SoDak’s Festivus Musical Grievances in 2024

By SoDak

Turnstile.

I finally saw Turnstile perform at the No Values festival in California. For the most part, they were incredible, minus the three electronic interludes. The grievance is that they played a very short set. They were higher up on the billing, so the time allotted to them was more than the bands earlier in the day. Most of the bands preceding them apologized for the short sets, wishing they were able to play longer. Turnstile finished playing with approximately 13 to 15 minutes more available to them. According to setlists online, they played fewer songs than they were playing the week before at other shows. This left a big gap until the next band played. Given that they did not give a shit, I wish the other bands before that actually wanted to play more songs would have been allowed to do so. 

Wilson Neate’s Wire’s Pink Flag (2009). 

The 33 1/3 book series can be hit or miss, but I generally enjoy reading the books. Wilson Neate’s book on Wire is a big disappointment. It is filled with exaggerated claims about what other punk rock bands did or did not do. This mischaracterization is simply a ploy to try to elevate Wire as a band. I wish the discussion would have just focused on what Wire did, as this interesting enough to distinguish them. This book is a very uninteresting exploration of this great band. 

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wild God (2024). 

While this record is being praised by many, it does not resonate with me. The music is not captivating or engaging. Each time I listen to it, I am eager to hear something else. The problem is likely with me. Oh well. 

Adam Ant.

I do not consider myself an Adam Ant fan, but I grew up at time when he was quite popular. I figured I might as well see him perform this year, mostly out of curiosity. I was hoping to see a good show. The percussive elements were wonderful. But all the songs were arranged differently. The guitar tones were very modern and created a wall of sound, drowning out the overall dynamics within the songs. Most folks in the theater seemed dissatisfied, as few stayed to experience the entire performance. 

Nouveau Riche People at Shows in Park City.

In Park City, Utah, there is a great music venue—the Egyptian Theater. It is a small theater with a capacity around 260 people. The shows often feature older acts. For the most part, I really like seeing shows there. However, from time to time, it can be a miserable experience, as the nouveau riche show up in numbers. They sit at the tables in front of the stage or in the first few rows of seats. When this happens, they generally talk throughout almost the whole performance, loud enough that it makes it hard to hear the music. Once the performer starts to play a “hit” song, these rich fucks get up, dance, and sing along, pretending that they are fans. When the song ends, they return to their seats proceeding to be disruptive pieces of shit.