Monday, April 27, 2009

Once Again Sonic Youth Gives Omaha the Shaft on Its New Tour


All right, Kim, Lee, Thurston and Steve, I'm calling you out on this one. What the hell do you guys have against Omaha? It pains me to write anything critical of Sonic Youth because they are practically my favorite band, but this career-long streak of refusing to play here is ridiculous.

Now, I know what you're gonna say: "But didn't Sonic Youth open for Flaming Lips two years ago at the Casino?" Yeah, they did. Two points: 1) that was in Iowa 2) they were the opener. That doesn't count. It was an awesome show, to be sure, but 50 minutes is not enough to make up for 20-some years of being ignored.

Perhaps in the "old days" of the 80s and 90s, Omaha might not have been on the band's agenda for practical reasons (small audience, no cool radio, no good venues). But I know the members of SY have read a music magazine in the last decade or so, and therefore, they know that Omaha is a huge indie music town. They've heard of Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Faint, and Saddle Creek Records, right? Nowadays, everyone cool plays Omaha (have they seen the 1% website?). There are great new venues (Waiting Room, Slowdown) and there is a radio show that plays Sonic Youth every week (hosted by yours truly). There is no excuse.

But Pitchfork posted the dates for Sonic Youth's upcoming tour, and guess who got shafted again? Omaha, that's who.

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