Aerosmith removed from roller coaster preshow at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Shirley Manson hates beach balls.

Jeff:

...but they're so obvious when the lighting cues hit so perfectly with the percussion.

Perfectly timed cues doesn't necessarily mean timecode is being used with a band. If that band has their own tour LD, they should be able to run the console so well that you cannot tell the difference. I have run a console for bands and DJs before that you would have thought was timecoded simply because I knew the music well enough that I could nail cues with percussion hits. If all done correctly, you almost feel as if you are performing along with the group on stage. I miss those days.

I'm with her on the beach ball thing. With how expensive shows are now, get that **** out of my line of sight.

I understand if it's the Beach Boys or some yacht rock crap, but nothing that I attend should include a beach ball.

Same goes for "the wave" at sporting events.

Get off my lawn.

Lord Gonchar:

This is 99% of music.

I think that's vastly over-simplifying things. Garbage is an outlier in a lot of ways because, as you said, they're a studio project that accidentally tours. Of course they track a lot of the "noise" because it's not really stuff one can "play." But if they were faking it, they wouldn't have always toured with a bassist. They don't need to play keyboards live either, but they do anyway. "Stupid Girl" hasn't been played like it is on the record maybe ever, and "Wicked Ways" is often mixed with "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.

I don't object to the use of technology, and I'm not sure how we started down that road. Where I was going is that the quality of the art has a lot to do with intent. A lot of pop is notoriously intended to be product, so they assemble a team of writers, sometimes dozens of them, to come up with something that will sell, however ephemeral it may be. Is it still art? I don't know, but it sure as hell isn't Carmina Burana. People who create art for art's sake are definitely entitled to make a living from that, but I think the intent changes the authenticity of it all. People have likely already forgotten about "Call Me Maybe" but still talk about the Beatles.

Oof. So much to unpack in those last two sentences. The Beatles made it huge by writing pop songs. Sure, their writing evolved and arguably improved with age and drugs, but they were a pop act from the start. And I'm not sure I agree that anyone who creates art for art's sake is entitled to anything. It would be nice if that was true, but art can suck, and often does. Yeah, it's subjective, but supply and demand is real, and if no one is demanding your art, regardless of the intent behind it, then you're not going to make much of a living.

Lord Gonchar:

It'd be quicker to name those that aren't.

If you can afford a tour bus you're probably using a click track.

Jeff:

I really think the Mutt Langes, Rick Rubins and Butch Vigs of the world aren't trying to put their stamp on things.

I only have an opinion on Rubin and Vigs. It's all subjective of course but I think Rubin and Vigs skillset is making a record — or nowadays singles — that will sell copies whether or not that's in the band's best interest or not. The Beastie Boys and Nirvana are prime examples of this.

Also, Google's A.I. is hilariously bad.

Rick Rubin didn't produce a full Nirvana studio album, but he was deeply involved with the band's sound, notably producing their landmark album In Utero (1993)'s hit single "Heart-Shaped Box", and he worked with them on early demos and tracks, aiming for a raw, direct sound, though Butch Vig produced most of Nevermind.

Steve Albini famously told Nirvana before recording In Utero that he wanted to be paid like a plumber rather than receive points on the record.

I would like to be paid like a plumber: I do the job and you pay me what it's worth. The record company will expect me to ask for a point or a point and a half. If we assume three million sales, that works out to 400,000 dollars or so. There's no ****ing way I would ever take that much money. I wouldn't be
able to sleep.

I probably read the letter once a year when it inevitably comes up again. It's worth a read.

eightdotthree:

If you can afford a tour bus you're probably using a click track.

Thank you for putting this in a way that is clear in one line. I was struggling.

At a certain level, "fake" is just what music is. (In the sense of the comparison to what the average fan thinks they're seeing)

Hell, it's not uncommon to see the drummers on Broadway (my Broadway, not NYC - although I'm SURE they do) using a click...and they're playing for their cut of the tip bucket. Musician want-ads down here don't just include "able to do backing vox" or "plays keyboard too" it's "experience with click" or "Ableton setup".

Jeff:
A lot of pop is notoriously intended to be product...

Again, maybe I'm just more cynical, but if it's making it's way to a 50-year old dude in Florida, it's product.

Jeff:
But if they were faking it, they wouldn't have always toured with a bassist.

Not Garbage in particular, but I think you're giving the industry and the people profiting from it far too much credit.

Here's a sneak peek at the new pre-show:

From there I guess the ride is more themed to a police chase.

Actually, it's just the algorithm doing its job and serving me a 12-year old video because I spent a little bit of time searching the Muppets recently. (I'm looking in your direction CoasterBuzz)