Sacred Metal-Board

Okay, let me put a question out to you via the Snakepit board, since there are people from various corners of the earth reading this:
Why are there so few people turning up at gigs these days?

This has really been bugging me for a while now. I attended a Metal Church gig in Amsterdam a couple of weeks back and - note the sad irony here - was even positively surprised that about 150-200 people filled the smaller of the two halls of the Melkweg club, where only a handful of traditional metal gigs are organized every year.
Last night I travelled a mere hundred kilometres/80 miles south-east to see Armored Saint on the first date (in Arnhem; of 'A bridge too far'-fame) of their 2006 Summer Tour. About a 100 people witnessed another one of those scorchingly intense 'Saint gigs that rip from beginning to end, er, 'March of the Saint'. Support from the inimitable Randy Rampage with his new project Stress Factor 9 was very cool, too.

Now where ARE all those guys and gals hanging out these days, if not at these killer gigs? I mean, there must be other reasons beside the often steep prices of tickets, beer and merchandise (which, in my humble opinion, have risen disproportionately over a period of 6-10 years). As a freelance writer, I know how tough things can get, but a few gigs and one festival should be no problem, really. As for me, I drink a couple of beers less and skip the 20 dollar tour shirt.

Seriously, are people glued to their tv screens ('57 channels and nothing on', to quote The Boss)? Have they regressed mentally and physically due to abuse of PlayStation, to demanding corporate jobs and the time-consuming toy that is the internet? Do they all have families now and nothing else going on in their lives? Help me out here, because I don't get it, I just don't.

Seriously, are people glued to their tv screens ('57 channels and nothing on', to quote The Boss)? Have they regressed mentally and physically due to abuse of PlayStation, to demanding corporate jobs and the time-consuming toy that is the internet?

That's an eventuality Prof... Anyway that's a sad state of things really... don't know what pepople expect these days..I guess they'd like to have the bands performing in their home...no travel, nothing to do....

That is very sad. I live in the midwestern United States so there aren't many shows that come around here. But when there is, I'll be damned if I'm going to miss the good ones. I would have definately been at the Metal Church and Armored Saint gigs.

It's probably time and money that are keeping people away. I have 4 kids under the age of 6 and still get to the shows that count.

People have to get out there and support the bands. The only way to make money for them is touring. If there don't make money touring, they won't tour anymore and that would be a shame.

Dear friend,

a real metalhead will strictly ignore the current Armored Saint...band of betrayers...their latest crappy efforts as solo artists, as a band or with other bands were proof enough that it is better not to pay attention to them anymore, 15 years after their last giant record...this band should have stayed dead...

Irish Coffee hat geschrieben: Dear friend,

a real metalhead will strictly ignore the current Armored Saint...band of betrayers...their latest crappy efforts as solo artists, as a band or with other bands were proof enough that it is better not to pay attention to them anymore, 15 years after their last giant record...this band should have stayed dead...

Dear Irish Coffee!

You have a Sockenschuss!

Metal,
Michael

Of corpse...

This is something i notice,too. Last year on a Nuclear Assault/Heathen show it was the same.Two killer bands and only 1/3 of the locations space was filled.Can't understand that.I was in Arnhem to see Armored Saint and i was surprised to only see a few people there.

The above post is from me.damn log in

SoBelow hat geschrieben: People have to get out there and support the bands. The only way to make money for them is touring. If there don't make money touring, they won't tour anymore and that would be a shame.

It does seem to be a bit of a vicious circle if bands aren't making money off CD sales because the majority of fans are downloading the albums instead of buying them, they can't make money touring because no one is going to the shows, and people aren't buying merchandise because it is too expensive. Just how are bands expected to earn enough to keep creating music?

Although I'll admit that I no longer am buying at the rate I used to (since I'm financing albums instead), back in the 1970s/80s there was nothing you could do to stop me buying albums. Every week meant a trip downtown to hunt out the latest offerings, and even with no job I managed to buy a few albums a week.

If a band I liked came through town, I was there, and while I couldn't afford the merchandise, I was promoting the gig to anyone who would listen. Of course this was long before we had a tool that could spread the word as fast and far as we have today with the internet.

Has there really been this much decline in interest in heavy music?

Michael@SacredMetal hat geschrieben:

Irish Coffee hat geschrieben: Dear friend,

a real metalhead will strictly ignore the current Armored Saint...band of betrayers...their latest crappy efforts as solo artists, as a band or with other bands were proof enough that it is better not to pay attention to them anymore, 15 years after their last giant record...this band should have stayed dead...

Dear Irish Coffee!

You have a Sockenschuss!

Metal,
Michael

I very seldom agree with you - but in this case you're right.

Sockenschuss