The Year in: Live music
We are fast approaching the end of 2024, and, live music remains a thing. Good for this just-launched blog. It was a pretty eventful year with reunions.
Oasis Reformed
The biggest news of the year is for a tour that has yet to launch. The lads from Manchester buried the hatchet and announced a reunion tour.
It will be over 15 years from the last time they played together (August 22, 2009) when they kick off the tour in Cardiff on July 4, 2005.
The Oasis account teased an announcement on August 25th and formally announced on August 27, but serial poster Liam Gallagher all-but-certainly confirmed in advance.
I never did like that word FORMER
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) August 25, 2024
For the record, I think they play.
Taylor Swift Juggernaut Stalks the Globe
Keith O’Brien
While The Eras Tour was the talk of 2023, she actually played more shows in 2024 than in 2023. Outside of a few shows in Miami and New Orleans, 2024 was all about International dates. The year actually kicked off with some geoguessrs figuring out if she had enough time to get from her Feb 10th show in Tokyo to the Super Bowl the next day in Las Vegas, to see her beau Travis Kelce. She did. And then back she went to Melbourne on the 16th and on and on. She made over $1B each year on ticket sales alone - plus throw in a lot of money for merch and slightly less for the concert film and the concert book. Suffice to say, she could buy every ticket for every arena show for every Black Keys tour and those from about six generations of their progeny from here until 2200 (see below).
Coachella Woes
Coachella remains the most-attended concert in the US (yeah!), but ticket sales stalled this year (boo!). At the time of the festival launch, insiders estimated that 80% of available tickets were sold and revenues from them were down 14%-17%. Was it Coachella fatigue? Was it the lineup? Was it T Swift? Was it all three? I have some thoughts.
Other Festivals Felt the Heat
NPR asked: So many music festivals have been canceled this year. What's going on?
Desert Daze, a psychedelic rock fest in Southern California; Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, a reggae fest in Northern California; Kickoff Jam, a country music festival in Florida; Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia; Sudden Little Thrills, a multigenre festival in Pittsburgh; Float Fest in Austin, Texas; the list of recent cancellations goes on and on.
So many festivals canceled, it was a fair question to ask whether all festivals were in jeopardy. While worth monitoring, the more likely scenario was half inflation, half an oversaturation of new festivals that would never last. Here's hoping it's a blip and next year sees far fewer challenges for the festival circuit.
A Chicago Tradition (Will) Die
While Pitchfork held its annual festival in Chicago for the 19th year in a row, it will make it an even 20 next year.
As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025.
The Sphere Met Its Match
Yes, the Sphere debuted to much acclaim in 2023 courtesy of U2. But they don't talk much about those shows these days, due to a four-show tour-de-force from Phish and a 30-show residency from a plucky little band called Dead & Company. Some even say Jerry Garcia envisioned manifested the spherical marvel during an acid trip in 1967. Now the Eagles will bring it back to normal-town for a spread-out residency before Dead & Company return. One has to imagine future psychedelic offerings on hand. Can Pink Floyd give it one last go? One can only wish Animal Collective were big enough to sell it out.
Your Favorite Band Does Not Have the Rizz
There were several prominent tour cancellations, some of which were even before the tour kicked off. The Black Keys initially booked MSG and other arenas for its International Players Tour, but then quietly canceled when sales failed to meet expectations. Nonetheless, they are planning to go ahead with a UK/Europe tour in 2025. It could just be a case of the Kings of Leon syndrome where an American band is much more popular in the UK than the US.
Who else had to make an embarrassing call? J. Lo (though apparently slow ticket sales were improving), Jack White, Sexyy Red, others.
Many reasons proffered - you are too small for the arenas. Or, only suckers and stans buy early tickets, which is the bellwether for a tour's viability and skittish promoters pull the plug too early.
Lurkers win
Throughout social media, intrepid souls reported last-minute deals for tickets, striking fear in the hearts of scalpers. If you could live without seeing a local band and waited until the last minute, you could find some deals.
Billy Joel + Sting is $14 get in for Friday. Incredible that people buy early for events.#paystowait pic.twitter.com/ppy6K2d1EW
— TICKETSHELP1 (@Ticket_Help2022) October 22, 2024
Signs of a soft market? Undoubtedly.
Scalpers remain undefeated
Keith O’Brien
Bands on our Waiting in Vain list made noise
Two-thirds of them were positive encounters! And one even appeared together for a surprise performance.
If you're new to this publication (probably!), we are compiling a by-no-means-complete list of bands that could bury the hatchet and tour tomorrow. Some bands aren't on bad terms, some are. They all have not toured or played together in a full show in years.
R.E.M. appeared on CBS This Morning on the eve of its induction into the Songwriting Hall of Fame. The interview was amazing and the surprise performance at the ceremony was even better.
Will the band reform?
"I don't know what I would be trying to accomplish if we got back together," Peter Buck.
"We did it - we didn't drive it into the ground. We can walk away from it," Michael Stipe.
"We're lucky enough to have a legacy in place and not mess up. You don't get that opportunity but one time," Mike Mills.
NO.
The Talking Heads celebrated the 30th anniversary of its seminal 1984 live concert film "Stop Making Sense" and ran through the same gauntlet of questions from interviewers/clear fans about touring again.
For the acrimony file, serial instigator Morrissey accused his former The Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr of legal chicanery to engineer a "The Smiths" tour without him. I have far better things to do than get into the weeds of the trademark issues, but two things seem extremely likely 1) the two will continue to tour separately not under the Smiths name and 2) who cares? Morrissey and Johnny Marr have seemingly played "How Soon is Now?" on every stop this year. If you want 4-5 Smiths songs guaranteed, go to either lads' show.
What about me, Pink?
Lurking in the 5'10 shadow of Taylor Swift and her estimated billion-dollar+ 2024 tour were some other notable acts. Pink had an incredibly successful tour. Sabrina Carpenter fans were sharing the unique moments from each tour on social media. Katy Perry, Usher, Travis Scott, and Post Malone all made bank. Chappell Roan, too. Hard to get credit in a T. Swift world, but, amidst the high-profile cancellations, there were plenty of successes.
Eric Frankenberg
Onto 2025
Kendrick Lamar will continue to torment Drake on the road. As mentioned previously, The Eagles got next at the Sphere. The Dead too. Who will follow? Unclear but I have my preference. Linkin Park with new singer. Beyonce still a no. Billie. AC/DC.