2008

Record company executives and the RIAA for far too long have turned a blind eye to the pandemic that’s been tearing apart the integrity of the music industry. Album sales

Giants Stadium held rock concerts all the time when I was growing up. And whether you’re talking about Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson or Van Halen, there were plenty of acts big enough to fill the enormous football stadiums around the country. But over the past 20 years, the number of performers who can sell out stadiums, or even want to play places that big, has decreased significantly.

While the RIAA might try to find some way to blame file-sharing for the dramatic decline of stadium shows, we think one of the major factors surrounds all of the hassles involved with these humongous shows. Who wants pay hundreds of dollars to deal with all of the traffic, exorbitant prices for food and drinks and poor sightlines? Where’s the freakin’ intimacy?

Yet there are a few acts who could fill stadiums in the biggest of markets. So for this week’s B List, we’ll take a look at 10 bands that almost need to play stadiums to meet the heavy demand for tickets. We broke ’em down into three categories, so read on after the jump for my thoughts and weigh in with your own…

Our Thursday dog-walkers Rupert & Stan are back, and they’re gettin’ dirty…

Since we started throwing around a few ideas for bachelor parties last week, it seems like a good time to talk about one of the great attributes of many a song, particularly the jamband kind: the happy ending. Whether you are a fan of the “costs an extra twenty bucks” kind or the “she finds out it was a bet, gets angry, never wants to see him again, but he really does like her now, and they eventually make up and kiss” kind, everybody loves a happy ending.

Numerous bands have used this technique in their song structures, whereby the songs typically progress through a series of varied sections, often with some strictly composed parts, building tension throughout, and ultimately releasing into a climactic conclusion. These earlier sections are often brilliant and more musically complex than the “happy ending,” but it’s the finale that really brings the wide reaching grins, woohoos, fist pumps, and high fives.

These are songs that end with a release via towering jams or other special treats. We’d be lying if we didn’t admit that we’ve been known to fast forward straight to these happy endings from time to time. In fact, most weeknights you can probably find one of our fat asses listening to one of these while romping along on some poor treadmill.

So without further ado, read on after the jump for some of our favorites, including some Imeemage for your listening enjoyment as we go along…

Some kindly folks have alerted us to some fantastic videos over the past 24 hours, and they’re definitely worth your time. Check ’em after the jump…

The Disco Biscuits just released a new podcast featuring highlights from the band’s well-regarded New Year’s run. Now you can check out the Run Like Hell from NYE, as well