It's better to burn out than it is to rust...

So this whole gig thing has got little bit messed up hasn't it.

It has long been my ideal night out.
Go see a band, check out some guitar moves, sup a few beers and apply my own dissection of the performance - this song's better than that one - the solo in such and such is simply on fire - blah blah - you know the stuff. The live performance is the great leveller. The true creditials. The old dogs cohones.

I have always admired anyone (within reason) who can get up on stage in front of an audience, do their thing and get off without the need for incontinence pants.
Having done it myself, I know the mixture of adrenalin rush and crapping oneself is a strange and unique feeling but, doing a set of covers in front of your mates is one thing, doing your own stuff is a whole different fishbag.
It is, of course, a great advantage to the performer, when the audience have parted with their readies and actually want to hear the songs but what of the poor support act.
Up there, to fill in time while the main act works there way through the rider.
Up there, to make the main act sound and look good.
Up there, to take the flack from an audience who couln't give a toss.
Up there, to get the chance to play, in front of any audience, with the faint hope that somebody, however insignificant, might take a bit of notice and, who knows...

Change appears to be on the horizon however.
Many bands now tour with no support act.
Fair do.
If you're getting 3 hours worth of greatest hits mixed with the stuff off the new album, then there isn't much time or need for a support band.
Many bands now tour with a support act who have their own sinificant pedigree and fanbase.
Fair do.
Guarantees a full house.
Many bands now hit the summer circuit and the inevitable round of festivals, mini fests and open air gigs.
Ultimately this ends up with situations like REM, Feeder, the Zutons, Aberfeldy and Ambulance LTD filling a 10 hour bill.
Fair do. At a moderate £35 price tag, this is a bargain even if you only like the headline act.

The latter of these options does offer some crumbs to the lesser known, or unknown support band if they are lucky enough to get on the bill but, with their slots squeezed in shortly after the pubs open, the chances are the audience will comprise of only the infirm, insane, teetotal or the bands rellies.
My Space, You Tube & co are seemingly all that is left for the poor, struggling support act.

This may well be a good thing because at least they are hitting on a world wide audience.
Increasingly, a UK tour consists of a couple of nights at the G-Mex, a night at the NECC and a five night squat at Wembley.
If I'm lucky, I might get the pleasure of a 250 mile round trip to the SECC in Glasgow.
I know I'm indulging in a bit of stereotyping but it is a known fact that your average person, particularly those who live in big cities with lots of distractions, knows sod all about the geography of anywhere but their own back yard.
Finding a tour promoter who knows where Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee and Inverness are is seemingly about as likely as me getting invited to open for Springsteen at the Auchtermuchty Cycle Tavern.
I suspect that this whole scenario, as well as applying to Scotland (that's the top bit of the UK), applies equally to middle America, eastern Europe, the Australian bush, the Okavango and anywhere towards the end of the alphabet or with more than three syllables.
In reality though, ignorance is no excuse.
Recently, we have hosted the Stereophonics, The Arctic Monkeys, The Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers and the Foo Fighters.

The Foo Fighters for f4ck sake.
Only the biggest band in the world today.

Historically, everyone from Dylan to Zeppelin and Oasis to the Stones, have played our small handful of venues.
I know its the frozen north and we already f4cked the Romans off but surely if Dave Grohl and his band of merry men can make it past the border, then every other lazy assed so and so can make it too.

When you factor in this apparent lack of interest in anything further north and east than Glasgow, with the travel, accommodation and ticket costs, you can easily run up a couple hundred quid of a bill per person.
Imagine then my excitement when I heard Neil Young was playing Edinburgh playhouse. A living legend.
Along with Dylan, Springsteen and and any of my personal favourites, one of the few acts I would consider travelling to see.
Still a 250 mile round trip but its on the right side of the country and hey, might be the last chance.
But wait a minute, whats this.
Face value of £65.00 for a ticket with many agents adding their own cut.

The ticket I was offered was, at £85, seriously seedy and seriously taking the piss.

With or without Crazy Horse, Neil, your promoter needs slapped down a bit.
I know some of this has to do with market forces and such like but when you look at an itinerary of 9 dates in only three UK cities, no wonder the price is so high.
Perhaps Neil is putting the finishing touches to his pension.
Maybe if he squeezed in a few more dates and cut his fee by about 50%, he might get away with out having a price on his head.
Come this far north with a price tag like that and you'll have wanted posters up all along the A90.

Surely Neil Young & co can see what's happening here.
As tours get shorter and gigs get more centred round the major cities, tickets for every possible event will become more and more eagerly contested on the internet. The prices will spiral uncontrollably and fewer and fewer tickets will be available through local agents.
Internet sales will become even more prominent as any available tickets are snapped up and flogged to the highest bidder on our beloved E-bay.
As the gigs get fewer and the support band becomes the reserve of You Tube and the sticky carpet clubs; when Dylan, Young, Springsteen & co have headed off for the big jam in sky; what will be left for us?

Give me the support bands half dozen songs and the main act playing for 90 minutes across the length and breadth of the country.
That gets my vote any day.

Without that we'll be left to ponder the intricacies of High School Musical and the X Factor.
Oh f4ck!!!

This weeks offerings, with an obvious leaning towards live performance, and a few requests fulfilled...

Warren Zevon - Solo Rock n Roll Tour
http://rapidshare.com/files/81385882/A_Solo_Rock__n__Roll_Tour_1993-06-15.rar

The Men They Couldn't Hang - Alive Alive O
http://rapidshare.com/files/81390113/Alive_Alive_O.rar

Cowboy Junkies - Live at the Riviera Club
http://rapidshare.com/files/83054477/Live_At_The_Riviera_Club__Chicago.rar

Garbage - Live at the Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
http://rapidshare.com/files/78294119/Liquid_Rooms.rar

Bob Dylan - Guitars Kissing and the Contemporary Fix
http://rapidshare.com/files/75043184/guitars_kissing_1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/75063324/guitars_kissing_2.rar

Counting Crows - Live at the Warfield
http://rapidshare.com/files/83066235/Live_At_The_Warfield_Part_1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/83076529/Live_at_the_Warfield_part_2.rar

The Icicle Works - Blind
http://rapidshare.com/files/81399518/Blind.rar

The Adventures - Sea Of Love
http://rapidshare.com/files/81371756/The_Sea_Of_Love.rar

King Creosote - Chorlton and the Wh'earlies for Barbelith if you haven't got it
Removed by request

World Party - Private Revolution (can't remember if I ripped this from vinyl or not - apologies if the quality is bad) for Kurt
http://rapidshare.com/files/83040837/Private_Revolution.rar

Thanks to all who drop by and thanks to those kind enough to leave comments.
Enjoy and as usual - try, buy or go to the gigs (if you can find one that is)

Cheers

Hooli