«
»
Editorials

METAL AT NON-METAL FESTIVALS

 Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 2:00pm by

Right around this time of year we usually start to see the lineups of all the major music festivals announced. The latest announcement making headlines is that of Bonnaroo, and for the third year in a row the festival has a surprising showing of metal bands on the bill.

Two years ago Metallica headlined Bonnaroo, and last year’s lineup included Nine Inch Nails, Down, and Shadows Fall among others. This year’s lineup is even heavier, with Isis, Baroness, Clutch, Melvins, Gwar and Against Me! all making appearances.

I’m a little baffled by the inclusion of most of these bands on a festival lineup that’s got nothing to do with metal. It strikes me as somewhat odd that anyone who comes to see Dave Matthews headline an event would have any interest in Isis. Surely some of the festival attendees enjoy metal and presumably the metal bands at the past two festivals went over well, otherwise metal bands wouldn’t have been invited back this time around. But I really can’t see any metalheads making the trek to Bonnaroo just because these bands are on the bill; in other words, the festival won’t be attracting a new clientele, just giving its current clientele a little more variety.

So what’s the larger meaning here? Is metal gaining wider acceptance in other music communities? Do these bands all fall into a certain sub-sect of metal that appeals to a more indie rock-centric crowd? Is it simply a case of these bands having the same booking agents? Share your thoughts in the comments.

-VN

Tags: ,
  • stu1

    For me, who likes a lot of different types of bands, it adds value.

  • vmanv

    Why wouldn’t a metal band want to play where they might be able to open the eyes of people who might not ever hear of them otherwise? Can only expand their fanbase. That is the point of these things.

    For example, I enjoy both Isis and DMB, keeping your musical tastes to one genre is fucking stupid.

    • fester

      You’re right. Keeping your musical tastes to one genre is fucking stupid. Unfortunately, so is liking the fucking Dave Matthews Band. Nothing to do with genre. That shit’s just terrible.

    • FongChung

      ISIS and Dave Matthews? God you must be a hipster of some sort. I rather see Robert Fripp of King Crimson(who are probably light years better than both those bands) drop acid, and eat a grill cheese sandwich on stage. I can’t believe some of you would actually pay to see this Corporate Hipster fest. I mean yeah the drugs part is awesome, and all but however Id kill myself if I have to sit through Dave Matthews.

      • Coop

        Wait.. you want to see Robert Fripp scratch his “light years more talented” ass on stage, and HE’S the pretentious hipster?

        • Fong Chung

          Robert Fripp is well original, unlike that dumb drunken stupid fucking South African and his shitty band. I’m glad their violin player died actually. He died knowing that band was fucking stupid and meant for frat boys. Pretentious hipster ha ha ha ha so funny. Oh well King Crimson’s music will last for a lifetime. Dave Matthews will go the direction of Jimmy Buttfuck and The Dead and fade into mediocrity.

          • The Ghost of D. Boon

            Hi there!

            You just said that you were happy that someone died!

            This officially makes you scum, fuck you!

            (I hate DMB too but seriously man, fuck you.)

  • http://www.myspace.com/redsun redsununo

    With the exception of Gwar and Against Me!, lets look at one thread all of the other bands share: they’re all part of the general offshoot that used to be or still is known as “stoner rock/metal”…a useless label, I agree, but the Melvins and Clutch are two bands that definitely wore that tag during the late 90s (ahem, Sleep/Kyuss/YOB/Fu Manchu anyone?) while Baroness and Isis are definitely the new torchbearers of the same general idea: reimagine the glory days of 70s metal, when you got stoned off your ass and played blues riffs slowed way the fuck down with the gain on your sunn amp up to 10.Regardless, it’s good to see metal not only re-connecting with its roots in a new way, but adding a layer of musical complexity that is neither just straight blastbeats for 32 bars nor the dying embers of the rapmetal/nu metal/shit metal that unfortunately dominated the late 90s/early 00s.
    It’s not rocket science to see why these bands are on Bonnaroo. Everyone will be fucking stoned, tripping, or wasted, which is exactly the perfect state of mind to experience a band like the Melvins or Baroness. What sucks is that the army of imitation has already begun, and this style of music will turn into just another trend, and will burn out in the next 5-10 years. Happened before (see, “grunge”, “hardcore” etc.) Will happen again. But fuck it, who cares about that now? Let’s roll one up and go to Tennessee.

    • stu1

      Isis really aren’t stoner or 70s bluesy metal, at all.

  • The Dude

    I’d say most metal fans like more than just metal… I for instance LOVE the Dave Matthews Band (Before These Crowded Streets is incredible, and they used to be quite progressive), and I also LOVE Baroness, Isis, The Melvins, Clutch, etc. Pretty much anyone with something to smoke is going to enjoy this festival.

    • http://dmxrr15@hotmail.com IsntaTOTALdouchebag10

      Haha I like where your heads at. If I lived close and the tickets werent too expensive, I would check this out. A chance to get really stoned and check out Jay-Z (who is actually a talented rapper) while checking out Isis and Baroness is pretty cool. Rest of the line-up…not so much,

      Before These Crowded Streets was one of my first favorite CD’s when I was little, “Dont Drink the Water” is a fuckin cool song.

  • Redgrave9

    The culture of rock and metal, at times, is a little similar. Besides that, I dont know what to say.

  • http://thenumberoftheblog.wordpress.com/ groverXIII

    Clutch and Baroness alone would be worthwhile for me.

    • Gaia

      Yes sir!

    • http://URI Will

      and gwar

  • http://www.myspace.com/wemetaliens Jeff Met Aliens

    and BTBAM! i think probably the strangest addition, since all those dudes are straight edge vegans. Bonnaroo is always a great time for everyone. Definitely making this one if I can swing the funds.

    • stu1

      Are they all still straight edge?? Not sure what being vegan would have to do with anything.

      • David

        It disqualifies you from the hot dog eating contest

      • http://www.myspace.com/wemetaliens Jeff Met Aliens

        the veganism is just part of the “title”, I’m vegetarian myself.

  • craver

    I think most of the ppl above me nailed it, most metalheads that aren’t totally ignorant like a lot of different types of music in addition to metal. I can’t imagine only listening to metal when there are plenty of other great musicians out there.

  • DirtyWarriorMan

    Isis, Baroness, Clutch and the Melvins are obviously bands that are hip with the indie crowd. That said, I disagree with your assertion that this wouldn’t make any metal heads more likely to show up. I’ve been considering going to Bonnaroo for a few years now (because music festivals are FUN, you get to camp out and get WASTED, there are lots of WEIRD and amusing people there, the American metal “fests” SUCK, etc etc etc), and the inclusion of a few metal bands definitely sweetens the deal a bit. Besides, if you can’t find a SINGLE band in that lineup that appeals to you outside of the five or six metal bands… well, it’s time to start branching out.

    • stu1

      I agree with all of that, with one exception: Clutch aren’t the slightest bit “hip” with the indie crowd.

    • FongChung

      I’ve branched out before, and I enjoy other styles of music. I’m sure eating acid, and grilled cheese/shroom sandwiches on your daddys money is cool isn’t it? Sorry but this festival always sucked. Better yet put Neurosis on there, and see how many people have convulsions and nightmares for days. That would be great. Add King Crimson, and The Swans too.

  • aids robot

    people who consider themselves actual fans of music will recognize good music outside of genre differences

  • ceth carter

    I have been at Bonnaroo the last 2 years and the metal bands have actually pulled pretty decent crowds on the stages they have been playing. High on Fire pulled a real nice crowd last year on their stage as well as Shadows Fall and NIN were one of the bigger draws of the whole thing. I have no doubt in my mind that Clutch will do very well there this year and Gwar carries alot of the sideshow gotta see them just out of curiosity weight. Bonnaroo was actully one of the first places that Mastodon tested out new tunes from Blood Mountain before it was out. The crowd support for Metallica 2 years ago was absolutely amazing to me considering the type of festival this is known to be. Bonnaroo really does have a diverse open minded crowd.

  • drunkwithpower

    The festival wants to add variety to distance itself from the jam band festival it used to be and the bands are willing to collect a decent paycheck for a 30 minute set at 2 p.m. Seems like a pretty easy call for both camps.

  • Andy P

    I’m down with this. When I hit Coachella in april I’ll be seeing Faith No More, Baroness, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Porcupine Tree, Les Claypool, Muse, Them Crooked Vultures… there’s a pretty good amount of heavy music to be had. Even last year I was able to watch and meet Mastodon at the festival.

    What’s great is that even after all of them, I’ll still be able to see Sly fucking Stone, who I thought I was never going to be able to see, as well as a slew of other non-metal artists that have been making legit music. This new addition of metal at festivals is great just as long as you’re down to listen to a ton of varied music.

    Granted the festival is still hip as fuck, but as long as you can ignore that there’s plenty of good times to be had. Everybody sweats through it together.

  • The_MF_Beard

    The UK have been doing this for years. Reading Festival a few years back… Polyphonic Spree, Squarepusher, Cave In, DEP all in one day. Killers and Metallica headlining another year. Great stuff and everyone checking everything out, just as it should be. Pukkelpop is another one, in Belgium, pretty sure that Morbid Angel were on the same stage as the Cardigans and Lily Allen, all acts that I would check out.

    • Frampler

      I concur – this kind of mix of genres is very common in the UK and across Europe, as the festivals try to appeal to music fans of all genres.

  • glorious johnson

    metalheads that also like drugs will attend this. doesnt suprise me to see any of those bands on their actually. they would all blend into that atmosphere pretty well. Gwar put on a cool enough show no one would mind too much. not exactly sure why youd call against me heavy tho

  • David

    If Gwar put DMB through their corpse-grinder, I’d totally go. Even watching 1000 fake hippies chicks get drenched in fake blood and watching them react would be an event…like that Carrie scene but on a much grander scale.

  • The Dude

    Most metal dudes are hippies. Seriously, there’s no difference. Unless you want to count the republicans.

  • brandonmetal

    if you think too hard about how certain shows come about, your head will explode.

  • http://URI Will

    its the only reason to attend bonnaroo other than the wide array of drugs!

  • Freedom35

    Im going to see Faith No More and Meshuggah side-by-side in 2 weeks!

  • Facebook User

    clutch alone makes me want to get a ticket

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lauren-Vega/100000288146013 Lauren Vega

    So I’m all for broadening musical horizons… but Porcupine Tree playing Coachella just sucks. Unfortunately forking over that kind of money and cavorting with so many hipsters at one time are not options for me right now. Because for Porcupine Tree, I would.

    And I think metal at these kind of festivals sort of works on the basis that indie people don’t appear to care too much. They just want to pay to see some obscure foreigners pluck out a few notes and if there’s a metal band in between, whatever. It just fucks over a lot of fans is all. They might even pick up a fan or two out of anyone sober enough to hear what’s happening on stage. And I would agree that most people that enjoy metal are pretty open minded, so it sort of works on both sides.

    • Andy P

      Word. Last year my indie friends would make fun of me for listening to metal, and now they’re trying to get all of mine from me because Pitchfork started giving metal albums positive reviews.

    • Fong Chung

      I think Bonnaroo does a great job, at making this Hipster Site try and appreciate the fact they are sooooo diverse. I’d see the Flamming Lips do the entire Dark Side of the Moon in its entire setlist. Jay-Z meh fuck Jay-Z and his whore of an ugly wife. Dude hasn’t done anything good since the Black Album. Lets Dropkick Murphys fucking suck. Common is pretty good, seen him live before. Nas is amazing live, and Damian Marley is pretty rad. Seen both of them before, and it is worth the price. John Fogerty rocks. What I find hilarious is the amount of closet hipsters on this fucking site lol. So how many of you assholes, drink Tallboys of PBR, and listen to Kid Cudi rap over Lady Gaga’s beats? Come on now! We all know thats musical diversity in its finest. Lauren you like Lady Gaga and Decapitated lol. Good god what a combination. How diverse! Porcupine Tree bores me to tears. Holy crap

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lauren-Vega/100000288146013 Lauren Vega

        Ahem, I prefer eclectic. When it comes to music aside from metal I’m all over the place. I like my prog with death metal, ambient, ska and pop. Closet hipster I am not. A bit of a music snob… maybe.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Razakel-Dementor/1248980676 Razakel Dementor

    If I had the money I’d most likely go to this show. I wouldn’t mind listening to the other bands, hell I listen to DMB music from time to time but only when it’s on the radio. I don’t care too much for buy a cd from them unless I get it real cheap at the thrift store. But honestly I think it keeps it fresh and lets me re-energize before the next metal band. But I gotta say Dave Mathews through the meat grinder, I’d pay to see that shit.

  • chris

    BONNAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! every year is fucking amazing and this year will be no different. i mean fuck, the flaming lips, jay z, gwar, the melvins, mew, john butler trio, tenacious d, damian marley with nas (saw that shit at rothbury, it was epic), lotus… and the lineup will keep getting better.

  • Igottawocket

    If I had the money or the transport I would totally go to Bonnaroo. Lots of cool different music. Dropkick Murphys are on it too, and their sick. Looks like I’d leave before any of the headliners though, Dave Matthews and Jay Z both blow hardcore.

  • brian roach

    I think Bonnaroo does a great job of programming their festival, as people point out, they are really going for the UK/Europe mix of different bands/styles, and they clearly want to be more than just a jamband festival. But, except for the rap acts that they’ve started booking, which is fine, they’ve always been about musicianship, so the metal acts that they are booking fit right in. Barronness are going to make a LOT of fans this year!

    • Fong Chung

      Baroness have had alot of fans for a while. They appeal to the indie crowd, who normally hate metal, and the whole idea of it in general.

  • 8

    Something else to consider is couples. My wife is an Indie hipster while I’m an unapologetic metalhead. We definitely blur lines in respect to our musical tastes, and we compromise in resect to shows we want to see. But having a one stop shop for all of our musical need works for us. I once went to a festival that featured some pretty militant hip-hop and the reddest of redneck country. Now those crowds didn’t mix. But a group of people who want to escape their boring ass lives and just generally get wasted… Sounds like a good time.

  • http://www.metallicadvd.com Metallica DVD

    Metal bands playing next to non-metal bands is not a new phenomenon. In fact, this was happening since the early days of the 1970′s. It is an interesting situation and I guess non metal music fans might appreciate some of the metal tunes (and vice versa)