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Seeing Other Bands

Posted over 2 years ago
The musical equivalent of seeing other people would be a fun topic, too, but it's not mine now. I imagine that many people who end up in bands do so partly because at some point in their lives they saw some terrific shows that made them want to get on stage, give other people an equally terrific experience, and get their own kick out of doing so. So why are there so few songs about seeing other bands? Weezer's "In The Garage" and Wilco's "Heavy Metal Drummer" come close but not quite (both talk about concerts and name-check KISS, but neither talks about going to a KISS concert).

The best songs in this vein that come to my mind first actually make fun of other bands or of fans going to their shows. "Range Life" by Pavement mocks Smashing Pumpkins and especially Stone Temple Pilots in a hilarious way. "Part Time Punks" by Television Personalities makes fun of the wannabe-punk fans of The Clash, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and The Lurkers. "Bay City Rollers We Love You" by the Nick Lowe & Rat Scabies side project Tartan Horde (!) mocks the whole teen band craze. One of the funniest must be Nick Lowe's "Rollers Show" (included in the US version of his solo debut Jesus Of Cool, retitled Pure Pop for Now People, and as a bonus on the UK reissue of Jesus Of Cool.) Hmm, Lowe must really have had it in for the Bay City Rollers!



There must be more songs about seeing other bands. And there must some that pay tribute to another band instead of mocking them. Did nobody really write a song about seeing The Velvet Underground, or being blown away by the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig in Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall? So come on moggers, let's pool our collective musical knowledge. What've you got?

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Comments (29)

  1. Joxley
    Joxley says Does this count? "I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden baby Come with me Friday - don't say maybe. I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby like you" If not I'll have to think about it a while longer, it's extremely early over here.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  2. goodmusiconly
    goodmusiconly says Excellent topic, Pekka ... one that I know I have an answer to somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind ... I'll be back!
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  3. chucky
    chucky says I can't think of a single thing but I'll be checking back to see what everyone comes up with.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  4. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Yeah, Jox, I'd say that counts - especially since it name-checks Iron Maiden, for whose '80s work I have a big squishy spot. I don't know the song or the artist, though. Another fun theme would be songs about record label execs and/or radio/TV DJs. There are some pretty brutal ones out there!
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  5. goodmusiconly
    goodmusiconly says I feel like there's a song that I just cannot pull from my memory. There are plenty of songs that make mention of other bands, but seemingly few that talk about seeing a specific band live. A few almost-but-not-quite-contenders: *Flaming Lips* "Thank You Jack White" - _"Backstage in Detroit And the room is full of smoke and apprehension We'd been playing shows As the warm-up and the band for Beck Hanson In walks Jack, says - "How'd ya do?" (Oh yeah) Then he handed me this wonderful statue."_ *Ben Folds* talks about Elliott Smith in "Late" - _Under some dirty words on a dirty wall Eating takeout by myself I played the shows Got back in the van and put the Walkman on And you were playing_ _In some other dive a thousand miles away I played a thousand times before And like pathetic stars, the truck stops and the rock club walls I always knew You saw them too But you never will again_ _Elliott, man, you played a fine guitar And some dirty basketball The songs you wrote Got me through a lot Just wanna tell you that_" and last, *Weezer* "El Scorcho" - _I asked you to go to the Green Day concert You said you never heard of them How cool is that?_ That's all I have ... gonna keep thinking on it...
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  6. Dale
    Dale says I've got nothing on the initial topic, but for record label execs, I've got a great example: Spoon's single "The Agony of Laffite": all I ever asked of you is a copy of garage days and to tell me the truth ain't no one watching you exit Ventura Highway it's like I knew two of you man the one before and after we shook hands taking the calls but in all forgetting what's been said and after dark in a cab in L.A. forget about the meter man these are salad days comes on the radio comes on and what's being said is you're no better than Sylvia no better than sylvia no better than sylvia no better than sylvia where you are and where you've been and where you've gone oh no here's a mark he's a mark on the page dishing out the wisdom of this reflexive age dotting the eyes with an eye for defining what you were so when you do that line tonight remember that it came at a steep price and keep telling yourself there's more to you than her but you're no better than sylvia no better than sylvia no better than sylvia no better than sylvia where you gone where you been and where you gone oh no Come to think of it, since it name-checks a Metallica album, it could count here, too.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  7. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Dale: Yeah, Spoon's was one of the songs I had in mind there. Another is John Fogerty's "Zanz Kant Danz" (about Saul Zaentz of Fantasy Records) which got him a defamation lawsuit even though he altered and retitled it "Vanz Kant Danz" after the album's initial release. Then there's Belle & Sebastian's "Seymour Stein" (about the Sire Records boss). There's gotta be one about Alan McGee somewhere.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  8. dachmo
    dachmo says This song doesn't namecheck any band but you wonder who he's talking about :
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  9. annieander
    annieander says We are thinking ...but can only think of something that fits into the mocking category.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  10. waydutch
    waydutch says No name checks here either; but here's another song by NICK LOWE, done by the band he was in (Brinsley Schwarz) before going solo. Seems to be sort of a show ender (it is the last song on the album) inviting the crowd to come with them, Down to the Dive, to have a good time where all the coolest cats in town come to play. .
    Permalink posted 08/21/2007
  11. QueenofHell
    QueenofHell says Probably not exactly what you're looking for but this Stock Aitken and Waterman song celebrating 80s and contemporaneous music, slags off the likes of Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones: 'No heavy metal, rock and roll, music from the past, I'd rather jack, than Fleetwood Mac'. I guess the person who wrote this song had probably seen the bands being dismissed, rather than the girls. I hate this song.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  12. FluxCapacitor
    FluxCapacitor says Great topic, What about bands listening to other bands on the radio?...probably a whole other post. Snow Patrol's Hands Open... _Put Sufjan Stevens on and we'll play your favorite song_ And Razorlight's Los Angeles Waltz... _I was on Mulholland Drive With the radio on They played Augustus Pablo And Kings of Leon_
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  13. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Dachmo: That's a hilarious song. Now I'm curious, too. Annie: Ditto for hilariousness. Poor Tommy... Dutch: Thanks, know the Schwartz too, although prefer Lowe's solo career. Helen: Ouch. I'd never heard that song before. I think I'm glad I hadn't. Flux: Good point. That's broadly in the same theme.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  14. ZeppoNoir
    ZeppoNoir says The first song that came to mind is Monterey by the Animals. Eric Burdon basically sings about all the major acts at the Monterey Pop Festival. Another is Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley where he puts the "spotlight" on Lou Rawls, Sam & Dave, Wilson Picket, James Brown and Otis Redding. Both are great songs.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  15. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Oh, right, how could I have forgotten "Monterey"! Thanks, Zeppo.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  16. ZeppoNoir
    ZeppoNoir says Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers has a song called "When Harpo Plays His Harp" if that counts? One thing is true is that guy was one bad mamma-jamma on the harp. Heh. :-)
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  17. ZeppoNoir
    ZeppoNoir says I just noticed that you ask about Velvet Underground and Jonathan Richman did indeed write a song called "Velvet Underground". Don't remember the lyrics exactly, but he really professes his love of their sound. "How in the world did they make that sound? Velvet Underground"
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  18. Dale
    Dale says If we're talking VU, then we have to bring up Art Brut's "Bang Bang Rock And Roll": "I can't stand the sound of the Velvet Underground/White light, white heat!" Another one that just popped in my head was KMFDM's song "Sucks": We Don't Like Michael Jackson We Hate Depeche Mode We Don't Care For Madonna Or Kylie Minogue which is especially funny as many people thought that their name was an abbreviation for "Kill MF'ing Depeche Mode". hahahahahaha
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  19. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Thanks, I know those Velvet Underground references. There certainly are many more songs than I've mentioned that simply just name-check other bands/artists.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  20. scotfree
    scotfree says One of the first that popped to my mind is the title track off Joe Strummer's "Global A-Go-Go". Not only does he name-check a bunch of great bands, sort of like the Arthur Connely tune Zeppo spoke of, he also goes after styles of music and pairs them with geographic locations that really gives you a feeling of a global community - all rockin' together. It even features Roger Daltry on backing vocals on the line that goes "Quadraphenia in Armenia" - to which Daltrey howls "Armenia city in the sky!" Talk about your artist/ recording continuity! That reference even brings in the sense of time, since it was about '67(?) when Armenia City In The Sky came out on the Who "Sell Out" album - still sounds fresh and relevant here. The whole thing winds down into one of the most emotion drenched chants I've ever heard that, for me, brings on a great sense of despair. Guess you can tell, I like it.
    Artist: Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros Album: Global A Go-Go World service bulletin from the nightshift d.j To all wavebands on earth Reconnoitre on the killahertz This tune is going out to marconi To all corners of the globe There ain't no hut in the serengeti Where my wavelengths do not probe If a rocket went to saturn We sure hope a d.j. is on board For some anti-gravity mixing With two dub plates of u-roy Throwdown stray cat strut in bulawayo - hey, bulawayo Buddy rich in burundi Quadrophenia in armenia Armenia city in the sky Big youth booming in djkarta Nina simone over sierra leone Wild sound of joujouka in nevada - hey, joujouka Everywhere, everywhere bob's bringing it all back home Yeah, I let the boogie-woogie rumble In the back of bangalore I get complaints from bondi beach What, no longboard surf hardcore Oh, send the rock steady out to freddy Who juggles plates in tsing tao city Cos tonight bo diddley's in finland station - hey, bo diddley Sun ra's in omaha The skatalites in new york city - hey, skatalites The stooges rule over habana The bhundu boys rock acapulco - hey, hey bhundu boys Good hip hop in islamabad Ali farke toure's in oaxaca - hey, farke toure And baaba maal's all over stalingrad Yeah, while some are waking, some are sleeping From kamchatka to the gabon Above the tradewind, wingtips beating We calling out for ronnie and da-do ron, ron, ron We call the cumbria to tumble From the peak of the himalayas We send the funk into the jungle To the last outpost of the bass player
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  21. FastRMacR
    FastRMacR says This is a great thinker-cap post! Does tooting your own horn count? How about just talking about shows in general or mentioning someone who "looks like Jimmy Page?" I refer to "Rock Show" by Paul McCartney & Wings. Also, how about "Creeque Alley" by The Mama & The Papas? Tom Petty likes to sing "Runaway" with Del Shannon in "Runnin' Down A Dream".
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  22. jenny
    jenny says Pekka, I'm not sure this fits the category exactly, but there is a very funny song on the new Heavy Trash album called "They Were Kings," which is sort of like those old rockabilly tribute songs, except it's about three not-very-long-ago bands: the Gories, the Cheater Slicks and Doo-Rag.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  23. 1234chainsaw
    1234chainsaw says Oh, thanks Jenny. I know the Gories and Cheater Slicks, but not Heavy Trash or Doo-Rag. Worth checking out? scotfree: Wow, Strummer really turned every corner there! Fast: Yeah, "looks like" references are yet another tradition. But otherwise I'm more of mind with "No Direction" by Bad Religion: "No Bad Religion song can make your life complete."
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  24. UffinGreg
    UffinGreg says "I'm trying to catch the same essence every time I play live, Venom, Slayer, Exodus, ultimate revenge 85" The Circle Of Tyrants- Ultimate Revenge I even posted this song a while ago. http://mog.com/UffinGreg/blog_post/70256
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  25. jenny
    jenny says Heavy Trash is Jon Spencer's rockabilly thing...he's working with Matt Verta-Ray (from Madder Rose and Speedball Baby), and they've got a new album coming in about a month where they're backed by the Sadies. I don't know Doo Rag either, but Dallas Good said they were a lo-fi blues thing, sort of like Bob Log III...I've got a Heavy Trash review coming soon, so I'll put that up on the player with the review. (Which probably won't show up until mid-September when the record comes out.)
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  26. jenny
    jenny says There's also a very funny track called "Hayden Planetarium" on Fountains of Wayne's Utopia Parkway about going to see the laser show at the old planetarium...not exactly going to see a band, but sort of related somehow. (They mention Pink Floyd, a staple of those sorts of shows, I believe.)
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  27. King Sara
    King Sara says Does this count?
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  28. waydutch
    waydutch says Someone else (I'm sorry I forget who) posted this just a few weeks ago, so, maybe I'm sort of stealing here. And while it really doesn't talk about going to see another act, I think at this point it fits this thread well. . Bill Kirchen, the master of the telecaster, who was the guitar player on the original Commander Cody version of this song does all sorts of mind boggling imitations of other peoples sound and name checks a bunch of people during the extended solo on this live version of hot Rod Lincoln. Had the pleasure of seeing him play this in a club from about ten feet away a few years ago. He did all the effects and sound switches with just a few pickup knob adjustments and a couple of peddles. Went home knowing I'd just been in the presence of a guitar god! Even though it's a bit long it's well worth the listen. . Bill Kirchen - Hot Rod Lincoln Live .
    Permalink posted 08/22/2007
  29. goodmusiconly
    goodmusiconly says Well it only took ten days, but I finally remembered! In Joe Strummer's _Coma Girl_ he talks about going to a festival, and seeing the fictitious (I think) Coma Girl and the Excitement Gang (I've always assumed he was talking about a band, but I suppose it could be interpreted another way) ... at any rate, a great song: _I was crawling through a festival way out west I was thinking about love and the acid test but first i got real dizzy with a real rockin' gang then i saw the coma girl, and the excitement gang_ _and the rain came in from the wide blue yonder through all the stages, I wandered_ _oh coma girl, and the excitment gang mona lisa, on a motorcycle gang coma girl, coma girl_ _The coma girl was beating with the oil drum gang some fast food fanatic was burning down a burger van somebody was waling off their head oh! Nobody was rippin the teen scene dead_ _and the rain, came in from the wide blue yonder I thought you and me might wander..._ _oh coma girl, and the excitement gang mona lisa, on a motorcycle gang coma girl, coma girl, on a motorcycle gang_ _And then the nineteenth hour was falling upon desolation row some outlaw band, had the last drop on the go lets siphon up some gas!! lets get this show on the road!! said the coma girl, to the excitement gang Into action , everybody sprang and the oil drums were beating out, doolang, doolang_ _oh coma girl...._
    Permalink posted 08/31/2007

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