Glenn Danzig is Pretty Awesome

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2008/10/last_night_danzigs_blackest_of.php#more


I went to see Danzig in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago on The Blackest of the Black tour. Those of you who know me know that I don't really like going to live shows and being in crowds and those of you who know who Danzig is are probably even more confused but all I can say is the girl I went with to this show was extremely cute. Having said that, I also should say that Glenn Danzig is pretty awesome. He writes his own comic books, fronted The Misfits and he's a great performer. He wrote a song for Johnny Cash before it was cool. At the show, he had great stage presence. He didn't come out on stage with a bunch of fire and demons everywhere. It was just Danzig on stage stripped down playing songs that the fans wanted to hear. There weren't any special effects and frankly Glenn Danzig didn't need them. And GD was awesome to the fans and didn't appear to be taking himself too seriously. Winning combination. It's almost like Rick Ruben put the show together.

I was a little disappointed in a couple of things and I know it's hard for groups like Danzig to please everyone at their shows because the expectations are always so high for fans but this is seriously stuff they should think about:

First, Danzig didn't allow cell phones or cameras at the show. That really upset a lot of his fans who came along way, namely my very cute girlfriend who wanted to take pictures of the show.

This is kind of an example of the artistic Darwinism that's taking place right now in the music industry. Those performers who follow the Metallica doctrine of trying to sufficate those fans who use modern technology to share and capture the concert experience will be abandoned for those who embrace the new media. Danzig doesn't seem to realize just how much the band could benefit from the exposure of bootlegs from phone recordings and word of mouth via the internet through blogs and sites like myspace (I know, yuck) and facebook about just how cool their live shows are. And of course backing up that opinion with 30 seconds of crappy phone camera footage wouldn't hurt.

This networking of fans could actually breathe new life into, not only Danzig but the whole genre. It seems however, they're sticking with the old way of doing things and it's my hope for them that at some point these bands wise up to the fact that their fans aren't sitting in front of the radio with tape recorders anymore and you have to make the new technology work for you or face the consequences. I know Danzig isn't going to starve without lots of new fans but I'd really like to see them get the attention they deserve because they're really talented and I know there's a lot of folks around who would love this music if only it was made available to them somehow. And of course the best and easiest answer to the music getting to new fans is through the current, hardcore fans.

Secondly, God this a lot longer than I meant for it to be. Secondly, I'll just say read the blog at the top of this blog. It's from Arielle Castillo who got back stage at the show the previous night in Miami. A lot of people were waiting for Glenn and the rest of the group to come out the backdoor to the tour bus after the show in Atlanta and after reading her blog I'm glad we didn't stick around.

So yeah, go see Danzig. It was a great show! Glenn Danzig is pretty awesome. You just won't be able to take pictures of him being awesome.