Too consumed by Weave Rothmania to take note of the first place Cubs’ dramatic 2-1 win over St. Louis on Friday (for one day, anyway, they’re not booing Jacques Jones), the Northwest Herald’s Derek Wright is eager to see the reunited Van Halen add Wrigley Field to their upcoming tour. “The easy criticism about the Clark/Addison audience is that only being there – or more importantly, being seen being there – outweighs what’s happening on the base paths, that they get caught up in the mystique of the ballpark and the legend of the team and they let that cloud their opinion of what often has been bad baseball.” (link courtesy Repoz)
Sound familiar? It’s the same kneejerk critique of many reunion tours. That the attendees care more about reliving the past to the tune of some familiar background music by performers a shadow of their former selves, than watching a vital rock show. That the setting and charm of the night take precedent over the product.
Which is why arena vets Van Halen should be forced by rock’n’roll law to change their recently announced October gigs to Wrigley Field. In fact, every act embarking on a comeback should be required to perform at the ballpark. The FCC and RIAA could work something out to that extent; they seem to regulate everything else in the industry.
Just look at a few the groups that would have graced the Confines’ stage since the precedent-setting Jimmy Buffet performance if this were mandated.
– Queen with former Bad Company vocalist Paul Rogers
– The Smoking Popes with former Duvall/Slapstick drummer Rob Kellenberger
– InXs with that guy from TV’s “Rockstar InXs” that sounds way too similar to the late Michael Hutchence
– The Smashing Pumpkins with stand-ins on bass and guitar
– Zwan, but under the name The Smashing Pumpkins
Hmmm. No love for Slint?