You know what must suck? Going from sold out stadium shows to...

[johnnie]

...playing small bars. I have the radio on and they interviewed Tommy Shaw and they are playing The House of Blues here. Of course HOB isn't a small bar, but I have heard of so many of these people playing in these little dives around here and I figure that has to suck.
A few years back I remember Peter Chris of Kiss playing this bar i used to hang out in. It was just a corner bar with maybe a 100 person capacity. I wonder what it felt like going from being in a band like Kiss and playing sold out tours in the biggest stadiums to playing in a place that I didn't even take a gig at?
Another one I remember is when Foghat played this place out here called The Mining Company. It was this meat market dance club and I just had to laugh. They were once a pretty big band and they had to play this dance club.
It's funny in a way, but it's also a drag.

[swimmernsecretsea]

1. on the flip side...I recall reading about Tina Turner

How, due to contractual obligations, she went through the same mill, playing run-down places on stages that were actually dangerous to perform on. It was when she was trying to survive after her marriage was over.
When her album started to hit big and her career was revived, she suddenly was hot again but still had to fill out her contract. She did, though. All of those people who heard about her playing those dumps packed them up to get to see her again.
I haven't read any biographies, but this was something that was written up in Time Magazine.

[tridim]

2. Musicians with real talent need not worry about it

Tommy Shaw, Peter Criss and Foghat? Uhm.. IMO they deserve to play in crappy venues.

[johnnie]

4. Actually most of the talented ones never get to play the big places

But I was just talking about the feeling of going from these huge places to the dives, not if they deserve it or not.

[Left Is Write]

3. About 10-12 years ago, I was attending a radio and records conference

in Minneapolis. The "entertainment" for the gathering/registration time on Friday evening was Great White. Great White playing in the lobby of the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis.

[johnnie]

5. There ya go..lol

Isn't that the band that had that fire happen?

[Left Is Write]

11. Yep, the very same.

[bobbobbins]

6. My brother saw john prine play in a highschool auditorium

sometimes the greats just don't get the respect they deserve

[DebinTx]

7. Some like playing those small dives

I saw ACDC play at a small place here and they said that they like playing small venues to try out new songs or different ways of doing the old stuff. I'd rather see them in small venues - you can actually see, less crowds and mixed drinks.

[johnnie]

8. I know the Stones have done that also

It's probably not so bad when you have a choice to do it.

[Atlas Mugged]

12. I love seeing good bands in small venues

When the Stones tour they always do club gigs, and those are the most sought after tickets around.

[XNASA]

9. I can comment firsthand.

A band I was once in did play a few stadium shows. Although we were never the headliners, we did open up for a few huge acts.

I've played in front of 30,000. I've played at open mic nights in front of 10.

And honestly, I'd rather play in front of 10. But I'd never play in a reunion type setting at a small venue. That would suck.

[redqueen]

10. I think they're just happy to be making money and doing what they enjoy.

Actually I hate arena shows - much prefer smaller venues. Perhaps some artists feel the same way, and might actually enjoy being a little less popular and being able to play in a more intimate setting.

[Aiptasia]

13. The Rolling Stones always warm up for a tour by playing club dates

They make up a name and tour for about two weeks previous to their stadium tours by playing club dates. It isn't so unusual for headliners to play club dates from time to time.

It's a completely different experience to play in a more intimate club setting than in front of a stadium. You get more immediate feedback and crowd reaction in clubs for what you're playing and how your setlist effects the crowd as the show evolves.

I wouldn't consider it a bad thing that people's careers rise and fall like that. They should consider themselves lucky they can still tour and play some paying gigs on their past fame.

I know plenty of local musicians around here that lost their jobs to our bad economy and to Karaoke DJ's.

[johnnie]

14. I know a lot of people like to play smaller clubs

Especially after only playing large shows for a long period of time.
The problem is..for the most part, musicians have huge egos and for them to be knocked down to small bar status is probably a huge slap in the head for them.
I've known many "successful" musicians who have played large shows in front of thousands of people, but they did it as hired guns. They still play their small shows here and that's their job.

[greendog]

15. Some of best musicians never get big enough...

...to play those giant venues.

Think about Richard Thompson: He's a guitarist as innovative as Hendrix, one of the three or four best songwriters of the last 50 years, and a great live performer, yet most music fans have never heard of him.