Power To The People: What Local Concerts Should We Crowdfund Next?

by | Jun 16, 2014 | MUSIC

As we found out last Friday, the Foo Fighters are coming to RVA as the result of a successful crowdfunding campaign. This is certainly the first time action of this kind has been successful locally–but we can’t imagine it’ll be the last. So who should the people of RVA set their sights on next?

As we found out last Friday, the Foo Fighters are coming to RVA as the result of a successful crowdfunding campaign. This is certainly the first time action of this kind has been successful locally–but we can’t imagine it’ll be the last. So who should the people of RVA set their sights on next? Here are a few pie-in-the-sky suggestions that might not be a total pipe dream anymore.

The Rolling Stones
Some people are going to hate on this, but who wouldn’t want to see The Stones play in our backyard? Other than a recent performance of their classic hits by the Richmond Symphony, the music of the Stones hasn’t graced RVA stages anytime in living memory (though they played the Hampton Coliseum in 1981…). Rumor has it these guys make over a million bucks a gig, too, so it’s a significantly taller order than covering the Foo Fighters guarantee, but while we’re feeling unstoppable in the wake of that campaign’s success, why not shoot the moon?

David Bowie
While we’re at it, somebody start a campaign to get David Bowie into our fair city. We’ve got to get Bowie to tour at all first, though–his last tour was 10 years ago, after the release of the Reality album, and he hasn’t been to VA since 1995 when he played the Nissan Pavilion with Nine Inch Nails. While he did return to the recording world last year with The Next Day, he’s done no live dates since that record’s release a year ago. Still, we can get him to RVA, right? Let’s at least freak out in this moonage daydream for a little while before we move on….

Bjork
Bjork has never played Richmond VA–the closest she came was DC’s Capital Ballroom in 1998 on the Homogenic tour. We’ll never get her to RVA without some sort of group effort. An international icon and art superstar, her career has affected millions around the world. What would it mean for RVA to have Bjork here? We don’t know but you can expect a hell of a turnout.

Jay Z & Kanye West
Every time a mega-huge hip hop tour happens, we miss the big shows. It’s getting old hearing about them from folks in DC and New York. When the Watch The Throne tour happened in 2011, Jay and Kanye went straight from Greensboro to Baltimore, and skipped right over us. So let’s get them back down here to Brown’s Island–because watching the throne is always better when you can do it right down the street.

Faith No More
Faith No More’s 2010 reunion tour took them all over the world, but during that whole trip, they only managed to play 9 US shows. They’re returning to concert stages on the Fourth Of July this year with a show opening for Black Sabbath in London, but somebody’s gotta make a full-scale American tour happen already, right? And when they do, Richmond should be on that list. There are a ton of fans that you wouldn’t even know are fans hiding in every nook and cranny around this city. Lets do this.

Beck
Now that Beck has returned to action with the release of his first new album in seven years, Morning Phase, and an American tour happening even as we speak, someone needs to make him come here! He’ll be in Raleigh on July 23 (you can get tickets for that show right now by clicking here) but damn it, that’s just not close enough! Let’s bring Beck to RVA!

Pharrell & Pusha T
We have no idea why these guys continue to dodge Richmond, but it needs to stop! They’re both from right down the road, and they’re both having career years. Let’s get them booked to represent VA–separately or together, either way is fine with us. Show the Cap City some love, guys!

What other artists would you like to see come to RVA for a show? Do you think crowdfunding local shows is the way of the future? Let us know in the comments!

Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci

Former GayRVA editor-in-chief, RVA Magazine editor for print and web. Anxiety expert, proud trans woman, happily married.




more in music

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is The Godmother of Rock N Roll

Richmond has a way of letting history slip through the cracks. Some stories get enshrined, others get forgotten, and too often, the ones that matter most fall into the latter category. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is one of those names that any one who loves music history...

Sound Check! Weedeater! CS Cleaners! Kill Lincoln & More!

David Bowie said it best: “Let’s dance.” I tried to get something fun, something chill, and something maniacal—because sometimes a man has got to skank, and sometimes a man has got to get a concussion in the pit. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show...

It’s Still Our City | Ep. 5 Destructo Disk

"Destructo Disk, an alternative punk band originally from Winchester, VA, has quickly become a Richmond staple. It’s wild to think they’ve only been tearing it up here for a few years—they’ve covered serious ground in no time. If you haven’t checked them out yet, do...

Threaded Distortion: Quicksand at Richmond Music Hall

Quicksand is more than just a compelling band; they're a persuasively compelling band, still honing their craft 35 years into their tenure as one of the great post-hardcore bands of the 1990s. Their relentless sound and gritty honesty has carved out a permanent spot...

Sound Check! Golden Fest! Nysa! Mengers! & More!

These shows got me amped. Join me and catch the wind in the sails and take off into a musical tomorrow across a sea of uncertainty. If you’ve got any tips, send them my way. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at...

VHS Club | Escape from New York

Given our current political predicament, no line in cinema feels more relevant than when Bob Hauk, the police commissioner in Escape from New York, says to Snake Plissken, “The president’s gone missing.” To which Plissken coolly responds, “President of what?” ...

Hadad’s Lake to Be Auctioned in April, Starting bid $300,000

A longtime recreational and cultural landmark in Henrico County, Hadad’s Lake is set to be auctioned next month, signaling the possible end of its nearly 60-year legacy. Established in 1965 by Ronald Hadad Sr. and his father, the lake became a...