-long songs you can’t wait to hear live or your favorite sing-a-long song/moment.

Here’s mine:

Since last year, I’ve been hooked on Grand Archives, the new band from indie-rock genius Mat Brooke (former guitarist from Carissa’s Wierd and Band of Horses). On their new album, they have a song called “The Crime Window” and I’ve found myself singing to it in the car while pounding my steering wheel (not safe, but immensely fun).

Listen to it and just try not to feel inspired to yell the lyrics.

Grand Archives “The Crime Window”
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/10-the-crime-window.mp3]

Everyone has had dreams of becoming a big time movie actor at some point. And apparently all movie actors secretly dream of being in a band.

But all the acting ability, cash money, and fame in the world doesn’t guarantee a quality live rock experience. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped some actors from taking to the road.

Russel Crowe did it. Kevin Bacon did it. Keanu Reeves did it.

And now Jeff Daniels is doing it. That’s right, the same Jeff Daniels that portrayed explosive shits with class and finesse in Dumb and Dumber. Seriously though, why isn’t his band called Explosive Shits? I would totally buy tickets to see JD presents Explosive Shits. Wouldn’t you?

So, really… are there any actor/rocker tours worth checking out? Let us know what you think about celebrities-turned-musicians in the comments.