.
Texas isnt the South... Its its OWN little Country!!! Play Texas!
Either way you look at it, Texas is one of the many step-children of the south US that has been neglected for 8 years along with Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Carolinas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. But yeah, we are kind of a different breed down here.
"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." - Thoreau
No time to be void, or save up on life, you've got to spend it all
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest 2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1 2022: Nashville 2023: Ft. Worth II
75 people in our region died in the April 27 tornadoes. 6 neighborhoods within 5 miles of my home are gone, not damaged, but literally do not exist anymore; 9 people in those areas dead. Nearly 300 people in the south dead in the storm outbreak. How about a little love for the south sometime soon?
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest 2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1 2022: Nashville 2023: Ft. Worth II
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
Houston, Texas... Believe it or not, there are 7 million people here... must be a couple of fans who'd love to see you play.
Damn, Ive always wanted to go to Canada! Ive heard the percentage of overwieght females is drastically smaller than here in th US.
spent lots of time in the rural South, I take it...
.
Haha, not at all actually. Originally from Hawaii/Los Angelos. Also, I live IN Atlanta. No farms here...
:roll:
Yes. It is such a pity there are only 3 of us Atlanta girls who are in shape. Of course, unfortunately for you (or maybe fortunately, since they likely won't have had the 'opportunity' to learn of your views on women), neither of the other two are Pearl Jam fans. :P
Personally, id rather do multiple shows (minimum 3). Im gonna do both no matter what, but if I had to choose... Damn, Ive always wanted to go to Canada! Ive heard the percentage of overwieght females is drastically smaller than here in th US.
All depends on where you're from, there's plenty of fat chicks where I came from... :shock:
Houston, Texas... Believe it or not, there are 7 million people here... must be a couple of fans who'd love to see you play.
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
While I don't believe that are intentionally disrespecting fans in the south, I do often wonder why (deep down, really why?) they won't play down here anymore. It's frustrating and fascinating all at the same time. They regularly play the west coast, east coast, Chicago/Ohio. The last proper tour through the south was the Riot Act tour of 2003. Most major southern cities haven't seen a single show since then - 8 years. In that time, they've traveled to Australia/New Zealand, South America, and have toured Europe four times! Four separate years since 2003 they've crossed the Atlantic, yet they can't play Houston, Dallas, or Atlanta? These are in the top 10 biggest cities in the US! I cannot think of any legit explanation for this. Florida has a lot of major cities and they've only had a couple of shows in the last 8 years. Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Memphis/Nashville, Charlotte/Raleigh, Lexington, Birmingham, Little Rock? 8 years and counting for the majority of these major metropolitan areas of the US. I'd really like to know the real reason for these decisions. Four Euro tours without a show in the south! That blows my mind. I have no desire to take those shows away from Europe, but they couldn't squeeze in a single southern show during that stretch? It really doesn't seem to make sense.
"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." - Thoreau
No time to be void, or save up on life, you've got to spend it all
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
This is an interesting question.
I have never thought of it this way, because I don't think it's any kind of snub on their fans - I think they care about us as much as they care about the fans up north or in Canada, Europe, Oz, South America or wherever. We are all just 'fans' to them - it's not personal.
However, I have occasionally wondered if it might be a snub on the politics of the South. I mean, let's face it...we are pretty Red State intensive...and they might not feel they can speak as freely here about some of their views, causes, etc.
Of course, my argument to that would be that those of us down here in the Red States who share their views need them to come down here even MORE! In fact, I think they need to do a frakkin' Red State Moral Support Tour!
Seriously though....I don't know. It could be anything. Maybe they just don't like the godawful heat here in the summer? Who knows?
But I don't think we should take it personally. Really.
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
This is an interesting question.
I have never thought of it this way, because I don't think it's any kind of snub on their fans - I think they care about us as much as they care about the fans up north or in Canada, Europe, Oz, South America or wherever. We are all just 'fans' to them - it's not personal.
However, I have occasionally wondered if it might be a snub on the politics of the South. I mean, let's face it...we are pretty Red State intensive...and they might not feel they can speak as freely here about some of their views, causes, etc.
Of course, my argument to that would be that those of us down here in the Red States who share their views need them to come down here even MORE! In fact, I think they need to do a frakkin' Red State Moral Support Tour!
Seriously though....I don't know. It could be anything. Maybe they just don't like the godawful heat here in the summer? Who knows?
But I don't think we should take it personally. Really.
Still: THE SOUTH! PLAY IT!
I have two counter points to this argument:
(A) although the politics of the south are a little behind the time, there is one thing down here that you will always have: Free Speech. People would kill down here for it. Regardless of whether or not they agree with you, you will always be able to state your opinions. They may curse you down to the dirt for it, but they'll let you talk.... and the politics of the south actually stand to benefit Pearl Jam substantially, I mean the republicans are all about tax cuts for the richest members of our society... a tax bracket PJ now finds themselves in.
(B) air conditioning has been mastered in this area of the world... I challenge anyone to sit in the Toyota Center here in Houston and tell me they are warm...
Houston, Texas... Believe it or not, there are 7 million people here... must be a couple of fans who'd love to see you play.
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
What you're feeling is not uncommon. I know I've asked that question and I'd reckon others here have, too.
But I don't think it's legitimate. The truth, I think, lies somewhere between your theory and the history of this band's touring.
After a few trips to (what we infer as) their favorite cities, they probably made friends & memories, became fond of some places more than others. The money to be made in more populous or highly-marketable areas probably didn't hurt the case to tour those places more often. Also, whatever happened or didn't happen about the time of 2003's North American tour seriously marked a line in the sand with regards to future touring. It hasn't been the same since.
We're talking about a band w/ a worldwide audience. We must remember that. Fans from Europe, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand/Japan, and points in-between all clamor and look forward to PJ's tours in their area as much as we do for ours. As someone who works in logistics, I think they do an average job of making themselves accessible to USAmerican fans. We're mostly a mobile group w/ the potential funds to get to where PJ decides to perform. They've been to Florida, Texas, Tennessee, New Orleans, St. Louis, and North Carolina in the past 7 years. It's just that they don't come around each and every tour anymore.
Sorry to blather on, but here's the real crux of it all for me: I feel that PJ fans in the south have not (for the most part) put their lives and livelihoods on hold for the band the way folks in the heavily-toured areas do. Think about it: we have better weather, more outdoor activities, prettier people (yeah, I said it), and we have collectively chosen through the years not to give PJ priority over all of that. When PJ plays Boston, New York, Philly, DC, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, my guess is they can see the same 10-15 rows of people every night in different cities. Those folks have made a decision to drop everything & tour w/ PJ. We didn't, as a collective, so our arenas and amphitheatres didn't always necessitate another date on the next tour.
As a result, PJ made a business decision to concentrate their touring pattern in areas where the track record shows they can get the locals to show-up, the neighbors to drive over, and the outliers (us) to trek-in here and there to fill-out the buildings. I may not like it, but I think they are making logistical and financial decisions that earn them money and allow them to keep doing things their way. And I can only say it's their right to do so.
In short, it's not personal...it's just business. And as a result, I tend to take my business to bands who play nearer to me. For concerts, I prefer to spend a few hundred to go to Atlanta, a few more for a Memphis trip, and a hundred or so to see someone in Jacksonville than I do to spend $1200-1500 on one adventure to see one PJ show. It's business for me, too.
.
Memphis 1994 New Orleans 1995 Fort Lauderdale 1996 Atlanta & Birmingham 1998 New Orleans 2000 Tampa 2003 Kissimmee 2004 New York City (x 2) 2008 East Troy (x 2) 2011 Chicago & New Orleans 2013 Hampton, Raleigh, Boston 2016 Baltimore2020 Louisville 2022 Philadelphia & Baltimore 2024
(A) although the politics of the south are a little behind the time, there is one thing down here that you will always have: Free Speech. People would kill down here for it. Regardless of whether or not they agree with you, you will always be able to state your opinions. They may curse you down to the dirt for it, but they'll let you talk.... and the politics of the south actually stand to benefit Pearl Jam substantially, I mean the republicans are all about tax cuts for the richest members of our society... a tax bracket PJ now finds themselves in.
(B) air conditioning has been mastered in this area of the world... I challenge anyone to sit in the Toyota Center here in Houston and tell me they are warm...
Well, my intention was not to make a 'argument'. In fact, I have no idea whatever why they have not played down here in recent years. I was just throwing out random possibilities off the top of my head.
However, I'm not sure I agree all that much about the South being so hospitable to those who exercise their freedoms - of speech or anything else. Unless, of course, you happen to agree with THEM. Then you can speak all you like.
7 years ago, I myself paid a heavy price for politely (and very quietly) declining to contribute to Dubya's re-election campaign AT WORK. And in 1998 (I think it was '98) when Springsteen came through Atlanta and I acted as a volunteer at a table for a cause he supports, but which is not so popular in the South, let's just say I was verbally abused quite stunningly...all for sitting there, quietly providing literature. I wasn't in anybody's face or anything - I was just sitting at a table. And people came over special, just to try to pick an argument.
But of course, the band probably knows nothing of any stories like the ones above. They could have skipped the South for any number of reasons...or no reason at all. But my position is still that I'm not gonna take it personally.
Now...there might be one reason for skipping Atlanta, IIRC. I was not aware of it at the time because it was not related to a concert, and I was out of the country in Italy at the time it would have hit the news here in town....But I think that I read somewhere that when they were recording/mixing or whatever in Atlanta in 2009, one of the guys (Jeff, I think - it's been a while and my memory sucks) got mugged or something downtown. I'm fuzzy on the details - I can't even remember where I read it or even if it was a reliable source. But if true, I could appreciate a possible reluctance to come back here. I mean, every city has it's share of street crime...but it takes on special meaning if it happens to you in a place.
Outside of that, I got nuthin' and am marking it down to 'they just haven't felt like it'.
(A) although the politics of the south are a little behind the time, there is one thing down here that you will always have: Free Speech. People would kill down here for it. Regardless of whether or not they agree with you, you will always be able to state your opinions. They may curse you down to the dirt for it, but they'll let you talk.... and the politics of the south actually stand to benefit Pearl Jam substantially, I mean the republicans are all about tax cuts for the richest members of our society... a tax bracket PJ now finds themselves in.
(B) air conditioning has been mastered in this area of the world... I challenge anyone to sit in the Toyota Center here in Houston and tell me they are warm...
Well, my intention was not to make a 'argument'. In fact, I have no idea whatever why they have not played down here in recent years. I was just throwing out random possibilities off the top of my head.
However, I'm not sure I agree all that much about the South being so hospitable to those who exercise their freedoms - of speech or anything else. Unless, of course, you happen to agree with THEM. Then you can speak all you like.
7 years ago, I myself paid a heavy price for politely (and very quietly) declining to contribute to Dubya's re-election campaign AT WORK. And in 1998 (I think it was '98) when Springsteen came through Atlanta and I acted as a volunteer at a table for a cause he supports, but which is not so popular in the South, let's just say I was verbally abused quite stunningly...all for sitting there, quietly providing literature. I wasn't in anybody's face or anything - I was just sitting at a table. And people came over special, just to try to pick an argument.
But of course, the band probably knows nothing of any stories like the ones above. They could have skipped the South for any number of reasons...or no reason at all. But my position is still that I'm not gonna take it personally.
Now...there might be one reason for skipping Atlanta, IIRC. I was not aware of it at the time because it was not related to a concert, and I was out of the country in Italy at the time it would have hit the news here in town....But I think that I read somewhere that when they were recording/mixing or whatever in Atlanta in 2009, one of the guys (Jeff, I think - it's been a while and my memory sucks) got mugged or something downtown. I'm fuzzy on the details - I can't even remember where I read it or even if it was a reliable source. But if true, I could appreciate a possible reluctance to come back here. I mean, every city has it's share of street crime...but it takes on special meaning if it happens to you in a place.
Outside of that, I got nuthin' and am marking it down to 'they just haven't felt like it'.
And I don't mean to argue either, I'm just trying to have a discussion, that's all (and in the process bump this thread )
I remember reading that article about Jeff getting mugged in Atlanta as well, though I don't remember any of the details... but it also begs the question, if you hate the south so much you won't play a show here, why are you recording in this area? especially when most of the members of the band all have their own recording studios...
At the same time I would argue that people in the north are just as inhospitable.... when I went to boston and washington last year on trips, you would have thought I was from hell the way that people reacted when I told them I lived in the south... I don't even want to think about some of the things people reacted and said to me after they found that out... you wouldn't know everyone in the north thinks we're all hill-billys with mullets riding around in trucks carrying shotguns and whiskey in the back...
Houston, Texas... Believe it or not, there are 7 million people here... must be a couple of fans who'd love to see you play.
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
I kind've agree with this. I don't want to but with the band knowing how many fans they have down here and with their previous Southern shows in major markets doing pretty well it seems like, for whatever reason, they have purposefully decided to ignore a large portion of their USA fan base. It's not like it's a secret we would love for them to play here.
I would hate to think that the fans are being punished for the region's politics so I really hope that's not it. Either way, it is kind've affecting the way I feel about the band as a whole as well, especially since we are left to ponder why they won't play anywhere near here. People that have actually been to shows down here don't buy the "Can't sell tickets" excuse. Plus, what would it really say about PJ's popularity since every other group plays here? I live in one of the most populated areas in the country and PJ hasn't played here in 8 years. EV has never played here, instead going to much smaller markets. Previous tour outings seem to purposefully skip major cities in Texas and the South (2 LA shows --> ACL festival --> 2 LA shows in 09 & New Orleans festival on to 2 cities in Missouri last year...)
I can also second the rudeness of some people from the North. There are people I have met at preparties/shows who start asking me how I like riding a horse to work when I tell them I'm from TX :roll:
Bottom line -- I don't think PJ will be back anytime soon (I hope I'm wrong) and I would now rather spend my heard earned cash seeing bands that come here than traveling to see PJ (again, and again, and again...) while they ignore their fans.
2003: San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Seattle; 2005: Monterrey; 2006: Chicago 1 & 2, Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit; 2008: West Palm Beach, Tampa; 2009: Austin, LA 3 & 4, San Diego; 2010: Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbus, Indianapolis; 2011: PJ20 1 & 2; 2012: Missoula; 2013: Dallas, Oklahoma City, Seattle; 2014: Tulsa; 2016: Columbia, New York City 1 & 2; 2018: London, Seattle 1 & 2; 2021: Ohana; 2022: Oklahoma City
It will be interesting if they tour Canada and South America again and don't have any tour dates down south. Of course, I am very happy for those people, but if this happens PJ will have toured Canada twice, South America twice, Europe 4 times, and Australia twice since they last came here.
2003: San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Seattle; 2005: Monterrey; 2006: Chicago 1 & 2, Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Detroit; 2008: West Palm Beach, Tampa; 2009: Austin, LA 3 & 4, San Diego; 2010: Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbus, Indianapolis; 2011: PJ20 1 & 2; 2012: Missoula; 2013: Dallas, Oklahoma City, Seattle; 2014: Tulsa; 2016: Columbia, New York City 1 & 2; 2018: London, Seattle 1 & 2; 2021: Ohana; 2022: Oklahoma City
Comments
.
Texas isnt the South... Its its OWN little Country!!! Play Texas!
Either way you look at it, Texas is one of the many step-children of the south US that has been neglected for 8 years along with Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Carolinas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. But yeah, we are kind of a different breed down here.
No time to be void, or save up on life, you've got to spend it all
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
Amber are all 150 of your posts in this thread? :?
No dude, just 68...
sorry, i didn't check the post count, figured i'd give the thread a couple of bumps instead
No time to be void, or save up on life, you've got to spend it all
No.. but I'm very.. shy/reserved.. even on forums
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
Does anyone else that lives in the south take this boycott as a complete show of disrespect to PJ's own fans on behalf of the band?
Cause I'm starting to feel that way about it, and it's starting to change how I feel about this band as a whole. As much as I love their music, to treat fans that have made you millions upon millions dollars in this manner shows me that it's no longer about us...
I mean when it comes down to it, this band always likes to talk about how their live shows are everything, but what does really mean when the band only tours 3 weeks of the year and refuses to play shows in some of the most populous areas of their own country?
:roll:
Yes. It is such a pity there are only 3 of us Atlanta girls who are in shape. Of course, unfortunately for you (or maybe fortunately, since they likely won't have had the 'opportunity' to learn of your views on women), neither of the other two are Pearl Jam fans. :P
All depends on where you're from, there's plenty of fat chicks where I came from... :shock:
While I don't believe that are intentionally disrespecting fans in the south, I do often wonder why (deep down, really why?) they won't play down here anymore. It's frustrating and fascinating all at the same time. They regularly play the west coast, east coast, Chicago/Ohio. The last proper tour through the south was the Riot Act tour of 2003. Most major southern cities haven't seen a single show since then - 8 years. In that time, they've traveled to Australia/New Zealand, South America, and have toured Europe four times! Four separate years since 2003 they've crossed the Atlantic, yet they can't play Houston, Dallas, or Atlanta? These are in the top 10 biggest cities in the US! I cannot think of any legit explanation for this. Florida has a lot of major cities and they've only had a couple of shows in the last 8 years. Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Memphis/Nashville, Charlotte/Raleigh, Lexington, Birmingham, Little Rock? 8 years and counting for the majority of these major metropolitan areas of the US. I'd really like to know the real reason for these decisions. Four Euro tours without a show in the south! That blows my mind. I have no desire to take those shows away from Europe, but they couldn't squeeze in a single southern show during that stretch? It really doesn't seem to make sense.
No time to be void, or save up on life, you've got to spend it all
This is an interesting question.
I have never thought of it this way, because I don't think it's any kind of snub on their fans - I think they care about us as much as they care about the fans up north or in Canada, Europe, Oz, South America or wherever. We are all just 'fans' to them - it's not personal.
However, I have occasionally wondered if it might be a snub on the politics of the South. I mean, let's face it...we are pretty Red State intensive...and they might not feel they can speak as freely here about some of their views, causes, etc.
Of course, my argument to that would be that those of us down here in the Red States who share their views need them to come down here even MORE! In fact, I think they need to do a frakkin' Red State Moral Support Tour!
Seriously though....I don't know. It could be anything. Maybe they just don't like the godawful heat here in the summer? Who knows?
But I don't think we should take it personally. Really.
Still: THE SOUTH! PLAY IT!
I have two counter points to this argument:
(A) although the politics of the south are a little behind the time, there is one thing down here that you will always have: Free Speech. People would kill down here for it. Regardless of whether or not they agree with you, you will always be able to state your opinions. They may curse you down to the dirt for it, but they'll let you talk.... and the politics of the south actually stand to benefit Pearl Jam substantially, I mean the republicans are all about tax cuts for the richest members of our society... a tax bracket PJ now finds themselves in.
(B) air conditioning has been mastered in this area of the world... I challenge anyone to sit in the Toyota Center here in Houston and tell me they are warm...
What you're feeling is not uncommon. I know I've asked that question and I'd reckon others here have, too.
But I don't think it's legitimate. The truth, I think, lies somewhere between your theory and the history of this band's touring.
After a few trips to (what we infer as) their favorite cities, they probably made friends & memories, became fond of some places more than others. The money to be made in more populous or highly-marketable areas probably didn't hurt the case to tour those places more often. Also, whatever happened or didn't happen about the time of 2003's North American tour seriously marked a line in the sand with regards to future touring. It hasn't been the same since.
We're talking about a band w/ a worldwide audience. We must remember that. Fans from Europe, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand/Japan, and points in-between all clamor and look forward to PJ's tours in their area as much as we do for ours. As someone who works in logistics, I think they do an average job of making themselves accessible to USAmerican fans. We're mostly a mobile group w/ the potential funds to get to where PJ decides to perform. They've been to Florida, Texas, Tennessee, New Orleans, St. Louis, and North Carolina in the past 7 years. It's just that they don't come around each and every tour anymore.
Sorry to blather on, but here's the real crux of it all for me: I feel that PJ fans in the south have not (for the most part) put their lives and livelihoods on hold for the band the way folks in the heavily-toured areas do. Think about it: we have better weather, more outdoor activities, prettier people (yeah, I said it), and we have collectively chosen through the years not to give PJ priority over all of that. When PJ plays Boston, New York, Philly, DC, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, my guess is they can see the same 10-15 rows of people every night in different cities. Those folks have made a decision to drop everything & tour w/ PJ. We didn't, as a collective, so our arenas and amphitheatres didn't always necessitate another date on the next tour.
As a result, PJ made a business decision to concentrate their touring pattern in areas where the track record shows they can get the locals to show-up, the neighbors to drive over, and the outliers (us) to trek-in here and there to fill-out the buildings. I may not like it, but I think they are making logistical and financial decisions that earn them money and allow them to keep doing things their way. And I can only say it's their right to do so.
In short, it's not personal...it's just business. And as a result, I tend to take my business to bands who play nearer to me. For concerts, I prefer to spend a few hundred to go to Atlanta, a few more for a Memphis trip, and a hundred or so to see someone in Jacksonville than I do to spend $1200-1500 on one adventure to see one PJ show. It's business for me, too.
.
New Orleans 1995
Fort Lauderdale 1996
Atlanta & Birmingham 1998
New Orleans 2000
Tampa 2003
Kissimmee 2004
New York City (x 2) 2008
East Troy (x 2) 2011
Chicago & New Orleans 2013
Hampton, Raleigh, Boston 2016
Baltimore 2020
Louisville 2022
Philadelphia & Baltimore 2024
Well, my intention was not to make a 'argument'. In fact, I have no idea whatever why they have not played down here in recent years. I was just throwing out random possibilities off the top of my head.
However, I'm not sure I agree all that much about the South being so hospitable to those who exercise their freedoms - of speech or anything else. Unless, of course, you happen to agree with THEM. Then you can speak all you like.
7 years ago, I myself paid a heavy price for politely (and very quietly) declining to contribute to Dubya's re-election campaign AT WORK. And in 1998 (I think it was '98) when Springsteen came through Atlanta and I acted as a volunteer at a table for a cause he supports, but which is not so popular in the South, let's just say I was verbally abused quite stunningly...all for sitting there, quietly providing literature. I wasn't in anybody's face or anything - I was just sitting at a table. And people came over special, just to try to pick an argument.
But of course, the band probably knows nothing of any stories like the ones above. They could have skipped the South for any number of reasons...or no reason at all. But my position is still that I'm not gonna take it personally.
Now...there might be one reason for skipping Atlanta, IIRC. I was not aware of it at the time because it was not related to a concert, and I was out of the country in Italy at the time it would have hit the news here in town....But I think that I read somewhere that when they were recording/mixing or whatever in Atlanta in 2009, one of the guys (Jeff, I think - it's been a while and my memory sucks) got mugged or something downtown. I'm fuzzy on the details - I can't even remember where I read it or even if it was a reliable source. But if true, I could appreciate a possible reluctance to come back here. I mean, every city has it's share of street crime...but it takes on special meaning if it happens to you in a place.
Outside of that, I got nuthin' and am marking it down to 'they just haven't felt like it'.
And I don't mean to argue either, I'm just trying to have a discussion, that's all (and in the process bump this thread
I remember reading that article about Jeff getting mugged in Atlanta as well, though I don't remember any of the details... but it also begs the question, if you hate the south so much you won't play a show here, why are you recording in this area? especially when most of the members of the band all have their own recording studios...
At the same time I would argue that people in the north are just as inhospitable.... when I went to boston and washington last year on trips, you would have thought I was from hell the way that people reacted when I told them I lived in the south... I don't even want to think about some of the things people reacted and said to me after they found that out... you wouldn't know everyone in the north thinks we're all hill-billys with mullets riding around in trucks carrying shotguns and whiskey in the back...
I kind've agree with this. I don't want to but with the band knowing how many fans they have down here and with their previous Southern shows in major markets doing pretty well it seems like, for whatever reason, they have purposefully decided to ignore a large portion of their USA fan base. It's not like it's a secret we would love for them to play here.
I would hate to think that the fans are being punished for the region's politics so I really hope that's not it. Either way, it is kind've affecting the way I feel about the band as a whole as well, especially since we are left to ponder why they won't play anywhere near here. People that have actually been to shows down here don't buy the "Can't sell tickets" excuse. Plus, what would it really say about PJ's popularity since every other group plays here? I live in one of the most populated areas in the country and PJ hasn't played here in 8 years. EV has never played here, instead going to much smaller markets. Previous tour outings seem to purposefully skip major cities in Texas and the South (2 LA shows --> ACL festival --> 2 LA shows in 09 & New Orleans festival on to 2 cities in Missouri last year...)
I can also second the rudeness of some people from the North. There are people I have met at preparties/shows who start asking me how I like riding a horse to work when I tell them I'm from TX :roll:
Bottom line -- I don't think PJ will be back anytime soon (I hope I'm wrong) and I would now rather spend my heard earned cash seeing bands that come here than traveling to see PJ (again, and again, and again...) while they ignore their fans.