Cruel Summer: Winners & Losers on the Concert Trail

Even the Concert trail isnt pretty.

Losers: Lilith Fair, American Idol, Christina Aguilera, Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Kings of Leon, Limp Bizkit

Winners: Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Creed, Lady Gaga, Roger Waters, Carole King & James Taylor

King & Taylor and McCartney on the winners list is expected. No surprises on the losers list, except maybe Lilith Fair since the brand was so successful in the past.

Kings of Leon could be viewed as a bit of surprise given how big their hit Use Somebody is, but I think they turned off a lot of new fans by less than stellar performances and being angry at the new fans for checking out the band because of their new hits and not knowing the old stuff when the band had more of a cult following. Also KoL lost some of their old fans because they got radio hits. Talk about not being able to please anybody.

Whitneys tour was certainly a public relations disaster even if it was profitable...I had a soul music fan over at my apartment last night for drinks..his view,shared by many,Was that she cannot sing anymore...Smark your right,The public is a beast the artist cannot control..a fickle animal..

I was actually surprised at the Loser's list; a lot of those are top name artists of today. But today's public is very fickle and you never know what will last.

Whitney Houston's tour was a disaster but at least she lasted a while and in one form or another, is still around. She has a body of work whereas some of the current crop will never have a body of work ~ just a couple of years of forgettable hits.

The Kings of Leon are winners in my book if only because they became a punch line in the "Bluff The Listener" game on "Wait, Wait....Don't Tell Me".

The losers are the folks who have to pay $80+ for a decent concert seat, thus making Live Nation the winner.