The Next Great American Band Premiers Tonight

Update:

Wow, the show blew threw 60 bands in two hours, with very little filler.  Lots of drama, and the trainwreck aspect was not over played.   I found the show very entertaining.   When Simon Cowell  leaves  Idol, (as he’s threatening to do) in 2009, I vote for  Ian “Dicko” Dickenson  as his replacement.   Hell, Dicko could replace him NOW and I wouldn’t be too upset. As a judge, he is a perfect blend of snark (without the cliched over-used put-downs) and sharp criticism.

I was a bit aghast that it took 90 minutes for any African-Americans to take the stage.   Up ’till then, the show was  pretty much a sea of white faces.   And, why in the 21st century, is a band that happens to be all female still a novelty?  By the way, The Rockets sucked.

More later.   Here is your top 12 (thanks hezz)

Tres Bien
Light of Doom
The Hatch
The Clark Brothers
Dot Dot Dot
The Muggs
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra
Sixwire
Cliff Wagner and the Ol #7
Franklin Bridge
Rocket
The Likes of You

Johnny Rzeznik, lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls and one of the judges (along with Sheila E and Ian Dickson) on the new Fox TV show The Next Great American Band, describes it as “basically like a big battle of the bands.”

Producer Nigel Lythgoe has this to say about the American Idol-like show premiering tomorrow night at 8 pm on FOX:

Nigel Lythgoe, an executive producer for both series, just wants viewers to give “American Band” a fair shot. He’s willing, even eager, to say that “Idol” contestants suffer by comparison to the band hopefuls.

“I can pick out five bands that I can go, `Wow, these guys are tremendous.’ You can’t do that with the top 12 Idols, ” Lythgoe said. “We’re saying to the public, `Look at this talent and say you don’t appreciate it.'”

Why is it, that when TPTB have something new to pimp, whether it be a brand-new show, or a new season of Idol, they feel the need to disparage what came before it?

Maybe because the Idol producers are  a little nervous that audiences will not embrace the band concept with as much fervor as they do individual singers on Idol. Mike Darnell, Fox’s president for alternative entertainment, says “The No. 1 status of American Idol doesn’t necessarily translate to the band show. … You can’t compare anything to American Idol.”

Producers are hedging their bets:

“It’s a little harder to get your arms around a group of people, ” Darnell acknowledged. “Our job is to individualize as much as we can. If there’s a great lead singer or a great guitarist, someone with a great story, you focus on them.”

Right. Getting folks invested, getting them to care about these bands on a personal level will be the key to the show’s success. It’s an experiment, but with very little risk. The show is only on once a week, in a time slot where few shows would survive anyway. If Band takes off, it will be renewed and maybe even expanded to two nights a week.

If it fails–it won’t be canceled. (See: On The Lot). The producers of the show that saves the Fox network’s ass every season are not going to get their little experiment ended prematurely.

I’ll be watching (will you?) and recapping too…

About mj santilli 34833 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!