Entertainment
Alan Cross says it’s time to bring back matinee concerts – National | Globalnews.ca
Matinees (usually as part of a doubleheader) were common back then. All the early rock pioneers — Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Rolling Stones, The Who et al — did them. It was exhausting for the act but the effort made good business sense. Not only did the scheduling of a matinee double a fan’s chances of being able to see a show, but if you were too young to go out at night, there was a chance your parents would let you attend an afternoon show.
Matinee concerts continued for years. I recall in the 1990s when some bands insisted on playing an early all-ages show followed by a licensed event in the evening. Punk bands were especially good at serving their younger demo with early sets. It was a great way to satisfy both the adults (who could avail themselves of the bar) and the kids (and the venue didn’t have to worry about underage drinking because the bar was closed to alcohol sales).
But as the rock business matured, afternoon performances slowly disappeared. Today, they’re all but gone. Unless you’re at a festival, it’s extremely rare to find an artist who’s willing to play an afternoon slot.
This is unfortunate because these days, it’s not just underage kids who want shows at that time of the day but also a growing number of adults.
Look, just because you’re on the lee side of 30 doesn’t mean you’ve given up on the live music experience. You’d love to see more shows but life always seems to get in the way. There are the kids, getting up for work the next morning, and the enormous scheduling conflicts.
And let’s be honest: After a certain age, you’re kinda tired of waiting until 10:30 pm on a Tuesday night for a band to hit the stage. Heck, I’m in bed most nights long before that.
By not catering to the demo that doesn’t want/can’t afford to be out late, artists and promoters are leaving a lot of money on the table. And let’s not forget that the older demos are the ones with more money to spend at shows.
There are two solutions. First, gigs could start earlier. Rather than heading home or killing time before a show, people could go straight from work. If the lights were to go down at, say, 7 pm, everything could be done by 9:30. Everyone who has to get up in the morning can get to bed at a reasonable hour while those who want to continue the night still have hours before them. I know I’d see a lot more club shows if they started and finished earlier.
The second solution is to re-introduce matinees. Obviously, this isn’t practical on weekdays, but what about weekends? Hey, theatre productions have offered matinee performances for decades. A big, big chunk of professional sports are held in the afternoon. Casinos offer matinee performances. So why not big-name concerts? I’d be more inclined to see acts like Bruce Springsteen. Does the Boss want to play a five-hour show? Fantastic! Just start at 3 p.m. so I can be home to wind down before bed.
Jamie Lee Curtis recently ranted about the lack of matinees. Appearing on NBC’s Today show recently, she vented “Why are there no matinees? For instance, I love Coldplay. I would love to go see Coldplay. The problem is, I’m not going to go see Coldplay if they start their show at nine o’clock and there’s an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1 p.m. I think if we filled a stadium with people who want to see a matinee of Coldplay, I think we would start a trend.”
Love it. Instead of dinner and a show, it’s a show and dinner. Then it’s back home to dismiss the babysitter, play with the kids, deal with the dog, and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Not very rock’n’roll in a traditional sense, but I’m OK with that.
Sure, load-in/load-out procedures and touring schedules would have to be adjusted, but that’s not an insurmountable barrier. Where there’s money, there’s a way. And I’m sure many heritage acts — and there’s a growing number of them — would like to wrap up their day earlier, too.
I repeat: This has nothing to do with being old, infirm, crotchety, and not loving live music. It has everything to do with being practical and inclusive. The population is aging and society needs to adjust.
Who’s with me?
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Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for Global News.
Subscribe to Alan’s Ongoing History of New Music Podcast now on Apple Podcast or Google Play
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Entertainment
Queer photographer Evergon, witchy artists Fastwurms among Governor General winners | Globalnews.ca
Evergon, 77, said he was hopeful he’d receive one of the Artistic Achievement Awards eventually, but he’s “gobsmacked” that it’s actually happened.
Over the course of his career, which is now in its fifth decade, the artist born Albert Jay Lunt said he’s seen attitudes towards his work shift alongside the perception of the LGBTQ community.
“There’s pieces that were scandal 40 and 50 years ago, and there seems to be no scandal with those pieces at the moment,” he said in a phone interview ahead of Tuesday’s announcement.
“Matter of fact, there has been no scandal.”
A retrospective of the Montreal artist’s work is on display at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Quebec City. The museum describes his art as audacious and carnal, exploring issues of sexuality and the body as they intersect with identity.
His portfolio features photos of men that can veer towards the pornographic, including nude self-portraits.
He also created a series of nude photographs of his octogenarian mother, which the Musée national des beaux-arts says “renews the representation of the aging body as few artists have done.”
“She was the one challenging me: ‘I want the photos made of me now. I’m 80, I want them now,’” he recalled. “It was so fun to have them commissioned by her, as opposed to me whining: ‘Can we do this?’”
His mother died several years ago, he said, and he regrets that she’s not here to witness this recognition of his work.
Read more:
‘Being a brown woman, being queer’: B.C. illustrator uses art to express all of her identity
This year’s list of eight winners also includes David Garneau, who won the Outstanding Contribution Award.
His paintings and drawings speak to the experience of Indigenous men in North America and explores his own Metis identity and family history.
Meanwhile, Grace Nickel has won the Saidye Bronfman Award, which recognizes the best in fine crafts.
Nickel is a sculptor who renders natural forms in ceramics and porcelain as a way of exploring whether we can return to a natural life.
Also among the six winners of the Artistic Achievement Award is Fastwurms, a poly-disciplinary collective composed of Kim Kozzi and Dai Skuse. The duo, who are based out of Mulmur, Ont., invoke images of witches in their performance art and immersive installations.
Germaine Koh, who was Vancouver’s first engineering artist in residence and who describes herself as an artist-organizer, was also recognized with an award.
Tim Whiten, whose work explores the experience of BIPOC people, was honoured with an award for a career that spans back to the 1960s.
Filmmakers Shannon Walsh and Nettie Wild also received awards.
Walsh’s portfolio includes five feature-length documentary films on topics that include labour rights and climate change.
Wild’s documentaries, meanwhile, take viewers behind the scenes of revolutions and social change.
Each winner will receive a $25,000 prize.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
Entertainment
Jonathan Majors, Marvel and ‘Creed III’ actor, arrested on assault charge in New York – National | Globalnews.ca
New York City police said that Majors, star of the recently released Creed III and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, was involved in a domestic dispute with a 30-year-old woman. Police responded around 11 a.m. Saturday to a 911 call inside an apartment in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea.
“The victim informed police she was assaulted,” a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. “Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.”
A representative for Majors denied any wrongdoing by the actor.
“He has done nothing wrong,” the representative said in an email to the AP on Saturday. “We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”
On Sunday, a lawyer for Majors, Priya Chaudhry, came out more forcefully, saying Majors “is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows” and blamed the incident on the woman having “an emotional crisis.”
Chaudhry said there was evidence clearing Majors, including “video footage from the vehicle where this episode took place, witness testimony from the driver and others who both saw and heard the episode, and most importantly, two written statements from the woman recanting these allegations.”
An email seeking additional comment from the NYPD based on Chaudhry’s assertions was not immediately returned Sunday.
Majors was arraigned Sunday on a complaint involving misdemeanour charges for assault and aggravated harassment, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said. A judge ordered Majors released on his own recognizance on Saturday night with a limited order of protection. He was scheduled to appear in court on May 8.
In the meantime, the U.S. Army suspended its TV ad campaign featuring Majors that was intended to target younger audiences. The Army Enterprise Marketing Office said in a statement Sunday that the U.S. Army is “deeply concerned by the allegations surrounding his arrest.”
“While Mr. Majors is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pull our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete,” the office said in a statement.
Majors is one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood. After breaking through in 2019′s The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Majors has starred in Da 5 Bloods, The Harder They Fall and last year’s Devotion. He also stars in the recent Sundance Film Festival entry Magazine Dreams, which Searchlight Pictures is to release in December.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
Entertainment
Jeremy Renner posts video update on treadmill after snowplow injury – National | Globalnews.ca
The update, shared to Renner’s social media accounts, comes nearly three months after the actor was severely injured in a snowplow accident on Jan. 1, 2023.
“I now have to find OTHER things to occupy my time so my body can recover from my will,” Renner, 52, wrote on Twitter. He added the hashtags “#mindful #intended #recovery.”
In the 15-second clip, Renner is seen walking on a high-tech treadmill. He explains to another man next to him that the machine allows him to walk on “only 40 per cent of my weight.” He said the treadmill is similar to walking with a cane.
On his Instagram story, Renner shared the same video with the same caption.
Renner’s snowplow accident left the actor with more than 30 broken bones after he was crushed by a seven-ton PistenBully snowcat. He sustained “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries” and underwent multiple surgeries.
At the time of the accident, Renner was trying to prevent a family member from being hit by the snowplow. Though the family member was saved from injury, Renner was pulled under the vehicle and crushed.
Last week, Renner shared a photo of the PistenBully snowcat, which had previously been in police custody, returning to his Reno, Nev., home.
“She’s finally making her way home!” Renner wrote next to a prayer hand emoji.
Renner, who plays the sharpshooting Marvel superhero Hawkeye, currently stars in the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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