Roughly once a year, I get a yen to have my ear drums smashed with live metal, or at least rock so hard you can take it for granite. This explains my enthusiastic, if ill-informed, presence at the Monster Energy Outbreak show back in February 2011 (here), and it also explains why I hied myself to Martini Ranch on Saturday night to see James Durbin (official site) with an opener of local band Kill the Lights (official site). At least, that’s my official explanation, and there will be a quiz.

Question 1. While waiting for the opener, Durbin fans were most willing to discuss:
a.  His new hair color.
b.  His pants.
c.  His anti-bullying work.
d.  How American Idol shortchanges  contestants by trying to pretend they’re just random people with a dream, when Durbin had a band and was playing dinky clubs and writing his own music and all that.

Answer: d. Give me another 10 minutes, and I could have organized the crowd into marching on Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe’s offices, chanting in unison and waving their fists. Put the shaven-head dude with the Queensrÿche tattoo up front, and Lythgoe would have wet himself. Read the rest of this entry »