Thanks to a large and frightening bridge collapse in Minnesota the last post about car wreck songs suddenly seems cruel and heartless. I do have a soul, and I wish those injured a speedy recovery, and I pray comfort for the families of the deceased.
At least the theme wasn't 'novelty tunes about falling concrete.' At least.
The collapse occurred shortly before a Royals and Twins game at the nearby Metrodome. Rather than canceling the game as they often do in the wake of tragedy, they opted to go ahead and play, figuring that if they axed the game then that would put thousands of people back on the highways, and that's exactly what the emergency first-responders didn't need at that moment.
I've always thought it would be a very surreal thing to participate in a sporting event immediately following a tragedy. It doesn't happen too often -- the Cardinals, after the mid-season deaths of Darryl Kile in 2002 and Josh Hancock this past April, canceled the next scheduled games. Naturally all of sports was shut down after September 11th, 2001. But how do you feel when you have to play the game in light of something far more important than home runs or three-pointers or touchdowns? Do you relegate yourself to cruise-control, or do you play with more emotion than you've ever played in your life?
Somehow this doesn't really apply to musical performances. "The show must go on." Dedicate the set to families of victims, then play the set, then do it again the next night. Only laryngitis can stand in the way of a killer show. Some bigger artists might be inclinded to cancel a show after a location-specific tragedy, or a tour after a nation-wide one. But hit the clubs the day after -- the day of-- and there's the band, maybe a little more self-conconscious than before, but still up there on stage singing songs and communicating with the crowd.
I'm not harping on musicians... music and sports are two completely different businesses. It's just interesting to compare how the members of each react to certain situations. If anything, it's probably a better thing for musicians to be more resilient in the face of devastation. Music, be it as an artform or just a distraction, resounds deeper with humans than sports. And as important as sports is, a game-tying double suddenly seems petty when a recent tragedy is on the minds of everybody. Music, however, is the soundtrack to our souls.
Leonard Cohen - "If It Be Your Will"
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DISCLAIMER!
This is a music blog, and frequently I will post .mp3s to songs I feel deserve audible attention. If you are a musical artist or a member or representative of a band and object to a particular song posting, kindly let me know (either in comments or at soulbait77 AT hotmail DOT com) and I will remove the offending .mp3 post-haste.
I post music with only the best intentions, that being to share and popularize music that might otherwise remain unheard. I encourage any reader after sampling a piece of enjoyable music to support that particular artist by purchasing their merchandise and/or attending their concerts.
This is a music blog, and frequently I will post .mp3s to songs I feel deserve audible attention. If you are a musical artist or a member or representative of a band and object to a particular song posting, kindly let me know (either in comments or at soulbait77 AT hotmail DOT com) and I will remove the offending .mp3 post-haste.
I post music with only the best intentions, that being to share and popularize music that might otherwise remain unheard. I encourage any reader after sampling a piece of enjoyable music to support that particular artist by purchasing their merchandise and/or attending their concerts.