@scotchandcigar Good conversation. I'm enjoying it. My follow up post isn't meant to be argumentative. I just want to explore the idea further.
Again, people make excuses for today's rock music, mostly because they grew-up in the classic rock era, and they're not interested in listening to new stuff. So they pretend it no longer exists.
I totally agree. I think 'post-grunge' bands like Nickelback, Creed and Staind were so formulaic and geared toward capitalizing on rock's mainstream success that they made rock uncool. Rock got VERY STALE in the early 2000s. I got dead sick of that effing 'yarling-rock' bullcrap. And it was everywhere. Pearl Jam photocopy bands (Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman) and Nirvana photocopy bands (Silverchair, Bush) got old after 15 years of the same formula repeated over and over and over.
D
avid Letterman wasn't up on the latest trends in music, but he relied on Paul Shaffer, who was. That's the difference between Dave and Howard.
Agreed. I forget how Howard stumbled on Royal Blood, but I'm glad he did. Because they're awesome. However, if it were 20 years ago, Royal Blood would be at the TD Garden playing for 9000 people, not at the Paradise Rock Club playing for 900.
Imagine Dragons have several hits that "rock" more than these
Just my opinion, but Imagine Dragons aren't a rock band nor rock music - they're alt pop. The Police, Boston and Stray Cats are 70s/80s rock bands. a-ha, Information Society, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode are 80s alt pop. The Trews, Danko Jones and Billy Talent are 2010 rock bands. Imagine Dragons, Lorde and Owl City are 2010 alt pop.
Muse is a post-2000 band, based on their album releases. They exclusively play the largest stadiums and arenas.
They fit in the Disturbed/Godsmack 'made it in under the wire/early 2000s' category. Their first album dropped in 1999.
Other post-2000 big name rock acts...
Most of these fit into these four categories:
The first is at least one member was in a huge band from the 80s or 90s
(Rage/Soundgarden -> Audioslave, Slash -> Velvet Revolver).
The second is they're a pop-rock band, and have crossed over into pop (Paramore, Twenty One Pilots).
"Ain't It Fun" sounds like Bananarama. "Ride" sounds like Ace Of Base with Beck on vocals.
The third is they are in the 'made it in under the wire/early 2000s' group
(Evanescence - 2003, White Stripes - 1999, Seether - 2002).
The fourth is sure they are successful, but will never get as big as rock bands were able to in the 70s 80s & 90s
(Jet vs Guns N Roses, Arctic Monkeys vs Led Zeppelin, Silversun Pickups vs Van Halen, Black Keys vs Nirvana).
The whole 'Rock Is Dead' is a misnomer. But what the industry is saying, and is correct about, is that the potential isn't there anymore for new rock bands (with no members from previously successful bands) over the last 10+ years to get as big as today's pop artists like they used to. In the 80s, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard could rival Madonna and Michael Jackson. There are no new rock bands, actual rock and roll bands, that can rival Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.