I have never attended any Almost Acoustic Christmas, the institution organized by the LA radio KROQ every year, because first, it is horribly expensive, and second I never care about most of the acts performing. Last year, it was dominated by bands I had no interest in, like AFI, Rise Against, Muse and 311, but this year the line-up is interesting, especially for the really attractive second night:
Night 1 (Saturday, December 11): The Smashing Pumpkins (headliner), Social Distortion, My Chemical Romance, Bad Religion, Jimmy Eat World, Cake, A Day to Remember, The Dirty Heads, Anberlin, Switchfoot
Night 2 (Sunday, December 12): Phoenix, (headliner), Vampire Weekend, Brandon Flowers, The Black Keys, The Temper Trap, Neon Trees, Florence & the Machine, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Broken Bells.
OK, I don’t care for Phoenix, but I love Vampire Weekend and I never seen them, The excellent Black Keys were powerfully bluesy when I saw them 2 months ago, I have heard so many good things about the UK band Florence & the Machines, it’s always a delight to see Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros bring their lovefest on stage, and, even though Broken Bells are not the Shins, James Mercer is in it.
But it is still fucking expensive, almost $100 per night, and honestly, I am not sure why these kinds of shows exist. I don’t want to pay that much to hear 5 songs of a band I like, then 5 of anther band, I just want to have a full night of Vampire weekend! I don’t want to switch to another type of music after a 25 minute long set.
So the price is high because KROQ claim to offer so many bands, but at the end it is a total rip-off and an expected disappointment.