Forgive me for sounding like an obnoxious prick here but this has to be said.
I find myself to be extremely condescending when it comes to people wearing band t-shirts nowadays.
This shouldn't even be bothering me at this sort of level, but my patience has been effectively worn out.
You have my entire fucking polytechnic to thank for that.
Heck, you have society today to thank for that.
I just hate how nowadays, these bands, or music, as a whole, have become more of a fashion icon rather than what it's truly meant to be: Music. An artform. Simple as that.
I don't know, maybe it's a matter of perspective here?
To me, I don't wear, or even publicise for that matter, any bands/band shirts I listen to unless I am absolutely passionate about them.
To me, unless said bands hold some sort of sentimental value to you, you're not obliged to wear them on your shirt/bag/skin so proudly.
Of course, I can't possibly know for sure who really does listen to the bands they wear.
That's why every time I come across anyone wearing any sort of recognisable band merch I resist the urge to approach them and question them about whichever band they're so openly publicising.
"Oh? So you're a Beatles fan? So tell me, in what year did they release their debut album? How old was Ringo Starr when he first became a part of the group? How did John Lennon and Paul McCartney come to meet? Name some of their most famous live performances. And, just curious, how many songs from the Beatles have you actually listened to, from start to finish?"
Questions like these automatically flood my mind almost immediately after running into anyone wearing a Beatles shirt, for example.
Also, I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting someone at Sigur Ros' show last Friday, who wore a Radiohead t-shirt with all their tour dates printed on it.
He was telling me, and people around me who were interested, about how he attended almost every single one of their shows during that tour.
Which means he actually had such commitment and passion for Radiohead that he followed them around the globe, or whichever countries they played in.
That is what I expect of everyone who wears a band t-shirt nowadays: a story to tell about his/her passion or history with/for the band.
Needless to say, this guy took quite a liking to Sigur Ros' performance that night and was seriously out to enjoy their show without any distractions (he shushed anyone who disrupted the more intimate parts of Jonsi's vocal solos). Respect.
On a side note, may I just say that Sigur Ros was absolutely surreal? Breathtaking too, literally! Especially when Jonsi held that note for about a minute or so during "Festival"!
I'd also like to add that it was by far one of the most memorable concert experiences ever, enhanced by the band's stunts, an intimate stage set, stunning visuals, and THE RAIN (as the band progressively escalated their music during the encore, so did the rain)!
To this day, the echoes of the audience singing along to pieces such as "Saeglopur" and "Hoppipolla" still ring in the back of my head, sending chills down my spine and all over my body.
Anyway, let's not deviate from the original purpose of this post and start writing a concert review here.
So, back to the point on bands and music becoming fashion icons.
...I think I've pretty much said what I wanted to.
You're probably sick of my incessant rants anyhow.
I'll just leave it at that.
And thus concludes my rant/review/thoughts with regards to bands and music today!
Stay tuned for more!