Well, I felt like the only Black person in my section @ the U2 show last week But I wasn't trippin'... it felt weird for about a minute, then it was like

What could be cooler than black people at a Death In June gig?

Tom said:[quote]Funny people are still like this nowdays. I remember friends of mine (black) going to see bands like INXS back in the 80s, or jamming to Neil Young, was never a problem. It would be kind of hypocritical for someone to be a fan of U2 then turn around and snub or assult someone because of their skin color.[/quote]


Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with the fact that U2 are shit?

What era do these people live in 2005 or 1805? what i dont understand is why people r going to concerts counting how many black people there are. aint it all about the music? whats the point of going to a concert if ur gonna feel paranoid? then isnt it the concert goer who has personal issues and shouldnt go? and if there is certain people at the gigs being racist they should be kicked out, end of! because at the end of the day music in its entirety is a much bigger picture than that. big artists and true music lovers are way way above that backward crap. when u listen to so called 'rock music' we all know that it is copied and influence by rhythm and blues(black music). also when did music start to have rules and boundaries? isnt music a place of freedom? and i believe the only way u can truly find world peace is through music, all kinds of music! and not from politics or religion.
maybe it's an american thing!
yeah U2 and bon jovi r shit!
[Edited 11/22/05 5:14am]

meow85 said:

This is SO true. Prince has the widest variety of people in his audiences. When I saw him at Madison Square Garden in 7/04, there was a 50-somethingBlack couple next to me, a 20-ish White guy with very long hair and his date in front of me, and a bunch of very obviously gay guys behind me. Multi-culturalism at it's best

lilgish said:

When M Crue came to NC a few years ago (a very drunk) Vince Neil egged the entire crowd into hurling the N bomb at one of the Black security guards. It ws all over the news. I believe the guy sued the band. Sounds like a crue show is not the place to be.

catpark said:

umm cat!

I agree with everything said thus far. When I left my old R&B group to sing rock, my family and friends all turned up their noses and called me Hootie. I don't think there's a worse insult than bein called Hootie.

Anyway, all that changed when they actually heard our record.

PS. That Have a Nice Day song is fucking awful. My stars and garters, when the world gets in your face, you say *dun-dun* Have a Nice Day?! What the fuck kinda response is that? Punk ass. I know whose wallet to steal.

catpark said:

The common assumption goes such rules and boudnaries werr largely imposed by the Greeks sometime around 500-200BC.



No, not really. Music isn't a place for freedom more than any other social phenomenon. It is seriously restricted on all of its expressional dimensions, from within its own practises or by expectations derived from the world surrounding the music world.



Tell that to the neofolk scene!



Well, I'm not gonna challenge you on that.

This has been such an interesting thread to read...

My daughters' father is Black and has always been into diverse kinds of music, including rock. When we met, I was a strictly hip-hop/R&B/reggae fan and knew nothing about rock music. He introduced me to a lot of music I wasn't familiar with. I won't say I became a rock fan, but I did hear some great music thanks to him that I'd previously been closed off to.

It's still funny to me when I think of the crazy looks we'd get walking through the PJs, him in a NIN t-shirt or singing "Don't Fear The Reaper" out loud. Between you and me, Music: Non-Prince, I'd be so fucking embarrassed by his ass! Shows you how closed minded I was...

one of the best concerts i went to in the last 10 years was an 80's explosion show in DC--culture club, human league, howard jones and somebody else i can't remember...but there were like 20,000 people there at this outdoors show, and i swear me and my lady friend were the only black folks there--which is sad, because i know sooooo many black folks that was on all these acts' jock back in the 80's.

TheSmyrk said:

Who does that song "HAve A Nice Day?" I've never heard of it.

guitarslinger44 said:

Fuckin Bon Jovi. I'm like, you sing rock, fool. Quite writin like a eunuch.

I definitely can relate to this article. I've been a fan of so called white music for years and it's weird because when I was younger I used to go to a lot of rock shows in NY. I've seen faith no more, marilyn manson, faster pussycat, the list is endless. At the time I never felt too strange about going as my other friends that would attend the shows with me were black and hispanic but now that i'm older I think twice about who I see. I saw Chicks on Speed just 2 weeks ago in SF and I only saw 1 other black oerson but no one seemed to care so I just enjoyed the show. I don't think in places like SF, NY or London it's that big of a deal but can you imagine living in Kentucky??

I do think it's unfair that it's ok for a white person to listen to rap but a black person can't lsietn to rock. What the hell?? I listen to what ever the hell I want and if people have issues with that, they can go to hell!

lilgish said:

Aren't Typo white power? I know Pete Steele used to be....

By the way, who was dropping the N bomb at the Crue show? The fans?? That is so fucked up. How did you take it??

jjhunsecker said:

That was what was so strange about going to the U2 concert for me. I really thought I'd see more diversity in the crowd than I did but I still had a good time. I figured that I had been spoiled by seeing Prince so many times.

TheSmyrk said:

Man that song really does suck. Shame on Bon Jovi for that steaming turd.

dancerella said:

Their past is a little shady. That's another reason I avoided the Type O show at Lamour's in Brooklyn.

Novabreaker said:

sextonseven said:

Shady indeed! I would stay away rom bands like that if I were you. Pantera is another band that apparently were racist or maybe I should just say Phil!

dancerella said:

I don't think I'd go so far as to label Peter Steele a racist. I think he just likes being an offensive person to piss people off. He may attract some not so tolerant fans who misinterpret what he says, but like I said, I've been to a few Type O shows and have seen other minorites there and I've never seen any incidents at all.

There are a few bands on the fence that I'd be more afraid of than Type O Negative. Death In June for example. They have some really cool songs, but you will never ever catch me at one of their shows. They are very shady.

I am black and I don't have a problem with liking so called " white " music regardless of what people may think. I don't have a CD player in my car to blast off with but I do listen to the local alternative station in my area. My hard drive is equally represented across the board with black, white and other music - but I am sorely lacking in the world music department - , I listen to whatever I like.

meltwithu said:

ok damnit! i ALMOST had tickets to the Human League,Howard Jones & Culture Club concert that year! but at the last second my boss told me i had to work that night eeeesh

I've been to a lot of concerts of white artists (INXS, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, The Smithereens, U2, Pat Benatar), and while I could count the number of black people at the concert with one hand, I never felt nervous or out of place. The closest I ever came to being uncomfortable was at a Shania Twain concert (I got free tickets). The crowd, however, was mostly white, suburban soccer-mom types; yet I saw a few black people there. So I guess I wasn't that out-of-place.

What realy irks me is how other black people chastise me for listening to rock music and going to "white" concerts. To me, that's more sad then being one of a handful of black faces at a rock concert.

Mazerati said:

I went to that show here in NYC with two Latin girls. I guess all three of us stood out a bit, lol. We were mostly there to see Human League. We purposely missed Howard Jones' set.

728huey said:

it must be really hard for a black teenager these days to tell his friends he really doesn't like rap and likes rock music ..its a shame

when Living Colour were hot i thought that would open the door but it never did

sextonseven said:

Blasphamy!

I love the Beach Boys. I love Sting. I love Bjork. As far as I'm concerned, their music isn't white, black or any other color. It comes from a sincere place, therefore it's soul music.

I know of some black people that are undercover fans of these artists:

TonyVanDam said:

And see, that's cool. No reason for them to be undercover about anything.
Peer pressure is no joke, I guess.