Live rock isn't dead, but as spectacle it's hurting. After all, when you've watched invaders from outer space obliterate the White House, how exciting is it, really, to see some alternative rocker smash his guitar? If you've seen Tom Cruise hurled from an exploding helicopter onto a moving train, is it really that thrilling to see a bassist jump from the top of a three-foot amp? If you've just seen a twister tear apart a town, doesn't a mere mosh pit lose some of its anarchic joy?
Although summer is when the concert business usually generates much of its revenues, so far this season ticket sales are just O.K. With the movie industry anticipating record box-office grosses, onstage performers face some serious competition from the spectacular events taking place onscreen. Says Rob Light, a senior agent with the Creative Artists Agency, which is booking this year's H.O.R.D.E. music festival: "I don't think any of us anticipated how strong the movie summer would be, which always takes away entertainment dollars." And it was already a weak year. According to the trade magazine Pollstar, over the first six months of 1996 the top 10 tours took in $152.5 million--compared to $225 million over the same period in 1995.
Another problem is a lack of big names out on the road. What with R.E.M., U2 and Pearl Jam sitting the summer out (all three are preparing new albums) and the Grateful Dead disbanded (in the wake of front man Jerry Garcia's death last August), there are no surefire-draw megabands touring this summer, no must-see, tell-your-grandkids musical events--with the possible exception of the affably popular supergroup Hootie & the Blowfish. Sure, the Sex Pistols and Kiss have reunited and are touring, but those are concerts you tell your grandfather about.
To bring back some excitement to concertgoing--and some emotions other than nostalgia and/or pity--the music industry has turned to festivals. Not stationary, one-time events like Woodstocks I and II, but massive, carnival-like musical tours that feature at least half a dozen acts as well as food booths, souvenir stands and more. This summer several festivals are touring the land, each with a distinct character, each vying for a hold on the pop-culture imagination and wallet.
Three have already hit the road. Lollapalooza, the five-year-old alternative-rock extravaganza, defied expectations this time around by booking Metallica, a mainstream metal band, as its headliner. (Says Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich: "We wanted to throw this concert for a loop.") H.O.R.D.E., which has built a reputation over the past four years as a haven for tie-dyed twentysomethings, has a solid lineup featuring Blues Traveler and Lenny Kravitz. Meanwhile, the scrappy, year-old Warped Tour has won a following among the particular set of youngsters who enjoy punk rock, ska and skateboarding. Next week the House of Blues will launch an R. and B. tour, and in August, Perry Farrell, the progressive rocker who hatched Lollapalooza, will inaugurate a new venture: the tree-planting, obscure band-booking, alternative-to-alternative ENIT festival. Ticket prices vary from tour to tour and site to site but are usually under $50.