The MTV News office is located right in the heart of Times Square in New York City. In fact, we're right on top of a top-shelf live music venue called the Nokia Theater, so we're often privy to large crowds of fans who gather to wait in line and catch glimpses of their favorite bands loading in. Today is a terrible day in New York. It's cold and it's raining with more of the same to come. But that didn't stop the hardest of hardcores from gathering to wait outside the venue for a prime spot once the doors open.
Of course, we're talking about fans of Hanson, and MTV News' Jim Cantiello hit the street to find out what makes these people tick and find out exactly how far they were willing to go for the band that gave us "MMMBop." What he found was a pack of devoted but completely organized and genial devotees. They organize themselves based on how early each one arrives at the venue, compare Hanson-related tattoos and occasionally travel great distances just to see them play (Jim ran into a woman from Israel who made the flight for the show, while another trio of fans hailed from Brazil).
But which member of Hanson is the heartthrob? The crowd was split pretty evenly among the three, with frontman Taylor possibly edging out his other two brothers. But make no mistake about it: Hanson still know how to draw a crowd, and they have channeled that devotion into something truly positive. In every city where they play, the brothers recruit fans to take a walk with them and donate a dollar to AIDS research for every person who takes the walk with them (drummer Zac has the flu and had to miss today's trek).
By Steven Roberts and Chris Smith
When New Moon Director Chris Weitz announced that Radiohead front-man Thom Yorke and Bon Iver front-man Justin Vernon had both written songs for the upcoming film's soundtrack, fans of "Twilight" and of each respective artist probably raised their eyebrows and let out a collective "whaaaa?" "whoooo?." Well, since we're here at Lollapalooza, we thought we would head on over to the stage where Bon Iver was set to perform and ask a few hardcore fans about the collaboration; and hardcore was exactly what we found considering the pouring rain on site during their set.
"It'd make me buy the soundtrack because I love Bon Iver," mused one drenched-fan. "It'll bring the crowd here into it, because I don't think many fans of Bon Iver would be fans of Twilight," added another.
But many didn't hesitate to question the motivations of the fresh-faced indie-folk act. Calls of "sell-outs" were even heard, but generally, the idea that "a bands gotta do what they gotta do to get exposure," seemed to be the resounding sound bite floated amongst the drenched fans. While they may not like the fact that the small band they adore is about to blow up big, at least they can take solace that they were fans first.
And isn't that what it's all about when it comes to being a fan?
Oh yeah, and what about the actual Bon Iver show at Lolla? It was pretty sweet. The cold rain made us feel like we’d all been bitten by vampires; luckily, Justin’s campfire crooning kept the crowd warm. Bring on the "New Moon" soundtrack.
CHICAGO -- The fans in the front of the line at Lollapalooza's official start came from far and wide to land a choice spot for their favorite artists at one of North America's premiere music festivals. Oregon, Maine, London, Texas, Ontario, and France were just a few of the locales we saw represented up front, but the very front of the line was manned by two Depeche Mode superfans who came three hundred miles in order to stake out a spot right up front and they didn't plan on moving away from the main stage where DM was set to play all day long.
But they weren't the only pair brought to Grant Park by their love of the famous goth-rockers; just a little further back in line, a coed duo had just made acquaintances over their love of '80s legends Depeche Mode (and fellow '80s stalwarts Morrissey and The Cure), and they planned to buddy up in order to make it through their whole day parked in front of the main stage waiting for their faves to close out the night's festivities.
Kings of Leon proved to be the other crowd favorite in Friday's line-up, with every non-Depeche Mode fan in the crowd citing the now-superstar rockers as the band to see (DM and KOL play head to head against each other tonight on separate stages - should be interesting to see who draws the bigger crowd). Hipstery bands were also represented by the more fashionable types - with Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists all getting call-outs from the crowd.
Unfortunately, as the fans rushed in, so did the bad weather. It got dreary right as the music got right underway, and has been raining steadily since - setting up for a cool and relaxing day in front of the Chicago skyline.
The Michael Jackson memorial service was three weeks ago, but the size and scope of the event is still being felt and experienced within the pop icon's massive community of fans. One of their destinations? Your.MTV.com, where Jackson devotees have posted numerous pictures and stories about the outpouring of support in the wake of Jackson's death.
User HKCF2G spent time at the Apollo Theater, which transformed into a Michael Jackson memorial site within hours of the news of his passing. As the photos show, there was a memorial wall set up with hundreds (if not thousands) of signatures and remembrances.
Of course, there were plenty more tributes out in Los Angeles around Jackson's Neverland Ranch, the Jackson family compound and the Staples Center. Read more...
By Nicole Guanlao
When it comes to image and musical style, Britney Spears and Marilyn Manson are on opposite ends of the spectrum. One is a pop princess who made her mark as a dancing schoolgirl in " ... Baby One More Time," while the other is a shock rocker who wears makeup and creepy contact lenses.
A duet from these two would be odd and unlikely (which makes it genius!), but thanks to the Circus tour, Brit's fans got pretty close to a Manson/Spears collaboration. During the concert, a video pops up on the jumbo screen of Miss Spears gyrating on a set of couches with masked men and women caressing her as she sings along to Manson's cover of the Eurythmics classic "Sweet Dreams." The dark rocker can't be seen in the video, but his voice and aesthetic influence are recognizable.
Some of Manson's videos can make Spears' younger supporters a little scared (remember the video for "Beautiful People"?!), which begs the question: Do the screaming fans in Spears' concerts even know who Marilyn Manson is and that he's the artist singing in the background?
To my surprise, many of the fans we spoke to at Brit's Pittsburgh concert knew all about Manson and his "Sweet Dreams" rendition. They were even stoked that their favorite pop star was incorporating it into her act.
Read more...
Lollapalooza may be a massive festival that draws people from all over the country, but in a lot of ways it belongs to the city that hosts it. What was once a traveling rock caravan has become a fixture here, occupying the entirety of Grant Park and then some, right on the shores of Lake Michigan, and surrounded by the city skyline including the iconic John Hancock building.
Hometown pride is in evidence all around, from the Cubs gear everywhere you turn (first place, is this the year?) to the t-shirts representing for a hometown hero who has captured the attention of the world and may soon capture the White House. And of course, to the Chicago musicians - Kanye, Lupe, Cool Kids, Wilco and a certain irresistible young woman named Kid Sister. With a debut album out, having just finished an energetic midday set, and looking great in a bright purple dress, she made her way with us to the middle of the park, to a landmark, Buckingham Fountain, where she bonded with some fans and we got a first hand taste of Windy City pride.
(By Sarah Muller)
For twentysomething Germans, the love might not extend past the Hoff.
Three friends from Hamburg recently came to New York for a visit. (Lovely bunch of people. Very open-minded, always up for anything.) One night during dinner — and somewhat out of the blue — their chief pop-culture export of the moment came up: Tokio Hotel.
On this side of the Atlantic, the boy band has been gathering both
buzz and rabid, tween young fans. (Hey, we already apologized for that one!) But my friends aren't buying into the hair, the eyeliner or the hype.
Words like "embarrassment" and "lame" were thrown around a lot. One woman said Tokio Hotel only appeal to "kids and teenagers between 6 and 12 years old" or those "too young to realize what kind of stupid phonies these boys are." My guy friend begged Americans like myself to "take them off our hands." He added, simply, "They suck."
Read more...
