Here’s a scenario about which I often wonder. Let’s say there’s a fan. And said fan thinks that Artist A is a capital-”G” Genius, and Artist B represents everything that’s wrong with the world. The fan screams this opinion to anyone who listen, and maybe even goes so far as to make it an intelligence issue – e.g., “Only a moron could ever like Artist B.” Now… how does reconcile this conflict when Artist A in someway associates himself with Artist B? We’ve seen that on this very site – everyone’s favorite MS reader, Ziltoid, has made endlessly disparaging marks about certain artists, and insisted only ree-rees like those artists, but then his hero, Devin Townsend, has praised some of those same artists. So does Ziltoid therefore think that Devin is a pea-brained man child, or does he shrug and say “Well, there’s room for gray area?”

I raise the issue because, according to The PRP, The Dillinger Escape Plan will tour this year with Iwrestledabearonce. That’s a great tour, if you ask me, but I know that a lot DEP fans think that that band is the second coming and the IWABO kids are the collective Antichrist. Of course, someone will say “Well, DEP have little to no control over which bands they tour with,” except that a) it’s my understanding that that’s not really true and b) DEP guitarist Ben Weinman has already worked with IWABO once before, on a remix for the iTunes version of their album, It’s All Happening. So clearly the guy doesn’t mind rubbing shoulders with these kids who are supposed to spell the end of good metal music as we know it.

I’m not looking for DEP to validate my opinion that IWABO are a good band. That would be ridiculous. But the announcement of this tour did me get thinking about the problems with making blanket statements like “Only assholes enjoy such and such a band.” And, yes, I’m fully aware I’ve made statements like that before. But I know good, smart people who enjoy or have enjoyed Limp Bizkit and ICP, and I know good, smart people who don’t see what the big deal is about Pig Destroyer, and while I do question these friends’ sanity, I’m not about to stop being friends with them just we disagree about whether or not Fred Durst is Adolf Hitler reincarnate.

So. DEP and IWABO. Two very forward-thinking bands, part of a package that makes perfect sense to me. I’m stoked for this one. There’s only two confirmed dates so far, but you can get those after jump.

March 12th Worcester, MA – The Palladium (feat. Darkest Hour)
April 01st Pontiac, MI – The Eagle Theater

-AR

[via Metal Insider]