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Jeff Hahne
Friday, February 3, 2012
Opinion / Jeff Hahne Will Madonna at the Super Bowl be the best or worst halftime we've seen?
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 2:54 PM
Everyone has a favorite and least favorite Super Bowl halftime performance — though none has truly been fantastic. For some, Janet Jackson's 2004 "Nipplegate" will forever be at the top of their list — good if you liked the sight of her exposed breast, bad if you think it ruined children's minds and the concept of nipple shields.
For others, The Who in 2010 was at the top of the bad list — though I didn't think it was horrible. I could have done without 1991's New Kids on the Block. I thought Prince gave it a good shot in 2007. I thought Black Eyed Peas last year were about as commercial as it could possibly get.
I think the halftime show is made out to be as far reaching and bland as possible, only cool to those who find their favorite songs/artists on Top 40 radio. No chance we'll ever see a Radiohead, Arcade Fire or My Morning Jacket on there. I even think Mumford & Sons would be too polarizing.
This year, we'll be "entertained" by Madonna, Nicki Minaj, MIA, Cee-Lo Green and LMFAO. OMFG. Yep, this one has the potential to be the worst we've seen. Madonna will sing "Vogue," she'll be joined by LMFAO for "Music" sing "Give Me All Your Luvin" with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. and she'll wrap it up with "Like A Prayer" with Cee-Lo. Yep, this Sunday's could be horrible.
For me, the moment when the Super Bowl Halftime performance truly "jumped the shark" was in 2001. The perfect blending of rock and commercial pop. Take a look:
From Justin Timberlake's funky chicken and running man dances to Britney Spears lip-synching and shaking her half-naked body into the hearts of teens everywhere... Nelly's rapping isn't in the same league as the collaboration of Aerosmith and Run DMC. The line dancing at the end and Spears/NSync trying to find some street cred. This one had to be the worst I've seen...
They've tried to redeem themselves with Prince, the Rolling Stones, The Who, but it's always far too commerical, cheesy and lip-synched to ever be as "cool" as you hope. It's always a solid debate, so, what's your least favorite?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Opinion / Jeff Hahne Don't expect a Britney Spears review...
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 12:36 PM
I've been asked a few times recently if I'm planning on reviewing the upcoming Britney Spears concert at Time Warner Cable Arena on Aug. 25. The answer is "no." And here's why...
She lip syncs. Yep, it's that simple. I don't care if she dances her ass off (which she doesn't anymore), the simple fact is that she doesn't sing live. It's one step above watching Milli Vanilli.
Spears has the audacity to charge her fans anywhere from $38 to more than $300 for a ticket and then simply dance around the stage and do some costume changes.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Opinion / Jeff Hahne Remembering Jerry Garcia
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 10:30 AM
On this day, Aug. 9, back in 1995, the music world lost one of its best with the death of Jerry Garcia and things haven't been the same since...
The Grateful Dead was a touring band and their fans followed them everywhere. The band could play a week of dates in New York City and never play the same song twice.
I saw The Grateful Dead with Garcia at the helm a handful of times in the early '90s and, before you ask, yes, I became a fan before "Touch of Grey" came out.
It was my brother who introduced me to them. He was (and still is) a huge fan and would play Dead CDs on the stereo in his room all the time, blanketing the upstairs of our New Jersey house with the bluegrass-infused style of Garcia's riffs, the warmth and age of his vocals, the jams of the band as a whole.
At first, I wrote the band off as slow and sleepy folk music, but when I actually sat down and listened, I quickly became absorbed by it.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
News / Concert Announcement / Opinion / Jeff Hahne Cover bands hit Alive After Five schedule
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 12:02 PM
No big surprise here... the first five acts for Alive after Five have been announced and, yep, they're all cover bands. Craptastic.
The first four weeks will be held at the Wachovia Plaza and feature a quartet of "party bands" — Liquid Pleasure on April 7, 80z Enuff on April 14, Hot Sauce on April 21 and Love Tribe on April 28.
The event will head to the Epicentre on May 5 with Alternate Take, described as a "party band" that's also available for weddings. Great...
How about a schedule that reads something like - Simplified, Matrimony, Overmountain Men, The New Familiars, Eyes of the Elders and Harvard... I can give the names of 50 more local bands that should be playing instead of the usual suspects. Something instead of the same crap year after year after year. Give local bands some exposure and some money in their pocket and support originality.
Actually, I need to find out who does the booking for this. I think they'll be interested in my new TV show. It's going to be called "Einsfeld." I'm now casting the parts of Egorge, Yerrj, Lainee and Ramerk. It's basically a show about nothing... In one episode, it's all centered around waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant. Yeah, you've heard it before, and it won't be as good as the original, but there will be different people playing the characters, so I'm sure you'll be interested.
I'm also looking for six people who can star in another comedy called "Buddies," kinda like "Friends" — a lot of it will take place in a coffee shop. The best part is that the scripts are already written - we just need to find a location and some cameras.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
News / Jeff Hahne Band sells its name, now called BuyStock.net Band
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 12:26 PM
A trio from Seattle was looking to raise money to record an album... so they decided to sell the name of their band. The group, now called BuyStock.net Band, got $251,100 for the naming rights. Way to go... so, now you're rich and your band name sucks.
I have a question — what happens if you break up? Do you keep the money or have to pay it back?
They've released one song so far — it's not bad, but too bad you had to figure out a unique way to be discovered ... one that will leave the group more memorable for a stupid decision/band name than for the talent you may have.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011
News / Jeff Hahne Committee examining Charlotte noise ordinance
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 3:52 PM
The Community Safety Committee met today for its February meeting, part of which included a discussion about the Charlotte noise ordinance and how it might be changed.
With city attorney Mac McCarley going over all of the proposed changes, he often used the word balance to discuss what the changes would try to achieve. While some residents wouldn't be happy with some amendments, some business owners might not be happy with others.
The biggest issue at hand has to do with music inside and outside of the Uptown area and where it is within earshot of residential areas.
Among the proposed changes —
* Prohibiting amplified noise in the right-of-way (protests, street preachers and musicians) before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and after 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. And the permit for such activity would have to be on-site.
* Any restaurant or bar within 400 feet of residential zoning would not be allowed to have live, outdoor, amplified music.
This would include events such as P-Stone Fest at the Philosopher's Stone, NoDa outdoor live music events such as the ones held at Salvador Deli, or even musicians on patios, unless they were acoustic and not using an amplifier. There'd be no permit - they just wouldn't be allowed to happen.
* Venues that are not within 400 feet of residential zoning would be allowed to have 15 hours total of live, outdoor, amplified music per year.
This would be for venues such as Dixies that is Uptown, not in a residential area and has concerts such as the Gravedigger's Ball in the parking lot.
Three venues in town — Symphony Park, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre and Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre — would be handled on a case by case basis because they have more than 5000 people attending their events. In all likelihood, nothing would change for
McCarley noted that the issue about outdoor amplified music is a "bonfire ready to be lit" between residents and restaurant owners.
While more issues were discussed and the changes are still open for modification, it was noted that some residents are pushing the charge for them to be approved before the warm weather begins this year.
While no comments were allowed from the public at this meeting, there will be a comments time at the March meeting which is tentatively scheduled for March 21 at 2 p.m.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Music for a snow day
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 12:59 PM
So, most of Charlotte is at home today, staying indoors and off the roads because of the current snow storm. Made me wonder — what are some good (or bad) songs/albums for the snow?
Here's what I thought of:
- Snow Patrol
- Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz
- Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Snow (Hey Oh)"
- Something by that one-hit wonder, Snow (he sang "Informer")
- The Christmas anthem, "Let It Snow"
- Pheobe Snow
- Music from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
- Miike Snow
What else?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
News / Opinion / Jeff Hahne Lady Gaga exalts new release
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Lady Gaga told fans at a concert on Friday that her new release, Born This Way, would be the greatest album of the decade. To that, I say, "Ease up there, Ms. Kanye..."
Sure, Kanye West often says he's the greatest of all time and lets his ego do the talking, but there are a lot of fans who are sick of his crap, too.
She is quoted as saying, "I promise you I’ll never let you down. And not for nothing, the album’s finished, and it’s fucking really good. ... I promise to give you the greatest album of this decade, just for you.” She added that the new album would be "so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or an outfit, or a fucking meat dress."
Well, let's just wait to hear it before you call it the greatest of the decade. It's great that you say you do so much for your fans, but this is also the same woman who told a Charlotte crowd that she wasn't there for the money, yet still charged $200 a ticket.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News 'Glee' "topples" Beatles record
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 5:51 PM
OK, this story came out about a month ago, but it still bothers the hell out of me. A lot of publications, etc., are making a big deal out of the fact that the television show Glee has more singles in the top 100 and broke the record set by the Beatles for most hit singles.
Here's the problem I have with it — they aren't singing their own songs. The Beatles had 71 songs by The Beatles in the charts. Glee has songs by Britney Spears and dozens of other artists. Shouldn't those artists get the credit instead of this Glee cover band? They also fall of the charts quickly — 105 weeks so far while the Beatles were on the charts for 617 weeks.
Much like cover bands, I'm not a fan of the TV show either. If people want to watch the show, that's fine, but don't put them in the same sentence as The Beatles when it comes to album sales and setting records. Until that choral group can start writing songs of their own, they aren't going to get any credit from me.
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Incubus tour in town tonight (9/16/11)
At Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.
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Live photos: New Charlotte Band Chosovi Debuts at The Evening Muse (3/11/2017)
Brooklyn glam-punk quartet J and the 9s opened.
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Live review: Crooked Still
Band entertains small crowd at the Visulite on Oct. 7, 2010.
