Salon.com: On Monday, tickets go on sale for the Rolling Stones’ ZIP CODE tour, the band’s first North American road trip in nearly a decade. Unsurprisingly, the trek is hitting a mix of outdoor baseball and football stadiums, including a late-May gig at Ohio Stadium and a July 4 concert at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, the Stones aren’t the only act roaming the stadium circuit this summer and early fall: In the States alone, rock staples (AC/DC, Foo Fighters), country music stars (Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan) and pop darlings (One Direction, Taylor Swift) are all either doing tours or one-offs at these huge venues.
3 comments:
I loved this article for so many reasons and it provided so much insight on a industry that is often so closed off to those trying to learn more about it. So many important issues and points are brought up here and I think one of the most interesting is that not of the title subject, but rather what Coachella is doing this year and how they have partnered with YouTube and the types of acts they are bringing in. They are appealing to new audiences by using streaming however keeping classic rock bands in the festival loop with AC/DC. I truly think Coachella has figured out the festival industry and has it down to a tee. They develop a diverse line up that brings in different audiences and usually have some sort of stunt each year. They’ve also created an identity for themselves that sets them apart from others. I think the Rolling Stone’s are also the pinnacle of the touring industry. From the 1970’s on, each tour they have done, they revolutionized the game. Even though they may retire one day, they continue to inspire the future of tours.
I think the answer to the question asked by the article is simply the new legacy acts, or at least the new pop culture icons. Kanye West isn’t Mick Jagger, but he holds a lot of popularity in music right now. Though I don’t personally hold the two to the same standard of music, I have no doubt that acts like Kanye will continue to pack the stadiums once all the stars of rock and roll’s golden age retire. This is a generational situation, and as such it has happened before. Pop culture manifests itself differently with each generation, but often times the general concepts can remain the same. Music stars, celebrities of enormous wealth and cultural influence are by no means a thing of the past, and to deny that is to deny a generation’s contribution to the music scene. That might be what you want to do, and I am personally not a huge fan of pop culture today, but it exists and it sells.
This is a really interesting read. I was fortunate enough to see the Rolling Stones last year at the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks. While there I realized just how "die hard" Stones fans really are. Rolling stones merchandise from head to toe, tattoos, signed vintage t shirts from the 80s, the band has truly built an army over the years. After experiencing the Stones and the 20 thousand people that attended the show, I can honestly say that the majority of fans will not look to new music to replicate a similar sound to the Stones after they are done playing live. They may enjoy some current bands, and go to their concerts (with their son or daughter most likely), but it will never match the intensity and passion that many of these fans carry with them for Mega artists like the Stones.
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