Why U2 remains the ‘biggest band in the world’

U2 has been my favorite band for as long as I remember being interested enough in music to actually attend concerts – and over the years even as my musical tastes changed, bands would come and go on my ‘top 10′ list, but U2 always remained. I’ve always gone to see U2 live in concert whenever I possibly can; in fact, in all the years of concert going, I’ve only missed the band once – Easter vacation and I was already booked for 10 days somewhere else but I did seriously consider cancelling my holiday! This time was no different – I’ve recently moved away from Vancouver, but bought my tickets months ago knowing I’d make the 5 hr trek back to the coast to see this band.

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a bad U2 show. I’ve been to shows where Bono was so hoarse at some points that he’s had to encourage the audience to sing the song with him, for him – and they do. And somehow his voice kicks in again and he’s able to continue pushing his limits, and its grand, and wonderous, and somewhat magical.

Last time I saw U2, I was able to see the band up close and very personal. I bought a general admission ticket, stood in line for nearly 24 hrs in an ice storm in the middle of December, and was 3rd in line to get into the venue. I magically ended up in the inner circle (fans called it the Bomb Shelter) and was literally so close to The Edge, that if not for the very nice security guard, Mike, I could have reached over and tied Edge’s converse Chuck shoe laces together! It was most literally the best night of my entire life, past or present. How on earth can you ever top the experience I had that night with 15 of my closest friends, some as far away as Belgium?! You cant. So I was hesitant about seeing U2 this time, knowing that instead of a 20,000 seat venue it would be 55,000 people. Instead of doing general admission, I would be in a reserved seat. Instead of being close enough to Edge to hear him harmonize on I Still Havent Found What I’m Looking For (without hearing it on the speakers and mic), I’d be so far away that Edge would look like a miniature figurine… I had a hard time getting excited about attending this show… all because of these differences. Until 2 days prior to the show that is. Suddenly I could hardly wait! It was difficult to sleep the night before the show but somehow I managed; fueled perhaps by dreams/memories of my last U2 concert.

The stage for the show was phenomenal ( you can see by the photo above); its been dubbed ‘The Claw’ and extended to about 10 feet within the top of the venue roof. The massive black bands at the top are banks of speakers and the stage in the middle was connected to the outer ring by two moving bridges that rotated around and allowed the band to walk from the inner to the outer walkways – right over fans’ heads! The crowd was incredible – a massive sea of bodies all waiting for one thing – the band.

After a quick changeover from Black Eyed Peas equipment and a very brief soundcheck, the speakers cranked out David Bowie’s Major Tom amid smoke pouring out from all 4 legs of the ‘Claw’ and as the song reached its crescendo, the lights dimmed down and suddenly Larry Mullen Jr was walking out in pure white light to his drum kit with a purposeful stride. Sitting at the drums, the man who started the band 25+ years ago, started the show and we were in for over 2 hrs of an experience unlike any other.

The band opened with Breathe (which I didnt think was a good opening song actually- too slow), Get on Your Boots (which got the crowd going full force), then straight into Magnificent – my favorite song from their new album,  then into some older crowd pleasing favorites: Mysterious Ways and Beautiful Day, then my personal favorite, Still Havent Found What I’m Looking For. The audience had sung snippets of each song leading up to this one, but when this song hit – it was 55,000 strong singing and without the heavy guitars and drumbeat to muffle our singing, it was clear, strong and electric. “Take us to church Edge,” from Bono on the chorus and God was walking through the room. (Bono’s term). My friend recently tweeted from his own U2 experience that he was ‘replenishing my soul,’ and indeed tonight so was I. This, like most U2 concerts, wasnt just a show, but like being in an old time Gospel Tent Revival meeting.

At this point, Bono spoke to the audience, telling us that the band’s very first roadie was attending the show all the way from Dublin – Mrs The Edge – Edge’s mom who had tooled the band around in her van when they were fresh faced kids just starting out. He also informed us that Bill Gates was ‘in the house’ and it was his birthday so we all sang Happy Birthday to the man who has helped Bono with DATA and fighting AIDS in Africa and we cheered for him.

A few more toned down songs- Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of and No Line On The Horizon, the title track of the new album, then kicking it up a notch with Elevation, (which saw Edge doing pogo while playing guitar and the audience following suit en mass), In A Little While, Unknown Caller, Until The End Of The World (hey Judas! was Bono’s rallying cry), The Unforgettable Fire  (never thought I’d hear this one live), City Of Blinding Lights (my favorite from last tour!), Vertigo,  then a treat with I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight which saw Larry leaving the standard drum kit and walking the 360 ramp with a portable drum and all 4 band members roaming to try and include the entire audience in the experience. It had this funky tribal feel to it totally different than the album version and I loved it. Sunday Bloody Sunday with references to Iraq, MLK, and Walk On for Burma’s Aung Sun Suu Chi, complete with One Campaigners and Product RED supporters in Aung Sun face masks walking the ramp, finished the set before the band left the stage in darkness.

We were greeted back by a taped message from Bishop Desmond Tutu thanking us for WE being those people who had stood up against Apartheid, who had campaigned for AIDS medicinces in Africa, who had raised our voices and as a result the stats on children in Africa now in school, now on AIDS drugs, now surviving, and grown by leaps and bounds. This segued into One, and Bono singing Amazing Grace on a darkened stage with a single spot light and thousands of cell phones like tiny stars in the night sky. Shivers. Where the Streets Have No Name finished it out and I was content. My soul too had been replenished.

Second encore brought back perennial favorites – Ultra Violet, With or Without You – and the band chose to close with Moment of Surrender (rather than their traditional closer – 40) which seemed fitting somehow.

All in all, this show was less rock and roll than typical past U2 shows, less preachy or political comments from Bono but it had the same impact – he used the band’s music to preach love, peace and faith to the masses instead of his commentary inbetween the songs. The support of the fans on all levels is still there – from singing for him when his voice started to crack on With or Without You, to raising the roof to show support of his and the band’s humanitarian pursuits on Where the Streets Have No Name and One. This band is unlike any other – what rock band could ever stand on stage and sing Amazing Grace and have people sing it with them?

U2 singing Amazing Grace into Streets intro

Collective Soul is just getting started on shaking the world

I recently moved from Vancouver to a smaller community and so bring my big city thinking and ways with me. This was inherently apparent the night I attended the Collective Soul concert in Kamloops at the Interior Savings Center Arena.

My tickets were General Admission (the only way to go for a Collective Soul show) and expecting the same sort of crowd here as on ‘the coast’ I convinced my concert partner that we had to be to the venue early to maintain a decent spot in the lineup and therefore guarantee a spot near the front of the stage. We arrived around 6:15pm with doors opening at 7pm, and expected a lineup around the block so were bowled over to find three young teenagers – and us! We decided to go for a walk in the park next door and come back in 15 minutes and when we headed back we found the same three teens and a total of 6 other people waiting for doors to open.. very odd! We decided to stay, and I engaged some of the waiting fans in conversation, finding out that the three boys were 15 yrs old and loved Collective Soul, CCR and other ‘old skool’ bands rather than new music. One fellow had driven all the way from 100 Mile House to see Collective Soul, and one local couple had bought tickets for Vancouver, then a week later, found that Collective Soul was coming to town, bought two more and so were doing what I was – back to back CS shows for the weekend. I had a good time listening to them all speak about why they love this band so much; the main theme running through all comments was that the men in the band are basic, down to earth, good people. Plain and simple. The fans have a respect for them as they put their actions where their music says it is – in love, forgiveness, acceptance, and hope. Waiting for doors to open afforded me a very cool experience.

7pm doors – in we went, down the stairs, into the hockey arena and onto the floor -which was supposed to hold about 500 people. There was the initial rush but we soon realized the stage was wide enough to accommodate many more listeners on the railing than the usual casinos or clubs the band plays. Also.. there were not many people there yet! The show was set to start at 8pm with one opening act only, and quite literally, the arena did not start filling up with people until about 15 minutes before show time – then suddenly there was a huge surge of fans all scrambling to find the ‘perfect’ floor spot to stand and watch for the rest of the evening. As I said, very different than the coast where some bands will have lines of fans the day before the show!

The opening band, Crash Parallel was not bad – the sound was a little off as it tended to float up to the rafters and bounce around without being absorbed by bodies; the arena had been configured to about 1/4 of its standard size to accommodate about 1500 people for this show. The band played a solidly decent set that lasted about 35 minutes, and thanked Collective Soul for the opportunity to tour with them and then it was tear down and move out for their gear, and setting out setlists, beverages for the band and testing the lights and sound and next thing it was show time.

The band opened with Welcome All Again in pitch black at the start, then neon vertical light stands kicked in and the rumble started and the crowd went nuts, and the band was on stage in full performance – all this within seconds. I don’t particularly like this song on the album, but live it definitely gave me chills and a sense of heightened anticipation. I think it was the perfect choice for opener. From there, straight into more guitar soaked songs with a one-three punch of Heavy, Listen, Tremble for My Beloved, and Why Pt.2, before taking it down a notch with Needs; one of my favorite Collective Soul songs, and so I stood with eyes closed singing full volume not caring if I was off key in my friend’s ear – or if rhythm guitarist Dean Roland (who was mere feet from where we stood) heard me either.

Song ends, band kicks back into overdrive with a new song, Fuzzy, which includes whistling in the intro by front man Ed Roland and bassist Will Turpin – but most of which was unfortunately lost in the massive empty air of the arena. The song is playful, flirty, slightly slower tempo than most of their other songs but finishes with a kick ass drum solo by Cheney Brannon and on the album there is a man yelling ‘yeah’ at the end. Fans have speculated who that is – tonight we know! Ed holds his microphone stand by the bass, trying to tip it into the space that is Cheney’s magic domain but the man is so caught up in pounding the living daylights out of the skins that he doesn’t even come up for air until he realizes the audience’s eyes are all on HIM. Finally, laughing along with the rest of us, he yells ‘yeah’ into the mic and so ends Fuzzy.

Another new song, She Does(I love this one), followed by December and as I look around at the band and the audience I have a sense of deja vu – of almost a waking dream really – of what it must have been like for the band back in the 90’s playing to stadiums packed to the rafters.. and I wonder at this because I’ve not seen Collective Soul until just recently so wonder where this impression has come from. I realize that the band has stepped it up a notch not only in the new gear, the lighting, the new album, but also in the overall performance on stage. Where they would stand in their respective corners and intermittently interact with each other with Ed trying to engage the audience almost singlehandedly, tonight each and every band member is putting his heart and soul into reaching out to the audience and moving around the stage to play off each other; there is a shared responsibility – and they all seem more relaxed despite the higher energy they’re putting out!

December segues into Shine then Hollywood and the band just isn’t into stopping or giving us a rest from yelling, singing and dancing but this is a good thing! Things get quiet after Hollywood as Ed takes time to introduce the band – starting with guitarist Joel Kosche and panning around the stage to complete the introductions – then the familiar strains of The World I Know are coming from his guitar and another Collective Soul song that has me standing with eyes closed singing softly this time, to myself. From here, we’re given a treat of hearing Joel Kosche take over singing duties and the band backs him up on I Dont Need Any More Friends, a song he wrote that was included in the band’s last album, Afterwords. Better Now ends the set list and the band come up front briefly to wave and smile at the appreciative audience before leaving the stage as the lights dim down into darkness.

Being in a hockey rink affords the audience and advantage – there are wooden floors on which to stomp 1500 pairs of feet and the noise became deafening until at last the band came out to do their encore. Dig, Staring Down (absolutely love this one), Where the River Flows, and Run round out the last of the show, and where Run used to be a song I wished they’d retire from the set list, tonight it seems completely fitting. Where Ed used to serenade each man off stage one at a time, tonight, they all came forward as a group, as a band, before leaving the stage with Ed following them like a wandering minstrel, acoustic guitar in hand finishing the song in the wings behind the stage

My friend and I left in a state of wonder and contentment, and anticipation for the next evening’s show – I had no idea how they were ever going to top what I had just seen (it’s the best Collective Soul concert I’ve ever been to) but…. they did!

You can read the full review of Collective Soul in Vancouver HERE
And you can view all photos for both shows HERE and HERE

Jann Arden ‘Free’ – cd review

Its not often that I rush down to my local record store to buy a new album on release day; I’m a cautious purchaser preferring instead to hear a few of the singles on radio prior to buying an entire album but this album was different. I”ve been following Jann Arden on Twitter and reading her blog entries at her Myspace for over two years now, so I felt pretty confident that her new album would be something I want in my collection. INDEED!

I’m sitting here listening to FREE at this moment, typing my thoughts and impressions on the fly, and I’ve decided not to go back and edit any of it -which is just strange for a writer but there is something exciting about doing it this way! The album wallet is a very delicate shade of lavendar/lilac with a picture of Jann on the front, and a blurred photo of Jann on the back along with the track listing. The album liner is tucked inside the inner pocket where it won’t get bent out of shape – usually I pour through the lyrics as I listen to a new cd, but Jann’s voice is so clear, so crisp on this album, that I have no need to read the words as she sings.

The title track, “Free” speaks of breaking out of expectations everyone else has placed upon her – of having people change her hair color and telling her what to be, how to think, what to say – and how she’s now her own person and finally standing on her own two feet at last. It’s a song of finding herself and being herself without all the strings attached by others.

“Daughter Down” combines possible childhood memories with ponderings about being brave enough to cut the rope and go off on her own – ‘would I be that brave if I had one more day’.The end of the song leaves the listener to make up their own mind if the singer has been brave enough to follow through.

Read the rest of this review at The Portal Magazine Blog

You can find Jann on
Twitter
Myspace
Web

Blues Traveler in Nakusp, BC

Each year I attend the Nakusp Music Fest in July in Nakusp, BC. Each year, there are great bands, decent bands, and some that I have no desire to go look up when I get back home. Sometimes the ‘headliner’ is overshadowed by the band before them, and sometimes, as happened this year, the headliner cancels last minute due to scheduling conflict and another (more enjoyable) band takes their place. This ‘happening’ was all it took to convince me to make the 7 hour trek from Vancouver to Nakusp and purchase a last minute ticket.

Saturday afternoon had been sweltering, and I only allowed myself to watch one band in the hot sun; that hour was enough to almost do me in. A short nap and a cool shower did wonders to revive me in time for a nice dinner on the local hotel patio, then back over to the Fair Grounds to catch the remaining bands. Even in the early evening, it was still muggy but huge thunder clouds began to form around sundown and an amazing warm breeze kicked up and by the time Blues Traveler came on at 10:30pm, it was like being in a tropical paradise – just the right amount of warm wind, and cool air coming from the completely grassed-in area. Wonderful place for a concert.

I have to admit, I’m not a huge blues fan, and the only Blues Traveler song I’m familiar with is their 1994 hit Run-Around. But, prior to the concert I had found Blues Traveler on Twitter (@blues_traveler), and singer/founder John Popper’s ‘tweets’ were so engaging, so ripe with humor and joy of living, that I was intrigued and wanted to see this band in action, live on stage.

The show was fabulous. John is a harmonica master; switching effortlessly from one to the next without missing a beat. Bassist Tad Kinchla never stopped moving all night (except once, to pose for my camera when he realized I couldnt’ ‘capture’ him). Keyboardist Ben Wilson and guitarist Chan Kinchla put as much energy into their performances as Tad, and drummer Brendan Hill was tucked neatly behind a speaker (from where I stood viewing) but I could see his sticks and hear his pounding and he too put 100% effort into it. The entire band played off each other and off the audience (many of whom knew every song and sang along with the band), and it was just a really great show.

At one point, John addressed the audience, telling us how beautiful Nakusp was; and telling us that he’d been informed by the locals that it was pronounced ‘naKusp’ (true) then he introduced the band, and we discovered that Chan was Canadian (which elicited many cheers) and John acknowledged the bands that had been on before Blues Traveler, thanking them. Something that I’ve not seen many headliners do recently, but which showed just how classy these guys are. They raised a toast to us, the audience, a toast to us Canadians, and another toast just for good measure and on to the next round of songs… great stuff.

The evening ended at midnight- just in time as moths began to flock towards the only lights in the area – and a laser light show followed the band off the stage as the happy festival goers left the fair grounds for their homes, or in the case of visitors like me – their tents, campers, trailers or hotel rooms. I left with a new appreciation for a band that has an extensive back catalogue of songs that I plan on catching up with!

Review of Welcome All Again music video

Tomorrow, Collective Soul will ‘Officially’ release their video for Welcome All Again-their second single from their new Self Titled album (also known as ‘Rabbit’). Currently, it’s been ‘leaked’ in low resolution on MSN for USA viewing only. You can find it HERE Come back tomorrow for a world wide link to the ‘official’ release in Hi Rez.

If you’ve read my review you know I’m not a huge fan of this song; preferring instead their first single, Staring Down. However, the video for Welcome All Again interests me enough to write about it.

The video starts out the same way the song does-high energy, intense, capturing your attention. The lights on the high rises and office towers are synced perfectly to the beat of the music-and the information junkie in me wants to know how they did it-easy enough to do when the lights are horizontal or vertical and you only see the lights-but the diamond pattern on the residential tower where you can actually see into the apartment window-thats just downright intiguing!

I love that the band is in this video as well – at the very beginning of the video, one isn’t sure if they’ll make an appearance but then suddenly there they are; not overpoweringly featured, just enough. I really like that each band member has his own color spotlight in those shots and that Ed’s color is white (he frequently wears a crisp white shirt in live concerts) Also… Dean fans will get a treat – he has a microphone in front of him for the first time since…. well, since ever? The magic of video is such that he may or may not actually be singing

The shots chosen for the bridge of the song are perfect; night melding into day with stars, satellites, and celestial bodies moving in slow mo – then it breaks into full tempo again with full action. There is also a great close up of Joel playing guitar – all you see is his hand and the guitar neck but the wedding ring is the dead giveaway as to who’s hand it is.

Other bits that stand out for me include:

-Will doing some head bopping throughout the song – love it. Also quite like how Will looks directly into the camera in most shots – basically looking right at you; the audience
-stacking and un-stacking of empty shot glasses – symbolic? What’s different about the shot glasses is that you can see daylight turn into dusk through the window behind the action
-rain drops bouncing on a flat surface-they’re filmed in such an amazing close-up that they look like they have tails of light
-one shot of the band has circles of white light cascading over them-not high tech by any means but it gave an ambiance to the shot which I really liked – as opposed to just showing the band standing there. I also appreciated the look and feel of the shots of the band from side view – again the lighting and the symmetry caught my eye as much as the band did
-panorama of the top of a mountain range – stunning
-airplanes – the filming was done on the flight path of small commercial planes – it’s amazing to me how many flights there are in a short time span
-the ending – spotlight on Ed as he sang the last line: Welcome All Again. Isolated him and the words -the song’s title actually – quite effective.

All in all I found this video to be a smorgasbord of visuals. I had to watch it a few times to catch everything as they zip past so quickly!

The video itself is shot in time lapse photography, from a single camera (except for the live shots of the band) and although the images don’t relate directly to the song (I half expected to see shots of the band skinny dipping and jumping off tire swings into the lake ) I personally think it’s a much more interesting video simply because it doesn’t predictably follow the song lyrics.

Welcome All Again video was produced by Ross Ching, an up and coming producer and cinematographer based out of San Diego. You can find his website HERE and follow him on Twitter @rossching You can find the finished video HERE along with some really cool info on the overall making of the video – INCLUDING how Ross did the diamond shape in the High Rise

All screencaps in this review were used without permission (but with good intent) and are property of RoadRunner Records ©2009

This is How I Live – Sam Roberts in Concert

When you meet Sam Roberts in person he is the antithesis of a rock star; soft spoken, polite, attentive – when he speaks to you, you are quite literally the only person in the room. But there is an intensity there too just below the surface, and it comes boiling up and out the second that Sam steps out onto stage with his band.

I’ve heard nothing but positive things about Sam Roberts Band live and the show I attended the other night proved that everything I’ve heard is an understatement!

Ten minutes before show time, venue security was suddenly beefed up and you could feel the anticipation mounting. Five minutes before show time, the fans were on their feet but still respecting the boundary line between audience and security personnel. One minute before show time and eager fans were pressed up against the fencing, with the security personnel on the opposite side. There was no element of danger to it though; it was all in good fun … and then bang! the show started.

Read the entire review HERE

Sam Roberts Band website
Sam Roberts Band Myspace

A New Beginning for Collective Soul

Collective Soul pulled a fast one today – ‘leaking’ their new Self Titled album (affectionately known as ‘Rabbit’ ) a week early on Rhapsody and VH1’s sites. Unfortunately for me – neither site would let me listen as anyone north of the border is blocked by these sites. However… Collective Soul themselves came to the rescue just before dinner time -tossing the album up on a mirror site for the rest of us!

I’ve now listened to the album 4 times and I can say I’m hooked! This is Collective Soul heads and shoulders above anything they’ve done to date. This is vintage Collective Soul rolled together with a new energy that hasn’t been there in some time.

The album opens with their second Single, “Welcome All Again”. I’m not a huge fan of this song even though it has classic rock and roll sound, and tells the story of the band’s recording sessions at Ed’s lake house. It’s a decent enough song – the band has been opening their live shows with it the last few weeks and it receives amazing reception from the fans – but to me it lacks passion and feeling; its more a commentary than an emotional reminiscing.

You can read the entire track by track review HERE

Collective Soul Staring Down Music Video on Yahoo! Music

Tonight Collective Soul posted their new video for Staring Down – via Yahoo! Music – you can watch it here (below). I love it! I love the whiteness and lightness of the roof shots, the angles, the openness of it all.. and the story line interwoven with shots of the band add to the overall feel of this song rather than detract from it like so many music videos do. Seeing Ed (singer) with a smile is not unusual, but he has such joy in his face – its easy to see this song has real meaning to him. Enjoy.

more about "Collective Soul Staring Down Music Vi…", posted with vodpod

How far will you go for music?

I have my U2 tickets firmly in hand (actually, they’re safely tucked away with my ‘most prized possessions’ so I wouldn’t lose them when I moved) and I can hardly wait for October 27th. Or is it October 28th? Doesn’t matter. I’m off to Vancouver to see my favorite band in concert; never mind that it’s a 5 hr drive to get there – each way. I’ve gone to Portland Oregon, in December, in an ice storm to see U2. I’ve flown to Hawaii to see U2… it’s been a tradition to not miss their show since the Joshua Tree tour all those years ago … so a mere 5 hrs is nothing.

Collective Soul tickets went on sale this morning and as much as I like the band, I had to debate buying a ticket. The show is in Vancouver – 5 hrs away.  Yes the band has two new singles out; Staring Down and Welcome All Again, yes the band has a new album due out August 25th, yes the band is currently on tour, and soon to be inducted into the Georgia Rock Hall of Fame (mid September), and yes they’re in my ‘top 5 bands of all time’ list – but… its 5 hrs away!

I jest   Of course I bought a ticket. It was a hard choice though – mainly due to the fact that their show is too close to the U2 concert date to make two trips down in that short of a time period, but too far apart to stay the week+ to cover both shows in one trip. Also due to the fact that I just saw them in March; two shows back to back at the local casinos. (U2 only tour every 4-6 yrs). Also due to the fact that casino shows are reserved seating and more intimate, and this show is in a nightclub -which means hours of standing in line to get in, standing on the dance floor through 2 or even 3 opening acts, standing during the Collective Soul concert (which is the only part we’d be standing for at a casino gig), and of course, dealing with drunken fools on the dance floor same as last time… It all combined to make me actually think about it, rather than ‘just do it’. But of course – it’s Collective Soul. And so I bought my ticket.

It got me thinking though – how far am I willing to travel for music? And what music am I willing to travel that far for? Being 5 hrs from Vancouver doesn’t afford me a lot of opportunities to see main acts locally, but Kelowna is not bad for music and only 45 minutes away. I’m going to Salmon Arm this weekend to see Sam Roberts – that’s only an hour away. Generally though, its going to be a road trip to Vancouver, and barring a snow storm, I’m quite willing to drive that far for my top 5 bands.

-U2 of course. Always has been my favorite band, always will be. Not too keen on their last album, No Line on the Horizon, but with a 25+ yr back catalog to choose from, and with a show that stops at nothing short of pleasing the audience every time, I wont miss them till they’re too old to keep doing it, or I am

-Collective Soul – in the three years since I first saw this band, they’ve improved ‘on stage’ by leaps and bounds. They’re professional, down to earth, humble, real. I’ve seen Ed (singer) mad at the world or at his roadies, but he wont let the fans down and neither will the rest of the band.

-Tom Cochrane – I didn’t grow up loving Tom but I grew to love him, his way about things, his stage show, his music. He’s one of the few people that can get an audience to sing without even trying hard (Bono is tops for that imho). He’s also one of the few people I’ve seen get a standing ovation and encore set – when he’s been the band on first, not the head liner.. he literally stole the show. Gives it all he has each and every time.

-Mobile – Mat the singer, is intense. Goes out into the audience. Strains to give every ounce of himself to the audience. He’s topped only by the rest of the band   I’ve only seen Mobile in concert once, before I knew who they were. It was such an incredible show that the very next day I went out and bought both their albums. Am eagerly awaiting the third which they’re currently in studio recording.

-Sam Roberts – same sort of intensity as Mat, as Tom, as Ed, as Bono – won’t quit until the audience has recieved what they paid for – notice a theme here yet? Sam is an incredible live performer – his Cd’s don’t do him justice; they can’t capture his very essence.

And someone else I’d travel 5 hrs to see (and haven’t seen live yet which is why they’re not in the top 5) is Seether/Shaun Morgan. I think I’ve missed something by not seeing Seether live yet. But one day I’ll get there.

So… how far would I go for music that moves me? As far as I have to… how far would you or have you gone?

I’m one of the millions of people who have joined and use Twitter, not only for social networking with friends, but as a platform for promo, for finding new music/bands and for learning new facts that inspire my blogs.

Yesterday Twitter was down nearly most of the day..I am not about to delve into why and how.. but it got me thinking about the state of the music industry.

Most bands nowdays are ditching physical cds and albums in favor of iTunes and various digital downloads. Its cheaper to ‘produce’,  easier to keep track of sales I would think, and can all be handled by literally one or two people from an office/computer. Many die hards such as myself would be sad to see CD’s become something extinct but it could happen very easily.

But what if the Internet – not just Twitter but the entire Internet – went down one day. And what if it went down for good? Not only would it affect any band that was selling their music exclusively on-line, but what about all the bands/musicians who are relying soley on social networking sites, and street teams etc, to promo their new releases and concert dates? Can you imagine the scramble that would take place by various record companies and managment companies? No more websites to promo the tour dates, no more buying tickets online from Ticketmaster/Live Nation, or ebay,  or brokers – you’d have to go back to camping out for days in front of the ticket window to get choice seats. The brokers would go broke (no pun intended) – you’d be back to buying tickets from old fashioned scalpers the day of the show. (might be a good thing in that respect!)

And what about things like taking photos at shows – no more Youtube, Flickr or Photobucket to share your pics with the band and/or your friends… so why take concert pics then? Bands would not be able to have fans Tweet the show for fans online.. they’d have to go back to old fashioned tv

It would be a very odd thing to go back to! But think about how things were done prior to the internet – they seemed to work! Dont know that they would still work. Its an interesting thought though – and funny enough, one day it could very well happen.