Arena Rock and Spectacles

The readings from this week dealt with an introduction to arena rock and on stage theatrics pioneered by Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper.  Bands in the 1960s would typically play at outdoor venues, which had no crowd limits.  Sometimes concerts would have up to 180,000 people, as was the case at a Grand Funk Railroad concert in Texas.  But these concerts were soon to die out and pave the way for arena rock.  One of the reasons why there was a shift to concerts inside arenas was purely economical.  “It was much easier to regulate the flow of the crowd into and out of the arena, and thus easier to set a price on the right of access to the concert space” (Waksman 25).  It would definitely be easier to regulate, and would make for a more intimate concert experience.  

Moving concerts into arenas also helped make concerts louder, which is now a trademark of metal concerts.  I think I would rather see a concert in a more intimate setting.  The feeling of the music rattling your insides is something that cannot be imitated and can only be experienced to its fullest in an indoor setting.  However, some of my favorite concerts have taken place in a festival setting.

Another topic presented was how the Beatles stopped playing concerts all together.  I thought that this was very interesting due to the fact that they were the most popular band at the time.  They became so huge and popular that “they did not have to be seen or heard to produce an audience reaction of awesome magnitude” (Waksman 27).  They could literally do whatever they wanted and they would get a massive reaction from the public.  In a statement from John Lennon he talked about why the Beatles didn’t tour: “I reckon we could send out four waxwork dummies of ourselves . . . and that would satisfy the crowds.  Beatles concerts are nothing to do with music, any more.  They’re just bloody tribal rituals” (Waksman 27).  They got to a certain point where it was not authentic anymore, so instead of being phony’s, they just decided to stop.

Waksman also discussed the on-stage theatrics of Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop.  These two artists really were the forefathers of concert theatrics, with Alice Cooper producing a large-scale spectacle and Iggy Pop tailored to a more intimate spectacle.  Alice’s antics were more like a theater show with produced stunts while Iggy had raw, real acts.  In one example, Iggy Pop rolled in broken glass on stage, bleeding all over himself.  This act was completely real and spontaneous.  On the other hand, Cooper performed set-up acts like putting his head into a guillotine.  These concerts would be incredibly entertaining to attend.  The only concert that I have been to that is a spectacle of that scale is The Flaming Lips.  Their shows are completely nuts, with confetti, people in costumes, and sexual references.  Although it is not metal, the Flaming Lips certainly learned from Alice and Iggy.