The Big Stage

2008 Review

By all accounts the word on the street is that 2008 will be a ground breaking year, especially in the music industry. For the first time in years there is a massive “wind of change” happening in every quarter. It is like a cloud reforming, it’s a slow process but believe me it really is happening right under our very noses.

For example look at 2007 – It will take something pretty special to beat this year in regards to some of the biggest bands that ever walked the planet that have reformed and performed where it was established years ago that this would never happen. The Spice Girls and Take That, who were both pioneering in girl and boy bands, have performed a fair amount of live shows –The Spice Girls did 10 nights at the O2 arena in London, it’s great they actually finally found a use for that venue as before it wasn’t worth the cost of explosives to blow it up.

Prince performed nearly a full calendar month and just prior to that he gave away half a million copies of his new album in a Sunday paper, considering Princes’ history it is quite hard to define if this was the ultimate ‘dig in the ribs’ to a fading music industry or the ultimate marketing concept.

We also had the return of some of the most iconic bands in history includingThe Police. For decades these guys could hardly face being in the same room as each other but it is amazing how a £30 million reward heals old wounds a lot quicker than any prescription.

Genesis returned to the arena stage to perform sell out shows all over Europe & the UK, alongside The Who and the ultimate reunion has to go to Led Zeppelin who played a one off concert in London which crashed websites for a pastime and found die hard founds paying up to £80,000 for a ticket. The long-awaited performance was the headline slot at a tribute show for Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died in 2007 and was instrumental in building the band’s career in the 1970s.

As for 2008 we are already hearing murmurings that bands like U2, Coldplay, REM, Oasis, Madonna and a whole host of others are due to grace the big stage this year. Other than acts like U2 one shouldn’t get too excited with the possibility of new material, I mean it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a band could spend £50,000 making a new album with sales resulting in 79p downloads and 60% piracy as apposed to playingWembley Arena with 12 thousand capacity at £35 a ticket. In my opinion the whole structure of album/touring has changed – which is fantastic if you are into real live music. Playing live and touring now will be a lot more of an integral part of making money as opposed to releasing an album and relying on sales.

So here’s to a great 2008! Go and check out some live music –You would not believe how wonderful it is and of course the ultimate band touring this year, celebrating 30 years in the industry, which means you can still see the best live band that you will ever see in a million years, Simple Minds!

I heard an outrageous reference where someone referred to Pete Doherty as a modern day member of The Rolling Stones. What an alarming statement and if he was to be the next ambassador for Rock and Roll we would all be in serious trouble but then again as the old saying goes “Moss doesn’t grow on a Rolling Stone!”

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