This about sums it up. :)

[HilltopExplosion]

As a guy who played in a glammy metal band in the '80s, I still find that routine hilarious, however, I guarantee you there was nothing gay about being in a band like mine in the '80s. I couldn't walk from the backstage to the bar area at Gazzarri's without 3 or 4 indecent offers from hot chicks back then... Not bragging', it's just a fact...

Our audience was at least 60% girls, probably more. Every "metal" show I go to today, there are the same three fat chicks in Megadeth t-shirts with dyed black hair and too much eye liner...

Steve

So, in your opinion, what drove the chicks away,.. and what can bring 'em back? Country music shows... wall to wall split tails, rap, club music, same thing... I havn't been to a rock concert for a while, so I can't speak from experience.. But I luuuuuuv me some 80's style girls. So whatcha think? What is missing from the equation.

What is missing in hard rock/metal is girl friendly tunes, ballads and bands that care about what they look like on stage and putting on a show. That is why country music shows are full of chicks. Girl friendly tunes you can sing along to, ballads that make 'em cry, dudes with an image and willing to put on a show.

5 sweaty, grungy looking, pissed off guys with long beards and shaved heads or stringy long hair dressed in black jeans and black obscure band t-shirts screaming about Omertà with constantly changing high speed riffing does not appeal to your average hot chick. I like it, but I'll be there with a bunch of other sweaty dudes...

Steve

You are correct Steve. Play Eric Church, Dirks Bentley, and the like and you got a bar full of women. Play Motley Crue, Ratt, and VH and you got 10 people including the band and bar employees. If you are not a tribute act and you are playing 30 year old (or older) rock, its over....

But what if you play original music in that style? Are your chances of having a fan base next to 0? Yeah the 80's was fun, I was in my late teens and... wow.. the bong resin that's probably still in my brain.. and I would never get on stage lookin like a chick.. unless I got PAID.. I mean big dollas! But I'm old and fat, so that will never happen! But the style of music, if done right, would it not bring people in? My daughter's 23, and is well versed in everything pop, and said she would, and has gone to see bands that do their own 80's style music. Plus a bluegrass festival, which surprised me. I've sent her stuff of mine, and she let her friends listen and they liked it... no.. they weren't just being nice, they really liked it.

I think I'll see if I can do a gov't funded study on what types of music or specific frequencies make girls shake their asses.. A couple mil should do...

 

[HilltopExplosion]

Some day, young Reza....you too will be mocked when you age.

until then....enjoy!

BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!! wait....

 

[Scumback Speakers]

Not going to make any friends with this, but from a guy who played in the 80's here's what I've seen.

1) If your band looks like it doesn't deserve to be hit on by a hot chick, you won't attract hot chicks.
2) If your band plays only what they want to play and not what the hot babes want to hear, you'll have an audience of sausages only.
3) I love Joe Satriani, Vai, Eric Johnson, etc as a guitar player. I guarantee you they don't see many album sales from women.
4) You can say how cliche he is but Sammy Hagar is laughing all the way to the bank with gold records from four different bands he's been in, and no one else has done that in rock. True story.

How nuts am I? Probably loony tunes, and merry melodies...but bands that have catchy lyrics, melody and harmonies are making money...to this day. You throw in a good looking band with solos that aren't 512 notes per second, and the women can hum, sing, or dance along.

Even the hard rock, early metal guys are still making money if they have a catchy tune, lyrics, etc.

And Steve is also right about dress code. I looked ok in jeans, etc on stage. Friday and Saturday night came out the red jeans, spandex, etc. You will have your hands full defending yourself on the 15 minute breaks between 45 minute sets...assuming you play 4 - 5 sets per night like my band did.

Long story short, the club scene for bands has taken a severe nose dive since the 80's...and so did the quality and "hotness" of the babes who went to those clubs.

 

[Findthetone1]

Not going to make any friends with this, but from a guy who played in the 80's here's what I've seen.

1) If your band looks like it doesn't deserve to be hit on by a hot chick, you won't attract hot chicks.
2) If your band plays only what they want to play and not what the hot babes want to hear, you'll have an audience of sausages only.
3) I love Joe Satriani, Vai, Eric Johnson, etc as a guitar player. I guarantee you they don't see many album sales from women.
4) You can say how cliche he is but Sammy Hagar is laughing all the way to the bank with gold records from four different bands he's been in, and no one else has done that in rock. True story.

How nuts am I? Probably loony tunes, and merry melodies...but bands that have catchy lyrics, melody and harmonies are making money...to this day. You throw in a good looking band with solos that aren't 512 notes per second, and the women can hum, sing, or dance along.

Even the hard rock, early metal guys are still making money if they have a catchy tune, lyrics, etc.

And Steve is also right about dress code. I looked ok in jeans, etc on stage. Friday and Saturday night came out the red jeans, spandex, etc. You will have your hands full defending yourself on the 15 minute breaks between 45 minute sets...assuming you play 4 - 5 sets per night like my band did.

Long story short, the club scene for bands has taken a severe nose dive since the 80's...and so did the quality and "hotness" of the babes who went to those clubs.

Preach it brother, preach it
When I tell people how I looked in the late 80s through the 90s they think I'm crazy. Even in a lowly bar band you dressed and gave a show like you were playing to 15,000 people. Because if you didn't, there were 25 other bands waiting to fill the spot

 

[Mailman1971]

Did you "Cry Tough", Dan ?

Not sure....was invited back to the tour boss by this Hot chick that played in Poison. Bobby Doll.
Holy hell was that a night!!
Best BJ I have had in years. She broke my heart.

 

[kalt]

haha. everyone got so serious in this thread. MY heroes aged well , look fine and never looked like cross dressers EVER.
Im sure they got laid plenty too.

Huge Metallica fan since 84', started going to their shows in 86'. Never really saw hot chicks at their shows until 92', The Black Album and 'Nothing Else Matters". So to Steve's point, ballads = babes. It wasn't all hair and glam bands, lots of great metal came out of the 80's, lots of bad metal came out of the 80's. Sadly, I think the scale has tipped to more bad than good in the last decade...but thats just my opinion.

 

[harsh59]

You can have catchy lyrics , melody , and harmony and still play hard rock . Thats what the 80's were .

 

[AndyK]

My theory is tuning down past E-flat is a girl repellant!

 

[Bloodrock]

Ha! Yes down tuning does seem to repel vagina. Go to a Steel Panther gig, tons on hot chicks and the dudes still wear makeup AND wigs! The 80's formula still works apparently.

 

[racerevlon]

Having been part of the 80's Sunset Strip scene as well, what Steve & Scumback said are dead-on. All the hotness that used to flock to "hair band" shows now flock to Country (sorry--now "Mainstream Pop") shows because the tunes are catchy, uncomplicated, and they can dance to them. I love the music I'm playing now, but I know if we want chicks in the audience we need to change the music.

Def Leppard released mostly power ballads later in the 80's and got SO much action it was sick.

 

[Deleted member 8761]

haha. everyone got so serious in this thread. MY heroes aged well , look fine and never looked like cross dressers EVER.
Im sure they got laid plenty too.

Of course they did, Lars and Kirk had each other...