OPINION: Concerts You Could Only Dream About PART TWO

HIP HOP-Beastie Boys, Outkast, and Kanye West

Opening: Kanye West
Critically acclaimed "hottest MC in the game," Kanye West serves as a triple threat to hip-hop: singer, producer, and rapper. P. Diddy (or Puff Daddy?) has stated through a personal YouTube video, "The concert changed my life. I ain’t gonna lie. I was so impressed and inspired. It was beautiful, man, and I fell in love with hip-hop again."
Never having witnessed one of his concerts myself, I have only heard raving reviews. During his shows, he hires no backup dancers or singers. He remains the only one onstage throughout the show.
Anyone who reads the headlines knows that Mr. West doesn't take criticism well. Between his public outburst of "George Bush doesn't care about black people" to going onstage to accept an award he was only nominated for, trying to convince the audience he deserved it.
During a show in Australia, West began to rant on how the media unjustly contributed to the breakdown of Britney Spears, making his first song last ten minutes more than expected. After he finished, he exited the stage and told the band to keep playing. Confused, they kept going until Kayne re-appeared and sang 30 seconds of "Love Lockdown" before abruptly vacating the stage once again. He walked back on later as the band began a third time as he stated, “I’m supposed to have another f*cking outfit for this song, but they’ve taken it back to the dressing room. Let’s just do it”. After the full performance of the song, he walked off stage shouting "Goodbye Sydney!" as outraged fans yelled at the house lights coming back on, signaling the end of the show.
I'm not expressing any desire to have this happen during a concert that I attend but this further proves the point that Kanye does what he wants. When I go to a show, I expect to be entertained and encounter the unexpected. Kanye has no rules, neither do his performances.


Mid-Outkast
Constantly praised for their originality toward the genre of hip-hop, how could their show be any less creative? Despite their massive success of the album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" being one of the three hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the U.S.-they have remained the same down to earth couple they were when they first started out.
After being the second rap artist to win "Album of the Year" at the Grammys (aside from Lauryn Hill) André 3000 performed "Hey Ya!" as the show closed featuring dancers moving wildly around a green teepee, war paint and feathered headdresses. Creative to some, offensive to others. He was criticized by the Native American Cultural Center, who called for a boycott of Outkast, Arista Records, NARAS, and CBS, the broadcaster of the awards show. CBS later apologized, hoping to avoid plummeting ratings.
Outkast is another artist who has always steered away from boundaries. Concert reviewer Steve Appleford of the Rolling Stone described their show as a "frenetic carnival of high-concept party music." They fill the stage with backup singers and dancers, a guitarist, a bassist, and a DJ, in addition to the two main members of the group. Andre has been known to provide a spectacle of his own, usually sporting a blond wig and a pink jumpsuit David Bowie might have worn to orbit the Earth in 1970 while Big Boi quietly commanded the stage with his usual jeans and shirt.

Headliner: The Beastie Boys
I will never forget the opportunity I missed when I was 14. The Beastie Boys played a small venue less than a mile from my high school in Las Vegas for MTV's $2 concert series. Why did I miss it? I was distraught by the dozens of fans camped out for days at the local gas stations hoping to score tickets. The situation was unfortunate and the opportunity hasn't risen since.
Somewhat recently, The 2007 Athens' Ejekt festival came to an abrupt and violent end when 30 masked men armed with CS-gas, iron bars and baseball bats stormed the stadium during the Beastie Boys' set. Cars were set ablaze and a member of electronic group Underworld, who were set to close out the event, was injured in the melee.
Earlier that same year, the band encouraged the audience members to dress up in suits and gowns on their website and pre-show promotions for a show in Chicago. Many in attendance were in suits, tuxes, fancy dresses, feather boas and even the occasional lab coat and fake mustache (like the"Sabatoge" video).
The band is excellent, even though MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D are looking old. It doesn't matter. They still have it in them-anyone who says differently is whack.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Pittsburgh Slim

You may heave heard the song "Girls Kiss Girls" on your radio last fall after his music video became a YouTube sensation.
With his infectious banger "My Bitch Is Crazy" quickly making an impact on iTunes, Pennsylvanian rapper Pittsburgh Slim has signed with 101 Distribution to turn his hypnotic record into a ringtone that will be readily available to download on all national and regional phone carriers.

The song, produced by Chris Styles (the man responsible for hits such as 50 Cent's "Disco Inferno" and "Window Shopper"), is an autobiographical crossover smash that pays homage to women who are comfortable in their own skin and happen to be a bit mischievous.

"In rap, there are a lot of songs that put girls down, but I'm doing just the opposite. I mean, I like a crazy girl," Pittsburgh Slim explains. "It's definitely a record that girls can dance to, but at the same time, it's not a chick song. Like guys aren't gonna blush when it comes on because guys like that too, and they can relate to having those situations with their girlfriends."

"My Bitch Is Crazy" is slated to appear in The Bleeding, a horror action movie that Slim also has a role in. It's due in theatres in October.

In September 2007, Jay-Z signed Pittsburgh Slim to Def Jam and he released a seven-track album entitled Tastemaker that December. Slim asked for his release from the label in August 2008 and has become an independent artist ever since.

For more information or to download the ringtone or single for "My Bitch Is Crazy," visit www.101d.com
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OPINION: Concerts you could only dream about

Do you ever see a concert or festival for one specific band, wishing that the headliners were half as entertaining so you wouldn't be wasting your money? This week I have listed my ideal concerts for each genre. It's not exactly realistic as some of the bands aren't even around anymore, but one can dream can't they?

MY DREAM ROCK CONCERT: Rage Against The Machine/The Rolling Stones/ The Who

Opening Band: Rage Against The Machine
I had to think about this one for a while. My criteria for these selections is solely based on the artist's ability to perform, unpredictability and entertainment value. Rage successfully fulfills all of these requirements.
Rage has forever thrived on their ability to protest through performances causing massive controversy and mystery with every show. In 1993, the band was scheduled at the music festival Lollapalooza in Chicago. The band came onstage with nothing on them except tape over their mouths. Their four nude bodies stood in a row to display the letters PRMC. No sound was emitted from the speakers except feedback. Fans grew angry as the band refused to play in protest to the Parent's Music Resource Center, which is an organization who fights to censor music. After they walked off stage without playing a set, fans became outraged, causing the band to play a free show the next day for the sake of keeping their supporters.
When asked to perform on Saturday Night Live, the band was scheduled with guest Steve Forbes, a republican politician. Producers should have known this wouldn't have gone well when the band attempted to hang inverted American flags during their set. The band was scheduled to play two songs during the show, but it was immediately shortened to one.
Not only is Rage controversial, they have the introverted guitar techniques of Tom Morello. An honors graduate of Harvard University, politically outspoken Morello began playing guitar everyday for hours at time during his undergraduate years. He has been featured as one of Rolling Stone's, "Top 100 Guitarists of All Time."
Critically acclaimed, he is said to use the guitar in a unique and imaginative way; rather than just plucking the strings, his maneuvers include toggling between two pickups - one on and one off - while rubbing his hands on the strings over the pickups (his signature vinyl scratch effect used in "Bulls on Parade"). He also uses techniques such as rapidly hitting a pencil on the strings ("Cochise"), scraping an Allen wrench on the strings for a whole song ("People of the Sun") and even tapping the bridge with his audio jack cable ("Testify").
Rage is fearless, daring and probably put on one of the best shows of all time.


Mid: The Rolling Stones
Some may think this is generic, but I beg to differ. Look at the history of the Rolling Stones' tours. Their last tour in support of "A Bigger Bang" was dubbed one of the largest grossing tours of all time making over $558 million from 2005-2007. The 1970 documentary entitled, "Gimme Shelter" taped probably the most insane concert moment ever during their performance at Madison Square Garden. The Stones were ending the show with "Under My Thumb" as an 18-year-old man became involved in an altercation with some Hells Angels, (whom The Stones had hired for security) and drew a long-barreled revolver as he was stabbed to death by one of the Hells Angels. It is clear that Hunter drew his weapon before he was stabbed the first time. He was stabbed five times in total and kicked to death during the performance. The Rolling Stones had to interrupt their performance numerous times. Unaware that Hunter's stabbing was fatal, the Stones decided to continue to prevent a possible riot. Hell's Angel Sonny Barger claims he held a gun to Keith Richards and said, "You keep f****n' playing or you're dead."

Headliner: The Who
You may think I have an odd combination of bands under the rock genre, but the reason I labeled The Who as headliner is because I would want to see them with the original lineup of Keith Moon on the drums and John Entwistle on bass. Both of these fellow died due to an overdose on drugs or long lasting effects of them. Keith Moon famously passed out during a set on tour while a fan jumped up on stage to finish it for him. They were truly Rock 'N Roll I guess.
I think it goes without saying that every true music fan desires to see Pete Townshend smash his guitar on stage. Townshend currently suffers from partial deafness believed to be the result of extensive exposure to loud music through headphones and in concert, including The Who concert at Charlton Athletic Football Ground, London, on 31 May 1976 that was listed as the "Loudest Concert Ever" by the Guinness Book of Records, where the volume level was measured at 126 decibels 32 metres from the stage. It is also possible that Keith Moon's exploding drum set during The Who's appearance on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour contributed to Pete's hearing loss.
On a famous night in December 1973, eleven people were killed before a Who concert as people rushed to get a decent seat in the sold out, general seating concert arena. Many had been waiting for hours outside the doors when they heard a sound check on stage. Under false impressions that the concert had begun and successfully ran over the closed doors.

MY DREAM PUNK ROCK CONCERT: Green Day/The Ramones/The Clash

Opening: Green Day
This is the only band listed that I have actually seen live. Say what you will about their recent massive success, but it remains the best concert I have ever seen. They're a band that's best when playing a show. After the success of the album, "Dookie" the band signed on for Woodstock '94 which happened to be a weekend of rain and mud. During their set, some fans started throwing mud at the band while playing. As the stage filled up with piles of mud, Green Day stopped their set and started to throw it back into the crowd. The security guards did their best to monitor the crowd while dressed in mud-coated plastic ponchos. Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong taunted the crowd while rolling around in the mud onstage as he grabbed his microphone and smashed it into the ground. A kid no older than 13 jumped onto the stage as Billie Joe erupted into a chorus of "We're Not Gonna Take It" from Twisted Sister. He then told the crowd, "Hey, everyone say shut the f*** up and we'll stop playing." The crowd did and he marched off the stage as fan swarmed after him leaving drummer Tre Cool with bruises all over his body.

Mid: The Ramones
The Ramone's first gig was at the legendary rock club CBGB. Their set lasted only 17 minutes and 20 fast songs full of energy. No one ever did something like that. The majority of the critics weren't ready for this revelation: some saw the iron side of it, "They played every song at 78 rpm", some complained about the shortness of the concert. Ramones reply to these accusations was: "You have what you paid for".
Johnny Ramone couldn't stand mistakes or stupidity. He had a diary of all concerts, so he knew exactly where they had been and how many people went to see them. He was very precise. Because of his personality and his sometimes dictatorial ways the other members called him führer. The live shows became more frenetic and Ramones spent most of the time travelling from one place to another. Being so close together created tensions that disappeared as soon as the four had a little privacy. In those days they performed five concerts a week doing 45 minutes each set.


Headliner: The Clash
This one is more specific. As The Clash grew in popularity, they began to play less shows instead of more. I would have liked to see them when played a series of 17 concerts at Bond's International Casino in New York City in May and June 1981 in support of their album, "Sandinista!" Strict interpretation of the fire laws meant that audiences were relatively small and resulting in a sense of intimacy between the band and the audience. Audience members clambered onto the stage to join in singalongs. New York musicians, including Pearl Harbor, assisted and overseen by Andy Dunkley, provided disc jockey services as the audience entered and gathered.
As always with The Clash, ticket prices were set relatively low. That's something you don't see today.

THE LEGEND (or letdown?) OF CHINESE DEMOCRACY

Guns N' Roses's hidden and massively hyped Chinese Democracy was shielded from the public for 16 years until recently when it was finally released to listeners where it received shockingly mixed reviews. A California blogger, Kevin Cogill, has been said to have contributed to Rose's stark decision to unveil after he controversially leaked nine of the tracks online causing the site to crash from excessive downloading. Cogill was quickly put in handcuffs the following morning. Fans have pleaded with Axl and his producers for distribution of the album claiming that these tracks are among the most groundbreaking work of his career-which has now been open for debate.

Despite the never-ending pressure from what seems to be everyone, (Dr. Pepper even promised the public each a free soft drink if Guns N' Roses agreed to release) Axl Rose refused press concerning Chinese Democracy. Apparently he has been missing for almost two months, refusing phone calls or any contact with anyone. Marketers say this contributed to the lower than expected sales that reached only 261,000 in the first week. The album reached an exclusive deal with Best Buy, making it the sole distributer and thus further restricting sales.

Record executives at Geffen have been upset with Axl and claimed that the chain "under advertised" and didn't display the album correctly in some outlets.
I am not a huge Guns N' Roses fan by any means, but am I still allowed to be critical of how it was received? The supposedly sacred album was expected to innovate today's music has become a disappointment to fans and a failure for Axl's career. Rolling Stone Magazine has even predicted that Rose "step outside, take a breath of fresh California air, then shut the door until 2039." Public perception of the release was generally a letdown claiming that the album lacked any melodic songs and was instead crammed with obscure excerpts including a boy's choir and ambient noise.

Some have theorized that our downward spiraling economy motivated former Guns N' Roses frontman to attempt raking in some record breaking profits. The New York Times reported in 2005 that Rose laid down 13 million creating the album, making it one of the most expensive recordings "never made." Clearly Rose predicted a massive public response but only made it to #3 on the Billboard charts. Although the album has gained some praise from critics, (Rolling Stone named it #8 on the top albums of 2008) I personally feel that the whole idea, anticipation, and excitement of Chinese Democracy have been shattered. With ridiculously high expectations, could have ever lived up to the hype?

In Cameron Crowe's autobiographical film, Almost Famous, Crowe's no apologies journalist idol, Lester Bangs, lays it out to him, "It's just a shame you missed out on Rock N' Roll. It's over. You got here just in time for the death rattle." Is it over? Is nobody excited anymore? Chinese Democracy was the first largely celebrated rock release in many years. The album wasn't widely received promotionally or critically. Admittedly I was shocked at the failure of the public to embrace a myth of Rock N' Roll. Maybe the cult of Guns N' Roses fans are dying off as they get older and are too old to perform in cover bands every weekend.