https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-chemical-brothers-say-touring-in-the-us-is-not-really-viable-at-the-moment-3498787
This means we're screwed, right? :Kry
(also should this belong in Music:response? dunno if this bends any rules regarding live)
Pretty much. I suppose dj sets could be viable (looking at you Detroit Movement Festival), but yeah. :( Spending about $700 to fly from Cincinnati to Denver and see The Avalanches dj and the Chems live, stay overnight, and fly back the next day was absolutely worth it. Sadly, I can't do that again any time soon. That said, I feel incredibly lucky to have seen them 5 times. The Beatles stopped touring alltogether but they continued to release some of the most important music ever made. Of course, their fans had a better chance of being able to actually go the record store and buy the album over a week after release date.
Quote from: Conn6orsuper117 on Sep 17, 2023, 00:53(also should this belong in Music:response? dunno if this bends any rules regarding live)
Well Pumisher posted this exact article in General Bullshit Chat.
But yeah, the live section is perhaps as good as any.
Or Chemicals To The World
Or What Really Grinds My Gears
Quote from: Wolkenkrabber on Sep 17, 2023, 01:07Well Pumisher posted this exact article in General Bullshit Chat.
But yeah, the live section is perhaps as good as any.
Or Chemicals To The World
Or What Really Grinds My Gears
Or Fuck This Timeline. I blame my beloved Cubs breaking the curse. It broke the universe, our broken Electoral College elected Trump, Brexit, Game Of Thrones final season, etc. Or maybe it started with Bowie dying that year. Either way, this timeline is full of foolish fuckery.
I do think it means we have seen our lot until next album cycle.
though it seems like an odd thing to say on the heels of two US visits. perhaps those weren't considered "tours".
They were very much accompanying larger festival appearances, so I would agree.
And festivals will, I would think, still be a little more swallowable in terms of cost. So there's still hope for the odd surrounding show. I don't think they've really 'toured' in quite some time. I guess you could consider the California 3-peat somewhat of a tour? But I'm hoping they can still make things like Seattle and Denver happen, even if it's contingent on some other bigger appearance elsewhere.
Sadly that doesn't come close to being good news for a large majority of fans. I think to echo Bosco's comments in the other thread, it's going to come down much more to weighing up opportunity costs and trying to make the most of the chances we do get when we get them - again, only if means allow.
makes me wonder how much those festivals pay out.
portola + 1 solo date (to which they ended up giving away tickets no less) was worth a trip across the atlantic, but a tour isnt?
or, if the portola/coachella thing was a package deal, then 3 festival dates + 3 side gigs was worth TWO trans-atlantic trips, while 6 solo headline dates would not be viable?
perhaps the festivals are a guaranteed paycheck, while solo shows rely on ticket sales and so are too much of a risk.
or perhaps they took a loss on these last two visits to the US and that is inspiring their present comments.
North American tour dates since 2019:
2019 - May 11th - Guadalajara, [Mexico] Corona Capital (Ocesa/CIE)
2019 - May 12th - Mexico City [Mexico] Pepsi Center WTC (Ocesa/CIE)
2019 - May 15th - L.A. Shrine Expo Hall (Goldenvoice/AEG)
2019 - May 16th - L.A. Greek Theatre (Goldenvoice/AEG)
2019 - May 17th - S.F. Bill Graham (Another Planet Entertainment)
2019 - August 1st - N.Y. Forest Hills Stadium (AEG Presents)
2019 - August 3rd - Montreal [Canada] Osheaga Music Festival (Bell Presents)
2022 - September 23rd - Broomfield/Denver 1stBank Center (AEG Presents)
2022 - September 25th - S.F. Portola (Goldenvoice/AEG)
2023 - April 14th - Coachella (Goldenvoice/AEG)
2023 - April 16th - Santa Barbara Bowl (Goldenvoice/AEG)
2023 - April 18th - Seattle WAMU Theater (Showbox Presents/AEG)
2023 - April 21st - Coachella (Goldenvoice/AEG)
There, maybe you can play around with that information. Prior to 2019 they didn't have a Goldenvoice or AEG show since Coachella 2011. It should be noted that 2019 All Points East (London), was an AEG show. And that's the only one I know of internationally.
2015 - last Chicago date or anywhere in the midwest. In fact, when was the last midwest date that wasn't Chicago (not that Chicago dates have been exactly bountiful)?
Quote from: Born In Planet Dust on Sep 17, 2023, 04:502015 - last Chicago date or anywhere in the midwest. In fact, when was the last midwest date that wasn't Chicago (not that Chicago dates have been exactly bountiful)?
No Chicago because there isn't a festival that's interested in them headlining or a viable venue for them to book.
The exception being ARC music festival (labor day weekend) that is basically the new North Coast music festival. It takes place at the same location (Union Park) and just had Eric Prydz "Holo" which is a fairly big production. I just don't see it in their future though. I had that vibe they were kinda miffed with the Electric Zoo and North Coast back in 2015, for making them compromise their show. I think they might be done with the whole niche music festival experience unless it's someone they have a reliable relationship with (Goldenvoice).
The other being Pitchfork music festival, which ironically also takes place Union Park but in July. I don't think this has a very high chance because they don't facilitate high end production. But that could change. We are still awaiting a Pitchfork review of FTBF, and maybe they're gonna juice the score in order to eventually hype up a potential headlining spot at their festival.
Lollapalooza having them as a headliner would be an absolute bust to their demographic. They have certain quotas to hit to make the city happy, and booking the Chems as a headliner would be the exact opposite of achieving that.
Huntington Bank Pavilion, which I just saw Beck and Phoenix at, would be a great choice. But still, too large of a venue for them to fill.
interesting... so 2019 also had two trips across the Atlantic, each paired with a single festival date.
Santa Barbara felt like the perfect venue, it was a great size - accommodating for their gear, comfortable venue capacity and what can I say, great vibe! Could it be feasible for them to haul this traveling art show doing venues of this size throughout the US?
Quote from: whirlygirl on Sep 17, 2023, 16:29Santa Barbara felt like the perfect venue, it was a great size - accommodating for their gear, comfortable venue capacity and what can I say, great vibe! Could it be feasible for them to haul this traveling art show doing venues of this size throughout the US?
Something like the size of Santa Barbara Bowl and maybe a singular mini residency would be an interesting concept. Chems could then bypass some transportation cost and still put on multiple shows. Obviously, would be done best on a weekend to give out-of-towners a shot.
If they did this, I do think they might have to throw a bone to concert goers to garner more attention, though. Something like guarantee some type of variance between shows and whatnot. I understand this is probably a taller task than it sounds, but I think it
could be done. Wouldn't even have to be a brand new concept, could be something they did from the past eras and just brought back from the depths of yesteryear.
That being said, it still sounds incredibly risky, and the US doesn't necessarily deserve something like this with the small crowds that have showed up for some of their shows of recent.
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 19, 2023, 07:06Something like guarantee some type of variance between shows and whatnot.
Surrender and Come With Us in their entirety. I concur.
I doubt venues the size of the santa barbara bowl (4.5k) would cut it - this venue is about half the size of any of the UK arena tour next month.
The Japan shows are 8k, while the aussie shows are 8-10k + 2 festivals which bolster the tour.
I doubt they will be back in the US until demand builds up for a few years or a festival books them and they do some sideshows, I think under about 7,500 people just isn't sustainable for them and if they play regularly as they have recently in the US then less people will be making big trips etc so the shows will sell poorly.
Guaranteeing variance etc adds to costs for something that is already very much on the unviable side. Adding many new songs specially for example would cost tens of thousands.
@gfa2001 Residency for a 3 day weekend at something with the capacity of SB Bowl would essentially up the attendance to 13,500. If you charge $100 a tix and sell out all 3 nights, we are above the million mark...
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 19, 2023, 17:18@gfa2001 If you charge $100 a tix and sell out all 3 nights, we are above the million mark...
Them Brothers hopefully never charge 100 money for tickets while i'm alive
How are people still factoring COVID into business decisions???
This is ridiculous.
Quote from: MadPooter on Sep 19, 2023, 18:58How are people still factoring COVID into business decisions??? This is ridiculous.
To be fair, COVID still is a thing, even if it's not really top of mind these days, so the quick mention of it in the article feels valid. I made it 3.5 years without getting it and just 2 weeks ago it finally caught up with me. Not only that, but echoing the "business decision" side of it, I had to push back starting a new job, and therefore lost out on over a week's pay because I was due to start the day after I tested positive.
Quote from: ThePumisher on Sep 19, 2023, 17:21Them Brothers hopefully never charge 100 money for tickets while i'm alive
(https://media.tenor.com/qHPPjBtNPloAAAAM/you-right.gif)
fwiw, I never would pay $100 for "Them Brothers". But I have payed $100 for
The Chemical Brothers. Honestly, think it's a fair deal. Merch and concessions on the other hand...
Quote from: MadPooter on Sep 19, 2023, 18:58How are people still factoring COVID into business decisions???
This is ridiculous.
Surely you've encountered the insurance industry at some point in your life by now because that is EXACTLY how Covid is being factored. Roger Daltry said something about it fairly recently.
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 19, 2023, 17:18@gfa2001 Residency for a 3 day weekend at something with the capacity of SB Bowl would essentially up the attendance to 13,500. If you charge $100 a tix and sell out all 3 nights, we are above the million mark...
Quote from: ThePumisher on Sep 19, 2023, 17:21Them Brothers hopefully never charge 100 money for tickets while i'm alive
well GA at the santa barbara bowl was $89.50 before fees, $111.15 after fees, so they are pretty much there already.
but if they tripled supply I think they might have a harder time moving them at that price.
I went back over Bosco's excellent chronology (https://forum.thechembase.com/index.php/topic,212.0.html) in more detail to identify trips across the Atlantic for live performances this century.
there are some gaps here in that I am missing trips across the Atlantic to South America, but in reverse chronological order:
2023 Nov - 1 festival, no solo
2023 Apr - 2 festival, 2 solo
2022 Sep - 1 festival, 1 solo
2019 Aug - 1 festival, 1 solo
2019 May - 1 festival, 4 solo
2018 Nov - 1 festival, no solo
2015 Sep - 2 festival, no solo
2015 Jul/Aug - 1 festival, 1 solo
2011 Mar/Apr - 3 festival, 2 solo
2010 Aug/Sep - 2 festival, 3 solo
2007 Sep - 1 festival, 5 solo, sponsored by Zune
2005 Sep - 1 festival
2005 Apr/May - 1 festival, 2 solo, 2 misc
2002 Nov - no festival, 1 solo
2002 Apr - 1 festival, 10 solo
aside from an inexplicable standalone solo date in New York in Nov 2002, every one of these trips included at least one festival date.
Covid, post Covid inflation (aka greed) certainly didn't help, and, yes, their production size/costs have grown, but this all comes down to corporations ruining EVERYTHING (especially music). In the nineties, the FCC allowed corporations to swallow up more and more stations. This absolutely destroyed independent (AND LOCAL) terrestrial radio as we knew it and led to the soulless, homogenic music hellscape Americans are sometimes trapped in. The situation isn't exactly helped with the um "partnership" between Clear Channel and Live Nation. It also isn't particularly helpful to your album sales when people can't actually buy your cd or record (or cassette if that's your m.o.). So, to make a long story short, people aren't going to shows that aren't promoted because they're not buying the albums that aren't promoted or not buying the albums they do know about but can't buy. Cool...
Edit: An artist signs with a major label to promote their shows and distribute their albums and UMG has failed both those tasks spectacularly.
Quote from: shakermaker on Sep 20, 2023, 03:132007 Sep - 1 festival, 5 solo, sponsored by Zune
Those 2007 dates only happened because of a Microsoft sponsorship?! I guess the Zune had more of an influence on my musical development (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD5948377B1E61E25&si=rP3PCRwArOXMWh1I) than I'd realized.
Quote from: shakermaker on Sep 20, 2023, 03:132015 Sep - 1 festival, 1 solo
2015 Jul/Aug - 1 festival, 1 solo
The September shows in Chicago and New York were both festivals actually, I'll remind myself to specify that in my list.
The Hard SF date, while wasn't a festival, it was an "event" made possible because of the Hard Summer (Insomniac) appearance. So I don't like to necessarily consider this a solo show. ::krazy
And finally, while we are on the subject of 2015, here is a quick visual comparison of the stage setup of these 4 shows.
click for videos
Hard SF:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJGZ0rkmDu4
Hard Summer (SoCal):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiaNv2kgEgg
Electric Zoo (NY):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi_KvlVuqng
North Coast (Chi):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L130F5WYyaw&t=4s
I mean, do I need to further point out how unfortunate the Electric Zoo setup was and how cramped the North Coast stage were. I have a feeling they'll never do these smaller/niche electronic music festivals unless it's clear they have proper stage space and not plagued with obstructed viewing or compromises.
It should be noted that at Electric Zoo, the robots were placed far off stage left/right (which I admit, was unique) and North Coast stage was sooo small they had to detach legs. ::)
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 20, 2023, 05:48The September shows in Chicago and New York were both festivals actually, I'll remind myself to specify that in my list.
fixed! thx
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 20, 2023, 05:48The Hard SF date, while wasn't a festival, it was an EVENT made possible because of the Hard Summer appearance. So I don't like to necessarily consider this a solo show.
there are some gray areas. having been one of the fortunate people at that show, it felt like a solo show to me, so my bias may be affecting this. and I think the principle here is that
all the solo dates are being made possible by festival appearances, whether it is directly via the same promoter or more indirect.
Quote from: Champiness on Sep 20, 2023, 05:08Those 2007 dates only happened because of a Microsoft sponsorship?! I guess the Zune had more of an influence on my musical development (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD5948377B1E61E25&si=rP3PCRwArOXMWh1I) than I'd realized.
well... maybe the guardians of the galaxy will help us!
Quote from: shakermaker on Sep 20, 2023, 05:57fixed! thx
there are some gray areas. having been one of the fortunate people at that show, it felt like a solo show to me, so my bias may be affecting this. and I think the principle here is that all the solo dates are being made possible by festival appearances, whether it is directly via the same promoter or more indirect.
Precisely. I forgot to give you props at the end of my post for further displaying that out for everyone.
So... what other major festival in the US (not Coachella) do we harp on to take a chance with The Chemical Brothers so that we can further this religion ? :P
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 20, 2023, 06:22Precisely. I forgot to give you props at the end of my post for further displaying that out for everyone.
So... what other major festival in the US (not Coachella) do we harp on to take a chance with The Chemical Brothers so that we can further this religion ? :P
Movement
I'll try to provide some context for my incredulity.
"Just about everyone who I've seen has had really mild symptoms," Eiting said of his urgent care patients, adding, "The only way that we knew that it was Covid was because we happened to be testing them."
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-symptoms-mild-follow-pattern-doctors-say-rcna105090
Quote from: MadPooter on Sep 20, 2023, 19:07I'll try to provide some context for my incredulity.
"Just about everyone who I've seen has had really mild symptoms," Eiting said of his urgent care patients, adding, "The only way that we knew that it was Covid was because we happened to be testing them."
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-symptoms-mild-follow-pattern-doctors-say-rcna105090
Oh please spare us your incredulity....it took a while for Tom, Ed and some of the crew to be exposed to it themselves so stop acting like it's overblown, some of my friends even got sick still after playing gigs in the past month
Anyway I do hope maybe at some point a NYC gig could be in play, I can imagine Brexit would have a factor in touring too which could leave less room for a proper US handful of dates, especially with how much they'd have to ship overseas
Peter Hook knew he had Covid last month:
https://twitter.com/peterhook/status/1694635529931751539
Quote from: hstn on Sep 20, 2023, 19:12Oh please spare us your incredulity....it took a while for Tom, Ed and some of the crew to be exposed to it themselves so stop acting like it's overblown, some of my friends even got sick still after playing gigs in the past month
Anyway I do hope maybe at some point a NYC gig could be in play, I can imagine Brexit would have a factor in touring too which could leave less room for a proper US handful of dates, especially with how much they'd have to ship overseas
No. You can go fuck yourself. Again.
Mega-lame. How you guys go so quickly to insults?
(Don't answer that, take that as my disapproval)
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 20, 2023, 22:57Mega-lame. How you guys go so quickly to insults?
(Don't answer that, take that as my disapproval)
I was trying to explain my reasoning for my comment.
I tend to be impolite when people are impolite.
:( This arguing and insulting. Please you guys..
I dunno. Covid is pretty fucked up in that its symptoms are varied and unpredictable from person to person. Then there's Covid inflation like was mentioned above. The liability. All things worth discussing and hashing out. Post pandemic world is different, can or will things ever return to normal?
Quote from: MadPooter on Sep 21, 2023, 00:15I was trying to explain my reasoning for my comment.
I tend to be impolite when people are impolite.
How about you trying to act like an adult next time and conduct yourself with more dignity. Words like that against users aren't welcome here.
Not on my shift.
MadPooter banned (muted) for week due to disrespectful attitude towards other users.
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 20, 2023, 05:48The September shows in Chicago and New York were both festivals actually, I'll remind myself to specify that in my list.
The Hard SF date, while wasn't a festival, it was an "event" made possible because of the Hard Summer (Insomniac) appearance. So I don't like to necessarily consider this a solo show. ::krazy
And finally, while we are on the subject of 2015, here is a quick visual comparison of the stage setup of these 4 shows.
click for videos
Hard SF:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJGZ0rkmDu4
Hard Summer (SoCal):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiaNv2kgEgg
Electric Zoo (NY):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi_KvlVuqng
North Coast (Chi):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L130F5WYyaw&t=4s
I mean, do I need to further point out how unfortunate the Electric Zoo setup was and how cramped the North Coast stage were. I have a feeling they'll never do these smaller/niche electronic music festivals unless it's clear they have proper stage space and not plagued with obstructed viewing or compromises.
It should be noted that at Electric Zoo, the robots were placed far off stage left/right (which I admit, was unique) and North Coast stage was sooo small they had to detach legs. ::)
What are those drums at 4:34 in the Hard SF video? They're awesome, but I don't recognize them from anywhere. Anyone know?
Quote from: shakermaker on Sep 20, 2023, 05:57it felt like a solo show to me,
As someone who's never been to a show, I'm curious, what's the difference between a festival show and a solo show (other than, obviously, one happens at a festival, and one is just a solo show)? What about them feels different?
Also, I got COVID a few months ago and it messed me up BAD. Second time I had it, I think. And I'm vaccinated. If I wasn't, I can't imagine what it would have done to me.
Quote from: ; on Sep 21, 2023, 21:21As someone who's never been to a show, I'm curious, what's the difference between a festival show and a solo show (other than, obviously, one happens at a festival, and one is just a solo show)? What about them feels different?
Also, I got COVID a few months ago and it messed me up BAD. Second time I had it, I think. And I'm vaccinated. If I wasn't, I can't imagine what it would have done to me.
A festival show will be a shorter set (most usually) and solo shows tend to be longer. Example would be the 2 Coachella sets and the solo Santa Barbara and Seattle shows sandwiched in-between. The solo shows got longer sets with encores and the Coachella shows didn't. As for the different feels... I could go on for ages! But both experiences are special!
That stinks to read about yours and others' experience with Covid. It caught up with me back in January and it messed me up bad and lingered for weeks. Hate everything about it.
The easiest (and certainly much too reductive) way to look at the differences in the vibes, is the crowd that each is likely to contain. A solo show is, in theory, going to be 99% full of fans who came to see The Chemical Brothers. A festival show should have a very large number of fans, but there is going to be a non-negligible number of people who are there because it was the better choice between other headliners, or are there because of a vague memory of the band name they have from college, or (at some festivals I'm sure) just ended up there randomly.
Obviously not all true, all the time and everyone will have their own view of the differences, but for me I'd argue that at a Solo show, if you turn around to look at the crowd during Star Guitar, it's gonna feel like you're a child at Christmas with your entire family - compared to a festival show where you might feel like you're the only one who spotted the squirrel in the tree munching on a mouth full of acorns while you're all waiting for a bus after work.
Or something.
Both are great in different ways. I'll add for the festival shows I've been to there's also the magic of people seeing them live for the first time when maybe it wasn't on their radar before-like going to get the mail and seeing the face of god.
Also, at Coachella they have been a favorite of frequent attendees. The show they did in 2011 had planned glow stick throwing during Galvanize. Not only way I there, but one hit me in the eye.😜
Here's a clip, skip to 2:30:
Quote from: Biff on Sep 22, 2023, 03:34The show they did in 2011 had planned glow stick throwing during Galvanize. Not only way I there, but one hit me in the eye.😜
Is it all over Biff's face / eye? (Yes it is!)
Quote from: Biff on Sep 22, 2023, 03:34Both are great in different ways. I'll add for the festival shows I've been to there's also the magic of people seeing them live for the first time when maybe it wasn't on their radar before-like going to get the mail and seeing the face of god.
True! George & Mildred also seem to consistently induce involuntary gasps and wows from all around, which is so wonderful!
Also, while a solo show may be expecting Galvanize and be totally ready to party when its played, the sudden shift of excitement for an entire festival audience when that HUGE hit comes on is a palpable and electric feeling! HBHG/BRB to a similar but lesser extent as well.
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 19, 2023, 17:18@gfa2001 Residency for a 3 day weekend at something with the capacity of SB Bowl would essentially up the attendance to 13,500. If you charge $100 a tix and sell out all 3 nights, we are above the million mark...
3 nights means 2-3x the costs though, i bet their electric bill isn't cheap
There will be a size of a show where its worth doing in each locations and it clearly isn't possible in the US at the moment
Once demand builds up again i'm sure they will go back
----
I've only seen them at festivals so far live but generally I really like festival shows. Its nice being outdoors and the set is basically the same length either way, the only thing cut is reel which is like 5% of the show so its not a significant amount really
Quote from: Biff on Sep 22, 2023, 03:34Also, at Coachella they have been a favorite of frequent attendees. The show they did in 2011 had planned glow stick throwing during Galvanize. Not only way I there, but one hit me in the eye.😜
It should be known that this was spearheaded by a PLUR friendly group on the Coachella forum (RIP), they literally spent weeks/months planning getting the word out, having people procure every glow stick west of Albuquerque.
I'm almost positive that the original timing of the "glowruption" was supposed to hit during
Don't Think. But because of a delayed start (Thanks Kings of Potato-Rock!), a bit of a buzzkill loomed about in the crowd. The group smartly deployed early into the show.
That glowruption was wild! Seriously almost put a few eyes out including mine :D
Quote from: Bosco on Sep 23, 2023, 01:46I'm almost positive that the original timing of the "glowruption" was supposed to hit during Don't Think. But because of a delayed start (Thanks Kings of Potato-Rock!), a bit of a buzzkill loomed about in the crowd. The group smartly deployed early into the show.
you remember correctly - "don't think, just let it GLOW" was the plan. everyone had gotten annoyed from sitting around waiting, then super pumped when it finally began, and we couldn't...
hold back.
fun fact, it was a sequal to an orbital glowruption the year before (which went off much more according to plan).
sooo here's my take on the solo vs festival. both have their pros and cons and of course there are exceptions to ALL of these.
at a festival they will be one attraction of many. people will be there for a variety of reasons.
at a solo date they are THE attraction. everyone is there to see the brothers, with an insignificant number of exceptions.
festival sets tend to be shorter, though the brothers command a decent set length at this point. encores are very uncommon.
solo dates they have more control over set time, with options of encores.
festival crowds may be huge or may be thin depending what else is scheduled at the same time.
solo dates there's nothing to compete with, everyone is in one place
(this next one is almost a coincidence, or a side-effect of the size of the event, but...)
festivals are more likely to be outdoors, which is nice for fresh air and scenery but not as great for sound engineers
solo dates are more likely indoors, which helps if you're really into sound quality
festivals you are going to have to deal with portapotties
solo dates you are more likely to have real bathrooms available
and nowadays, festival sets are more likely to be streamed online.
for me generally speaking for an artist I am really into I will always prefer a solo date over a festival appearance, while acts I am a more casual fan of the condensed festival sets are sometimes more attractive
Quote from: shakermaker on Sep 23, 2023, 22:59sooo here's my take on the solo vs festival. both have their pros and cons and of course there are exceptions to ALL of these.
at a festival they will be one attraction of many. people will be there for a variety of reasons.
at a solo date they are THE attraction. everyone is there to see the brothers, with an insignificant number of exceptions.
festival sets tend to be shorter, though the brothers command a decent set length at this point. encores are very uncommon.
solo dates they have more control over set time, with options of encores.
festival crowds may be huge or may be thin depending what else is scheduled at the same time.
solo dates there's nothing to compete with, everyone is in one place
(this next one is almost a coincidence, or a side-effect of the size of the event, but...)
festivals are more likely to be outdoors, which is nice for fresh air and scenery but not as great for sound engineers
solo dates are more likely indoors, which helps if you're really into sound quality
festivals you are going to have to deal with portapotties
solo dates you are more likely to have real bathrooms available
and nowadays, festival sets are more likely to be streamed online.
for me generally speaking for an artist I am really into I will always prefer a solo date over a festival appearance, while acts I am a more casual fan of the condensed festival sets are sometimes more attractive
Chems will have a fair crowd at basically any festival, certainly far more than how many would be standing at one of their arena shows. Not sure this point applies much - as you said there are exceptions to all of these but chems getting a small crowd is 100% the exception. Not sure they've had a proper poor turnout at any point recently at a fest?
The shortened fest sets are great for acts you don't know as well, if its an act you love only doing 40 minutes then yeah its shit. Atmosphere just fantastic at festivals is the key thing for me
Quote from: Biff on Sep 22, 2023, 03:34The show they did in 2011 had planned glow stick throwing during Galvanize. Not only way I there, but one hit me in the eye.😜
Holy crap, that was about the coolest thing I have seen next to George and Mildred (and Jerry's return)! Definitely not the safest, but a sight to see for sure. Galvanize live never fails to give me the chills, and that clip was no exception. So cool that people planned that.
Thanks everyone for your input and insight on the difference between solo and festival shows! That makes a lot more sense. I think, if there's any chance of me seeing them, it would likely be a festival show (the venue I saw Kraftwerk at was probably too small for the Chems, so I couldn't see them doing a solo show there), but I would love to see them at a solo show with other fans. Maybe one day, I'll travel.
Quote from: gfa2001 on Sep 24, 2023, 18:55Chems will have a fair crowd at basically any festival, certainly far more than how many would be standing at one of their arena shows... Not sure they've had a proper poor turnout at any point recently at a fest?
sure, I'm not aware of any times it has happened to the Chems specifically, but also would not consider it impossible at a US festival.
which, callback to Bosco's question - we may be out of US festivals that will book them until goldenvoice is ready for another round, so maybe it is a moot point.
Quote from: shakermaker on Sep 24, 2023, 23:41sure, I'm not aware of any times it has happened to the Chems specifically, but also would not consider it impossible at a US festival.
which, callback to Bosco's question - we may be out of US festivals that will book them until goldenvoice is ready for another round, so maybe it is a moot point.
I think that last point is the big one to be honest - although basically anywhere they play they would be headlining (or at least a pretty big act like Coachella) so there would be a significant amount of people going to watch them specifically.
We're lucky in the UK (and Europe too I guess) that there are so many fests that they could get booked at
https://apnews.com/article/music-visa-free-interational-artists-immigration-4077f28ce201ab32817b60a650cbd79c
I am never gonna see The Chemical Brothers again ffs
Context: The US bumped the rates for applying to perform in the US as a foreign artist exponentially higher than it used to be, that includes number of performers and crew
Quote"If you're a musician from outside of the United States hoping to perform stateside and you filed visa paperwork before April 1, the cost per application was $460.
After that date? $1,615 to $1,655.
Bands and ensemble groups pay per performer. A standard rock band of four members went from paying $1,840 to around $6,460. And if you can't wait a few months for approval, add $2,805 per application for expedited processing.
If the application is not accepted, that money is not refunded — on top of losses from a canceled tour and missing out on "significant, potentially career-changing opportunities," says Jen Jacobsen, executive director at The Artist Rights Alliance (https://apnews.com/article/ai-open-letter-billie-eilish-miranda-lambert-nicki-minaj-9cd5f32f692d83e75b9c3b3da1554b6f)."
Quote"If a musician has support staff, a backing band or other employees to bring on the tour, these individuals need visas, too.
"Even if you're Capitol Records and you have all the money in the world to throw at it, you still can't get rid of U.S. bureaucracy," says immigration attorney Gabriel Castro."
At this rate it'll be easier to fly overseas to see them, which I wouldn't mind but I'm not made of money either at the end of the day, this ofc is gonna affect MANY acts for the foreseeable future but just...especially considering how grand the crew/cost to get the show for the Chems together and touring the world, this is absolutely devastating
I am genuinely interested to hear what the fuck the thought is behind this change.
Costs increase, sure. Labor is more expensive - heard. But this seems to be a decision with very little thought paid to the long term ramifications. Even if a larger (fame wise) artist can afford the difference, OK - so you get Glass Animals to come and play a sold out arena tour to a bunch of existing fans. What happens when they stop making music, or touring, or even just take a break, and there's no next band in the pipeline (someone who might have played smaller club shows this year, but now can't justify the cost) - what is the plan? You just get local bands to play? Keep sending Taylor Swift around the country until her fans have completely run out of money? Seems like that would very quickly lead to a lot of frustration and, like HSTN suggested, people just deciding to leave to spend their money in some other country's economy.
It has felt like fewer bands are coming through Portland this year. I doubt this is the main reason, but surely could be a factor.
A rather large bummer all round.
Welcome to our world.
Working visa for foreign citizens in Russia is 100$ max.
Please come and welcome, we have been waiting for you for 2 years.
The only thing is to get politics out of your head.
Well, logistics is also expensive, because due to the politics, you can only come to us and transport equipment with transfers or with private flight.
But. You can do a smarter thing and rent most of the equipment right here. We have a lot of equipment and companies that rent it out.
This can even be attributed to the organizers of the shows.
Quote from: hstn on Apr 24, 2024, 20:12I am never gonna see The Chemical Brothers again ffs
Ugh, this is truly a weird development. Just last week I read an article about a possible antitrust lawsuit by the DOJ against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/16/business/live-nation-antitrust-violations-lawsuit/index.html
I was sort of relieved at that news because it may mean prices could come down in the future through more competition. And now this? What a bummer.
Quote from: Enjoyed on Apr 25, 2024, 01:44I am genuinely interested to hear what the fuck the thought is behind this change.
Yeah, me too. Could it be some sort of tariff for foreign artists in order to protect domestic ones? The amount it's projected to increase really is off the charts..
Quote from: Explud on Apr 25, 2024, 08:32Welcome to our world. Working visa for foreign citizens in Russia is 100$ max. Please come and welcome, we have been waiting for you for 2 years. The only thing is to get politics out of your head.
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Difficult topics territory
Not that I don't understand your frustration about that, I really do. But honestly, nobody (or at least I) could genuinely believe that, with the current state of affairs of your country and the
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atrocities it commits
, artists would want to perform there. I certainly wouldn't. It's not a minor thing of "politics" as in differences between opinions, it's much more serious than that.
And the fear alone for anyone involved to potentially end up as a bargaining chip (Brittney G. comes to mind) because of one man's idiocy would make me considering it twice before going there. I'm sorry to say that :( It would be an interesting country to visit otherwise. The Russians I've met in my life all have been very nice folks.
Maybe I'm just arrogant, but I'm not convinced that more expensive work visa spells the end of the Chems coming to the United States. It makes it more financially more difficult, but there's too much opportunity and exposure to pass up in a market like ours.
If anything, stuff like Seattle and Denver/Broomfield, are probably something that will never happen again. New York and Chicago probably have to be absolute best case scenario type deal. California will still get the love as long as Goldenvoice pays them as a headliner through one of their festivals.
Best advice I can say to my fellow stateside peeps hungry for a show. Take the big jump. Start saving your money, take a trip to their next Cali show. As a midwest boy that has done this a few times over the course of my irrational fandom, it's not ideal, but Cali is fun and you make strong memories with the sacrifice.
Quote from: Explud on Apr 25, 2024, 08:32You can do a smarter thing and rent most of the equipment right here. We have a lot of equipment and companies that rent it out.
I love this concept. I've thought about this before, and wonder if this would be workable.
Quote from: Explud on Apr 25, 2024, 08:32But. You can do a smarter thing and rent most of the equipment right here. We have a lot of equipment and companies that rent it out.
This can even be attributed to the organizers of the shows.
Quote from: Bosco on Apr 26, 2024, 06:06I love this concept. I've thought about this before, and wonder if this would be workable.
Thing is, taken the Chems for an example, all their gear is programmed with patterns, loop points, synths have all the samples saved and so on. I don't think you save so much money by renting all that "at place" because you need to programm it all again - and thats not done in one day and you need to pay your crew for every day they are touring together. Rehearsals, where all this work is done, require several days and weeks in advance in order to have as little work as possible on site.
Same with other bands and musicians. Guitarists play their guitars, because rental sounds different (other strings, tuned differently).
We're not talking about a DJ that takes a USB-Stick with all the music saved on and all is fine.