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| basement tapes | concert reviews | cd reviews | interviews | ticket swap | music news |
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By Brian S. Photo - Publicity |
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What does a band do when it is no longer popular enough to sell out entire arenas, but is too popular (or too stubborn) to go on a tour that takes them to smaller venues? Well, the answer seems to be to go on a co-headlining tour. Elton John and Billy Joel started one earlier with the Face to Face tour. As much as fans may want to believe this is simply a treat Elton and Billy conjured up, I think each is beginning to question their ability to attract fans. The two might have been able to attract a full house to a tour in which each headlined alone, but at what price would those tickets go for? Elton John just finished part of his residency at Caesars Palace, entitled the Red Piano, and maybe he began to feel a little too much like a lounge act. Billy Joel, the Piano Man, has been active when he has wanted to. As a result, he has not exactly remained fresh in the minds of fans and fewer college kids discovered him their freshman year (as opposed to the throngs of college kids that are amazed by Goodbye Yellow Brick Road). Together they are undoubtedly a top notch show, and that show will go on for a couple more years according to a GQ interview with Sir Elton John. Elton and Billy are hardly the only acts pairing up. Another tour that has oddly received little attention in comparison is the coupling of Aerosmith and ZZ Top. For a long time Aerosmith was at least on par with the Rolling Stones, but now they need the help of ZZ Top to create a buzz. I am actually kind of glad the two groups found each other. It would be sad to see Aerosmith tickets left over at box offices or ZZ Top tickets continue to be ignored by people who think they like Southern Rock. For those who think I am completely off basis here, remember Aerosmith's last album (Honkin' on Bobo, released in 2004) merely went gold and ZZ Top's last record to even get certified was Antenna, released in 1994. Another tour that seems to have been inspired by a co-desire to remain relevant is the Rock N Rebels Tour II. This tour has a number of names attached to it, but is essentially co-headlined by Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd would. When I say a desire to remain relevant it is not to bash the artist, but to correctly identify the motivation. Kid Rock tickets alone would not create the buzz that his pairing with Lynyrd Skynyrd would. If this was not the case then the two groups would not have chosen to go out on the road with each other. Together the two groups can hope to rekindle the fire that once made them insanely popular rock artists/groups. So, when you are stuck between rock superstardom and being regulated to the dive bars from which you came, the answer is to find a similar group and go on a co-headlining tour. |
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