Sonic Youth Gossip - View Single Post - What do you hope to get out the Daydream Nation shows?

sonicl · 03.21.2007, 04:51 AM

I've booked to go to one of the Daydream Nation shows in London, but the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure why. It's a knee-jerk reaction when I see that tickets are on sale for an SY show that I want to get one, but I'm having serious doubts about the validity of this one.

You see, I see SY as a band with artistic integrity, and I don't understand where these shows fit into that. They've always been, to me, a forward-looking group, wanting to challenge and progress themselves artistically, and it seems to be out of keeping with that sort of vision to be going out on a tour (albeit a mini-tour) to play 14 songs that they wrote and recorded 19 years ago.

Some might say that SY are playing the shows to support the release of the Daydream Nation expanded edition, but they didn't do that for any of the other three expanded editions, so why do it for DDN?

Others might say that this gives fans the chance to experience the way the band was in their 1980s heyday. This seems a very odd idea to me, suggesting that they have sat down and decided that everything that they've done since DDN has been less worthwhile, and that they should start accepting that and become a nostalgia-based outfit. What utter bull.

My sincere hope for these shows is that they have decided where they are headed now that they are no longer contracted to Geffen, and that they have decided to go it alone. That they are either going to release their future work themselves without the backup of a major label, or that they are going to record albums and present a completed package to various labels and ask, "okay, who is going to release this?". To do either of these they are going to need to have the funds to pay out of their own pockets (well, the band's pockets) to go into a studio, record the album, pay a producer, an engineer and all the other people involved in recording an album, and end up with a product that they and/or a label will want to release. They'd need to get funds to do this somehow, and what better way than to do a money-spinning tour playing their "classic" album. If this is the case, I can support the idea from a commercial point of view, but it still sticks in my throat a little that the band is going back 19 years instead of looking forwards.

Anyone else got any thoughts to share?

(Oh, by the way, I still love SY, and at the moment my intention is still to go to the show I have a ticket for, but that is more out of hope of something interesting being done for the encores than out of expectation of a valid artistic experience.)

EDIT - I've just reread my post, and I guess that part of my concern is about where SY are headed in the future. Do they feel that they've driven themselves into a cul-de-sac (or been driven into one) and they feel the only way out is to go into reverse for a while and then take a different turning, or are the DDN shows just a little side thing and their future involves continuing down the road they're already on? From the point of view of their doing something that excites me, I hope it's the first of those.

03.21.2007, 04:51 AM	#1
sonicl invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 9,527	I've booked to go to one of the Daydream Nation shows in London, but the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure why. It's a knee-jerk reaction when I see that tickets are on sale for an SY show that I want to get one, but I'm having serious doubts about the validity of this one. You see, I see SY as a band with artistic integrity, and I don't understand where these shows fit into that. They've always been, to me, a forward-looking group, wanting to challenge and progress themselves artistically, and it seems to be out of keeping with that sort of vision to be going out on a tour (albeit a mini-tour) to play 14 songs that they wrote and recorded 19 years ago. Some might say that SY are playing the shows to support the release of the Daydream Nation expanded edition, but they didn't do that for any of the other three expanded editions, so why do it for DDN? Others might say that this gives fans the chance to experience the way the band was in their 1980s heyday. This seems a very odd idea to me, suggesting that they have sat down and decided that everything that they've done since DDN has been less worthwhile, and that they should start accepting that and become a nostalgia-based outfit. What utter bull. My sincere hope for these shows is that they have decided where they are headed now that they are no longer contracted to Geffen, and that they have decided to go it alone. That they are either going to release their future work themselves without the backup of a major label, or that they are going to record albums and present a completed package to various labels and ask, "okay, who is going to release this?". To do either of these they are going to need to have the funds to pay out of their own pockets (well, the band's pockets) to go into a studio, record the album, pay a producer, an engineer and all the other people involved in recording an album, and end up with a product that they and/or a label will want to release. They'd need to get funds to do this somehow, and what better way than to do a money-spinning tour playing their "classic" album. If this is the case, I can support the idea from a commercial point of view, but it still sticks in my throat a little that the band is going back 19 years instead of looking forwards. Anyone else got any thoughts to share? (Oh, by the way, I still love SY, and at the moment my intention is still to go to the show I have a ticket for, but that is more out of hope of something interesting being done for the encores than out of expectation of a valid artistic experience.) EDIT - I've just reread my post, and I guess that part of my concern is about where SY are headed in the future. Do they feel that they've driven themselves into a cul-de-sac (or been driven into one) and they feel the only way out is to go into reverse for a while and then take a different turning, or are the DDN shows just a little side thing and their future involves continuing down the road they're already on? From the point of view of their doing something that excites me, I hope it's the first of those.
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