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Originally Posted by SonikJesus
it does suck for you guys. but they arent that big in the first place and it makes sense that most of their fans would be in their hometown. i drove two hours though. longest ive driven for a show.
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Depends on where/when you developed your personal definition of the word "big." Hah. I know I used to go see Lollapalooza and stuff (oh my! Look! Bands that are on television!), and I'd see the Stones, Dylan, Springsteen, etc. (wow... These people don't need to be on tv... TV exists because of stars like these.. THIS is big)
And then there were the basement shows, living room gigs small club shows and sparsely populated, up close and personal sets where you see a band, and if it's the right band, they kinda light up your soul, and you feel like you're an integral part of the performance. You know... the kind of show that you decide-- stumbling drunk and suddenly energetic-- to hit up at the last minute because some girls you and your friends know were planning on going. Then the no-name band completely blows you away, and they play as though their loves depended on this 30 minute set in front of a bunch of drunk assholes like you. You're blitzed and euphoric and you wonder where these guys/girls came from, until you realize that the singer and drummer live at the big brick house down the street where you used to buy weed.
(Ahem)
Uh, pardon the digression by way of romanticized re imagination. But I have a point... It's that those are the kinds of shows that make you understand how little MTV or international superstardom matter. Those are the shows that help you redefine "big" for yourself, and Drive Like Jehu is/was most definitely one of those kinds of bands. Their draw at their career peak was probably bigger than, say, Lightning Bolt's before Ride the Skies put them in the internet grimelight, but they were definitely one of the bands that helped me define what "big" meant.
Of course, so was Sonic Youth at the Fillmore in 2002. Lol.