r/Music • u/no_longer_huhmann • 1d ago
article Hayley Williams Urges Sold-Out Crowd to Support Independent Music: “Go to Little Shows at Independent Venues. Find Your People, Find Your Favorite Music, and Support That.”
https://www.tvfandomlounge.com/hayley-williams-support-independent-music/78
u/Finite_Universe 1d ago
Not only are smaller venues and shows more affordable, but they typically end up being better experiences too.
Been to dozens of shows with many legendary artists, but some of the best concerts I’ve ever been to were held at dingy bars with barely 100 people attending. Naturally smaller shows are way more intimate, but you also might get to meet the artists before they perform. And on top of that the best sounding shows I’ve seen were at small venues too.
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u/whofearsthenight 23h ago
Is hipster culture totally dead? How are you going to say "I liked them before they sold out" if you don't go see bands that are on their third live event handing out CD's burned on their mom's recipe computer?
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u/Finite_Universe 23h ago
Hipster culture has been dead since it went mainstream sometime around the 2010s.
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u/suffaluffapussycat 21h ago
I don’t see a lot of guys with waxed mustaches wearing lumberjack shirts with suspenders and rolled up jeans with work boots riding fixie bikes. With a gramophone on the back.
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u/TerrorGnome 1d ago
Absolutely. Plus there's usually not a barrier between you and the stage so you're often right up there with the band. And enough can't be said for having the opportunity to meet and chat with them before/after the show. I'm thankful that most of the bands I really enjoy have been full of awesome people who are thrilled that others enjoy their music so much.
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u/Septum_Slayer 1d ago
I absolutely agree. One of my favorite SoCal venues is The Glass House in Pomona. Parking is easy, tickets are $35, and the shows are so intimate it feels like you’re having a private show with friends. I saw Alvvays there and their set list sounded better than the studio record.
Another favorite of mine is The Observatory in Santa Ana. Incredible talent comes through there and the tickets won’t murder you. The sound system is amazing here.
I know I’m spoiled in SoCal, there are so many good theaters and smaller venues here that make seeing multiple concerts a year a no brainer.
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u/surfinbear1990 1d ago
I agree, I'd also say. Stop hating on music you don't like. Use that energy to find your new favourite artist at your local venue. You have no idea how much they'd love your attention
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u/FallingDiscontent 1d ago
Unpopular opinion: it's ok to be a Frank Zappian curmudgeon about music
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u/DigitalNecromancy 1d ago
To an extent. It's just important to keep in mind that the line between being a Frank Zappa and a Roger Waters is very, very thin.
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u/TheRealBaronOfMyr 1d ago
Frank fans are pretty open to different kinds of music and so was Frank. Not sure where you get that from.
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u/FallingDiscontent 1d ago
Did you not ever listen to his diatribes on the music industry? He was there when MTV became a thing, and he highly disapproved. IIRC he liked Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love video and that was one of the few.
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u/Western_Gift976 1d ago
To be fair, Frank wasn't a fan of much besides Frank Zappa. Although he did have nice things to say about Steely Dan.
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u/somethink 1d ago
Frank really cared about the intent of music. Most people relate this to disliking a genre because you don't like certain aspects of the commercial version, but the commercial part is the real problem. Even on a post about an artist telling you to support local/small music there's people acting like the commercial version is all that's offered. It's exactly what Frank was warning us about
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u/user_account_deleted 1d ago
It is fine to dislike music. Wading in to do nothing but shit on a band is not.
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u/sgsparks206 1d ago
I wish as much energy would go into making fun of people for hating things, as goes into making fun of people for liking things.
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u/PaulaDeen21 1d ago edited 1d ago
Whilst Paramore has never been my sort of music, everything I’ve read about Hayley has always been awesome.
It’s fun when cool people make it.
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u/Population51200 1d ago
I highly recommend checking out their more recent stuff. Everyone I’ve talked to who has said this has a very specific view of the band that’s based on their early “emo” stuff (not actually emo but they got lumped in with that 2000s brand of fake emo) and Twilight. There are a handful of their old songs that I enjoy, but I really wasn’t a fan of them until their self titled album in 2013, and they’ve only gotten better since then.
Either way though, you’re totally right about her being awesome. It’s great to see a genuinely talented young person getting better and better over time. Judging her solely on vocal ability, she’s easily one of the greatest vocalists of her generation. She seems like a great person on top of all that.
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u/grumpkin17 1d ago
I appreciated Hayley more when her tour tickets were pretty reasonable, and she restricted any resale above face value (except for 2-3 states that are required to have an option for a 3rd party resale). And since she sold out her shows, people would’ve made bank if she didn’t have that restriction.
Also as an older millennial, her show started exactly the time they said she’d be on.
I’m a Paramore fan since 2008 and Hayley’s solo albums are a great listen and in my commute rotation. She seems overall a good apple.
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u/ValiumBlues Not Quite My Tempo 1d ago
Hayley definitely has a strong DIY / punk / hc attitude. She’s also around those scenes a lot, so that would explain it.
I also hate being that old dude, but a lot of stuff has changed since the late 90s / early 00s. The hardcore scene is a shell of its former self, and when I spoke with some friends about that, they told me that a lot of young kids don’t have that community spirit. Plus, apparently everything is “cringe” nowadays.
Give me some kids who can barely play their instruments, but do it with joy and passion over some arena gig.
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u/Lord_Snow77 1d ago
I never cared that much for Paramore until about 5-6 years ago. They just kinda grew on me. Hayley's new solo album is pretty damn good too. And that is not the typical music I listen to.
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u/scottasin12343 1d ago
for real. everyone claims about concerts being too expensive... you don't have to go to an arena show to see great musi, people! your local scene has some INCREDIBLE bands. just because they aren't famous doesn't mean they don't make great music!
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u/Fair_Quail8248 1d ago
That's why I love metal, the concerts are more affordable.
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u/goinupthegranby 1d ago
Last metal show I went to, which was a week ago, was $33 and it wasn't even a small venue. 1500 capacity spot.
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u/Underwater_Grilling 1d ago
My last metal show in September was 25$ and held 500 but there was only like 200 in there. The violinist was on the merch table and the guitar player for the headliner also played for the opener. Awesome show
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u/ta20240930 1d ago
Most of the concerts I see cost between $10 and $35. Of course, I'm not seeing Metallica in a stadium for that kind of money, but I usually enjoy the $15 band in a venue that holds 200 people a lot more. Beer is usually affordable too. A few places in town have Hamm's for $3.
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u/blackbasset 15h ago
Saw Ozzy Osbourne in a stadium for 10 euros 15 years ago because tickets were not selling well and they sold them for cheap
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u/GirthlessJohnny 1d ago
I wish this was true for me but the closest original music scene around me is probably about 3 or 4 hours away. All you get are geriatric dive bar cover bands (mostly country) and the occasional shitty original band that threw their set together like 2 nights prior.
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u/Icy-Whale-2253 1d ago
An independent band (Tigercub) I saw a concert of a couple months ago might get nominated for a Grammy. Fingers crossed.
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u/shizzytwotimes 1d ago
I love them. Wish they toured more often in the US. I missed them as an opener when Porno For Pyros toured.
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u/bluehawk232 1d ago
I try to but man, some of the smaller artists I like aren't touring near me as much anymore and it sucks. But i understand that it's just the result of how costly it is to tour now
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u/06marchantn Grooveshark 1d ago
I like Hayley Williams but do we need a post everytime she says something. So many posts lol
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u/SirRogers 1d ago
Thank god the expert journalists at tvfandomlounge are here to spread her message
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u/PrimeIntellect 1d ago
it's basically just AI bots spamming until things get traction, then redditors don't read the article, they just use it to soapbox about the headline
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u/musicaleffervescence 1d ago
yes because everyone needs their turn at using hayley williams to get reddit points
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u/Goosentra 1d ago
Best part of being a metal head is I don’t think I’ve paid over $75 for a concert ticket since I saw Slipknot over a decade ago.
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u/BloatedBanana9 1d ago
As an emo fan, the majority of shows I’ve been to this year have been like $30-$40. It’s great
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u/goinupthegranby 1d ago
I lived in Australia for a year and oh boy tickets are expensive there. But yeah, I'm usually paying $50ish for metal tickets
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u/Goosentra 1d ago
Australia is the hottest place for new metal artists too! So many in the last decade that absolutely rip
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u/TheScatalonian 1d ago
Find out about a band by seeing them. No better way. You may enjoy the live show and come to find you dont enjoy their studio releases, or they could end up as a new favourite
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u/TerrorGnome 1d ago
Yeah, opening bands have been my bread and butter for new bands for ages. They tend to be at least somewhat aligned with the headliner's tastes so higher probability that I'll enjoy them. They're not all winners, but I'm pretty sure all but maybe two of my favorite bands were bands I discovered from seeing them as openers.
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u/Sea2Chi 1d ago
One of the things I love about where I live in Chicago is there are six small venues within a mile of my house.
My friends and I will go to some of them with no clue as to who the band is just to see something new.
Sometimes that ends up kind of sucking because the band isn't anything we're into, but other times I get to discover awesome new music
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u/DisenfranchisedCynic 1d ago
Someone who isn’t jealous when all of a fan’s money and energy doesn’t go towards her/her band.
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u/Elendel19 1d ago
She also is touring in venues waaaaay below what she can easily sell out because she wants to play smaller intimate shows, not just sell the max amount of tickets. Some of her shows had online queues of over 100k people trying to buy tickets to a 2000 seat show
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u/kinda_keroppi 1d ago
That's how Hayley became famous!! I am a Nashville native and a lot of paramore's early fans used to watch her perform at a small venue here called Rocket Town.
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u/TheGamecock 22h ago edited 22h ago
I saw Paramore a couple of times in my small-ish hometown/city (Columbia, SC) back in like '05-'06. I remember one of the shows, they played with one of my favorite bands of all time (Copeland) and it was like a $10 cover. I was hanging out by one of the pool tables before the show started and there was this short red-headed girl with a black hoodie on (the hood was draped over her head but you could easily see the bright red hair poking out) kinda hanging around and leaning up next by me on the pool table. Hung around there for a few minutes talking to a couple of friends but we didn't speak. When I walked away, my buddy came up to me after that and said "dude, what the hell were you doing next to Hayley Williams?" Had no idea that was her at the time and I guess from his perspective, I was chatting it up with her. Assumed she wouldn't have wanted to be bothered anyway given how she was trying to lurk around unnoticed after that.
Then at my second Paramore show at that same small venue, I was in the very front and like the cringey teenager I was, I yelled out asking Hayley to marry me. She said no.
Good times. Really impressed to see all of Hayley's incredible and sustained success since those days! And I always have the embarrassing story of how I shot my shot with Hayley Williams.
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u/LikeBigTrucks 1d ago
These are my favorite types of shows. Honestly one of the biggest regrets of moving to a more rural area is losing access to small venues.
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u/sccullen33 1d ago
I do this all the time Huge fan of the 20-25$ tickets and some local artists here on the east coast jam/jamtronice/ funk scene
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u/xSlippyFistx 1d ago
I remember discovering one of my favorite bands at a local venue. Ended up seeing them 5-6 times at local venues. They went on to record a couple albums that can be found on iTunes, but I have an EP with a handful of deep cuts so it’s extra special.
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u/guilds_randomly 1d ago
I got a Paramore demo on a burned CD outside of Chain Reaction like 20 years ago. It was very bad.
Also got to see Plain White Tees and Panic! At The Disco for $5 at Chain.
The bassist for The Beautiful Mistake told me about this new band called Fall Out Boy at Chain back in like 03.
You won't find that at the Staples Center.
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u/Entombment FrolickingLlama 22h ago
I miss Chain Reaction, the best shows I've been to have been there
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u/guilds_randomly 19h ago
Yeah without Chain and The Showcase the hardcore scene in the US would look a lot different
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u/HeavensentLXXI 1d ago
Sincerely true. Been living on bandcamp more and more the last few years finding REAL artists. It's been such a joy.
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u/Source_Required 1d ago
"Unlike some performers, we're not going to tell you to support small venues." - James Hetfield
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u/goinupthegranby 1d ago
Metallica has always been clear that they're not in it for the fans or for the culture, they're in it for the members of the band Metallica.
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u/beefyzac 1d ago
Which is the only logical explanation for why you’d choose to play with Lars Ulrich as your drummer.
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u/KirbyDumber88 1d ago
Okay we don’t need a post every single time she says something. So many artist
Say this
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u/jax362 1d ago
This sub's obsession with Hayley Williams is concerning.
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u/DiamondL0st 1d ago
Her views line up perfectly with Redditors on near enough everything, that's why.
Just don't post the video of her singing along to a Blood On The Dance Floor song I guess lol
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u/Erosun 1d ago
Given how many small venues have gone out of business post COVID, it’s goin to take a lot more creative ways for independent venues to make a comeback.
Least from chatting with stage hands and those who work local gigs, most cities seem to have consolidated to a handful of smaller venues, very few medium-sized ones still exist. Either small or massive seems to be the options.
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u/FallingDiscontent 1d ago
Honestly, this is a "real one" advice. My dad got to hang out with the band members of Codeine back in the early 90s.
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u/pineapple_titties Pope Leo has likely heard BedRock by Young Money ft. Lloyd 1d ago
This year I went to my first show where I bought the ticket solely to see the opener. Since I wasn’t there for the main act, I got to meet the artist at the merch booth. I told him how I found his music, and that I was only there to see him. He’s a small artist, so it was great to support someone up-and-coming. For anyone interested, check out Devvy Dub.
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u/TonyTheSwisher 1d ago
She's right you know.
I've stopped going to shows at arenas and stadiums until they treat their customers better (which will never happen).
So it is nothing but small, kickass shows with tons of energy for me (and I go to A LOT of shows).
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u/mrpicklepants 1d ago
But also, don't forget to call the indy band you love sell-outs when they get a big record deal and millions of new fans.
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u/cherryreddracula 1d ago
Yes to independent venues. Got my Chat Pile tickets for $37 at my local venue.
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u/ThurBurtman 1d ago
I refuse to pay more than $40 for a ticket anywhere. Luckily Cleveland has a lot of good smaller venues. Shout out to the Grog Shop
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u/SevenSeasAgo 1d ago
For real. Find your DIY venues and 250 cap rooms. If you want to be on the ground floor of some of amazing up and coming artists, that's where they are. Your drinks are reasonable, the ticket prices are cheap, and you can interact with the artists.
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u/MaybeItsOwen 1d ago
Some of the best music you'll ever hear comes from people who still have day jobs. It's so cool to discover your favorite band before the rest of the world does. That's such a special feeling
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u/raisinbizzle 1d ago
If you like Haley Williams, check out The Rising Skyline, a collaboration she did with the band Failure. Criminally underrated band who is what she is talking about. Fantastic Planet is a 10/10 album full stop
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u/DM725 1d ago
I listen to obscure metal bands that play small crowds when they come to NY. Just go to shows.
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u/Ginerpot 1d ago edited 1d ago
Lailamelodie on instagram and twitch, all she does is find small artists and gives them a spotlight, lots of metal!
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u/This_Mycologist_8661 1d ago
I only spend money on concerts that I must see. But the idea is right. I go to bars that have live music and I have a great time.
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u/aatmalife 1d ago
My homies have been putting together dubstep shows theirselves and we get every venue packed the fuck out. $20 tickets the first time, now we booked a big artist that we hung out with with that money just for a bday event, like a homie gathering but with a big artist. I discovered him early on and he blew tf up and played a festival near us and we smoke joints with him, met him a few more times and now we've paid him/his manager and have a homie with a good sound rig and we are getting things popping ourselves. Just because we love the music. Driving 4 hours tomorrow to get some speakers for renegade sets. Not profiting from this whatsoever, we fund the venue and they sell food and drinks and we get to fill the venue with just homies and it's been an amazing community and amazing to see this music scene popping with great people. It's pretty underground tho and I'm gatekeeping it a bit. As we should in respect to the culture. No phones out at these events other than goth baddies takin pics and stuff. It's my favorite place to be, wherever these people are and wherever we get together. Really fucking proud of this community and that we are booking a big artist that I put everyone on to before he blew up. Roots type soundboy business. Anyways, I think I fall in love with Hayley Williams a bit more every day. Streaming will never help an artist as much as buying a record or going to a show, or getting them on a festival lineup, or even booking them yourselves if you know what you're doing / have a venue to work with / can get tickets sold. Didn't think about it til now how much we are doing, it's all been for love of the music. I have way more fun now than I ever did selling beats online.
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u/camxcold 1d ago
Next Metallica is gonna come out and say, like other entertainers, they’re not here to encourage you to support local artists
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u/williamgman 1d ago
One thing I notice with social media is the dilution of artist followers. If you asked a room of 10 younger people which artists they follow... you'd get at least 8 different answers. Legacy acts tend to be the most popular with the general population.
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u/greenbud420 1d ago
Some of my favorite music is from local college bands that sadly don't exist anymore.
Here's one I really enjoyed, I vaguely remember seeing them in a basement loft venue 10 years ago. First and last songs are my favs.
https://two-yearcarnival.bandcamp.com/album/have-you-seen-your-hands
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u/beezchurgr 1d ago
I consistently go to small shows & can say that they are thriving! Every show I’ve been to lately has been sold out with wall to wall bodies. They’re also great…I’ve been able to talk to the members of my favorite bands, and last night Dicky Barrett from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones was hanging out next to me in the crowd after he came out to sing “the impression that I get” with Sullvn. Small shows are the way to go.
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u/customheart 1d ago
I have been there done that with local band metal shows and heard many local singer songwriters playing in restaurants and open mics. Most local small artists are small and local because they’re not very good. Knowing chords and having an average singing voice doesn’t make a good songwriter.
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u/watzit_t00ya 1d ago
I’ve been to 2 small venue shows already this month and going to another one on the 28th. All 3 sold out. Makes me so happy!
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u/jairumaximus 1d ago
If only my area still has small venues... Early 2000s into early 2010s were the glory days.
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u/phred_666 1d ago
Easier said than done. Around here the vast majority of local venues here cater to country music artists…and I’m a metal head.
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u/doyouthinkwecanfly 1d ago
I'm seeing a lot of comments from people saying it's hard to seek out independent music and people are not willing to put in the work. Which, is frankly, silly. The tickets are like $20 bucks to go see a bunch of bands in one night, just go. Literally just buy the ticket and go; it doesn't matter if you know the bands or not. Most of the time, your going to enjoy it because it's live music anyways. And if not, you can leave and you only lost $20, less than what most people will call UberEats for without blinking an eye.
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u/mikemojc 1d ago
I'd like to recommend the bands High Fade ( Edenborough) and Paralandra (Springfield , Missouri).
Listen to the first 3 songs you can find by each of them, then thank me or ridicule me later.
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u/ralexh11 1d ago
Pop music is mostly generic corpo slop, arenas sound like shit and cost hundreds of dollars for even nosebleeds.
I'll never understand how people enjoy that bullshit.
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u/No-Flounder4290 1d ago
If anyone wants some in NYC and or within range of nyc go ahead and dm me if ya want some cool jams. Most of the people i work with hit as far as the CT danbury line and mostly stay in state.
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u/TheSilverOne 1d ago
they left out the other part of the quote
"That is, unless they think Israel has a right to exist"
/s
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u/rora_borealis 1d ago
I do love a big production of a concert, sure, but I'll be just as happy with a cheap ticket to a smaller venue for a simple indie show.
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u/Equivalent-Word-3952 1d ago
Can we please stop sharing everything Hayley Williams says like she's gods gift to Reddit
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u/Curious-Bat7995 1d ago
Myself and a couple of buddies go these small venues often. It’s a lot of fun, it’s economical, you get to listen to great live music and hang out. I’d encourage anyone to check them out.
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u/Dramatic_Substance36 1d ago
I do miss the days of going to shows at bars and church basements and vfw halls. I can pretty much listen to any genre of music when it’s live.
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u/hexalexisbone 1d ago
the $12 show at the 200 cap place down the street from me has consistently been better than anything i've paid $80 for. you can hear the band breathing and the merch guy is also the drummer