The Apex Of Pop Stars Careers
Yes, folks, another day another list. The Coronavirus has changed the ways in which we discuss heights and stretches and everything is now Apex and Plateau, much like a pop star’s career where even the greatest of them reach a height, level off (plateau), and start the decline down the other side: if nothing else age will do it. So without further ado… artists at their Apex… I could go on all day…
Beyonce – The Coachella concert
Blake Shelton – 2013’s “Based On A True Story” tour
Blondie – “Heart Of Glass”
Biggie Smalls – “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems”
Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Wake, It’s Morning
Bruce Springsteen – even though I dislike it, The Rising was the height…
Carole King – Tapestry
Drake – I wanted to go with the Drake-Lil Wayne tour in 2013, but it isn’t really true. It is “God’s Plan” and Drake has remained huge since but that was the height and he is coming down
Dusty Springfield – I know you think it’s In Memphis, but 1966’s “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” is IT
Ed Sheeran – Divide
Elvis Costello – tricky, very tricky… “Everyday I Write The Book” in sales, Imperial Bedroom for art
Elvis Presley – also tricky but the 1968 special had everything
Eminem – where Rihanna and “Love The Way You Lie” changed him overnight back in (incredibly enough) 2010
Fiona Apples – she will never pull off another Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fred Astaire – “Top Hat”
Gene Kelly – “Singing In The Rain”
Jay Z – The MSG “Fade To Black” gig
Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
Justin Timberlake – The HBO special circa 2006 at MSG (I was there, I caught the actual show twice in two days)
Kanye West – The “TGIF” songs set the place for the rest of his career -every Friday a mad scramble to find them and download them
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”
My Morning Jacket – never came close to “Evil Urges” again -not in a million miles
Taylor Swift – The Yahoo listening party for “Shake It Off” followed quickly by the “Blank Space” video
The Bangles – no, not “Manic Monday,” but “Walk Like An Egyptian”. It reminds me of a bar near where Bob Nevin and I worked and
The Beatles – That One World satellite show of “All You Need Is Love”
The Monkees – “Daydream Believer” where pop manufacturing met artistry
The Rolling Stones – “Miss You” made them the Kings of New York and disco
The Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love”
Tom Jones – an apex is an apex but it might be followed by a plateau, 1965’s “It’s Not Unusual” is the apex, “Green, Green Grass Of Home” the plateau.
Traffic – “Hole In My Shoe”
Travis Scott – when his wife at the time Kylie Jenner, got in the roller coaster with him at MSG in November 2018
U2 – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
Van Morrison – “Moondance”
