andrewdansby (10:09:29 AM): i realize not everybody gives a flying flip about Vampire Weekend, but for fuck's sake, this itinerary has me rankled. i mean, would it kill fuckers to pick up a fucking paycheck between NOLA and Austin?
andrewdansby (10:09:32 AM): i mean, fuck.
andrewdansby (10:09:36 AM): FUCK
andrewdansby (10:09:43 AM): sorry, i'm done now.
Classy, guys. Are you really that upset?
I believe the frustration is less about Vampire Weekend and more about the continued skipping over of Houston to which we have become so accustomed. Don't tell me it doesn't irk you when you don't see Houston on yet another tour itinerary.
I'd second that. I wouldn't mind seeing a VW show here. I'm grouchier about the broader implications of a tour that traipses from New Orleans to Austin and then up to Dallas before heading west. This week it was Vampire Weekend. A few weeks back it was Wilco. And such news always seems to find its way to my monitor before I've had my caffeine.
I read about that this morning as well. I really don't understand it at all. So Dallas makes sense, but not Houston? I say fuck those bands and whoever is booking their shows.(Beastie Boys, I'm a die hard fan, but I've had to drive to San Anotonio and Dallas for the past 2 tours, really, you haven't fit in Houston since like 1995!?!?!)Like Sara said, it isn't just about Vampire Weekend (I've seen them at Lollpalooza and ACL, nothing to write home about) but how such a huge city continually gets the shaft when it comes to certain tours. At least Extra Golden played Houston, twice. I have been losing patience with V.W., I think this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
Believe it or not, it really doesn't, especially when it's a band like VW I could give a shit about. Professionally, it means I don't have to go through the guest-list/photo-pass hassle; personally it means I can either go see something I actually am interested in or just take the blessed night off. If you really want to see them that bad, take a road trip, for Chrissakes.
Besides, I don't know what you guys are doing over here, but in 2009 Rocks Off found well over 200 shows worth reviewing that did come through Houston. (I lost count around October.) If many more bands did add this place to their itineraries, I don't think we could stand it.
As for Wilco, seeing how they sold out Verizon the last two times they were here, I'm sure they'll be along eventually.
I also don't care about Vampire Weekend, but know a lot of folks who do, and I think we're allowed to be a little pissed on their behalf.
Someone on Facebook (a Houstonian) said that the reason VW isn't coming to Houston is because Houstonians aren't cool enough and wouldn't go to a VW show. Yeah, that's a pretty sheltered statement, but it points to the real problem: bands skipping Houston perpetuates a self-loathing attitude in Houston. I'm sure that's what plenty of people thought about Neko Case skipping town until she came to town in November and, surprise, there's a slew of Neko Case fans in Houston and they all came to that show. The people I stood beside chatted and bonded over a shared experience of knowing that Houston does have friendly people in it with similar tastes to their own.
That can be a rare experience in Houston. It's one that I think a lot of (particularly younger, suburban) people here crave and can't find and, thus, give up on trying to find it. They spend their time sighing over Pitchfork alerts, hating their city, instead of getting out and finding stuff (perhaps some local bands, for instance) to love.
So you guys were the ones talking at the Neko Case show... jeez, haven't we had enough of that too?
As for Vampire Weekend, they weren't all that great at Lolla. I was actually pretty disappointed. I'll take as many Wilco shows in Houston as I can get. I caught them here when they came through in 2008 (and then flew to OKC and Dallas to see them in 2009).
Let us not forget about the bands who actually do seem to care about playing in Houston. Just a few from recent history:
1.) The Mars Volta - Seems like they play here every year.
2.) Elvis Perkins - Played here twice in 2009.
3.) Other Lives - Played here like 3 times in 2009.
4.) Delta Spirit - While in Chicago for Lolla, I told Matt V. (the lead singer) that I caught their awesome show in Houston, he let out a really emphatic "shit yeah walter's!"
I'm forgetting loads of bands, but these are the ones that came to mind.
Sigh, somehow this has shifted from boring to tedious and I feel it's my fault for starting it with yet another grouse about bands skipping town, in this case a band I care about around a 7 on a 1-10 scale. The frustration wasn't so much about Vampire Weekend (vampires are SO aughts), but rather the continued practice of not being a B between points A and C even though the road between A and B and C is a straight shot.
Yes, I'm sure Wilco will come back to the Verizon at some point. We are, after all, a lock for second legs of tours. Except when we're not. Thanks to AC/DC for offering two legs -- you can stand on that.
It's worth noting that "the people I stood beside" reference in the Neko Case comment, to me, implies that they were strangers and therefore not our chatty party. (We were the ones talking throughout the Stryper show!) But the fun with barbs is in the flailing, right? Who cares if you hit the pinata.
If (m)any more bands add Houston to their itineraries, I'm sure Rocks Off will find a way to soldier through.
I'm glad to hear somebody else enjoyed the Delta Spirit show as much as I did.
Post new comment