Book Report

"American Dervish": https://amzn.to/3sNRaYh

"Infinite Country": https://amzn.to/3rS1u0a

"American Dervish" is the first novel written by Ayad Akhtar, who wrote one of last year's absolute best books, "Homeland Elegies."

It's not as good.

When you get into something, you want more of it, you want to go on an excursion into the past, find out everything about it. Which is how I felt with Akhtar, and for a while there, I was hooked by "American Dervish," because of the plot. That's primary in a book, well, secondary to readability, which is sacrificed too often by both the erudite and the wannabe. But if you've achieved the baseline, if you can write, then it's all about story, and too often writers, too often schooled in MFA writing programs, sacrifice story in the place of description and metaphor and... The truth is, if you want to be acknowledged by your peers, you must make a literary statement. Which means most of what sells is not written by these people. It's a small, self-congratulatory cabal. The big sellers...yes, they're often tripe, and forget the nonfiction memoirs, but what the public wants most, what people want most, is STORY!

And that's what riveted me about "American Dervish." Early last week I didn't want to go to bed, I wanted to find out what happened, between the beautiful Muslim and the mesmerized Jew. Oh, you can see it coming, I'm not giving much away, but the truth is the plotting of "American Dervish" is ultimately superseded by the religious elements, the deep explorations of Muslim religion and life. And this is interesting, but the balance is off. Still... Some people are so attractive they have a glow, a charisma, it's natural beauty, with minor imperfections, not the plastic surgery beauty of Hollywood, you never want to sacrifice your individuality, it's death. Mina is irresistible to both men and women.

"American Dervish" is bookended by a narrative that is nearly irrelevant. So, if you start, you think you know where the book is going, but you really don't. What's it like to be young and impressionable, torn between believing and not, swallowing the edicts whole, believing in a specific version of the afterlife of not only yourself, but your parents. It's easier when you pay fealty to the doctrine, you don't have to think for yourself, unlike Hayat's doctor father Naveed. Naveed is enlightened, but he's also imperfect. And all of this parallels Ayad Akhtar's real life, this is very thinly veiled fiction, like so many novels. Still, if you loved "Homeland Elegies", you should check it out.

But really, I'm writing this about Patricia Engel's "Infinite Country." It's strangely riveting.

To tell you the truth the publisher sent me an advance copy, not that I know why, and eventually I threw it out, yes, I have to throw out books, do you know how many are sent to me? Well, I donate them, but still...

And then they sent a hard copy. If someone constantly pushes you to read their book... I don't think that works. The reader has to decide to delve in by themselves, and then they're either hooked or they're not, and usually they're not, most books just aren't good enough, it's the truth, sorry. And like with music, people want to send their book to you like they want to send their CD, it makes them think they've done something, irrelevant of the ultimate results, in a virtual world physical actions have personal meaning when too often they shouldn't.

But this hard copy of "Infinite Country" arrived before the publication date, I held off diving in until it was available in the marketplace and I could see what readers had to say. And it was all good.

And the truth is "Infinite Country" is not one of those books that hooks you immediately, but somehow you can't put it down, you want to go back to it. You see in today's overbearing, overwhelming world, it takes you to a complete other space, to Colombia, and back to the U.S., to the ignored people, the undocumented.

And yes, you can read "Infinite Country" as a polemic, but that's not what it really is, rather it's personal, a ground level examination of the feelings of people who go unnoticed, but live on the planet nevertheless.

I've been to Bogota, the weather is perfectly described here as eternal autumn, it's weird, but if you've been there it will resonate.

And although crime and craziness has improved in Colombia, it's still not as safe as most western countries. You're alert all the time. As for upward mobility? The odds are so long as to be essentially impossible. And reading "Infinite Country" I wondered what it would be like to grow up alone, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone. It made me think about most Americans...they do what they have to to survive. If that negatively impacts others, that's their problem, caveat emptor. The salesman will lie to make the sale. The rich will cheat on their taxes to keep their money. What we've learned in the past few months, the past four years, is that America is held together by a very thin thread, it could tear apart at any time. No one feels obligated to do anything, the law is up for grabs, the fact our nation works at all is stunning. But what if you weren't entitled to a say, because you were undocumented, and if you raised your voice...you risked deportation. That's another point in the book, the undocumented are labeled criminals, when the truth is they're anything but, they're afraid of being sent back to where they came from!

The book is set in both Colombia and the U.S., with alternating viewpoints, and the truth is we all see the landscape differently. And the mores of America are different, you strive to get ahead, marriage is part business deal, unless you're part of the underclass, uneducated. But in Colombia, in this book, so many people are struggling, looking for any ounce of happiness.

Every location comes alive. You feel like you're there. You want to know how all the threads come together, and you think you know how it will play out, but ultimately it doesn't.

So, "Infinite Country" shoots low, it's personal where most books are broad, so they appeal. But it's the personal that truly resonates. I don't want to scare you away by telling you "Infinite Country" is an immigrant story, because it's so much more than that, and we won't have an Oprah-level "American Dirt" controversy because the author has Colombian roots.

"Infinite Country" is not very long, fewer than 200 pages, it's not a big commitment.

But I'd tell you to read it digitally. The physical book seems like such a waste. I constantly wanted to search and highlight but you can't search a physical book, other than by flipping the pages, which is very inefficient, and there's no dictionary built in. And what do you do with it when it's done? I'd say to give it to someone, but most people stack their books to impress others, especially on the east coast, it's a feature of your Zoom call. But really, these people have not gotten the message, which their children have...that it's not about what you own, but who you are, we live in an on demand world and you're responsible for the cleanliness of the planet. They talk about all the energy that goes into creating and selling NFTs, what about physical books? The paper, the printing, the shipping, the returns...

I'll get down off the pulpit. But I hate when oldsters want to preserve a past that no longer makes sense. Sure, I can see physical coffee books, even though most people read them once, if at all, they're there for display, but the truth is information is digital. Music is digital. This is how we consume in the twenty first century.

But we're still people under the skin. With the same problems.

Ultimately it's about the people in "Infinite Country." Their experiences, their viewpoints, their hopes and dreams, their losses. We can relate to humanity, and I could relate to "Infinite Country." I read it in two days, because I wanted to read it, and it's stuck with me, much more than "American Dervish," much more than almost any recent book I've read.

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Corporations Push Back Against Voting Laws

I guess corporations really are people. Or at least more powerful than people. And government too while we're at it.

This is a sea change. Used to be government told corporations what to do, and people agitated and protested for change. But people have lost their individual power since the advent of the internet and government is so busy cozying up to business, giving tax advantages to locate in their state or town, that the script has flipped.

Our heroes, those who gain attention, run corporations, mostly techies, who are seen as cutting edge even though they're cutthroat, and everyone at the bottom of the pyramid is paying fealty to those at the top, running the enterprise. Think about it, we collect sneakers, not records.

Americans have sacrificed their souls, and they're looking to corporations to do their dirty work.

Not everyone. Stacey Abrams made a difference in Georgia. Only most people are unaware of her efforts. As for those lauded as being ubiquitous, they are not. Most definitely not musicians. Now, more than ever before, you can tune out someone's music, there's a good chance you'll never encounter it. Used to be we all listened to the same radio stations, now younger generations don't even listen to the radio, despite the constant drumbeat from the industry telling us otherwise. Everybody is on their own personal hejira, and if you're not on their path, they don't know about you and don't care about you.

But it's worse than that. The corporations have all the money. They're the only ones who can provide a big score. You can't make that much money in music, as an artist, your only hope is to hook up with a corporation in a sponsorship deal, essentially sacrificing your credibility, or selling clothing or perfume or merchandise, which muddies the water, after all aren't artists supposed to be outside the straight business world, the antithesis of everything it stands for?

And since everyone's looking for a buck, who provides them is key, and that's the corporations. Everybody in America knows who runs Facebook and Apple, but even people in Los Angeles have no idea who runs the movie studios, never mind who runs the record labels. As for Live Nation, much of its revenue comes from corporate sponsorship. And Dodger Stadium seems to be the only edifice without a brand name attached. Even buildings themselves, they cannot go naked, tenants insist on advertising their presence on the facade.

This does not mean the individual has no power, but in a nation where it's all about tribes, few are willing to stand alone. You're supposed to sacrifice your rough edges to fit in. As for rough edges, most of the music purveyed has them to the point of unlistenability, except for the bland pop tunes that fill the airwaves and stick to no one. Come on, the greatest feature of Selena Gomez is she O.D.'ed. She's a celebrity more than a music star. But she is pushed in front of us when there's not really any there there. As for Ariana Grande...acts like this used to come and go, they were not triumphant, they were not lauded by the press, but in a world where there's no one with any traction to hold up, media steps down and raises the profile of these wankers. As for the men? It's about sex. And vapidity. In most cases base without irony. And you wonder why the public is dumb, who are their thought leaders?

And the corporations all have lobbyists. They write the laws in D.C., LITERALLY! And at first tech companies did without them, but no longer. In addition, the nitwits in Congress don't understand their business, they hold informative hearings and then do nothing. You've got to laugh if you're a Silicon Valley titan.

Quick, count how many languages iOS and Android come in! Meanwhile, half the country believes America comes first, it's the Greatest Country in the World!, but they haven't been anywhere else. And the other half wants to bring back manufacturing while they go to the big box store for low prices, abandoning the local merchant.

And although Zuckerberg is the most high profile tech exec, he's in our lives every day, his stature is equaled by Elon Musk, who single-handedly revolutionized the car business. If you want to be hip, you buy a Tesla, you don't talk about some nincompoop artist. Elon and his troops worked for years before they got traction, they even created and sold the now departed Roadster. Meanwhile, we're supposed to believe barely pubescent musical acts are leaders who have something to say that we must pay attention to. As for their elders... Used to be a badge of honor to be educated, now everybody is dumb. You don't have to go to school to learn, but most of these people know where the tattoo studio is, they can't name the fifty states, never mind what goes on in them. If this makes me sound like Andy Rooney, the point is today's younger generation has no idea who Andy Rooney was, and there is no replacement. The most powerful man in "news" is the charlatan known as Tucker Carlson, and if you believe what he has to say not only are you uninformed, you have no powers of analysis. As for the power of the corporation...people thought the power was in Bill O'Reilly, but it turns out it's in the time slot, owned by Fox.

If you want to get anything done in this country you've got to get the corporations on board. The people nudged Delta and Coca-Cola in Georgia. Too late, of course, but corporations are not risk takers, they're worried about jeopardizing their fortunes.

But twenty five years have taught us that disruption is inevitable, and most corporations have woken up and realized they depend on the customer, the individual, and they'd better satiate them. Of course these same corporations are cozying up to government, unlike artists, corporations can be two-faced. And unless their CEOs get into a sex scandal, their daily behavior is ignored, it's not sexy enough for the gossip rags. Better to promote the powerless slaves as opposed to those who truly control the levers of power.

As for TV and movies... These actors have committed one faux pas after another during lockdown. The inane Gal Gadot-led "Imagine" video. Imagine an educated actor who could take the temperature of the public and use whatever power they truly have for good. But no, it's about publicity. These people are so out of touch with the hoi polloi it's laughable, the corporations know their customers, their fans, better. You can't see the country from behind a gate, inside a private jet. Turns out the rank and file are more in touch than the celebrities!

And probably the most famous celebrity is Kim Kardashian. At this point better known than her sometime to be ex Kanye West. Kim knows when you're selling, first and foremost you must look good. And if God doesn't deliver, save up for plastic surgery, because it's how you look, not who you are. And the real money is in selling stuff. There's always a corporation behind the stuff, and then you too can become a billionaire at 21 like Kylie. But what are you gonna do with the cash anyway? Party? That's unfulfilling, you burn out on it. But we're told every damn day that the highest level of social status is to be able to party with the glamorous and beautiful. Hell, food has more power than these idiots. Yes, there's an entire food CHANNEL! As for music, it's left the flat screen. You've got the "Great British Baking Show," which bonds viewers who talk about it, and then you've got the Grammys that no one wants to watch. The "Baking Show" illustrates the power of the nobody, the "Grammys" illustrates the emptiness of the somebody.

Zuckerberg stands up to the government.

An artist caves.

Apple produces the sleekest, most beautiful products from scratch, plastic surgery is unnecessary. You believe in your phone more than you do the music it might play. We put our faith in the inert, because people have sacrificed their genuineness, they sway with the wind.

But celebrities use drugs, and they're cool! Well, how cool is marijuana gonna be when it's legal everywhere, and we're just about there. Most of marijuana's appeal was it was illegal. Come on, that's what you want in life, to puff a drug that makes you somnambulant. But maybe you can't cope with today's culture, you need a time out. At least alcohol makes you want to connect and party, even though too much ruins your life. Meanwhile, the heads of the tech companies are biohacking, they're not succumbing to drugs and alcohol. Then again, Elon Musk is using Ambien, but he can't sleep because HE'S WORKING TOO HARD!

But who wants to work at the dumb service jobs offered today, where you watch the clock until your sentence is over. As far as the corporate titans, check their CVs. They didn't drop out of high school, or go to the local community college, they all went to blue chip educational institutions, and they might have dropped out of Harvard, but you can't even dream of going to Harvard, never mind have your father buy a building so you can get in.

I love my iPhone Pro Max 12 and LG OLED TV more than any new artist. The artists complain they're being ripped off, that the world is unfair, that we owe them success, and if they break through, they act like the rest of the celebrity class, clueless. I applaud excellence, the entertainment business is built on mediocrity. Come on, most of the Netflix shows go straight into the dumper, they're worthless, if they make something too highbrow you tune out. So they feed you this crap via the algorithm because it's too much effort to find the good stuff yourself. You depend on the corporation to do the hard work for you. And I'm a Netflix booster and believer in spite of its faults, because it's fighting for ME! Yes, dropping all shows at once as opposed to the inane policies of HBO and Apple who don't understand THERE IS NO WATER COOLER, WE'RE SIPPING H20 FROM OUR PRIVATE BOTTLES! Assuming we're in the office at all. Word of mouth works differently these days, but the out of it antiques in charge of these enterprises are so removed from reality that they're clueless. But not Reed Hastings, who we all know by name.

Yes, that's another thing about corporations, they can be run by clueless individuals. Computers don't run companies, people do, often self-serving. But we still laud the enterprise, because we're desperate for something to believe in.

That's life on this planet today. Everything's on demand at your fingertips, and that's convenient, but the question of the ages remains, WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT?

In America it's consuming. He or she with the most toys wins.

That's a joke.

But even worse, the average citizen doesn't have the tools to understand life, they're misled into religion by charlatans, they don't even know how to think for themselves. They do what they're told, consume. And those who provide the products, the corporations, rule.

As for the government... When a fake real estate tycoon "runs" the country and congresspeople believe in QAnon...who can have faith in D.C?

That's how we got this problem to begin with. The Republicans gerrymandered to the point where they're overrepresented in government and then they ram through these anti-voter rights laws based on the falsehoods spewed by the orange one and his minions. People are afraid to cross Trump. Why? Individuals wouldn't stand up to him in government, they were afraid of retribution, they're all saying so now, like Dr. Birx, and you've got elected officials still saying the election was stolen, and the guy who came out and said it was the most secure election in history got fired. Who can believe in these people? NOBODY!

So, we need the corporations to set them straight. Newfangled corporations get on the bandwagon right away, but even the old lumbering ones realize that power lies with the public, not the elected officials and...

There's chaos. And the only people who can save us are...CORPORATIONS!

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Young Shakespeare

https://spoti.fi/3mjtZ5Y

1

"Don't Let it Bring You Down" is my third favorite Neil Young song.

For a long time my favorite was "Down by the River," but that was before I owned the debut, which I first heard in the dorm room of a guy I can't recall who insisted I listen to "Last Trip to Tulsa." And then I'd hear "Emperor of Wyoming" now and again and it would catch my ear and after learning it was Mr. Young I'd start to listen for it, kinda like "Peaches en Regalia," which didn't sound like the Zappa I expected. But really, it's what comes thereafter, the second song on the debut, my second favorite Neil Young song, "The Loner."

Fifty years of classic rock radio have made it so most Neil Young fans, and some who are not, are aware of "The Loner," but the truth is back in the early seventies most people started with "After the Gold Rush"...and stopped with "Harvest."

I guess that's an artist, leaving the successful Buffalo Springfield with no name recognition to go solo, which is one of the reasons "Neil Young" was such a stiff when it came out.

And the truth is "The Loner" doesn't sound like anything Neil cut thereafter, with its organ intro and direct optimistic feel, in counterpoint to the lyrics.

But my favorite Neil Young song is also on the debut, a couple of tracks later...

"I've Been Waiting for You"...FOR SUCH A LONG TIME!

"There was a woman he knew
About a year or so ago
She had something
That he needed
And he pleaded with her not to go
On the day that she left
He died but it did not show"

He was a loner and he finally connected, and now she's gone and he's DEVASTATED! That's the truth of the loner, he's so introverted, so diffident, but he wants to be rescued, he wants to connect, he yearns to share his stories and be known.

And the intro of "I've Been Waiting for You" is also unique in Young's canon. A blast of distortion, multiple guitars and even an "ahhh" and then...

"I've been looking for a woman to save my life
Not to beg or to borrow
A woman with the feeling of losing once or twice
Who knows how it could be tomorrow"

In "I've Been Waiting for You" Neil is not just singing about the loner, HE IS THE LONER! He's expressing his desire, his inner thoughts, and even though millions were ultimately exposed to his call the truth is the song is so personal.

And it's all about the move, when you take the risk, which too often fails. There are some men who hit on women indiscriminately, and then there are others who get fixated on a girl for a long time and have to dig deep for the gumption to talk to them.

"I've been waiting for you
And you've been coming to me
For such a long time now
Such a long time now"

For some love comes easily. Usually it's because of their good looks, sometimes their open personality, but most men are average, they struggle, they fantasize there's someone just like them who will understand them, who is shy in life but will become awake and alive once they connect with him.

2

I didn't know "Young Shakespeare" came out last Friday. I'd read all the hype about February's archival live release, "Way Down in the Rust Bucket," but that's not really the Neil Young sound I'm enamored of. I've got all those albums, hell, I even bought "Trans," but when Neil's on stage with the persona that endeared him to the Gen-X'ers, the Pearl Jam generation, I smile, but I'm not riveted. For me, the song has to outshine the solos, the playing, and it seems that the live Crazy Horse stuff is the opposite. I know there are people who want their music loud and edgy, and truthfully sometimes I like it that way too, something that squeezes all other thoughts out of my brain, but it's the melody and the riff that hook me most. This is my problem with most of today's music on the Active Rock format. It grew out of Metallica, not Led Zeppelin. One and done for me on "Way Down in the Rust Bucket." But "Young Shakespeare"? I could listen to it FOREVER!

You've got to know, once upon a time Neil Young was not a god, never mind the only credible person left from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young supergroup. Neil needs to do it his own way, he may make mistakes, but he doesn't sell out, and that's the cause of his longevity. We're drawn to the work of those who go their own way, who are less worried about satisfying the audience than satisfying themselves. All this is to say when "After the Gold Rush" came out, most people had never heard of Neil Young, "Cinnamon Girl" was not ubiquitous, never mind "Down by the River." And when you dropped the needle on this third solo album the first song you heard was "Tell Me Why."

Like the opener of the debut, "Tell Me Why" started at full speed, it had no introduction, it needed none, it was like picking up a party line and listening in. And truthfully, it was never one of my favorites.

"Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself
When you're old enough to repaint but young enough to sell"

These were the memorable lyrics of "Tell Me Why." And in time everybody knew them. Suddenly, the protests were over, the war was still going on, but we licked our wounds, went back to the land and moved on, we were suddenly old. It happened in a matter of months. "Ohio" was in May, "Tell Me Why" was only the following September. Of 1970.

"Look at mother nature on the run
In the 1970s"

The change from the sixties to the seventies has been lost to the sands of time, but it was quite dramatic. You felt the change, things were not the same like they were with the millennium. We were worn out, the sixties could not go on, but now what?

"After the Gold Rush." It was the first pure seventies album, in not only tone and sound but lyrically. Neil called the year out, what was gonna happen in the 1970s, with the land, the country, US!

So "Young Shakespeare" starts off with...

Applause.

And then picking, it's "Tell Me Why," but it's solo acoustic, the notes are still there, but Neil's vocal dominates, and the sound is pure, assuming you're listening on a good system you're jetted right back to the era, when a good system was everything, when we needed to get closer to the music. It's fifty years later, but Neil is right there in the speakers, as if not a day has gone by.

But it's the second song, a left turn, a new one, that makes you realize this project is different, memorable. Neil gives an intro, an explanation, in an era before you could excavate the meaning of all these songs, but if you were in the hall... "Old Man" is intimate, in all iterations, but especially here, sans the penumbra, stripped down to just the core elements, A YEAR BEFORE IT WAS COMMERCIALLY RELEASED! You're listening, wondering what it was like being in the venue. Sure, most people see new music as anathema, but there's a thin layer of artists, a very thin layer, who can pull it off, draw your attention and keep it. And one of those is Neil Young. Here "Old Man" is a song, not a statement. Long before it emanated from everybody's speakers throughout campus.

But the real surprise is "Ohio," which we always saw as a record, not a song, something that was of a time and place, the spring of 1970, not 1971, when this version was performed. And I'm listening and I'm thinking how much worse things are today, how we never could have predicted this, how back then if you were a music fan, if you listened to Neil Young, if you were a boomer, you shared a mind-set. The thought of rednecks, conservatives loving this music? IMPOSSIBLE! We had an army, and we all belonged. And it wasn't so much Woodstock itself, but the movie and the triple album set nearly a year later, in April 1970, that made us realize we were more than a tribe, that we were the dominant force.

And if you bought "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere," you knew the concomitant track to "Down by the River" on the second side, "Cowgirl in the Sand," with a memorable melody and lyrics, but it was the instrumental interludes that made it stick out, don't forget, this was when the Allman Brothers were starting to stretch out.

Even more interesting than "Old Man" is the medley of "A Man Needs a Maid and "Heart of Gold," once again a year before they were released commercially. I'm sitting here thinking how you can't say that anymore, that a man needs a maid, whatever your intention might be, it just sounds bad. And "A Man Needs a Maid" is the opposite of today's music, it's heavy and meaningful, that's one of the main reasons you listened to "Harvest," to marinate in not only the sound, but the words, this was a personal statement and it was clear that not only did we need to listen to it, we had to embrace it. AM music was disposable, FM music was not. And the funny thing is sans the strings, all that production, "A Man Needs a Maid" is just as heavy, just as meaningful, but more direct, there's no scrim between the performer and the listener, it's all up front and personal.

3

The closing track on "Young Shakespeare" is "Sugar Mountain." Neil says he didn't put it on an album because he didn't like it that much, but... Once Neil hit, "Sugar Mountain" was all over the radio, it was a treat, kind of like "Thriller" in 1984 on MTV, but with a totally different feel and meaning.

And the second song from the end is the one and only "Down by the River." I played that on the guitar, back before anybody even knew what it was. I was working at a summer camp and had everybody singing along, it's got such a dramatic, direct chorus.

And before "Down by the River" it's "Helpless," from "Deja Vu," released a year previously, when Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were the biggest band in the land, before they broke up. And the truth is I never cottoned to the song, I was more of a Stills and Crosby guy, I knew they needed Neil for his guitarwork live, but his sound, his vocal, didn't fit in with the rest, what the band was selling, although I did like "Country Girl."

And before "Helpless," comes...

"Don't Let it Bring You Down."

The second side of "After the Gold Rush" starts with the dirgey "Oh, Lonesome Me," which I liked more than "Helpless," but oftentimes I found myself lifting the needle and skipping the track.

Where the first side is obvious, the second side of "After the Gold Rush" is more subtle, darker, less in your face It's after dark, it's only Neil and you, it's a personal experience, Ronnie Van Zant was not gonna complain about "Don't Let it Bring You Down."

"Old man sitting by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky"

You have no problem envisioning this in 2021, with homeless people in every city and burg, but back then hobos were a thing of the past, you rarely saw a homeless person on the street, and if you did, it was clear they were mentally ill, they claimed they were God or something.

"Cold wind ripping down the alley at dawn
And the morning paper flies
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes"

The musicians may have been worldly, sophisticated, but the listeners were not, we were protected by our suburban bubbles, the thought of someone throwing the newspaper to the front porch at dawn...we'd experienced that. But what's up with the dead man lying by the side of the road?

"Don't let it bring you down
It's only castles burning
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around"

Now wait just a minute, we were supposed to ignore it, it was irrelevant, then again maybe we just weren't clued-in, we weren't hip enough, there was a deeper meaning, if only we could find the people who knew it. Like Bob Dylan, Neil Young was planting a signpost, but we had to figure it out for ourselves.

Americans ignore the bad stuff. Like Bush who told us to shop after 9/11. They want to do their dirty work while we're not paying attention. Then again, back then it was the youth against the establishment, today the boomers are the establishment, hating on technology like their parents did with rock and roll, believing it's the cause of all evil.

So you'd be sitting in your dorm room. And back then we didn't multitask, at mostly we read while listening, and when this eerie song filled the room it was hard to ignore its message.

And as heavy as the original recording is, when you strip it down its essence shines ever brighter, that something is happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear and you'd better pay attention!

4

Hard to think that music was once scarce, where if you didn't own it you couldn't hear it. They sold live albums back then, usually as doubles, a career retrospective, a cheap dash for cash. But unreleased live recordings? Those were gold! Maybe you snuck your cassette deck into the gig, but there was no trading online, to have a recording of what once was...was nearly unfathomable. And "Young Shakespeare" is like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the past come to life. Not only was this show recorded, unlike with the scrolls, the sound is pristine, better than most records today! It's not squashed, the bandwidth is not filled up with detritus to the point it's impenetrable, "Young Shakespeare" is naked! Despite all the social media platforms, that's what we're looking for today, the stripped-down version, the raw truth, not for cash, but because it must be told. We don't want endless memoirs in search of notoriety, we don't want people online testifying to how bad they have it, what we're looking for is someone not so dissimilar to ourselves laying out their truth, and we can listen or not, it's our choice. That's how music was back then, you were either in the know or you weren't. Then again, albums like "Harvest" changed that paradigm.

But "Young Shakespeare" was recorded before "Harvest."

How can something so old be so new? I guess that's what happens when you lose your way, see the goal as being a brand as opposed to an artist.

But if you were around back then...

Pull up "Young Shakespeare." Even cherry-pick the tracks. You'll be stunned they're all there, in faithful renditions.

And we listened to these songs so much back then we knew them by heart, not only the hits, but the album tracks, listen for the applause of recognition on these cuts. There are few things better than when you're at the show and the act plays your favorite, you think they're doing it just for you, you beam, you glow, you want the experience to last, but it does not.

But this show we were unaware occurred has been unearthed and it's just like being there way back when.

And this album ain't going to the top of the chart, nothing is gonna happen with it, it's just for you, you either care or you don't.

And if you do...

You yearn for the experience of yore, when it was just you and the music, that was all you needed, and when you push play, that's where you'll go, back to that seventies cocoon, when music drove the culture, when it was everything. Don't let it bring you down, as long as these recordings are hiding in plain sight there's a chance young people will be inspired and go down the road less taken, deliver ubiquity through the personal, satiate us, make life worth living.

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More Vaccine Passports

I'm not a Trumper or anti-vaxxer, but this is all very suspect to me. I'm not taking their shot and especially not just to go to a concert. They can keep their shots and their concerts if this will be the new requirement, and I'm sure many others feel the same way. The industry will never be the same.

Jonathan Lee

_______________________________

It's really over now, with these vaccine passports. 911 was nothing compared to what's ahead.

Agostino Scafidi

_______________________________

You preach about freedom and then you vote for Biden. Unreal value system you have there Bob

Thomas Ryan

_______________________________

all of these people crying about, "this is what happens when you want big gov to take over!" no. this is what happens when all of you couldn't gather the emotional integrity to properly quarantine and wear a mask. Also our government basically saying, "fend for yourselves" through all this doesn't help.

We could be like new zealand / Australia and have proper contact tracing and minor shut downs when cases are detected but nooooooooooo. We don't like the government to tell us what to do.

America's sense of individualism will be its downfall.

ok, tyler

_______________________________

Do some of these morons realize that the vaccine passport is for private businesses only and that the government wont force people to do anything? These republicans who love business and private property rights but get upset when said businesses exercise their right because someone is an asshole and doesn't care about infecting others. Boggles my mind. It's the "free speech" issue. You can say whatever you want. The government can't infringe (yes yes you can't yell fire or threaten) but people and businesses can decide you're an asshole and not have to interact with you. Certain White men are starting to be judged by their character and not their privilege and it's freaking them out so much they stormed the capitol.

Jon Smith

_______________________________

For someone as analytical as you are, I'm surprised at your take on all of this. You have a state issued driver's license and your related info is readily accessible by any law enforcement officer who might pull you over for whatever reason. So, on one hand you're pro vaccine, but on the other hand, you and others are freaking out about a digital vaccine passport? What difference does it make to you given that, in any case, a citizen's Covid-vaccine info is already on file with the state? You have to show your regular Passport or state issued Real ID to a TSA agent to fly domestic, and suddenly a vaccine passport is a more severe imposition that makes no sense to you? Please.

-- Greg DeBonne

_______________________________

I've heard about the concert passport.
Its their insurance companies driving this. More will follow.
I have no problem excluding the anti-vaxxers from everything.

Charles McGarry

_______________________________

Honestly, I dont understand that bs panic.

In Europe we already have vaccine passports for centuries (for example Pollio vaccine is must have, thats why we dont have Pollio cases anymore) and I would say that we enjoy more personal freedom than the US could even think of. Deciding which gun I use to kill someone is not freedom, because your freedom ends where my freedom starts. Thats our way.

A vaccine passport is nothing else than your regular passport. One makes sure you are not a living bomb of virus and attack other people and the other makes sure you are who you say you are.
Of course there are always criminals and there will be. Thats why you need to get the vaccine to the kids too, so they are vaccined BEFORE they decide a criminal path and can not hurt others - at least with that virus.

I totally support a no travel policy for non-vaccined persons and they should be not allowed to join any major events. They WILLINGLY accept that they may be a spreader of death for others, why the fuck should we concern about those shitholes? The earlier they are gone the better for the rest of us.

Good Friday

Alexandra, Munich, Bavaria, Germany, Europe

_______________________________

Wow! Thanks for that core dump of paranoia and misinformation. As a former computer guy let me break the news: every thing you've ever done that involves an IP address is tracked. Every move you make, every step you take. We sold our souls and our privacy for a pair of socks from Amazon a long time ago.

Let me nutshell this for you: We're doomed! That's the zeitgeist tapped into by of all people William Shatner: "We're on the verge of extinction. We are poisoning ourselves out of life and Mother Earth, Gaia, will survive and this little cancer called mankind that's growing all around her will die off the way a body gets a temperature and kills the germs off."

Beam me up, Scotty. I'm ready to go.

George Laugelli

_______________________________

I agree with you on everything... except this.

I don't want to get sick because some Trump asshole is clutching his gun and toting about freedom. The same guy who didn't wear a mask, didn't get tested and coughed on security guards who didn't let them into Walmart. It's bullshit. Just like if a kid doesn't get a measles shot, they should be banned from school. It's not just their own lives. Someone else will die because of them. It's all about the greater good.

Additionally, this vaccine is a medical marvel with the RNA discovery. It's not a "dead virus" being injected, it's a protein. It's safe and fine. And if they don't want it, stay at home. Fuck them for asking responsible people to stay home - the assholes should!

Who cares about giving info for a vaccine passport? We give out information every single day via smartphone and everything we do on the internet.

Don't give ammo to these anti-vaxx idiots.

Alex Frank

PS - this isn't a Democrat or Biden thing... it's the smart thing.

_______________________________

I wonder if any of these people trying to scream these vaccines are the answer bothered to read their warning labels, the part that says the vaccine might not even work... and did they look at the ingredients lists and analyze those?
Or are they so willing to run to the first person who claims they have a cure for a price? Can I sign up to just get COVID the natural way and gain herd immunity that way? Because that's possible too....
I'd rather risk the virus itself than what I've researched.
As far as I'm aware that's a violation of HIPA law to require someone tell you their medical status.

shardofshadows

_______________________________

Hi Bob. Why do some of your idiot readers insist that the Covid vaccines approved for use in United States are experimental? The vaccines are no more experimental than Tylenol. They have gone through clinical trials and are proven to be safe and effective. They have been administered millions of times in the United States. Experimental? Those people need to come up with a better excuse for not taking the vaccine.

Jon Brooks

_______________________________

Oh Bob it is so sad sometimes you cannot help slag of Trump and yet it is your Deomcrats who are putting in passports

The US Is on its way to a one party authoritarian democrat state and you supported it

Balrama Balrama

_______________________________

You can't pay me to go to a live show ever again.

Anthony Tricarico

_______________________________

while I can see returning to a club show with some social distancing I can't see going to Madison Squate Garden for sports or a concert where you are literally on top of people next to you. with all we dont know just seems not worth it
gary borress

_______________________________

I forget how much of your readership responses is full of bluster, conjecture and hyperbole.

Also, how absolutely little they actually know or understand what communism is. McCarthy and Co. did an absolute smash up job in miseducation.

Mark Hinkley

_______________________________

I'm a bit surprised that no one mentioned the fact rock n roll audiences (and now country moreso) are historically anti-government, driven by rebellion against authority (until ridiculous signaling began in 2020)

I've consistently pointed out for a year that
this plan from Live Nation and other promoters of live events is utterly blind to reality.

The overwhelming majority of us simply will not go.

There will be a return to local festivals....hidden in the woods, in someone's house, at a barn in the middle of nowhere. Bars/clubs will be separated by their "freedom" score. Totally unadvertised shows and yet masses of people without masks enjoying illegal freedom from the Democrat push to the uber-fascist police state you voted for.

ted75123

_______________________________

Please tell Lukather that Jesus isn't real and the virus is. Nut cases that believe in fairytales will be the cause of global catastrophe, not science or medicine or technology. Kooks that think some old book , any of them, holds answers will be our undoing.
Bob Maggio

_______________________________

Hey Bob, well I am going to chalk up that rant your readers send in to my hero William Goldman's classic, "Nobody knows anything"........ except all of these people I guess. We WILL see in a few years when this is all played out.

One exception though, my buddy Luke's comments were the highlight!

Marty Walsh

_______________________________

I just thought I'd weigh in here. The only way we don't have the vaccine passport for concerts is if people vote against it... with their wallets. Live Nation and their ilk will only cave if they can't make money. And what will that kind of boycott do to the music biz? It's not like the bands are going to say we're not playing if you need a vaccine passport. So. We're all going to have them in our phones. That's it. The final version will include a passport for people that CAN'T get a vaccination for some reason that has been approved by the powers that be.

Tracy Lipp

_______________________________

Fucking idiots. You are already being tracked!

If you don't like that then drop your phone in the water, delete all of your socials and email, get rid of credit cards, bank cards, extract all of your money into cash (which can also be tracked), and find a way to live off the grid.

Get over yourselves and think about humanity for once. Whiney ass bitches.

Jeff Sackman

_______________________________

"Trump supporters believe in freedom" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL.

The hysteria here boggles the mind. 550,000 DEAD and proving you've been vaccinated is HITLER?

Michael Fremer

_______________________________

This is communism in the highest form
WAKE UP! THE very man who's pouring money into vaccines also said a billion people need to die. Hmm Is this even noted by anyone?Also if you are spreading this virus through its embryo in the vaccines hmm how long before at least One billion are vaccinated to die. Sound like Nazi Germany? Does anyone here know who Carl Marx is or Lenin or that Hitler murdered anyone who opposed his Reich? HELLO America how you doing?
(Bigbruce Starzz Int.)
Oh and if your that worried I have a machine that kills Covid + .

Big Bruce Hablutzel

_______________________________

Do none of you have children? I have an 18 year old and have been asked to provide proof of vaccinations to her schools since preschool? Doesn't every doctor's office ask you for your vaccination history. These records are in place and shared freely. I'm sure some parents object and I have not asked how the schools or doctors address the non-vaccinated. I'm just not seeing this as a sudden attack on our privacy or freedom. These records are already computerized. More just business as usual.

Lou Ross

_______________________________

Lukather is right about China (I've racked up over 20 visits) — an actor's social score (brrr) started plummeting despite being a model (obedient) citizen, turned out her face on the side of buses caused facial recognition cameras to repeatedly bust her for jay walking. That's a comedic aside but the reality is terrifying. And no question that elements in our own governments are watching with envy. Look out.

Charles Kennedy

_______________________________

Everything now come down to politics and bs " my freedom is being taken away"
Americans are a selfish lot..I choose to support my country by getting vaccinated for my safety and yours..and the others in my town, state, country and world
Wtf happened to us in the last 4 years...
Larry Clayman
San Rafael

_______________________________

Whoooooooooaaah Carlos burned ya on that one! Haha!

Jordan Gaw

_______________________________

Well I knew you kicked a big ass Retrumplican hornet's nest on this one.
I think Paul Erlich's reply was good.
At first I reacted negatively to your post, then realized if folks wanted to go to a concert w/o the vaxx, then it was their butt that could possibly go down. I hear you can carry Coroner's Virus while having the vaxx.
I guess the goal is to try to encourage those who fear Bill Gates controlling their antlers or Crazy Joe turning their hydraulics into digital acorns to get the shot.
Good luck there. We're in a new world with a new religion built on the rock of Q Anon and the tangerine Moses, Mafia Don.

richard sales

_______________________________

I know some trumpers who refuse to take the vaccine, but they are happy to snort/shoot-up drugs purchased on the street.

David Appelbaum

_______________________________

Get real clowns, none of your Civil rights are being obstructed. There is no law that says you have to get the vaccine so f*** you! Stop making every issue a f****** political issue!

Tim Hurst

_______________________________

ok but u missed one thing. are the passports transferable???? will help me make my decision

Ryan Brown

_______________________________

Well you sure drew the tinfoil hat crowd out.

So Americans know anything about viruses, vaccinations, existing public health policies around the world, and statistics?
I'm sure people can read. They just don't seem to be able to discern the difference between a medical journal and USA Today.

Passports for vax already exist. Yellow Fever for entry into most African countries. Others, depending on where and when you're going.

All of the current approved vaccinations have an almost 100% effectiveness against dying from COVID and from becoming seriously ill.

You can still catch it. Especially with the new variants. But it's not that big a deal.

Airlines are going to want you to be vaccinated to fly in their metal death tubes with shared air. Wanna travel? Get a vax.

So one way or another, people who are vaccinated will have more privilege, and not just for having less skin pigment.

Pinhey-ABLE

_______________________________

Kids cannot attend school without proof that they've been vaccinated for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.
American adults can live by the same system.

Rich Costey

_______________________________

I don't understand your problem with this.

If you refuse to get vaccinated, you don't get to go to a packed concert. Seems perfectly logical to me. I think vaccine passports are probably one of the more sane ideas we've heard since the pandemic started. You need a way to verify who's been vaccinated and who hasn't.

And to your point about buying a ticket and reselling - NO of course its not on you to search the buyer and see if they're vaccinated. That's on THEM! If they bought a ticket they know they can't use without a vaccination, then they made a stupid decision and should be treated as such.

-Brandon Zemel

_______________________________

You wrote a post about something private companies are doing and got inundated with responses about how this is Biden's fault. Gotta love Republican reading comprehension.

-Jeremy Berg

_______________________________

I'm in my late 50's. Fuck it, I've seen all my favorite bands 50+ times each (GD, Widespread Panic, Phish, Cheap Trick) not to mention all the other hundreds if not thousands of shows since I was in diapers, so I won't be attending any concerts ever again. I got my 1st shot a little over a week ago and I get the next in two weeks. I love live music, but I don't want or need to get sick because of a concert. I'm fine watching from my couch with my JBL's blasting in my face...

Love & Peace, Bob

Rodney Rowland

_______________________________

Please explain to your audience that Live Nation and AEG are PRIVATE businesses. NOT the government.

Chip Latham

_______________________________

Hi Bob, Dad's job took our family overseas when we were growing up. We had to have up to date vaccination records to leave the US and to enter the destination country, and the number and types of vaccinations depended on where we were going. This was over 65 years ago. What's the big whoop?

Thomas Cokenia

_______________________________

1. (Almost) Everyone ALREADY gave up their vaccination info to go to school/camp. Hardly a new precedent.
2. This is really just like TSA pre-check. I give up a little personal information to get in first, faster, and with less fuss. Let everyone else who didn't bother with the vaccine/test ahead of time line up at the venue for a $5 (or whatever) test. Fail the test and your ticket goes into a virtual drop line that's basically a pre-vaxxed waitlist to buy tickets to sold out shows. (And shows are going to sell out.) You get a full refund for the ticket once it sells. Make it inconvenient to attend (and travel commercially!) unless you're vaccinated/pre-tested. I'm convinced this is the only way to move the needle with COVID deniers/anti-vaxxers.

Every ticket is already sold with terms & conditions, not that anyone reads them, and no one is being forced to buy a ticket.

Dave Conklin

_______________________________

Worth noting that none of the big 3 covid vaccines is FDA approved. They all received "emergency authorization" but have not been around long enough or tested long enough to be FDA approved. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines

In other words, mandatory vaccine passports mean forcing everyone to take a non-FDA approved vaccine in order to be able to freely live and function in America. Guess which demographic groups are most likely to be harmed by such a policy? (Hint: the same demographic groups that are harmed by every other restrictive policy.)

And, of course, no one should preemptively trust the pharmaceutical industry. Like all industries they are legally required to maximize shareholder value but have no similar mandate to maximize human health. These same pharmaceutical companies just fought to protect their own bottom line by lobbying heavily to prevent people in 3rd world countries from using their IP to make their own vaccines. Saints, they ain't.

Jonathan Steigman

PS: Not an "anti-vaxxer," not pro-Trump, not a Right-winger: I critique from the Left

_______________________________

Kids already have to do this to go to public and private schools. Everyone who can't look beyond themselves is a pussy (read fine print for exceptions)

Anne Trenning

_______________________________

When I was a kid and my dad was in the military, we vacationed in Mexico. When we drove to the border crossing at Nogales, we were made to get shots over again to gain entry back in the US because we had left our shot records at home. Could we have protested our rights were being violated back in the 60's and been allowed to cross?
If the promoters want concerts to be safe for fans and the bands, and avoid liability, I'm willing to do the passport to see music, again. Anybody against it, stream it.
John Kauchick
_______________________________

I'd rather show a vaccine passport than take my shoes off!

Philip Mondello

_______________________________

You kidding? I'm for this. Fuck the people who refuse to get it.

Tim Lefebvre

_______________________________

Bob…I understand your argument and the fears people have of having their phones tracked etc. And of course the players involved will abuse the process to their advantage etc.

But this is much bigger than just the music business. And to argue that it's a case of having your "freedom" unfairly restricted is ridiculous.

The vaccine in not mandatory. You can choose to get it, or not get it, and no one will force you. But if you choose not to, you are not just jeopardizing your own health, which is your right to do. The fact is that you are also jeopardizing the health of your fellow citizens, full stop. You will still be able to transmit the virus even if you are unaware that you have it, and you will be a human Petri dish for the virus to continue to live and mutate into forms that could threaten even people who have chosen to get vaccinated.

So you have a right to do what you want to do for yourself, but you don't have the right to endanger the rest of us, who want to be able to go to a concert, or a club, or a sporting event, or any other public place free from the fear of getting sick. You don't have the "freedom" to do whatever you want to do. Just like you don't have the "freedom" to drive a car without a license. Society, via the government, makes these kinds of decisions ALL the time. No one has a "right" to go to a concert. You don't have a right to go to a concert and shoot off a canister of teargas.

So some people don't believe the virus is real, or as some of the commenters have said, that the vaccine isn't a vaccine because it doesn't prevent infection, it just ameliorates the symptoms. Or they are willing to risk possible death (half a million and counting.) Whatever. That is their right. But they don't get to have it both ways. They should be ok with accepting the consequences of their "freedom" and stay away from venues where they can infect others.

Oh…and what about the "freedom" of the privately run businesses that have the right to choose to not endanger the majority of their customers just because some others will feel left out? If you believe in freedom, you need to be consistent about what that means. It doesn't just mean "I get to do what I want."

Adam Gorgoni

_______________________________

of is Broadway. None of us have played a show in a year and 3 weeks. Best case: September or October.

So, what if they open everything to 100% capacity tomorrow, or June or September? How many people are going to come to NYC, stay in a hotel, eat in a crowded restaurant and the pay $250 dollars to sit in a theater with 999 strangers…or 1499? Who are you sitting next to? Where have they been?

There are 25-30 shows on Broadway at any given time. Each does 8 shows a week. Theaters hold from 500 on the small side to 1700+. How many people a month are necessary to support this multi-billion dollar industry?

What's going to get people to feel safe enough to come?

What's going to get people to feel safe enough to sit on a plane? Or go to a concert? Or sit in a restaurant? Or go to a store?

Freedom, huh? People don't want to get vaccinated? People don't want a vaccination passport? So they're going to make an exception for country concerts because they know that those people WON'T get vaccinated because there's money to be made, public health be damned??? But, of course, don't make me wait for my AR-15.

One of my gigs is at a school. That got me in on phase 1b here in NY State. I got my first dose on January 20th, inauguration day. The state ran out of vaccines 2 days later because the outgoing administration in DC had no plan, no infrastructure, no one in charge, hadn't coordinated with the incoming admin and didn't care to have any supply beyond the moment when they scurried out of town. After the Bidens came in, it took about 10 days to get supplies out again and for me to get an appointment for my 2nd, a month later.

Imagine where we'd be if that MF'r was still grifting from the White House.

But back to "Freedom". Why is it that so many don't believe in a social contract? Millions are vaccinated, almost no one has gotten ill from it (beyond short term side effects). It's proven effective, it's working. And what's so bad about a vaccination passport? Is google or the big bad government going to know more about any of us that they don't already?

Got any better ideas?

Polio, Small Pox, Measles…all gone.

For Fux Sake!!!!!!

Jack Morer
Vaccinated,
Still riding the subway with 2 masks because of the occasional mask hole,
and flying to Florida on Sunday to see my Mom for the first time in 13 months because she was finally able to get vaccinated as well.

_______________________________

I am a long time veteran of the touring and music business. I was a
road guy starting back in 1988. I have completed all levels of touring,
cars-vans-vans/trailers-buses-bus/trailer-buses & trucks.

I have been acting now as a production manager for venues and for a
promoter that produces, books and manages two of Ohio's largest
outdoor music festivals. I have been studying this COVID pandemic
from every angle. I have sat in on many Zoom panels, read many
industry documents and now listened on several Clubhouses. We
touring workers/artists and local live event vendors want to get back to
work. We want to do it safely and efficiently. We don't want to take
the risks of getting our people sick. We do not want all the prep work
that it will take to get ready to Re-Open to go down the financial toilet.
We are not in a hurry to make a bad decision.

I have been thinking the Vaccine Passport (better worded: Certification?)
is not a bad thing. It will only facilitate the process of reopening safely
and swiftly. It will not work if "Mandated". It will work if it is used as a
tool to process audiences into venue, festivals, etc. faster. You will
send your Vax-Info to an app (of which many are in development). It
would best as a voluntary, empathetic process to further the audiences
"know before you go" responsibilities. Venues have their jobs, but the
audience also has their part/job in the concert process. Bring your
wallets, bring your ID's, bring your tickets, well now to get yourself
processed sooner bring your proof of vaccination. No one expects
you to give up your rights, privacy, but concerts do expect patrons to play
their part. Remembering the no-more smoking in venues transitions?
We got over them, it was a better protocol for everyone. Even the
smokers eventually came around to it.

All entering get their temp checks, wear their masks, get their rapid
tests if needed. Those that have their VAX-cert get in the faster line, no?
We bought our advance tix, for that there were perks: you get in,
you picked a better seat, you're not standing in line at the box office,
you're in line, your tix on your phone and poof in ya go. Win-win.
So now some see this Vax-cert as a perk. Not all can do, not all will do
it, but not all get into sold out shows either. You play your role as the
responsible consumer and you get the benefits.

This Certification idea(s) will also help backstage as well, for all the
obvious common sense reasons, number one being to keep the artists
healthy. No artists, no shows. A simple part of the live event equation, no?

Bob Dlyan told us years ago, the times are a changing. Times for now are
in a change, how long is only up to mother nature. She may have found a
way to tell us humans to slow down, shut up, pay attention to a few things
for the betterment of ALL of us. Pushing a reset button works at times.
The BFH tool, never really works. Thanks for keeping us all thinking,
talking and trying to figure stuff out.

Sincerely,
Mark O'Shea
The Elevation Group

_______________________________

Never before have I wished more that this email was your annual April fools joke. Alas, this isn't funny and really is about to become our new "new normal". Keep safe, Bob.

Theo Aronson

_______________________________

Oh shit - this was an actual real Lefsetz Letter?? I swear about half way through reading it I started laughing because I was positive that it was an April Fools post. I love and miss my country, but I'm pretty happy to be down here in Australia away from the lunacy currently going on in the US.

-Gregg Bell



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Re-Vaccine Passports

YOU VOTED FOR THIS. STOP WHINING.

Carlo Riverso

_______________________________________

Thanks for this information.
NY has an "Excelsior Pass" with a QR code.
I have mine.
I received a Live Nation update yesterday (March 31) moving a twice moved 2020 James Taylor-Jackson Browne show at Jones Beach from July 10 to August 27.
As for the Infrastructure bill, what I am hearing is White House hopes for passage around Independence Day.
Until I received your email, no knowledge of this passport collusion scheme involving AEG & LiveNation.
I am passing on your email to folks at NYS Attorney General's office and in Congress.
Best.
-Corey Bearak

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Are people really surprised by this after 911 gave us the patriot act and airport security?

Now a virus will give us vaccine passports and who knows what else.

Todd Fernandez

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Come on " These states are open for business, they don't care if you die at a show, you took the risk, don't ask the government to protect you."
Take responsibility for yourself and if you are health compromised stay home. I can't believe you are going to give up your freedoms with a tracking vaccine passport for a vaccine does not provide immunity!
Mick Barlament

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There will be many who wont take it for religious reasons. Many people wont use they are Republican Trumpers who think life is ' fake news' unless its a full stroke of the dick for them!

Thing its Bob.. there's no way around it or live biz will never return.
Yes.. the mark of the beast is on us.

Check out what China is up to and was 2 years ago when I was there working. Full face recognition cameras everywhere !

One of our drummers Gregg Bissonette had a friend in Shanghai and they were walking down the street and Gregg mentions Chairman Mao and both their phones turned off for 2 days. Others includes -no lights- no credit card to buy food- cant get a flight or gas no one to call to bitch about it and they turn it back on when they think you learned your lesson and ... its coming here. Alexa and all that shit is admissible in court so this all makes Orwell child's play.

Thats what makes the timing of this virus dodgy to me. But .. I will take the shots and pray I dont get ' dead arm' ( bad for guitar players) or worse .. the growth of a 2nd penis and Lord knows the first one got me into enough trouble in my life.

Then if only less than half the people take the virus will it work? You CAN still get it after the shots! Much less likely but...This is not exact science. This is panic science. 'Hurry UP' !!!

Praying it works like charm and all paranoia is for naught. Just keep an eye on patient one with the Vaccine. HOW is HE ( or she) doing???

Be a good time for Jesus AND the Aliens to come. lol

Steve Lukather

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A vaccine passport! Hitler would approve. These are YOUR guys, Bob. You asked "WHERE IS THE GOVERNMENT?" Right here!

The people who cried "Keep the government out of our bedrooms!" are saying "Let's track them! Let's make a database!"

Fascists.

Jim Edmonston

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Hi Bob, from a fan who understands science and the public health aspect, I don't have a problem with this. The only way to achieve herd immunity is to break the threshold on numbers vaccinated and if people need to be incentivized (call it bribed if you want), fine. It will protect the artists as well as the venue workers and touring staff. Best part for the fans, if someone won't do their part to protect other people, they are probably the same person who pushes their way to the front and talks during the quiet parts of a song.

Leigh Caputo

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I got my last dose yesterday.

I laminated a photo copy of my paper card and took a picture of it. If the evidence they require is that paper card I am pretty sure there will be a whole underworld of counter fit Covid Cards. You just need whiteout or photoshop.

If you really want to go to a show unvaccinated there will be a way. Personally why take that risk but hey the microchip I recieved feels pretty great. And now they can track us without our phones. Amazing and they just needed to kill 550K in a year to do it.

Adam Bauer

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Trump followers were the ones that were railing against this. your Man Biden is The strawman who doesn't have a single thought of his own is being run by Facebook, Zuckerberg, Bezos, the 1%
too bad you didn't see that coming - you voted it in.
Trump supporters weren't stupid they just believe in freedom. your side is for government & the 1% running everything. Slowly you Democrats will come around and start to see that you made this world what it is.

Marjorie Weir

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Don't worry your pretty little head about it Bob, you can't affect change on something this big. Michael and the braintrust in live music world will get it sorted and then let us know how it will be mandated. And as far as the Toxic twins and Santos are concerned, fuck them, this is way above their pay-grade and yours.

Olie Kornelsen

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An absolutely spot on analysis. As a musician and producer with friends we both know who need those arena show gigs to pay their own bills after a year of no touring income.. this is gonna suck. I guess we have to thank Irving Azoff, Clive Davis, and their greedy ass buddies for this one. They are probably insider trading on this right now with their wall street brokers in bed with Trump and other "special"
Entitled white Americans. But hey, the Trumpers In Nashville are gonna blame this hot mess on Biden not a predictable scientific phenomenon called a pandemic that Trump not only ignored bit took down the infrastructure others had created to deal with the inevitably of nature attacking man to thin the herd.

Keep up the good fight for the rest of us.

Zannman in Minneapolis

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My dad keeps talking about a passport as if it's something that's going to be easy because....."they have to be keeping track of who's getting the shot". I say, dad, they hand you a physical card, there's no central database of anything involving who's betting a shot. You have tens of thousands of places giving shots and there's zero way any of its trackable. Not to mention HIPA. You can't ask people their medical status correct? All of a sudden that goes out the window?

Oh the slip side, how about the anti abortion people, who want laws passed to call abortion murder. But on the flip side, stay away from my guns and how dare you make me get a vaccination.

Yea, that's about it.

Jared Polin

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Bob, I really admire your consistency. These vaccine passports are a half-baked idea at best.

What I want to point out is the arrogant hypocrisy of BOTH the Democrates and the Republicans...well politicians in general.

Democrats want every American to have the vaccine passport; Republicans don't. Republicans want every American to have a National voting/Federal ID card; Democrats don't. If this should be done or not is an issue I won't go into. However, pols are hypocrites, the lot of 'em...Do both or don't. Not do one and don't do the other.

As I said, at least you are consistent in your views.

Matt Grandi

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SUCH BULLSHIT! I'll keep my ass home. I'm not supporting that system.

Amanda Freedman

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Not going to bother to read. Just still waiting on ONE response to the obvious legit question: Are you statists going to mandate them into voting booths or no?
Because clearly if you are you're being racists (at least that's what you've said historically when we suggest Voter I.D.). And if you aren't then you're just admitting that this was never about the virus.
So, which silly answer do you subscribe to preposition mine? Hmmm?

Sincerely,
Extremely Sincerely (because this leftism has GOT to be exposed!),
Brian Mitchell

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Going to a concert is the least of my worries if a vaccine passport takes hold. It's just a back door to replicate China's "social score" system.

Andrew Bleke
Atlanta, GA

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I understand your concerns on the logistics of the Vaccine Pasaports,cel phones and all,but BEING CONTROLLED??
If you've lived in the Planet, for let's say, since the beginning of the Century, you MUST know we're already controlled . Banks, Amazon, Facebook, credit cards,Cel phones,,. etc.. they have all they need.The VP is just one
mote stripe on the tiger's back... and I welcome it.
It will allow us to travel,be around " healthy" humans and be able to lead a more" normal" life .. and what's the big deal ? We have to show ID's for lots of things... not to mention our regular passports when we travel.
If your concern in reselling tickets.. it's the buyers responsibility to be able to produce" proof of vaccination ", as when you sell a car, for example, where it is not your concern if he or she has a Driving license, or knows how to drive for that matter.
Si let's concern ourselves with REAL problems, like those mourning their lost ones, or facing secondary effects, or suffering financial hardships product of this pandemic.

Paul Ehrlich

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I find that I'm hit or miss on how often I agree with your take on things - but on this one about requiring vaccine passports I am 100% in agreement with your take on this. Personally, I am not going to get an experimental drug put in my body, especially when I have already had Covid and came through it quite well and now have the anitbodies. That is a personal health decision, not any political decision. But, my philosophy is to each their own, and I respect those that decide they should get the vaccine for themselves. That is what personal freedom, and personal choice, is all about - what our country was founded upon. We are constantly wiping out free speech now, censorship, cancel culture running rabid, and now we are being coerced as promoters to take part in forcing an experimental drug on our citizens as the only way they will be allowed to participate in any of America's freedoms and commerce. That is unthinkable. Imagine all the parents out there who aren't comfortable with their kids getting an experimental vaccine and yet the coercion put on these kids to have to get the shot in order to join their friends at a concert. I will certainly not be participating in something so morally corrupt. You won't find enforcing vaccine passports at my events, and if it is forced on me by the industry, well I still have a choice to walk away from the industry to save my self-respect.

Paul Thornton

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I had to cancel 2 mega-festivals in Europe last year because of Covid. While it hurt I was glad to do it. That's because my first responsibility as a promoter is the safety of my audience and their families and neighbors. By definition we concert promoters organize events that are potential super-spreaders. I certainly had planned to require some kind of vaccine passport in the future. While, for obvious economic reasons, I'm not happy with Michael's and Anschuetz' dominance of the concert touring business, their requirement of vaccine passports in order to attend events is the responsible thing to do.

Kind Regards,

Michael Fisher

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You're sounding like a Republican all of a sudden Bob. You're freedom...

Danny Jay

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THIS IS GREAT CONVO!!!!

THEY'LL ALL SEE THIS THREAD AND NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!

Corneilio Austin

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Welcome to the Harris-Biden-CCP Amerika.

Sheryl Peterson

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This is far bigger than concerts! To say it's unAmerican is an understatement! This is akin ro the social scoring system of the CCP and we'll NEVER come back from it, Bob. https://youtu.be/pWoDbGNt4wg

Alicin Christensen

_______________________________________

You actually said if people go to shows unvaccinated they could die at the show.

First off the vaccine doesn't even prevent infection!

You don't trust Apple to keep your information private? But you Trust any one of these three Vaccine manufacturers...Pfizer (whose dished out Billions in wrongful death and medical injury lawsuits? Moderna, a company whose never got a vaccine approved to market (this MRNA shot is not fully approved by the FDA) or J&J who had to pull all their baby powder due to asbestos? I mean c'mon man if you can't see this is an Agenda to further control people's lives then your deserve to lose your freedom over a disease with a 99+% survival rate. Oh and where did the Flu go this year? The media tells us it's done 98% ha — complete mockery!

Mark N. Foley

_______________________________________

wtf Bob are u an anti vaxer!? Get the fucking vaccine! Everyone should be vaccinated. Selfish ignorant assholes too!

Owen

_______________________________________

The business world has concerts too; they are called Tradeshows. All of the Tradeshow hawkers are pushing their Q3 and Q4 2021 shows like it was 1999. We have major countries in lockdown, and they just ignore that. We have spikes across the USA, they ignore that too. We have killer variants and undefined vaccine efficacies. All ignored to make a buck. Will the airlines and rideshares require passports ? Will the Tradeshows require them? Are the hospitals prepared for the return-to-work parade ? Will employers excuse their workers with preexisting conditions who are afraid to stand in a booth with the masses? There will be more tussles with freedom fighters and Karen's on airplanes, groceries and no doubt in the convention centers too. This is far from over.

Micah Sheveloff

_______________________________________

Bob - I don't think that LiveNation and AEG, or anyone else should be developing Vaccine Passports.
This is a very frightening slippery slope towards total government control and lack of personal privacy. Historically, viruses tend to disappear after a couple of years (as with the SARs virus.). Are we going to put a new intrusive system in place now…that won't be needed, maybe even next year….just to start concerts a little earlier? We are supposed to live in a country where you are free to go anywhere at any time. Are we going to create a "caste" system? Are we going back to East Germany - "In order for you to pass - you must show me your papers?" That is really frightening.
And what is next - you can't go somewhere because you don't have your flu shot…your shingles vaccine…or some other point in your medical history that is now in the hands of the government?
After 911 we lost a lot of freedoms in our country. This Covid epidemic will pass…and we will be back to normal at some point in time. We need to be very careful, that we also don't lose our Constitutional rights to privacy and freedom at the same time. Vaccine Passports are the first step in a movement towards a real 1984 Orwellian Society. Wear masks, social distance, get the vaccine if you wish, and let herd immunity build….as it has done with every other virus in our history.

Thomas Earl

_______________________________________

We can't have vaccine passports soon enough as far as I concerned. They will be our ticket to normalcy again.

Actually, *vaccine passport* is a bad term. Vaccination certification (or verification) would be better. Better yet, in Israel (which is leading the world in vaccination) it's called a Green Pass. There are some businesses, like restaurants, gyms, cruise ships, movie theaters, ... and, yes, concerts, that will never be able to fully recover until people feel safe returning to them. My wife and I haven't dined indoors at a restaurant or gone to a gym or movie theater or concert in over a year. To reassure their customers (and employees), businesses may want to require that their customers be vaccinated. It's entirely up to them. Governors ordering *reopening* doesn't mean customers will return if they don't feel safe. Last year air travel had fallen by something like 90% before any government restrictions were put in place. The NBA put its season on hold before the first state restrictions on public gatherings. Everyone is free to fly these days. But they aren't.

By summer, it should be possible for everyone who wants to get vaccinated to do so. (I got my second Moderna shot on Tuesday.) Some form of vaccination certification that can't be faked would be of great utility. Let the free market flourish. If cruise ship operators want to operate fully vaccinated cruises, let them do it. If the anti-vaxxers want to do their own thing, go for it. ("We'll always have Sturgis ??.") A Green Pass would allow people to make those choices. I know a couple of prominent restauranteurs who are desperate for some form of vaccination certification. For them, it means FREEDOM ... from bankruptcy.

Privacy concerns are bogus. Businesses don't get your health records. It's binary - you have or haven't been vaccinated. Green light, red light. That requires some kind of trusted third party. Ideally, that would be the federal government, but our anti-government ideology runs so deep in this country, we're hobbled from doing anything like that. It will probably have to be some private sector initiative.

The choice isn't between returning to normal with a Green Pass or without a Green Pass. It's between staying stuck in this zombieland or opening back up safely. I can't wait to get back into a packed, sweaty rock club. But I won't be going unless the club requires vaccination and has a means of enforcing it. If someone doesn't want to get vaccinated, they can go to a Ted Nugent concert.

It's disappointing to see you lining up with the Majorie Taylor Greene's and Ron DeSantis's of this world. I'm glad we don't have to worry about smallpox or polio anymore. I look forward to not having to worry about covid.

Russ Daggatt

_______________________________________

Everyone should be safe and should get vaccinated.

Freedom comes with responsibility as the saying goes. Those republican numb-nuts who still think the virus is hoax, clearly never read the memo that in order to live free they need to exercise responsibility and that means among other things, not exposing friends, family and the public to any viruses they happen to be infected with.

Conceptually, the idea of vaccine passports makes sense. But bigger thinkers than us mere mortals need to work out the logistics to be fair to everyone who exercises responsibility.

The hoops and 'insider trading' that AEG and Live Nation put in place are symptomatic of the arcane and crappy backend systems they have in place for ticket distribution. And Tickmaster's ticketing system is 'F*@king Crap' and has been for 40 years. It's the reason I don't go to concerts that much anymore: 45 minute processing waits on Ticketmaster just to get dropped and then have to go to the back of the line to start all over again: Exhibit A: the 'Adele' online ticket experience in New York.

Your piece on vaccine passports aggravates a deep, festering scab that many concert goers carry with them when it comes to the concert ticketing experience and what follows. There are so many issues to untangle and unpack here. But the big headline is that AEG and Live Nation are NOT in the business of propagating safe live music performances. I'd love to be a 'fly on the wall' at a brand purpose workshop or purpose discussion at these organizations and hear them tie themselves up in knots as they try to hammer out a consumer-driven brand purpose statement. They could start with the concept of 'frictionless'.

There again, they're not the type of organizations that would ever take that step or think that way.

Cheers

andy jones

_______________________________________

i don't know why i'm responding, you think i'm an asshat and you won't read this. maybe i'l write it to get it off my chest and save it to have on hand for others.

bob, your right but you missed the point.

this is COMPLETELY FUCKING WRONG on a million levels

as a jew this should really fuck with you.

"papers please"

instead of a star on your arm you get a app on your phone

ARE PEOPLE REALLY THIS FUCKING DUMB?!?!?!?

they'r creating two classes of citizens.
people who wanna take part in a medical experiment and those who don't.
"them" and us.
"they'r" not like us....we'r better then "them"

and the same people still get all insulted by racism and segregation.
fucking hypocritical assholes.

i know you think i'm a piece of shit "conspiracy" guy because i dare to question vaccines but fuck you very much anyway.
if ya wanna find out who rules over you just find out who you'r not allowed to question.

if you wanna go along with the herd and say stupid shit all the time like "speak truth to power" that's fine but when shit gets weird and billionaires and government get pushy you better have the balls to ask REAL questions and push back or else shut the fuck up bob lefsetz.

traditional vaccines have countless problems. there are plenty of documentaries and books on this topic. get educated.

if you don't wanna ask tough questions that's fine, maybe it's not in your nature, maybe you'r heavily fluoridated and brainwashed, which is fine, you'r not alone.

me? i'd rather have questions that cant be answered then answers that can't be questioned.

and questions about this CV vax are not allowed to be asked.

that's what we have here with this ridiculous 1984 nightmare we'r living through because more people who COULD stand up DONT because they'r too afraid or too complacent.
people wonder how the nazi's got so far...as they roll up their sleeves and do what they'r told. it's happening right in front of you. THIS is how it happens.

for starters, for the rookies, for the love of god, this is NOT a fucking vaccine!
it's a gene tool.

as set forth by the US center for disease control and prevention a "vaccine" is defined as;
"a product that stimulates a persons immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from the disease "
"immunity" is defined as protection from an infection or disease. Which means that if a person is immune they can be exposed to a disease and they will not develop an infection from it.

GOT IT?!?!?

these shots were never even tested to do that and both pfizer and moderna state this CLEARLY!!!!!!!!

it's NOT A VACCINE!!!
That's why you still have to wear a fucking mask, fucking gloves and fucking socially distance even after you get the shot. they were not tested to stop transmission. they were tested to reduce symptoms. mild to moderate symptoms. that's it.

but paid actors in the media still call it a vaccine and the lie continues to be sold because most, including you, are too clueless to question the TV or the newspaper.

it's an experimental gene tool.
the FDA currently considers mRNA technology to be "gene therapy".
and experimental gene therapy at that.
look at moderna's SEC filing. it clearly states that this is a gene therapy.

now, i'm supposed to participate in gene therapy so i can go hear roger daltry sing "won't get fooled again"?!?!

i'm supposed to volunteer in a medical experiment so i'm PERMITTED to go see damien marley sing "get up stand up"?!?!

all for a product that was rushed through with a name as utterly moronic as "operation warp speed" !?!
Is this a stupid fucking joke for idiots and retards?

this shot is not even approved by the FDA!
It's only authorized by a bureaucratic act.

The human trials won't be over until 2023 and I'm supposed to "trust" the government and the pharmaceutical companies and participate in this experiment now so I can go see music?!

wait a minute, aren't these the same companies that have paid out billions of dollars in damages for their other failed products, falsified safety studies and suppressed known problems and side effects?

YES!!

And isn't this the same government that's constantly lying to the people, coercing the masses and involved in scandal after scandal because of lies, collusion, crony capitalism, and good old fashion incompetence?!?!

YES!!!

what if something goes wrong and I have an adverse reaction? What if it happens in a few years from now and I come down with some weird problem with my DNA or some new unidentified auto immune disease? what if thousands of others like me get it and we find out the companies knew all along.....can we file class action suit like all the commercials on tv?

NO!!

oh that's right, everyone involved is completely protected from liability.
hmmm...is that good incentive to make a safe product?

I cant sue the manufacturer of the shot, I cannot sue the doctor, I cannot sue the venue, I cannot sue the government, I can't fucking sue anyone if anything goes wrong.

Can you think of anyone else less trustworthy to be in charge of your health then the fucking government?!?!
paired with a multi trillion dollar corporation KNOWN FOR DECEIT AND FAILED PRODUCTS??!!!

Are people out of their fucking minds?
does the Nuremberg code mean anything to anyone?!?

You'd have to have your head completely removed from your body and stuffed all the way up your ass to actually think this is a good idea

so now you have a shot that's so safe people have to be coerced to take it for a disease that's so deadly you have to be tested to know if you have it.

these are the obvious facts. Nothing that I'm saying should be considered controversial.

these are an academic set of facts that I just laid out in front of you, but i will still be seen as a tin foil hat asshole who doesn't trust the government because i'm a "conspiracy theorist".

i love that govt and pharma have a history of fraud, lies and deception and negligence and now it'a a "theory" that they might do it again.
people are so stupid.

well maybe i am wearing a tin hat but at least I won't be a mutant in a coffin.

this is only happening because people tolerate it and refuse to ask TOUGH questions and demand answers.

I am speaking truth to power!! and i'm in good company.
pete seeger and woody guthrie would be RIGHT HERE WITH ME!!!

i'm ashamed to even be associated with live music. this is a dark day.

this was never about a virus. this is about power, technocracy, control and the great reset.
we'r fucked and few are paying attention.
and that's how it happens. maybe they'l let me keep my harmonica when i get to the concentration camp.

Jeremy Backofen

_______________________________________

Wishing this was an April fool's post!

Joe Kramer

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