Again, nobody is assigning blame (well, except you).
When they release nothing they get criticised for releasing nothing.
Yet it's the fans fault.
And when they release "something", people will bitch it's not the "something" they hoped to hear from the band.
See Chinese Democracy reviews, to this day, from much of the fan base.
When they play the same basic show hundreds of times in a row, they get rightly criticised for a stale set list.
Yet somehow it's the fans fault.
When they play the same basic show, hundreds of time, in HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT CITIES around the world, you mean?
So, you know, when 99% of the audience attending hasn't seen it.
This is akin to traveling to different movie theaters, around the world, as a movie is released in different countries, and bitching it's the same movie YOU saw the first time.
AND, if they changed up the set list, and dropped certain people's favorites in the process...those people would bitch they didn't get to see "whatever" for their show.
Before you disagree...realize that exact thing has happened for previous tours.
The criticism over this massively over-hyped non-announcement has been pretty much the same in most quarters, ie: the disappointment you say you understand.
Disappointment does not equate to frenzied bitching. I'm disappointed the Yankees game was rained out yesterday. I'm disappointed my wife has to work on Monday.
But I'm not creating dozens of pages on the internet, or writing hundreds of words to a post, to declare how unfair it all is, and how badly treated I am by the Yankees, or how wrongly my wife is being treated by her place of employment.
What I'm saying, now, is that the level of histronics and drama, compared to the relative level of disappointment, is way out of proportion. Not wrong. Not evil. Just odd, and out of balance.
Witness your very dramatic response, which I'm now responding to, for more evidence.
However the fact this this so-called 'big announcement' is in fact nothing more than the same stale, business as usual, guess what?
Yep, apprently the fans fault for HOPING for something different for once.
Again, nobody is assigning blame. BUT assuming it was something more than tour dates, with no information other than their own hopes and dream, can't possibly be the BANDS fault. They didn't do anything wrong.
There was a range of possibilities here, that logically included more tour dates. That's immediately what I figured it was. Others, too. Was it on the low end the "make me happy" scale? Sure. But it was also, if you're paying attention, the single most likely outcome, IMHO. If it wasn't the most likely outcome in your brain, that's fine. But are you seriously saying you didn't think there was one iota of chance it was more tour dates? You honestly didn't allow that that was a possible outcome?
Something happened. And, hey, they actually communicated with us before hand!
And 18 months ago, people were bitching about the silence.
Now they bitch when there isn't silence (YOU WERE TOO LOUD ABOUT THIS!!!).
See where this is going, right?
But expecting or even HOPING for some art from your favourite artist is clearly outrageous and cannot even be countenanced, let alone discussed.
Dude, there is a whole thread here about the new album speculation. It can, and has, been discussed. It's 100% OK to want new material. It's 100% OK to speculate about new material.
What's not 100% OK...well, actually it is, but it's just odd (no blame, remember?)...is to pick a date out of the air, based on vague promos, and insist it must relate to new music, when nobody but the fan base has given any indication that it is, and then go hog wild when what you want to happen, and the fantasy you've created in your head, doesn't happen.
The closest thing we've ever had from management in response is 'complaints, complaints, complaints...'
Because....I mean...they're not wrong. No matter what they do, no matter how they do it, there is a sizable, vocal segment of the fan base who bitches. About EVERYTHING.
Too silent, too loud, not enough dates, too many dates, not enough set list changes, my favorite songs didn't get played, more CD, less CD, more UYI, less UYI covers, no new music, bad music, music not released quick enough. It goes on and on and on.
I'm NOT blaming people, either. People are passionate, and you really can't please EVERYONE. But...."I told you so"...back when the reunion happened, I was in a convo with jarmo and DX. I told them both that within a year, the fans would find something, anything, to complain about. That's just what many of them have been conditioned to do. And...here we are. I was actually a little late on my prediction. The set list complaints started withing about 9 months.
That is one way to marginalise it. Another viewpoint is the demand we have that could be so easily be satisfied. Just let our favourite musical artist, you know produce some music... ]
Nobody is marginalizing anything. Jeesh..so dramatic. BUT, if you think writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and releasing new material is "easy"......
AND, why do it? Seriously, besides "for the fans"? Because there is very little money in music sales these days. You make new music to draw people to your live shows, basically, because the labels keep most of the pittance that flows through the industry now a days (and don't get me ranting about the dinosaur label system!).
GnR are playing sold out (or nearly so) shows, around the world.
So....for them...if they have an inkling to release new music...NOW would be the worst time, in terms of capitalizing on it for the good of the band, to release it. THE WORST.
And I get that the fans probably don't really care about any of that. They just want new tunes to jam out to from their favorite band.
But there you go.
My prediction is, and has been, next spring. And if I'm wrong? I certainly won't come here and rail against the dying of the light.
I'm a firm believer that this incarnation will either release new music, or simply fade away and "retire" (with maybe some one offs down the line), once the butts stop filling seats. Those are really the only 2 options, I think.
The fact that, that topic is so taboo when discussing a musical artist?
Now THAT is odd...
It's hard to make that case when there is an entire thread dedicated to the topic on this very board.
Nobody says don't discuss the album.
Nobody has even said "don't bitch about this not being new music related".
What I said was:
a) Its odd to see someone bitch about a topic they created, in their minds, and then placed the onus on satisfying on a band who has no idea that has been laid at their feet
b) This band can't win, no matter what they do.
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