Rock Stars using live shows as their political platform

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VonBonfire said:
I would disagree with you there. How about family and friends? Shoot, my free time means more than money to me.
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Immediate family yet. But friends? Find out how many friends you have when there's money involved, or there's no food and you're all staring at the last piece of bread.

I hear you on free time. I have almost no interest in doing side handyman work these days. All these fucks don't call during the Winter, suddenly everyone wants work. FU. I'm almost done with side work.
 
billsbigego said:
Immediate family yet. But friends? Find out how many friends you have when there's money involved, or there's no food and you're all staring at the last piece of bread.

I hear you on free time. I have almost no interest in doing side handyman work these days. All these fucks don't call during the Winter, suddenly everyone wants work. FU. I'm almost done with side work.
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I gig for one of my friends who has a club, I worked for another friends family for years and could still go to work for him now in FL, and my other friend is a slacker but a dude I've known most of my life. I have other friends besides, some of them are becoming great friends. Some of these guys would give me the shirt off their back but fortunately I have a few t-shirts already and food in the fridge but all of them have gone out on a limb for me at some point and vice versa.

I'm just about done working for anyone but myself ever again. I'm with you on the handyman stuff. I do a few things on the side for a guy now but it's gonna be coming to an end soon. I'm just done dealing with people on a day to day basis.
 
@thegame that's not exactly true, if you went to see the damned or the buzzcocks you were famously getting an apolitical experience.

same with the ramones.

Yeah, if you're going to see Millions of Dead Cops, that would be stupid to complain

But no one going to see mainstream bullshit like Bruce Springsteen wants to have his idiotic politics brayed into their ear - especially after their paid an ungodly amount for their concert ticket.
 
Killcrop said:
I am sure most of you have seen Bruce Springsteen telling a crowd in Europe about his TDS issues. As if a guy that has never held a real job, never known what it's like to struggle, about how the Trump administration is going to take away your rights. He couldn't be more out of touch with reality with the common man. BTW Europe has their own issues. They don't need to focus on ours.

I was at a Pearl Jam show Sunday in PITTSBURGH and EV referenced Bruce and applauded his efforts. He was mostly mumbling his own version of Trump Derangement but he said something that pissed me off. "We aren't sure we will even have a mic to voice our option a year from now". Excuse me Mr. Vedder but the current administration isn't the one who was suppressing free speech and censoring the internet. Another case of a guy that has more money than god and totally out of touch with reality. Once they started playing Rocking int he Free World I was gone. I hate that fucking stupid song.

Anyway, I like Pearl Jam but I go to concerts to escape reality and enjoy myself. I don't need a rock star telling me how I should vote. And by the sounds of it, half the people there agreed with me.
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So, with PJ being known for having fairly political lyrics, it's only the political banter in between songs you take issue with? Singing about these things is ok while speaking of them is not? Besides Rage Against the Machine, I'm not sure you could have picked a more inappropriate band if you just wanted some escapism entertainment with zero political content.
 
DanTravis62 said:
@thegame that's not exactly true, if you went to see the damned or the buzzcocks you were famously getting an apolitical experience.

same with the ramones.

Yeah, if you're going to see Millions of Dead Cops, that would be stupid to complain

But no one going to see mainstream bullshit like Bruce Springsteen wants to have his idiotic politics brayed into their ear - especially after their paid an ungodly amount for their concert ticket.
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Early 80's punk/hardcore scene was awash with anti-Reagan/Thatcher/Pope imagery/lyrics/philosophies. It was hard to avoid it actually. But that catered to comparatively small audiences, unlike Springsteen. Even if BS and the like didn't utter a single peep in between songs on stage, they sneak their politics into the lyrics quite often, so the fans are hearing his views whether they want to or not.
 
thegame said:
Early 80's punk/hardcore scene was awash with anti-Reagan/Thatcher/Pope imagery/lyrics/philosophies. It was hard to avoid it actually. But that catered to comparatively small audiences, unlike Springsteen. Even if BS and the like didn't utter a single peep in between songs on stage, they sneak their politics into the lyrics quite often, so the fans are hearing his views whether they want to or not.
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No one cares about people having those messages in their songs - people know the songs when they go to the concert. That's the point.

They didn't pay to hear someone's retarded political rantings, they paid to be entertained with music.
 
DanTravis62 said:
No one cares about people having those messages in their songs - people know the songs when they go to the concert. That's the point.

They didn't pay to hear someone's retarded political rantings, they paid to be entertained with music.
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Oh my gosh, I didn't go to a Suicidal Tendencies concert to be lectured on Mike Muir's politics! I just want to hear 'I shot Reagan!" :LOL:
 
thegame said:
Oh my gosh, I didn't go to a Suicidal Tendencies concert to be lectured on Mike Muir's politics! I just want to hear 'I shot Reagan!" :LOL:
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No one is saying that at suicidal tendencies shows though, because not only would that be "on brand" - mike muir doesn't waste the audiences time going on political diatribes

If people were complaining about it, you'd have a point, but they aren't - so you don't.
 
thegame said:
Early 80's punk/hardcore scene was awash with anti-Reagan/Thatcher/Pope imagery/lyrics/philosophies. It was hard to avoid it actually. But that catered to comparatively small audiences, unlike Springsteen. Even if BS and the like didn't utter a single peep in between songs on stage, they sneak their politics into the lyrics quite often, so the fans are hearing his views whether they want to or not.
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Dude, I am as big a RATM fan as anyone. My last band covered about 15 of their songs. Other than the hooky bits ( think "Fuck you I won't do what ya tell me") absolutely no one gives a fuck what they're actually saying. A few clever lines is all people remember. I know all the lyrics, what they mean and I am pretty far right and it doesn't matter to me.

As for Pearl Jam, other than Vedder running his stupid mouth in interviews or whatever I never considered anything political about them at all. Neither did anyone else. You're the first person I ever heard say they did.
 
If you people were complaining about suicidal tendencies concerts or MDC concerts, you'd have a point gary

But they aren't. They are talking about 150$ a ticket mainstream apolitical artists. That's a false equivalence

Floyd Eye said:
Dude, I am as big a RATM fan as anyone. My last band covered about 15 of their songs. Other than the hooky bits ( think "Fuck you I won't do what ya tell me") absolutely no one gives a fuck what they're actually saying. A few clever lines is all people remember. I know all the lyrics, what they mean and I am pretty far right and it doesn't matter to me.

As for Pearl Jam, other than Vedder running his stupid mouth in interviews or whatever I never considered anything political about them at all. Neither did anyone else. You're the first person I ever heard say they did.
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The funny part is when Kid Rock or some retarded artist does the exact opposite on the other side, its just as stupid - but then, all of the sudden its fair game right? Because it's not on my side
 
DanTravis62 said:
If you people were complaining about suicidal tendencies concerts or MDC concerts, you'd have a point gary

But they aren't. They are talking about 150$ a ticket mainstream apolitical artists. That's a false equivalence



The funny part is when Kid Rock or some retarded artist does the exact opposite on the other side, its just as stupid - but then, all of the sudden its fair game right? Because it's not on my side
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That's a fact. And I agree, it is just as stupid. The thing is for the most part Kid Rock runs his stupid mouth about it in front of cameras and on stage, but very few of his songs are political. Mostly they're about drugs or being a redneck. I ain't afraid to admit I like a bunch of his shit. Lots of shit on DWAC is great. American Badass has some cool shit on it too. And this is enjoyable audibly and visually.




Anytime I hear him in an interview it's cringy though.
 
Floyd Eye said:
That's a fact. And I agree, it is just as stupid. The thing is for the most part Kid Rock runs his stupid mouth about it in front of cameras and on stage, but very few of his songs are political. Mostly they're about drugs or being a redneck. I ain't afraid to admit I like a bunch of his shit. Lots of shit on DWAC is great. American Badass has some cool shit on it too. And this is enjoyable audibly and visually.




Anytime I hear him in an interview it's cringy though.
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It's just annoying when people pretend that it isn't the same thing.

Kid Rock (rightfully) gets a lot of shit for all of his dumb political pandering

But as soon as Springsteen does it, people are all "WELL WHAT DID YOU EXPECT MAN?"

Okay @thegame , when the media stops shitting on Kid Rock for being an annoying political panderer, we'll stop calling out of touch boomers for their virtue signaling like its 1975

Because it's literally exactly the same thing, but they are held to two different standards simply because one is left and one is right
 
DanTravis62 said:
It's just annoying when people pretend that it isn't the same thing.

Kid Rock (rightfully) gets a lot of shit for all of his dumb political pandering

But as soon as Springsteen does it, people are all "WELL WHAT DID YOU EXPECT MAN?"

Okay @thegame , when the media stops shitting on Kid Rock for being an annoying political panderer, we'll stop calling out of touch boomers for their virtue signaling like its 1975

Because it's literally exactly the same thing, but they are held to two different standards simply because one is left and one is right
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I'm definitely not arguing with your point Dan. I agree completely.
 
Floyd Eye said:
Dude, I am as big a RATM fan as anyone. My last band covered about 15 of their songs. Other than the hooky bits ( think "Fuck you I won't do what ya tell me") absolutely no one gives a fuck what they're actually saying. A few clever lines is all people remember. I know all the lyrics, what they mean and I am pretty far right and it doesn't matter to me.

As for Pearl Jam, other than Vedder running his stupid mouth in interviews or whatever I never considered anything political about them at all. Neither did anyone else. You're the first person I ever heard say they did.
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I'd say probably most guitar players don't care about the lyrics either but there are lots of people who listen to certain artists purely for the lyrical content, be it in a folk, punk, Christian rock, black metal setting, whatever. You have to realize that different people look for different things in music. Not everyone is necessarily focused on 'cool riffs'.

As far as PJ, I'm only familiar with their first album for the most part but are widely known to be politically heavy handed with lyrics throughout their career. Please forgive this Google cut'n'paste job:

Pearl Jam frequently incorporates political themes into their lyrics. Their music often reflects social and political activism, with songs addressing issues like gun control, social injustice, and opposition to specific political figures. For example, their song "Glorified G" is a critique of American gun culture, and "Wreckage" directly addresses the political climate surrounding a specific former US President.

Here's a more detailed look:
  • Social and Political Activism:
    Pearl Jam has a history of using their platform to advocate for various causes, including abortion rights, opposing George W. Bush's presidency, and addressing issues of social injustice.

  • Specific Political Critiques:
    They have been open in their criticism of individuals in political positions, including the current US President, as seen in the song "Wreckage".

  • Wider Themes:
    Beyond specific individuals, Pearl Jam's lyrics often touch upon broader political and social themes, reflecting their concern for the state of societ
 
DanTravis62 said:
If you people were complaining about suicidal tendencies concerts or MDC concerts, you'd have a point gary

But they aren't. They are talking about 150$ a ticket mainstream apolitical artists. That's a false equivalence



The funny part is when Kid Rock or some retarded artist does the exact opposite on the other side, its just as stupid - but then, all of the sudden its fair game right? Because it's not on my side
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How on earth are Pearl Jam, and while we're talking mainstream artists, U2, apolitical artists? Springsteen too, though less so. Those 3 definitely get quite politized in their lyrics. I don't own a single album from any of them but even I know that's true!
 
thegame said:
How on earth are Pearl Jam, and while we're talking mainstream artists, U2, apolitical artists? Springsteen too, though less so. Those 3 definitely get quite politized in their lyrics. I don't own a single album from any of them but even I know that's true!
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They don't though, they're famous for dumb political rants that don't have anything to do with their music, lol
 
thegame said:
You're demonstrably wrong though. I just outlined it in PJ's case in post #55
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No, this is exactly my point gary

You can't get upset when people hold these artists to the same standard they hold Kid Rock to, which is exactly what they're doing
 
DanTravis62 said:
No, this is exactly my point gary

You can't get upset when people hold these artists to the same standard they hold Kid Rock to, which is exactly what they're doing
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Man, I'm not saying the left is justified for doing this while the right is not. At all. And the media's coverage of it is irrelevant. I'm saying if the artist writes political lyrics, don't be surprised if they get political, whichever side they're advocating. Hell, even Ted Nugent has recently changed the lyrics in some of his older songs to be more political, when performed live. I'll let you guess as to which side he's leaning toward.
 
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