Reunion Tour
So you may have heard that Pavement is reuniting. And selling tickets to a Central Park gig they're playing over a year in advance. Thoughts:
1.) I feel like I should be more excited than I am. I think this is because my relationship with Pavement has been weird and oddly timed. I was only in college when one of their records came out, and then they broke up. But: in spring 1997, when I got a non-computer CD player for confirmation (all the Catholics in the house say what!), Brighten the Corners was in the first group of four CDs that I bought soon after (trivia: the other three were New Times by the Violent Femmes; One Foot in the Grave by Beck; and Songs in the Key of Springfield). I distinctly remember that I already knew "Stereo" and "Shady Lane" when my friends started going nuts for them a few months later. I make a point of saying this because this very rarely happens and happened even less back then. And also that I dropped the ball on making anyone listen to those songs. If I bought an album today where the first two songs were as good as "Stereo" and "Shady Lane," I'd probably have 300 Twitter posts about them by dinner. Anyway, I dutifully filled in the Pavement back catalogue over the next bunch of years; actually, over the next decade, because I just bought a used copy of Wowee Zowee! last year (I still haven't listened to it). But I never got really really into Slanted and Enchanted the way I was supposed to, which I think is what made me really feel it when sometime earlier this year, Rob said something on Twitter about not feeling sure if he eve really got Pavement. Actually, wanting to succinctly and immediately agree is pretty much why I have a Twitter account at all.
2.) Further to not really getting Slanted the way I'm supposed to, my favorite Pavement songs are mostly on Brighten the Corners and Terror Twilight, and neither of those are albums I love all the way through. Like sometimes I wonder what I'm doing with all of these Built to Spill albums, but then I remember There's Nothing Wrong with Love. With Pavement, though I do quite enjoy many of their songs and style, having all of their albums feels more like an obligation. Not even necessarily in a bad way; just a little detached.
3.) From the description, this sounds reunion closest to the Pixies reunion in that they don't have any plans for new albums, or even more tours, setting it apart (for now) from the Pixies reunion, which has become more of a cash-infusing side project as it's been extended, on and off, for five-plus years. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse. I don't want to be one of those people who's like, it's over, let it go, it won't be as good ever again, either in reference to reuniting at all (I was fucking ecstatic to see the Pixies, who also put out college-rock favorites while I was not in college), or in reference to making a new album, because while you don't want terrible new albums messing up the legacy, at the same time, there's something sort of sad about becoming a greatest-hits act, or about standing with your bandmates night after night but not feeling the urge to create something new with them.
4.) Also, the practical side of me says that yes, obviously, if these guys can make a bunch of money because people like me want to hear them play their songs, they should go ahead and do that. So in theory, I should have absolutely no problem with a tour-only reunion, especially if it's really just one tour and back out. I guess it's not that I have a particular problem with this reunion apart from not being as excited as I might think I'd be. But I guess the Pixies doing shows again were my this.
5.) At the core of it, I think I'm just annoyed that the Blur reunion turned out to be for like two shows in England, and now Damon is back to fucking around with world music or whatever and Graham can continue putting out solo albums that I will consider buying from the used bin but put back because they're over a dollar. Blur should be touring. Blur should be making more albums.
6.) Speaking of Blur, I wonder if the British just have a stiffer upper lip about this sort of thing, because the Smiths and the Stone Roses are like Last Mega-Bands Standing (or I guess, Refusing to Stand) on this one. Though I fully expect Oasis to be rocking the reunion tour circuit, maybe touring American casinos in 2021.
7.) Did Oasis break up? Or is this just one of those things where Noel leaves for awhile and they pretend to still be a band while he's gone?
1.) I feel like I should be more excited than I am. I think this is because my relationship with Pavement has been weird and oddly timed. I was only in college when one of their records came out, and then they broke up. But: in spring 1997, when I got a non-computer CD player for confirmation (all the Catholics in the house say what!), Brighten the Corners was in the first group of four CDs that I bought soon after (trivia: the other three were New Times by the Violent Femmes; One Foot in the Grave by Beck; and Songs in the Key of Springfield). I distinctly remember that I already knew "Stereo" and "Shady Lane" when my friends started going nuts for them a few months later. I make a point of saying this because this very rarely happens and happened even less back then. And also that I dropped the ball on making anyone listen to those songs. If I bought an album today where the first two songs were as good as "Stereo" and "Shady Lane," I'd probably have 300 Twitter posts about them by dinner. Anyway, I dutifully filled in the Pavement back catalogue over the next bunch of years; actually, over the next decade, because I just bought a used copy of Wowee Zowee! last year (I still haven't listened to it). But I never got really really into Slanted and Enchanted the way I was supposed to, which I think is what made me really feel it when sometime earlier this year, Rob said something on Twitter about not feeling sure if he eve really got Pavement. Actually, wanting to succinctly and immediately agree is pretty much why I have a Twitter account at all.
2.) Further to not really getting Slanted the way I'm supposed to, my favorite Pavement songs are mostly on Brighten the Corners and Terror Twilight, and neither of those are albums I love all the way through. Like sometimes I wonder what I'm doing with all of these Built to Spill albums, but then I remember There's Nothing Wrong with Love. With Pavement, though I do quite enjoy many of their songs and style, having all of their albums feels more like an obligation. Not even necessarily in a bad way; just a little detached.
3.) From the description, this sounds reunion closest to the Pixies reunion in that they don't have any plans for new albums, or even more tours, setting it apart (for now) from the Pixies reunion, which has become more of a cash-infusing side project as it's been extended, on and off, for five-plus years. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse. I don't want to be one of those people who's like, it's over, let it go, it won't be as good ever again, either in reference to reuniting at all (I was fucking ecstatic to see the Pixies, who also put out college-rock favorites while I was not in college), or in reference to making a new album, because while you don't want terrible new albums messing up the legacy, at the same time, there's something sort of sad about becoming a greatest-hits act, or about standing with your bandmates night after night but not feeling the urge to create something new with them.
4.) Also, the practical side of me says that yes, obviously, if these guys can make a bunch of money because people like me want to hear them play their songs, they should go ahead and do that. So in theory, I should have absolutely no problem with a tour-only reunion, especially if it's really just one tour and back out. I guess it's not that I have a particular problem with this reunion apart from not being as excited as I might think I'd be. But I guess the Pixies doing shows again were my this.
5.) At the core of it, I think I'm just annoyed that the Blur reunion turned out to be for like two shows in England, and now Damon is back to fucking around with world music or whatever and Graham can continue putting out solo albums that I will consider buying from the used bin but put back because they're over a dollar. Blur should be touring. Blur should be making more albums.
6.) Speaking of Blur, I wonder if the British just have a stiffer upper lip about this sort of thing, because the Smiths and the Stone Roses are like Last Mega-Bands Standing (or I guess, Refusing to Stand) on this one. Though I fully expect Oasis to be rocking the reunion tour circuit, maybe touring American casinos in 2021.
7.) Did Oasis break up? Or is this just one of those things where Noel leaves for awhile and they pretend to still be a band while he's gone?