Comment 44111

By Undustrial (registered) - website | Posted July 27, 2010 at 12:56:47

I'm not much for sports, but I've been to a lot of concerts, and don't know that I'm optomistic about all this. First of all, these people throw awful concerts. The last two times I've been to the convention centre I vowed never to come back. First was a Bad Religion/Casualties/Warsawpack show "way back in the day" where nearly everyone missed the first act because security wouldn't let anyone in with studded belts or sweaters (they ended up forcing everyone to coat-check their belts and cutting up garbage bags to give them to hold up their pants). It was many years before I went back. But then a year or so ago I went to see Sage Francis with Rise against, got in the door just after 8 pm and Sage was already over. It then took an hour to get into the licenced area to buy beer.

If you ran a show like this in Toronto you'd be lucky to be eaten alive. Bureaucrats just don't throw good rock shows.

And then there's a suburban location. Reminds me of seeing the Pixies at Arrow Hall out buy Pearson Airport. We were lucky, when we got out (and this was a crowd that filled a large hanger) we were some of the first to get cabs, but even we just barely made it back to Union in time to bus back to Hamilton. It doubled the price of the show, including drinks. And then there's the 4-hour traffic nightmares I've witnessed getting in and out of Molson Park.

Live music isn't ever terribly economic to begin with. In all but the best of times, both musicians and fans tend to be fairly broke. Adding a $40 cab ride to all of this isn't exactly how you encourage people to come out. And requiring them to drive is dangerous as all hell. It only takes a few drunk drivers to turn a highway into a death-trap.

"Today, the notion of progress in a single line without goal or limit seems perhaps the most parochial notion of a very parochial century." — Lewis Mumford

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