I’ve been watching the Monday Metallica live-streaming concerts these past months and I’ve noticed something about them that explains why they’ve sold out concerts over the decades: fan service. At the open of every concert, James Hetfield welcomes everyone to show and to the Metallica family. And you know what? I believe he’s sincere.
Not only does my bullshit meter detector not go off when he says it, the band’s actions back him up. They’ve developed over the years where now there are concerts where the fans vote on the set list, stay on stage for the entire show, announce the next song, bang on Lars’ drum kit, and strum riffs on James’ guitar. There are crowd sing-alongs of course. This goes beyond the fan experience of lasers and pyrotechnics, the band is actively forging personal relationships, because each fan sees themselves participating even when they’re not one of the lucky few with a stage pass. In other words, fan service.
The Monday Metallica streams are also fan service. By showing concerts from the late 90s up until a few years ago you can follow their history and evolution, not only in their musical performance and style but also their kit and stagecraft. You begin building them up in your mind as characters. For example, Kirk’s guitars pay homage to classic movie monsters and Bela Lugosi, whereas Robert’s basses are grungy and some look like they’ve been through a house fire. Lars switches to his signature black drumsticks around 2000 (and hands them out to the crowd after each show), while James has stuck with the angled arrow and explorer-style guitars through the decades. These details give each member a unique style and look and when added with their stage-personalities, give even a casual fan a sense of who these guys are. I can imagine that if they piled into a diner booth for breakfast, Lars would order pancakes, James gets eggs and bacon, Robert asks for a skillet scramble, and Kirk settles on an omelette but he’s secretly wishing for avocado toast.
So what? (easter egg reference for you Metallica fans) I can play a little bass and sing with the music turned way up, but I’m no musician though I am in the business of entertaining. I try to write stories that move fast, fill your head up with big ideas, and hide easter eggs hoping that you’ll find them and feel smarter for it. I’m also trying to do better and come up with more ways I can welcome in new readers while still sliding something in for all of you who’ve been in from the start. So in my equivalent of inviting you on stage, I want you to help me write my next story. What characters or ideas have you enjoyed? Are there things in the Badlands Born series you want to know more about? Send me an email and let’s talk.
There is a dark side to fan service, but I’ll talk more about that next time…
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This book caught my eye and I thought I’d share it with you. Strong female that solves murders in Texas with a foul-mouthed sidekick? Hell yeah!
From Amazon:
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