Case # 1 - Green Day: You would think that a band even though many years removed from their punk upbringing in the legendary Gilman Street scene in Berkeley would still get it. Even after they became huge with "Dookie", Billy Joe, Tre, and Mike still seemed to have their s**t in order. However, something strange happened after the mega-success of "American Idiot". Even though they had been hugely successful for years, they suddenly became Rock Stars, playing giant shows with all the pomp and circumstance of a Kiss concert. This evolution (or de-evolution) came to a head a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas when lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong, after being informed that they would have to cut their set short, had a meltdown for the ages. Armstrong proceeded to go off on other acts (including Justin Bieber who wasn't there), the fact the festival (which I'm guessing they were paid handsomely for) was a total joke, and that Green Day's stature as a long running act on the scene afforded them the extra time.
Case # 2 - Jack White: While not coming up from the same type of scene as Green Day, Jack White cut his teeth in the underground until hitting it big with the White Stripes' 2001 album "White Blood Cells". White, while being a somewhat quirky character, was always known for very intense concerts and generally not known as being much of a malcontent. After the White Stripes went their separate ways, White went on to form the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather creating some really compelling music with both bands. Hell, he even made a movie with the Edge and Jimmy Page neither of whom, despite being rock legends, have ever been known going rogue on stage. Suddenly while playing the first of two sold out shows at New York's Radio City Music Hall in support of solo debut, Mr. White goes diva. According to reports, White seemed to be consistently annoyed with something or possibly everything about the crowd. As the show progressed, he began to go off on the crowd either likening them to an NPR convention for being too quiet during some songs and then being too loud on others. After about 45 minutes, White simply walked off stage, no explanation, no nothing. His big mistake - the obvious notwithstanding - was pulling this stunt in NYC, nearly causing a riot .
Case # 3 - Baroness: Over the past decade, a legion of new heavy metal bands came from very untraditional places. These bands decided to not adhere to the traditional rules of metal and made names for themselves quickly. One of the prime scenes of this new wave of American Metal was Savannah, Georgia. - as in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". This scene sprouted a number of amazing new bands including Kylesa, Black Tusk, and Baroness. Embracing traditional metal but also infusing harmony, indie rock and even a bit of progressive rock into their music, Baroness released a stream of excellent records. In August, while just starting to tour behind their amazing new album, "Yellow and Green", the band was in a horrific tour bus crash in England. Eerily similar to the accident that killed Metallica's Cliff Burton over 25 years ago, no one was killed but two members of the band suffered broken vertebra and lead singer John Balzley suffered a broken leg and a crushed right arm that required massive surgery.
Surprisingly, not even 6 weeks removed form the accident and obviously in the early, early stages of recovery, Balzley posted a lengthy, very emotional open letter on Baroness' website. The first part of the letter recounts exactly what happened on that fateful day in England sparing no detail and giving the reader a pretty good idea of what hell is probably like. However, once the facts are covered, Balzley does not follow the predictable route of feeling sorry for himself and starting up a pity party. Instead it become motivational, not focusing on what happened but what can happen in the future. Pretty awe inspiring reading. To prevent this from becoming yet another dissertation length blog, I'll only post the link to the letter at the end.
It would be easy to sit here and rant about the childish antics of Messrs White and Armstrong and complain that they've lost touch with, shall we say, everything but I think their actions speak loud enough. Instead, I'm going to close with the final paragraph from Balzley's letter and how he found a sense of joy in a moment of pure chaos.
"There was one moment in the crash that cut me deeply. For one heartbeat and one tiny sliver of time, I became disconnected entirely. It was, specifically, the moment I impacted with the glass. In that barest heartbeat of a moment, I came face to face with the infinite. I didn’t see a light, or the tunnel or hear any music. Nor did I get a “best-of” montage of my life. Instead, I felt the tip of my nose brush up against the very same fate I had accepted moments before. I looked into a cold, unreflective mirror. It was the dark, silent, dispassionate logic of the end. I realized in that moment that life can be seen as a light switch: “on” or “off”. When the moment passed and I heard the screaming, felt the pain, and tasted my own blood, I was overcome with joy. I was ecstatic to be back amidst all that chaos and horror because it was alive and real. I finally glimpsed the relative importance of all things. The support of our fans, our friends and our families has real meaning to me now. I say that now honestly, without false humility. Thank you. Everyone.
http://baronessmusic.com/update-from-baroness/#more-501
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