Roger & Cracker's Johnny Hickman

by Roger Ash

I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t part of my life. I’ve listened to it and become obsessed with favorite bands and musical styles (ska makes my heart happy). I’ve sung in church choirs, played trombone since fifth grade, and struggled through piano lessons in junior high. Life would truly suck without music. My life definitely has a soundtrack (as I type this, it’s the Police reunion concert). I also love going to concerts. The connection between the crowd and the musicians is something magical and it’s something I’m clearly addicted to as I get that same rush from many kinds of live performances (theatre, standup comedy). I’d like to tell you about a couple concerts I attended recently, Roger Waters The Wall tour and the MarchFourth Marching Band. Don’t worry, this does relate to comics.

Pink Floyd’s The Wall was part of my soundtrack growing up as it came out when I was in junior high. I think nearly every kid in school could associate with Another Brick in the Wall part 2’s rousing “We don’t need no education.” The concerts for The Wall became legendary partly due to their extravagance as a wall was constructed between the audience and the band during the performance, and their rarity as it was only performed live a handful of times, 31 to be exact. It passed into rock history and it was a concert I never expected to see. Then former Floyd bassist and composer of much of The Wall, Roger Waters, announced he was putting together a new version of The Wall tour based on the original production but also taking advantage of the advanced technology and updating some of the messages so it remained relevant to a modern audience. I had to go.

Roger Waters The Wall

And go I did, along with friends David and Cyndi, to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota a couple weeks back to see Roger Waters The Wall. The tickets weren’t cheap, but we had wonderful seats and it was worth every penny. And you could definitely see where the money went. It was an impressive show with an outstanding band, amazing sound, projections, giant puppets, animation, the wall itself, and so much more. It was more like a massive theatre piece than a rock concert. It was a thrilling experience and I loved every minute of it.

Exactly a week after seeing The Wall, I headed to the Majestic, a club here in Madison, to see a group called the MarchFourth Marching Band. I’d never heard of them before, but a video of them on the club’s web page intrigued me. Here, have a look for yourself.

MarchFourth Marching Band

Pretty cool, right? It looked like so much fun and the price was right (read cheap) so I decided to go. Man, am I glad I did. The concert was a hoot and a half. The band, 15 members strong, was excellent and the music made me glad I had on my dancing shoes. Add to that three incredible stilt walkers and two sexy and fun burlesque dancers, and you had a show that you really had to be there to experience all the life and energy they brought to the club.

Both concerts were fantastic and had so much going for them that I can’t pick a favorite. I enjoyed them both. This got me thinking about how these concerts were like comics; partly because I have a column to write every week and partly because I’m just weird that way.

Blackest Night

The Wall was an event much like Blackest Night, Siege, Brightest Day, Civil War, or one of the various events that Marvel, DC, and other publishers have done over the years. It’s the big experience that overwhelms your senses and leaves you muttering your best Keanu Reeves “whoa.” I love events and they’re fun for their very bigness. However, if that’s all I ever read or all a company published, the event would soon become the norm and would lose its grandeur, the very thing that made it special in the first place. Plus, events get expensive and my wallet can’t handle that many of them.

The Sixth Gun

That’s why I’m glad there are the smaller concerts and more personal books. I love seeing shows by groups like MarchFourth, Cracker, and Cowboy Mouth in the same way I love reading comics like Usagi Yojimbo, The Sixth Gun, and The Muppet Show. And even when a publisher is having an event, not all of their books tie into it. They may not have the bells and whistles of events, but the people playing in these bands and making these comics bring a passion, intensity, talent, and love to these projects that is undeniable.

The thing is, I like variety. After all, it is, as they say, the spice of life. I want the big events AND the more personal stories. Too much of any one thing gets boring. I think one of the strengths of comics is there is such a wide variety of stories being told. There really is something for everyone if you take the time to look. And if you’re getting bored, you just aren’t trying to enjoy yourself. Put on your dancing shoes and have fun!

Now go read a comic! (And put on some music.)

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