Written in the wake of negative fan reaction to Big Freedia opening for the Postal Service. Shades of Prince opening for the Stones.

http://www.salon.com/2013/08/01/white_music_fans_are_afraid_of_difference/

Thoughts?

[Edited 8/4/13 13:27pm]

[Edited 8/4/13 13:28pm]

"I'm so confused."...


You heard similar chatter when Van Halen took Kool & The Gang out as their opening act.
Back in the day, promoter Bill Graham (the same promoter that had Prince opening for The Stones) made a living serving up diverse bills at both Fillmores. From my recollections on Fillmore shows that I attended, there was no whining and grumbling based on the show lineups. If anything, attendees were appreciative of the fact that they may have been exposed to something different along with whatever act they came to see.

I guess present day, with many being fans of specific genres as opposed to fans of music in general, it's to be expected.

Curious as to why this particular writer decided to play up the racial component.
My guess is there would be a certain percentage of irritated Black folks if a White act of an unfamiliar genre were opening for a Black performer they went to see.

If you dig deeper into other reviews of this pairing, it would appear that many in attendance were not as agitated as this writer would make it seem.


Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

[Edited 8/6/13 8:43am]

Curious as to why this particular writer decided to play up the racial component.
My guess is there would be a certain percentage of irritated Black folks if a White act of an unfamiliar genre were opening for a Black performer they went to see.

Unfortunately Salon has gotten really into this "us against them mentality" where that organization known as "internet commenters" is treated as if it is a political party, whose views require a response. And even in the examples stated in article, the worst examples of "racism" are basically asking "why is this act opening for that act?"

You're exactly right. Big Freedia's fans would react the same way if she brought the Postal Service as an opening act. Some would be confused, some would boo, some would probably enjoy it.

It sure ain't at the level of Stones fans bottling Prince and yelling "get of the stage n-word." At the time I recall some articles by writers that were horrified at this behavior but I don't think any of them made the leap that "White Music Fans Are Afraid Of Difference." Those particular people at the Stones concert sure seem like they were, but what about the European audience that kept many of the great jazz masters alive and well when they were forgotten or rejected in their own country?

But as I see it, commentary that isn't even credible manages to be incredibly successful when enough people are outraged by it and post their comments. It's a new thing for the internet age. The more wrong you are, the more people will write in to tell you you;re wrong and repost your article, and your hit rates go through the roof. If you get enough people mad at you, you get a raise.

That dynamic didn't exist in the print era, at least not in the same way. Newspapers couldn't go viral.

SuperSoulFighter said:

Jimi Hendrix once took a Bob Dylan record with him to a club in Harlem and asked th dj to play it. He was thrown out. Get outta here and take that hillbilly music with ya!

An example of perhaps an even more fascinating issue to look at.

http://www.afropunk.com/p...-the-movie

bobzilla77 said:

Curious as to why this particular writer decided to play up the racial component.
My guess is there would be a certain percentage of irritated Black folks if a White act of an unfamiliar genre were opening for a Black performer they went to see.

Unfortunately Salon has gotten really into this "us against them mentality" where that organization known as "internet commenters" is treated as if it is a political party, whose views require a response. And even in the examples stated in article, the worst examples of "racism" are basically asking "why is this act opening for that act?"

Neither defending nor criticizing the piece, but the issue is not being racist per se, but being afraid of difference. Race is just one of the obvious answers. But it's a chicken-egg argument: do the starker differences in music tastes flow from race, or are they legitimate differences in taste preferences that are stark simply because they exist among audiences of different races.

You're exactly right. Big Freedia's fans would react the same way if she brought the Postal Service as an opening act. Some would be confused, some would boo, some would probably enjoy it.

Same thing happened when Empress Hotel opened for Van Hunt a couple of years back.

It sure ain't at the level of Stones fans bottling Prince and yelling "get of the stage n-word." At the time I recall some articles by writers that were horrified at this behavior but I don't think any of them made the leap that "White Music Fans Are Afraid Of Difference." Those particular people at the Stones concert sure seem like they were, but what about the European audience that kept many of the great jazz masters alive and well when they were forgotten or rejected in their own country?

As I said, "shades" of that. Some of the tweets featured in that article were veiled racial remarks. Nothing like being attacked on stage. And as with many topics on music and race, there are conflicting patterns. Heck, you could even throw old-school hip-hop in as the latest example of "black" music being curated by devoted white audiences. But racial differences and cross-racial appeal have always existed in music.

But as I see it, commentary that isn't even credible manages to be incredibly successful when enough people are outraged by it and post their comments. It's a new thing for the internet age. The more wrong you are, the more people will write in to tell you you;re wrong and repost your article, and your hit rates go through the roof. If you get enough people mad at you, you get a raise.

But in many cases, the subject matter is fodder for good discussion in and of itself.