2500 people. All I remember hearing growing up is there's never anything to do, nothing ever comes here, we don't get concerts, why can't the Tri be more like Knoxville or Roanoke. Well according to this article, it basically sums up why in one sentence.
2500 people showed up for a concert that 7000 could have gone to. Nevermind the fact that the two acts have songs climbing the charts on country radio, in a market where a country station is NUMBER ONE in the market. It's the freaking birthplace of country music! Viking Hall is 30 minutes from the June Carter Cash's childhood home, Tennessee Ernie Ford lived about five minutes from Tennessee High, and there's that much apathy?!
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/ne...-0021.html

Atleast we have the Beef and Cheddar Classic.

Lady Antebellum and Jason Alldean? Sounds like a WNBA Expansion Team and a Nationwide Series driver. Were you there? If so, why? If not, why not? I've never heard of either act and just because they have songs "climbing the charts," doesn't make them quality musicians. Have you ever looked at the "charts"? Don't castigate this entire region because more people didn't get out to Viking Hall to see the latest pair of "stars" the record labels decided to send our way. There's plenty of good music going on at the Down Home and other venues three or four nights a week. Why should I shell out $35 to see a couple of pre-packaged Nashville Ham and Eggers when I can pay $12 to see Southern Culture or Rob Russell or Scott Miller or Unknown Henson? This "town" doesn't suck This "town" just has better things to do than buy tickets to every Music City Pre-fab that blows through town on their way to somewhere bigger.

Buc Fitty Wrote:Lady Antebellum and Jason Alldean?

Totally agree. I've never heard of them.

And besides,
The Carter Family is probably rolling over in their respective (and respected) graves :swc:over what passes for country music these days. Now, you bring Willie Nelson to town and I'll pony up the dough!:band:

Finally a thread topic I can agree on!!!! :)

If Willie Nelson had been cast as Uncle Jesse a little sooner there stands the chance he could have been brought to town PERMANENTLY as ETSU's basketball coach.

Lame. I've heard of Jason Aldean but I dont' listen to country music so why would I shell out the cash? Let me know when Bon Jovi/Van Halen etc. decide to make their way to JC and then I'll drop some cash (among other things). I can go to Stir Fry on a Friday night for $5 or zero depending on who's at the door and see music that I actually care about. [/align]

A: I live in Nashville, Bon Jovi and Daughtry were here last week.

B: Agreed on Lady Antebellum, they belong more on Electric than on WXBQ, but that's not the point. This was a chance for people to go see two up and coming musical acts, Aldean has been around awhile now, and has had several in the top ten.

C: Also agreed on what's called country music, but the same could be said for R & B, rock and roll, etc... This is a whole other topic in itself.
Willie's been to town a bunch of times. He played Fun Fest for five dollars three or four years ago.

Oh, and seeing the Bag O' Cats at Stir Fry watching pseudo-big city wannabe's try to hook up with the Alpha Delta Pi sluts while entertaining, hardly a great time.

Fyre- You like Van Halen/Bon Jovi?

FWIW, Bag O' Cats hasn't played Stir Fry any of the times I've been there. I don't care about sorostitutes and pseudo-big city wannabe's. I go to have good food, listen to music I like and enjoy the company I'm with. I think we both know how I feel about the Tri-cities just because some minor country stars showed up in Bristol doesn't mean we should all flock to see this glorious honor that has been put upon us. And fwiw Willie Nelson was at Fun Fest in 1998. That was the last year they got any decent acts (Doobie Brothers, Pointer Sisters and N'Sync were also there that year)

Okay. Dierks Bentley at the App Fair, and at the Bristol August race last year, he's only in the Grand Ol' Opry, hardly got love. My point is, this was an opportunity for the area to show that they can support somewhat major social events in the area, and they failed. And yes, this affects ETSU in a roundabout way. ETSU will NEVER GET A MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSOR until the area shows that they aren't so damn apathetic. The chance is there from someone to get the dollars to build a close to campus arena that could serve alcohol at non-ETSU events, and bring in some fairly big acts, but if the area can't show up for what they're getting, what's going to make other major touring acts outside of wrestling, monster trucks and the arts and crafts show coming to the major civic centers?
And Pitt, if you like Van Haggar I may have to accost you in the ETSU parking lot, so badly that it makes the cussing you put on Mike White last year look tame.

I like Sammy Hagar.

Bring it on.

Sammy Hagar was far superior to David Lee Roth as a musician but Diamond Dave put on the better show.

That's EXACTLY what I think, too!

There's a reason that their Greatest Hits Vol. III is mostly Hagar tunes.

Being a fan of Van Halen back in the day, I know of Roth's showman abilities.

Van Halen was harder with Roth. No question.

But the thing is by the time he had left he was SUCH a showman that he'd gotten annoying. Hagar- who was a very established star at the time- joining Van Halen truly made them a super band for the ages. They suddenly had different eras.

I've seen a lot of pining for Bon Scott from AC/DC fans. Let me tell you- AC/DC NEVER would have made it to where they did without Brian Johnson. He brought a physical presence on stage that fit AC/DC better, the songs became more powerful than humor based, and the band started headlining arenas with No. 1 albums rather than opening for UFO and peaking at No. 13 (which is where Highway to Hell peaked).

That's not a knock on Scott. But can you imagine him singing "You Shook Me All Night Long," the band's signature song? That song is totally Johnson's footprint.

Still, Scott gave AC/DC it's humor- it's naughtiness. The band needed both singers for its legacy.

The same is true with Van Halen. Hagar Van Halen songs may have been more radio-friendly- but he couldn't have made "Hot For Teacher" the song it was either.

Still, you look at Roth and Hagar's solo careers and there is no question who is the better musician.

There is really no relevant comparison between Roth and hagar. Van Halen became a completely different band when Roth left and hagar joined. No more raw rock and roll licks like "Feel Your Love", "Atomic Punk" or "Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love". That was real rock and roll. With hagar it's "Love Comes Walkin' In", "Dreams" and "Right Now"...decent songs all, but come on...there's no comparison Van Halen rocks 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000times better with David Lee Roth.:band:
As far as who was the better solo artist? I agree hagar was much more successful but Dave's hits were pretty nice. "Just A Gigolo", "Yankee Rose", "California Girls" and perhaps his finest work, "Damn Good". Not a bad set. Granted hagar had far more solo hits, but his work with the Halen was substandard compared to Diamond Dave.

Thank you for repeating my previous post.

Surprisingly, Hagar was harder as a solo artist than Roth was. "Heavy Metal," "Can't Drive 55;" those are songs that rock "100,000,000,000,000,000,000 times better" than "Sensible Shoes."

Roth's solo career was merely picking up where Y & T left off. His cover of "California Girls" (and that's what real metal stars do- incidentily. They cover The Beach Boys!?!?!!) might as well have been "Summertime Girls," and their videos might as well have been something Huey Lewis would have done!

That said, I do like David Lee Roth.

Roth, by the way, actually described what it was about his music with Van Halen- and all of the other Headbangers classics that I love- that was so appealing.

As he once said on Howard Stern- "It's 4th and 1! Time out is called. What are they going to play on the PA system?"

Rest assured, it wasn't going to be either "When It's Love" or "Sensible Shoes."

Atleast you understand that Roth made Van Halen better. I'm not anti-Sammy Haggar, not in the least, but Van Halen was a better act overrall with Roth.
FWIW, Poison, Sebastian Bach, Dokken, all at the Sommet Center this summer.
Journey and Def Leppard are coming as well. I can't wait. Atleast the Tri-Cities has tricitiesnights.com to cross-promote with Ansley-Roberts, those guys rock!