Another high profile cancellation
There comes a point with these mega shows where you have to take the fan hat off and realize that it is all business -- no loyalty to the fans, only to the cash you can make off your nostalgia show.
Reading this morning's paper, I can only vomit a little bit in my mouth about how they want to make UH baseball stadium totally secure so that a show can be "private" next week -- don't you feel good that a large number of our city's cops will go and protect a multi-million dollar corporate shindig, maybe they will pass out mandatory ear plugs to the nearby dorms so that they absolutely and positively cannot hear anything, too
This is why this morning I salute TR.
In front of what was generously 2000 fans at the very spacious and empty Blaisdell ...
A show went on -- no cancellation.
Ticket prices were reasonable for 1994, much less 2007
Despite well documented grumblings on his part about expenses, etc. Despite his grousing about the costs to ship gear to Asia, and perform before crowds that -- well, were at best, unfamiliar with their music. He also grumbled about the overhead of carrying a full rock band out on a short summer tour.
But he played -- was it passion for his fans? or his music? or for performance?
And they played one of the best shows of the year here, hands down
Maybe it was all three, maybe it was out of obligation ... but I definitely respect him for playing despite all the obstacles to putting on a show here. It's really too bad that not many saw it -- that performance deserved a better audience
Not many bands or artists are about the fans anymore -- maybe I'm stupid, but I believe TR/NIN is still one of them
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Makes me think of old lyrics of an IceT rap:
You think you've made it, you're just a lucky man
Guess who controls your destiny -- FANS
But you diss 'em `cause you think you're a star
That attitude is rude, you won't get far
`Cause they'll turn on you quick, you'll drop like a brick
Unemployment's where you'll sit
No friends cause you dissed 'em too
No money, no crew, you're through
You played yourself...
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