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Springsteen on Broadway


blindboygrunt

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And that rant is the very reason that we can say to let ticket and recording sales judge people, rather than what they say, and when they say it. If it pisses off enough people so that their sales go through the basement, so be it. Let the marketplace judge whether their political statements are a deal-breaker for a performer's career.

 

You use the Dixie Chicks as an example, I'll use Ted Nugent.

 

Who's Ted Nugent?

Don't get me wrong, it's not something that is exclusively the fault of liberals. I don't want to hear it from Nugent or Charlie Daniels, either, when they are on stage. What they say in articles and interviews is their business. I can't imagine someone, in this day & time, who doesn't have a political opinion. However, an entertainer is well advised to ask himself, "Who is my customer and how do I serve him?"

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Now that I've had a chance to listen, Springsteen on Broadway is brilliant. Anyone that has followed his career knew it would be. Best entertainer I've ever seen. Just one example, the passion in his description of the birth of rock and roll is something we've seen in his shows many times but somehow it is still comes across as shockingly brilliant.

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Don't get me wrong, it's not something that is exclusively the fault of liberals. I don't want to hear it from Nugent or Charlie Daniels, either, when they are on stage. What they say in articles and interviews is their business. I can't imagine someone, in this day & time, who doesn't have a political opinion. However, an entertainer is well advised to ask himself, "Who is my customer and how do I serve him?"

 

Fair enough. At the same time, some of the greatest have made the decision to let both their music and their mouths do the talking, whether or not the customer cared for it. Let the market decide their fate.

 

Some didn't say much about politics except through their music.

 

Dylan is one of those. He eschewed talking about politics, but he sure did write and sing about it. Almost his entire body of work is an example.

 

Woody Guthrie, on the other hand, both sang about politics, and talked about it.

 

There is a wonderful traveling show called "Woody Sez" that is made up entirely of the music, sayings, and writings of Woody Guthrie. It combines the music and the spoken words of Woody in a magical way, and there's a lot of politics in it. See it if it ever comes your way.

 

The show will be in residence for almost six weeks at the Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek, California next May and June. You can argue that's a perfect venue for it, since it's about an hour's drive east of San Francisco.

 

 

Woody Sez

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Fair enough. At the same time, some of the greatest have made the decision to let both their music and their mouths do the talking, whether or not the customer cared for it. Let the market decide their fate.

 

Some didn't say much about politics except through their music.

 

Dylan is one of those. He eschewed talking about politics, but he sure did write and sing about it. Almost his entire body of work is an example.

 

Woody Guthrie, on the other hand, both sang about politics, and talked about it.

 

There is a wonderful traveling show called "Woody Sez" that is made up entirely of the music, sayings, and writings of Woody Guthrie. It combines the music and the spoken words of Woody in a magical way, and there's a lot of politics in it. See it if it ever comes your way.

 

The show will be in residence for almost six weeks at the Center Repertory Company in Walnut Creek, California next May and June. You can argue that's a perfect venue for it, since it's about an hour's drive east of San Francisco.

And, as the consumer, I decide what is enough and where to draw the line.

 

Woody Sez

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I love the example of the Dixie Chicks. I can remember living back in Dallas in the 1980s and seeing the original lineup playing on street corners.

 

Natalie Maines made her anti-war comments at a show in England in March 2003. We all know the reaction. (Gee. If only Maines had tweeted that the FBI sucks, the Justice Department is full of hacks, federal judges make rulings because of their ethnicity, Putin's our friend, etc., maybe nobody would have complained....)

 

In 2007, the band won five Grammys. In 2010, they opened for the Eagles on tour. As of 2015, they'd sold 30.5 million albums -- and 27.5 million of those were in the U.S.

 

They remain the top-selling all-female band of all time.

 

If that's failure, I want some of it.

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Jim, if you edit my posts by adding things to it, please make it clear what you have done, rather than making it appear that the words you added are mine. I don't appreciate anyone putting words in my mouth.

I did add a comment to that one but, for some reason it didn't print. Please unruffle your feathers, get a drink of water and calm down. There is no plot to undermine your superfluous words.

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Ah !

 

😂😂

 

Geez I just heard a good show , you’re the one who’s cake is in the rain jim

 

Your initial statement that you won’t listen to anything bruce does anymore is a huge political statement

 

YOU could’ve just said nothing initially.

YOURE the one who can’t keep politics out of it

 

Good luck to you

And your policies

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Ah !

 

😂😂

 

Geez I just heard a good show , you’re the one who’s cake is in the rain jim

 

Your initial statement that you won’t listen to anything bruce does anymore is a huge political statement

 

YOU could’ve just said nothing initially.

YOURE the one who can’t keep politics out of it

 

Good luck to you

And your policies

And thanks for your tolerance to my opinion. I didn't realize that I had to get approval. Silly me!

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I wish I could have seen the show... tickets were going for well north of a grand. I will watch this when i get Netflix... man I'm old.

Love Bruce. We have enough monkeys and grifters in music (and politics) that play the part. Love Bruce, Mellencamp, Petty, so many others.

Grunt the intro to My Hometown is magic.

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Another point, using the Dixie Chicks as an example....there was a group who made very good music and were entertaining. Then their political rant wiped them off the map.

You should look at their Pollstar numbers. Between 2016 and 2018, 77 reported shows averaged an attendance of 11,546 with average grosses of $804,536.00. So, they played to over 800,000 people and grossed over $61 Million. Pretty good for being "wiped off the map". BTW, Springsteen's average gross is $2,717,705.00 so you really showed him by staying home! Facts are a pesky thing. Especially when you don't know what you're talking about. But, you do you.

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Don't expect attention when you're late to the party. That's already been cussed and discussed.

Actually, your uninformed and incorrect claim about the Dixie Chicks wasn't. At least until now. Happy to clear up your misconception for you. The validity of your argument is nonexistent when the facts don't support it. It stops being an argument and just becomes hot air.

 

I will, however, agree with you that in some cases, politics are best kept to one's self where entertainers are concerned. An example: as a concert promoter, I'm involved in bringing a Russian band to the U.S. next month for their first ever tour. They are a Chicago (the band) tribute act that's tearing up the internet lately. Everyone knows that social media is a powerful marketing tool and this band is no exception. As a matter of fact, it's how I found out about them in the first place. I noticed on their Twitter feed last week that whoever administers it had posted a comment pertaining to issues in the Catholic Church having to do with priests' behavior. I logged in and replied that I thought that this was a topic that was best left alone since their purpose online as the tour approached was to create goodwill and interest in the band's first ever U.S. performances. I reinforced that with a call to their manager and the post was removed. So, yeah, sometimes it's risky. But, not so much with a well-established act whose art has always been political. To take umbrage or be surprised at someone like Springsteen making a political comment is to admit you weren't paying attention, to begin with.

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Actually, you're uninformed and incorrect claim about the Dixie Chicks wasn't. At least until now. Happy to clear up your misconception for you. The validity of your argument is nonexistent when the facts don't support it. It stops being an argument and just becomes hot air.

 

I will, however, agree with you that in some cases, politics are best kept to one's self where entertainers are concerned. An example: as a concert promoter, I'm involved in bringing a Russian band to the U.S. next month for their first ever tour. They are a Chicago (the band) tribute act that's tearing up the internet lately. Everyone knows that social media is a powerful marketing tool and this band is no exception. As a matter of fact, it's how I found out about them in the first place. I noticed on their Twitter feed last week that whoever administers it had posted a comment pertaining to issues in the Catholic Church having to do with priests' behavior. I logged in and replied that I thought that this was a topic that was best left alone since their purpose online as the tour approached was to create goodwill and interest in the band's first ever U.S. performances. I reinforced that with a call to their manager and the post was removed. So, yeah, sometimes it's risky. But, not so much with a well-established act whose art has always been political. To take umbrage or be surprised at someone like Springsteen making a political comment is to admit you weren't paying attention, to begin with.

Sweet Jesus in the morning! What did I ever do without you???? Pontificate away, my friend!

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