General Bullshit Chat (pt 2)

[Csar]

You know what? K+B+D!

[satur8]

Wow. Somewhere along the line I hit post #420 on the current forum...and I didn't even notice.

Boy, I really AM getting old!

[ThePumisher]

https://www.musicweek.com/publishing/read/bmg-strikes-publishing-deal-for-chemical-brothers-catalogue/088361

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[Joslyn]

It's always the others. And then you have the guts to drag Joslyn into it.

[ThePumisher]

[Busjob]

Tonight's show in Sofia scheduled for 2hrs! Encore ahoy! 

[Csar]

Fingers crossed @Busjob! Enjoy the show to the fullest!

[Travis]

I have a confession. I never bought Come With Us or We Are The Night. At the time I felt they had gotten commercial (even though I loved Star Guitar single and wanted The Test on LP). Now listening back I see I missed the new Chems album feeling as I just experienced yesterday and today. Was so excited in the lead up to this album and Live Yourself was a great single choice. Don't be me. The new album is great. Got tickets to see them live for the 6th time in November and really excited about the upcoming book . Cant we call it album 11 though. Hanna is an album too!

[ThePumisher]

I never bought Come With Us

I instantly got an heart-attack so one head off isn't enough 

[ThePumisher]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-chemical-brothers-say-touring-in-the-us-is-not-really-viable-at-the-moment

[whirlygirl]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-chemical-brothers-say-touring-in-the-us-is-not-really-viable-at-the-moment

This is incredibly sad, but not surprising. I saw some interesting talking points on Reddit yesterday. If the Chems can be anchored by festival slots it would make touring somewhat doable on a small scale (think Coachella anchoring the Santa Barbara and Seattle shows) though anyone not in those immediate areas will have to travel either way. The touring and logistics, I get it... but it's still sad to think about.

[Bosco]

This is incredibly sad, but not surprising. I saw some interesting talking points on Reddit yesterday. If the Chems can be anchored by festival slots it would make touring somewhat doable on a small scale (think Coachella anchoring the Santa Barbara and Seattle shows) though anyone not in those immediate areas will have to travel either way. The touring and logistics, I get it... but it's still sad to think about.

The Chemical Brothers 2024 US Tour, presented by GoFundMe.com

Edit: Also linking the discussion on r/electronicmusic which I think Whirly is referring to. A lot of talk about Denver's thin crowd and free tickets from last year. Pretty awesome to see so many comments.

[whirlygirl]

The Chemical Brothers 2024 US Tour, presented by GoFundMe.com

Edit: Also linking the discussion on r/electronicmusic which I think Whirly is referring to. A lot of talk about Denver's thin crowd and free tickets from last year. Pretty awesome to see so many comments.

Bosco!! The thread I saw was in the Chemical Brothers Reddit, I had not seen the one you posted- so thank you!! Off to read these comments now!

[Enjoyed]

It's frustrating to see a number of people talking about how they are or were big fans, but haven't seen them play since [insert date >10 years ago], who also don't seem to have any idea that they played in the US in recent years.

Obviously there are different levels of fandom, but I can't understand enjoying a band, enjoying seeing them live, and then not taking action to see them again, or keeping an eye out for possible opportunities to do so.
Of course there are a multitude of entirely valid reasons that any one person might not be able to make a trip to see a band or might not have seeing them as something even close to a priority, but then what is the solution? Do bands have to just hope things line up for fans? Or that more casual fans will decide to pull the trigger on coming to see them on a whim? Are show turnouts predominantly driven by "big" fans? (seeing Jungle last night suggests otherwise!)
How does a band advertise to someone who isn't looking for information about that band in the first place?

That seems to be a common sentiment regarding the Denver show - that it wasn't well advertised. But if you're not subscribed to the newsletter, or following on socials, or actively looking at upcoming shows in your area, how does one find out about a show? I joked about putting up a poster in downtown Denver with a photo of the lads and the caption "Hey Boys, Hey Girls, Superstar DJs, Here we are!" but I genuinely don't know how one increases interest and attendance to a show, seemingly regardless of the fact that tickets are free!

I guess ultimately I'm struggling to understand a more casual fan's "role" in the situation - or what possible paths there are to increase overall interest.

EDIT: My beautiful and very insightful wife has been humoring me talking about this over the last hour, and her take is that everything is getting more expensive; hotels, food, flights (for attendees as well as the bands); so the idea of making it about the size of the show is somewhat moot. But, more importantly, the lads are getting older and ultimately it's up to them what they want to spend their time (and money) doing. It would be sad to see even fewer dates and cities in the US in the coming years, but it's not a prerequisite to being an artist. We get a delectable new album, and they try to visit places as often as they can, but they don't have to. They could just make the music and have us listen in our cars and on our TVs and that would be more than we deserve!

[satur8]

@Enjoyed - I consider myself a pretty loyal and knowledgeable fan. In addition to purchasing all releases, I play their music exponentially more than any other artist on streaming services, and as regular members here know, I not only like the albums but also like to make my own playlists and mixtapes. And I really enjoy the live videos I see here and on youtube and stay familiar with the evolutions of playlists and transitions, such as Escape Velocity / Golden Path, etc.

All of that said, I have never seen them live. When I was young that had more to do with financial logistics, and the one time I was actually set to see them on the U.S. East Coast, I had to cancel because of something bigger than me. Sadly, I missed my chance as a young man when they traveled in larger, more frequent circles. Unfortunately, as I've aged I've found that I really, REALLY do not like crowds. Even if I had the finances for travel and accommodations, and even if they played on my coast, as a parent responsible for a teenager I can't see myself traveling to attend a festival or even an arena to be jammed in with sweaty "enhanced" people flailing around like all of the space is their alone. And if we're honest, I'm 5'7 in stature and my wife is a bit shorter: standing room only events have never been a value ticket for me, even before I developed my aversions to people stacked together. So, there is a good chance I will never see them perform live or with a DJ set, and although that is sad, I've come to accept it. My story is divergent compared to most of yours (and at 52 I am older than many of you), but I feel offering a different perspective might be insightful. That said, no, it doesn't account for casual fan drop off, but people do age.

And then there are the brothers. They will not tour forever. They won't even make music together forever, despite the strength of their output today. But yes, their tour schedules are lighter now than in the past, and an argument can be made for their stamina with their stations behind the gear as compared to a singing and dancing guitar playing frontman of the same age. But it won't go on forever and there is nothing we can do about it. Many artists from the 80s have taken to more focused tours in intimate venues...and with chairs: I don't know how this will translate to superstar DJs of the 90s in another 10 years. Enjoy it while you can, and I sincerely hope all of you get to see them several more times.

[Bosco]

@satur8

I hope one day you'll be presented with an advantageous opportunity to see them live. Obviously, you know your own limitations, but I would encourage you (and anybody that feels the same way as you) to suppress any anxieties and take a chance. I know you're older and much wiser than me, so just let me remind you that life is about taking healthy chances. Attempting to build positive experiences, is all we have! So, "don't think, let it flow!"

To also comment on height disadvantages at concerts... I'm 5'9" on a good day. I enjoy a good view just like everyone else, but there is something about getting caught up in the frenzy of a rhythmically energized show, where a clear view isn't completely necessary. Now this doesn't help those who have crowd problems or issues enduring the grind of standing room only/festivals, but it is very much an element that very few acts can uniquely provide.

I honestly feel spoiled with Denver last year. The crowd was so well behaved despite my fear of hearing them give away FREE tickets to the public. The lack of attendance meant there was plenty of personal space and if you had to dip, it wasn't a nightmare to escape/return to where you need to be. Arena seating was available for those who might not want to stand all night. Most importantly, not a single technical problem from what I recall, and the sound was HUUUGGGEEE! Kinda the ideal scenario for those that might have concert hangups.

[Wolkenkrabber]

How does a band advertise to someone who isn't looking for information about that band in the first place?

That seems to be a common sentiment regarding the Denver show - that it wasn't well advertised. But if you're not subscribed to the newsletter, or following on socials, or actively looking at upcoming shows in your area, how does one find out about a show? I joked about putting up a poster in downtown Denver with a photo of the lads and the caption "Hey Boys, Hey Girls, Superstar DJs, Here we are!" but I genuinely don't know how one increases interest and attendance to a show, seemingly regardless of the fact that tickets are free!

Well I'm old enough to remember the days before email newsletters, socials etc.
And I found out about gigs often by simply walking past a wall with lots of illegal posters (usually under a "post no bills" sign which was completely ignored). I would sometimes go out of my way to look for wooden hoardings on building sites just to see who was being advertised for forthcoming gigs.
And for larger gigs there would be commercials on the radio, in between the ads for carpet shops and yogurt.
So yes, many of the not-so-young fans probably aren't subscribed to email newsletters and no longer prioritise checking for gigs. So you put it in their face - on big advertising hoardings.
That's just my unsubtle two penneth worth.

@satur8
Sorry to hear about your issue with crowds. I've had varying experiences with crowds at Chems gigs (and other gigs - Prodigy and Foo Fighters seem to attract their fair share of assholes unfortunately), but I do think it's worth seeing the Chems once anyway. If that's even possible for you in the US (after recent interviews about costs etc). I like to describe a Chems gig as being more like an audio-visual experience than a regular gig. Almost like a 100 minute Disneyland ride. There's nothing else quite like it. And if you can get to a venue with seats, it may dispel most of the crowd issues you have.

I'm rambling now, so I'll go away.

[whirlygirl]

@satur8 i will also chime in, as we are around the same age and have varying degrees of limitations that may impede seeing the show. Inability to travel and commit financially (and physically) is very real. Fear of crowds in varying degrees is real. My husband and I bicker sometimes about our placement in a venue.   I don't always get my way, and as a result I've had the pleasure of seeing the Chems from different vantage points from time to time. As their shows have grown and grown over the years I have found there are fabulous takeaways from each experience.  While festivals are most always a mixed bag people-wise, the crowd coming to see the Chems are cool and up for a good time   Agreed with @Bosco and @Wolkenkrabber and hope you may be able to experience a show sometime!

[satur8]

I appreciate the feedback, all.  Thank you. I rarely say never, but I don't think I'll change my mind even in the event they would play in Philly or Delaware: Delaware's only chance would be Firefly, and like I said, festivals are out at my age of experience and station in life. And realistically, they're not coming to Pennsylvania or Delaware. Perhaps a New York venue with the right criteria may change my mind, but I've passed that up before, too. I do regret not going during the Surrender era, when I felt differently about stuff and had the opportunity, but the show has evolved so much that it would be a different experience anyway.

@Bosco - You mentioned anxiety...that's not really it. I get anxious with heights but I don't enjoy myself in crowds. It's different. I can deal with crowds lacking self-awareness at, say, Disney with my family, but even then I generally feel disdain for the human race, which is not a feeling I like having or admitting. And it is so much worse in concert scenarios.  I don't like being touched, bumped, ignored when I am polite, or otherwise having the performance I've paid good $$$ to experience drowned out by drunken or tripping assholes. Sure, I'd love to feel the bass and the vibe, but not with other sweaty or stinky bodies on me, often over me. I assure you I am just as satisfied with a good pair of headphones, the right greenery, and a few hours of quiet time in my home. The quote below doesn't sound appealing to me in the least.

there is something about getting caught up in the frenzy of a rhythmically energized show, where a clear view isn't completely necessary.

Maybe I've made myself sound like a jerk or old fart. You mentioned knowing my own limitations and that's exactly it. I am a peaceful brother and enjoy the way the music makes me feel. I can't see myself paying to take away all the things I like about myself or the music. Although...a few of you hinted at shows with seating. Is that even common in the U.S. for the venues they perform? Obviously people with seats would be standing anyway (including myself), but there does seem to be a little more sense of boundary with seats as compared to a festival scenario.

Regardless, I think I've made myself known well enough in the community to be accepted as a peer and expert: feel free to check off the weird exception box for loyal fans who haven't attended shows.

[ThePumisher]

They will not tour forever. They won't even make music together forever, despite the strength of their output today.