THE STEELY DAN INTERNET RESOURCE

From the Charlotte Observer, July 7, 1996

Rock of Ages

'70S bands will flood Charlotte this summer. Why are they still so hot?

By TOMMY TOMLINSON
Staff Writer

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer sang that line in 1974 - and where '70s rock is concerned, they qualify as members of the Psychic Friends Network.

Because '70s rock just will not go away.

Acts that peaked two decades ago are lingering longer than the last drunk at a frat party. When the apocalypse hits, the only survivors will be cockroaches and the Doobie Brothers.

And over the next month, the Monsters of Rock are taking over Charlotte.

Blockbuster Pavilion - the city's major concert venue - has booked these bands over the next 31 days: Steely Dan, Styx, Kansas, Meat Loaf, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Linda Ronstadt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doobies, Steve Miller and Pat Benatar.

All those acts had their first big hits in the '70s - except for Benatar, the young'un of the group, whose first album charted in January 1980.

Put 'em together and you've got enough old rock to rebuild the Sphinx.

``I saw a bunch of those bands when I was in high school. It's unbelievable that they're still around,'' says Jerry Kemp, 35, who stood in line last month to buy tickets to Friday's Styx/Kansas show. ``I saw Styx when I was 16. Now I'm taking my 12-year-old son. I never imagined I'd take my kid to see the same bands I used to see.''

Wasn't rock 'n' roll supposed to be a young man's (or woman's) game? How have all these '70s bands managed to thrive in the '90s?

And where does David Lee Roth fit into all this?

One thing at a time. Let's look at three major reasons - one financial, one musical, one philosophical.

1. Follow the money

Kids who listened to Boston on eight-track tapes in the '70s are now grown - and they're willing to shell out big bucks to see the bands of their youth.

Last year's biggest concert tour was the Eagles reunion, which set a Charlotte rock record with $97 tickets - and more than $2 million in sales - for two sold-out shows at Blockbuster.

This year's biggest concert tour is sure to be the KISS reunion - all four original members, back in full makeup - which is expected to sell out shows across the country this summer and fall (no Charlotte date yet). Tickets are going for as much as $85.

``These bands, their appeal is to a big audience,'' says Wilson Howard of Cellar Door Productions, which books the shows at Blockbuster. ``One of our largest segments of our audience is the baby boomers. They had fun seeing these bands back when they were kids, and they want to relive that.

``Classic-rock radio is a big part of it too. You can hear all these songs on the radio, so they're still familiar to everybody.''

Bands that don't have the drawing power of the Eagles or KISS have found success by combining for package tours, where you're guaranteed to hear a bunch of familiar songs.

In a single show on July 26, you can see REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Frampton. Their combined Top 40 hits: 35.

2. Yes, we have no Pearl Jam tour (again)

The hottest bands of the '90s - especially in alternative rock - still haven't managed to put their music across on the big stage.

Kurt Cobain killed himself before Nirvana had a chance. Pearl Jam has fought Ticketmaster's stranglehold on concert venues - and, as a result, has barely played live in two years.

Lollapalooza - which started as a cutting-edge alternative festival - turned to the veteran metal band Metallica to headline this year. (That show comes to Rockingham Dragway on July 20.)

Alternative rock carries a new standard of hipness: staying as small as possible. For some fans, a band is dead as soon as it signs with a major label. Or as soon as it tries to make its songs more accessible.

``One thing with these older bands is, their songs are more melodic,'' Howard says. ``You can sing along, and at a concert that's important.''

About the only alternative rocker staging a big tour this year is Alanis Morissette, who plays Blockbuster on Sept. 10. Among other new bands, only Phish and the Dave Matthews Band have built much of a buzz as a live act.

``I saw Hootie (and the Blowfish) last year, and it was nice, but they didn't jam much or anything,'' says Alyce Griner, 39, who will be heading to Steely Dan's show Wednesday. ``It seems like older bands jam a lot more. I don't always want to hear a song just like it sounds on the record.''

Steely Dan's Walter Becker says '70s bands may simply enjoy playing more.

``At least in part, they want to do it for the fun of it,'' Becker says. ``I would guess that one of the reasons that people who are fans of '70s music are not fans of today's pop music scene is that the bands don't seem to be having a very good time.''

3. The fire-breathing factor

KISS bassist Gene Simmons gave The Orange County Register a quick preview of the band's upcoming tour: ``I throw blood on your head and I'll flick my tongue in your general direction.''

That sense of theatrics - the idea that audiences want to see not just songs, but a show - has faded in the '90s. There's even a nickname, ``shoegazers,'' for bands that stare at their sneakers instead of playing to the crowd.

But many '70s bands are willing to sell the drama. Styx uses more backdrops than a Broadway show. Meat Loaf makes every tune a miniseries.

And KISS - blood-spitting, fire-belching, drummer-levitating, stage-exploding KISS - assaults its audience with a show that's part Kabuki theater and part slasher flick.

``Woe to ye unbelievers! We intend to get up there and show every new band how the big boys do it,'' Simmons says. ``No wrinkled shirts. No feeling sorry for myself. We're going to make complete spectacles of ourselves.

``The next 12-year-old kid who sees KISS - forget it. What other band is he going to want to see after that? He's just going to say, This isn't as good as KISS.'"

There's plenty of room for a '90s band with the chops and style to draw big crowds. And people are willing to spend the money - a new band such as Oasis can sell 3 million albums before even stepping on a U.S. stage.

But until then, '70s bands keep filling the vacuum. Grand Funk Railroad played a few warm-up dates this year and may stage a full tour next year. David Lee Roth, Van Halen's original lead singer, recently started working with the band again.

And we leave you with the latest true development, five of the scariest words a '90s rock fan could imagine:

Bay City Rollers reunion tour.