Columnist Spencer Patterson: Looking to 2003, questions abound on music scene

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Dec. 27, 2002 | 9:01 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at spencer@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-2309.

The new year fast approaches, and that means we're again inundated with Best-Of and Worst-Of lists recapping the year 2002 in music.

So rather than look back, let's buck tradition a bit and take a look ahead at 2003, the year to come in music. As Tuesday closes the door on a busy 12 months, here are five questions to ponder for the days and weeks ahead.

1. How will Don Marrandino's exit affect The Joint?

The Hard Rock Hotel's president and chief operating officer is Strip-bound, having taken a similar position at Steve Wynn's Le Reve resort. That leaves local music fans wondering how Marrandino's departure might impact The Joint, considered by many to be Southern Nevada's premier concert venue.

A diehard classic-rock fan himself, Marrandino seemed a perfect fit for the Hard Rock. He was known to overspend to bring top acts to The Joint -- the Rolling Stones, The Who and Bob Dylan among them in 2002 -- which was part of the hotel's attempt to live up to its hard-rocking name.

Though Marrandino's departure isn't likely to cause The Joint to go dark (though it appears the venue will do just that, at least for January) some drop-off in top-tier performers might be expected. And when Le Reve opens in 2005, don't be surprised if the Stones hold their next "farewell" party there.

2. How will 2003's concert calendar stack up?

Las Vegas might never see another string of big-name musicians roll through town as it did in 2002. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Santana, Robert Plant, Rush, Prince, Beck, The Strokes, Coldplay, Korn, Tom Petty, Brooks & Dunn, Cher and Creed were among a flood of popular acts flocking to town this year, an awfully tough act to follow in 2003.

The Stones, Phish and the Pretenders are already on board and, of course, much will depend on who else tours. R.E.M. and Pearl Jam are among the top artists expected to hit North America in 2003.

Inexplicably, though, many high-profile performers continue to skip Las Vegas when planning their itineraries. Peter Gabriel did so this year and the Other Ones have yet to make an announcement regarding a Las Vegas stop. With more than 1 million people residing in the metro Las Vegas area, countless tourists in town most nights and a plethora of quality venues available, it boggles the mind that anyone wouldn't stop over for a night or two.

3. How many more of our heroes will we lose in 2003?

Clash founder Joe Strummer's death this week provided a sad capper to a year in which popular music lost far too many key figures.

Strummer, The Who's John Entwistle, Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone, country music's Waylon Jennings and Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay all died before their 65th birthdays, not to mention TLC's Lisa Lopes, Drowning Pool's Dave Williams, Alice in Chain's Layne Staley and Stereolab's Mary Hansen.

4. What reunion tours can we expect to see? Though Guns N' Roses' recent flameout hardly came as a surprise, it did illustrate the potential pitfalls when bands attempt to return to the stage after long layoffs (and particularly, minus key original members).

GNR's failure apparently won't derail The Doors, however. Sans Jim Morrison and drummer John Densmore, founders Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek are prepared to press on in 2003, with a Las Vegas date slated for Jan. 19.

Who else might give it another try? Rumor had it The Clash was considering a comeback, but Strummer's death obviously marks the final chapter in the legendary punk-rock band's book.

That might leave next year's top potential reunion in the hands of Sting, who is reportedly considering teaming up with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers for some sort of Police tour. As the band has been telling its legions of fans for nearly two decades, however, don't hold your breath.

5. Will CD sales continue to plummet?

According to a New York Times story this week, CD sales over the past five weeks are down nearly 13 percent from the same period in 2001. And that statistic is just one example of slumping sales in the industry over the past several years.

It's hardly difficult to determine reasons for the decline, downloadable (and in some cases, free) music online, recordable CDs and high prices being among the chief factors.

Toss in the slumping economy and the fact that many potential music buyers are now spending more of their money on DVDs and video games, and record companies might be hard-pressed to reverse the trend anytime soon.

Besides, with everyone getting their daily dose of music via television commercials these days, who needs to plunk down $20 for a CD?

Quick hits

A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week: