'90s nostalgia: Cure for The Grand's ills

Biased opinion alert: The Grand's booking of The Pixies was genius.

Today, The News Journal had a story about The Grand slashing a quarter of its staff, having a huge revenue shortfall, and eyeing deeper cuts as a way for the 135-year-old venue to stay in business.

One reason cited was "increased competition." Duh. World Cafe Live at the Queen opened down the street a few years ago. Wonder why there aren't as many slices of the same pie to go around when there are more people eating it?

When the Queen opened, there was talk about cooperation between the venues, or at least some kind of drawing of turf. As in, "Hey, Queen, you take the adult-contemporary acts and the alt-rock bands, and we'll take the jazz, classical and pop icon group."

That didn't really happen, and what you're left with is Saturday (April 6)'s recreation of The Who's classic "Who's Next" album at The Grand and similar odes to Led Zeppelin tonight (April 5) and Pink Floyd tomorrow (April 6) at The Queen.

Really?

Look, I know nothing about demographics, budgets, scheduling, costs to book bands or any of that stuff. But it seems to me that a big part of the solution is simple.

Both venues could easily put butts in their seats if they realized who will come downtown.

It seems to me like a big segment of the concert-going population is in the 25-40 range. These are people with a decent amount of disposable dough that they'd be willing to spend on a night out to see one of their favorite all-time bands. And a good chunk of them on the younger end don't have kids, so they don't have to worry about baby sitters.

The Grand should pass, especially sans DeYoung (far right).

But those bands are not Styx, or REO Speedwagon, or anyone from the 1970s or 1980s.

These two venues have to look at who the REO Speedwagons and Styx are for this generation. These venues HAVE to look at the 1990s.

The Atlanta Journal-Constituion just did a story on this a few days ago. Down there, Sugar Ray, Everclear, Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler will all be in town this weekend. Smash Mouth, Collective Soul and Gin Blossoms are all out there too. Do some of these bands suck? Sure. Will people pay decent money to see them? You bet.

The Grand did it with The Pixies, but they haven't continued to dig deeper into that gold mine. The Grand could easily book Stone Temple Pilots and charge $45 a head and sell out the place in a day. I'm thinking that would put The Grand in the black for that night.

Nostalgia goldmine: right there waiting.

What about Weezer? Live? Soundgarden? What about a cheesy package show at The Queen featuring Better Than Ezra, Marcy Playground and Harvey Danger?

What about the slew of indie-rock reunions? I'm sure the show bookers at The Queen and The Grand never heard of Archers of Loaf or Guided By Voices or maybe even Pavement. But these bands have hardcore followings, and their ongoing classic lineup reunion tours would have easily sold out The Queen. Same goes for The Breeders' "Last Splash" anniversary tour, just covered on this blog, which hits Philly in May. I personally would pay a pretty penny to see any of those three shows in a beautiful venue like The Grand (or The Queen).

Big-time score for Firefly.

What about hip-hop? I know that sounds scary to both of those venues, but the Firefly Music Festival showed some balls and put rap legends and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Public Enemy on their sked of almost all rock acts. I'm sure they'll draw a new crowd with that booking - why not do the same at The Grand and/or The Queen? What are you afraid of?

Speaking of Firefly, why can't those venues get any of the acts playing the festival? More exposure for Delaware means more bands see a viable audience here means they'll come back. Yo Grand and Queen - go git em. Just like you did with Wilco and Bright Eyes a few years ago.

This is Dave Mason WHEN HE WAS COOL.

The Queen had the right idea when it went after acts like Richard Marx and Bryan Adams. There's a big market with huge selling '80s pop acts no matter how "uncool" a segment of the music world deems them to be. The Grand has the WRONG idea with acts like Dave Mason, which regardless of how it sells paints the picture of a venue that's out of touch - when you're booking a show, you're advertising for future shows. Not sure if 60-year-old guys stuck in the '70s is a vibrant target market.

Keep hitting that pipeline of nostalgia. The Grand could hit the '80s and score that late 30s to late 40s crowd. Like the Queen did, get someone like Psychedelic Furs, but go further. Get The Cure, or Morrissey, both of whom could easily sell out the venue.

But, to me, the 1990s seems like the next target to hit, and it's a big fat one.

And maybe The Grand has already made plans to do just that when it fills out its summer schedule.

Let's hope so.

Hey there's some Garbage at The Electric Factory

Was Butch Vig really a genius, or just someone who realized the obvious and exploited it?

Indeed, Vig deserves all the credit in the world for bringing a polished-yet-cool sheen to albums like Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Siamese Dream” and making them the classics that they are.

I dunno. What stands out to you in these photos?

But Vig didn’t just walk into Sound City Studios and invent the loud-soft-loud dynamic. He took what worked for The Pixies (and Hüsker Dü before them) and made it commercially explosive by putting it behind a tragically handsome and twistedly charismatic frontman instead of a chubby bald guy, a chick who dressed like a dude and looked like she could (and would) kick your ass and two other guys who barely moved. Duh.
 
Same thing with Garbage, which is really just a modern-day Blondie, without the hits. Watch Blondie’s VH1 “Behind The Music” and pay attention to the part where the band members get pissed because Debbie Harry is getting all the press and adulation, aka making Blondie relevant, getting Blondie fans and securing Blondie radio and MTV play. Would Blondie have ever cracked the Top 100 if Harry was Harry Anderson? Naw.
 
Vig must have read up on Blondie’s dweebie bandmates’ bitching and saw the lightbulb go off – get a hot chick (Shirley Manson) and put her in front of an alt-rock band. In fact, use some of the same tricks that made the Pumpkins and Nirvana kings of grunge when you write the music. Boom, you've got Garbage, and “Stupid Girl” goes from a pretty average piece of dancy alt-pop to a mosh-worthy smash-hit single and video. “Vow” and “I’m Only Happy When it Rains” become an anthem of teen angst.
 

What was wrong with thisguy?

I know they had other crap. “I Think I’m Paranoid” and “Push It” were kind of big off “Version 2.0,” but they’re kind of snoozerish as far as singles go. When you come out with your second album, and you fail to make a more lasting impact than Fastball (killer hit “The Way”) and Harvey Danger (killer hit “Flagpole Sita”), you’re already headed in the wrong direction.
 
But Garbage is big. They’re ’90s alt-rock royalty, I guess. The proof is in the YouTube clips of the 40-somethings moshing around. And if you’re a fan you’re pumped as hell to see them tonight (March 23) at The Electric Factory, 7th and Callowhill streets. You’re probably even stoked to “only” be paying $46.05 to see your favorite band ever, but fact of the matter is you’re getting stone-cold robbed.

IO Echo opens the show at 8 p.m.