quote:

Originally posted by Jglass:

Go see the Flaming Lips then. They rarely deviate from the actual songs. Because of this, it seems like a huge party with a lot of pyrotechnics and such... amazing and fun.

I'm with you on the Lips. Just enough tooling around so that you feel that you're at a live show, and the stage show is as, if not more, important than the music.

Not that I think that all bands need to put on a show, and yes, in the end, I think the music is the most important element. But I think we lost something when we fully stripped rock shows down to four guys staring at their feet.

The Flaming Lips aren't Pink Floyd, but the shows are fun. They have furries, for Pete's sake! Who wouldn't be cheered up by that!

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
Of course, if I thought their albums sucked, I would never have gone.

It seems that mp3s have given the edge to albums. It should be a safe assumption that most people listen to more music recorded than live.

That said, I think the proving grounds for a real great band is live. I have way more respect for a band that can do its thing right before your eyes.

Recently I found that I had downloaded a bootleg of a My Bloody Valentine show. I'm not sure exactly why I did, cos all I'd ever heard about Loveless was Kevin Shields' "studio trickery." Just imagine my surprise when the same thing was there on the bootleg! I was floored, and remain so.