i don't know what to call this post

i'm home "resting my foot" (a.k.a. not doing much of anything) and browsing the internet. how i missed this before is beyond me, but carrie brownstein (formerly - i hate saying that - of sleater kinney) has a blog at NPR. in one post that i found particularly interesting, she writes about musical fandom (is that a word?): Are there any bands you love but whose fans you fear? Is there a band message board you are afraid to comment on because the people on that board are nutjobs? Or, are you or were you one of those fans and do you wish everyone else could just understand?

i don't think i've ever been at a concert where the audience totally ruined the experience for me, but you can't deny that the crowd certainly effects the way you perceive an experience. take pearl jam, for instance. they certainly have their share of jerk fans (although no more than you would find in the general population, i'm sure), but they also have a large percentage of awesome fans. every single person i have ever talked to in line to pick up my fanclub tickets has been really nice. i've traded my extra tickets to people who have sent me videos of concerts, bootlegs and even posters without my asking. pearl jam shows are always, i think, made all the better by people clapping during hail, hail, raising their arms in a v during jeremy, singing the first verse of betterman, etc... but then, there's always the idiot who has to yell something during a quiet song.

every review i've read of the eddie vedder solo shows mentions the audience. and not in a good way. i've never understood that - if you want to have a loud conversation with your friends, why not just stay home? why spend 60 dollars on a concert ticket if you're going to talk so loudly that you can't hear what's going on? it's not just eddie vedder/pearl jam, pick any show, any day of the week, and there'll be inconsiderate jerks in the audience.

on the other hand, a lot of the comments to carrie's original post seem to be suggesting that anyone who is at all emotionally invested in music is, in some way, psychotic. now, that may be true, but it's also evidence of the attitude i have encountered since moving to seattle of "just stand still with your arms crossed and pretend you're not interested." this idea i don't understand either, and it makes me think of my dad, who thinks i'm insane for spending money to go see pearl jam. a little obsession now and again proves that you're alive.

i'm rambling.. sorry. that's what a broken foot will do to you, i guess.