SILENT FORCE Singer Says American Fans Are More Demanding Than Their European Counterparts

February 17, 2004

SILENT FORCE frontman D.C. Cooper (ex-ROYAL HUNT) recently spoke to Pittsburgh's The Tribune-Review about the differences between the American fans and those in Europe and Japan, where Cooper is said to be looked upon as "a heavy-metal superstar."

"The music programs in schools (in Europe) emphasize music to a higher degree," said Cooper.

"They try to turn kids on to more things. They put music more in children's lives when they're in school," he continued. "Here, it's, OK, go to music class where Mom and Dad have to pay $35 for a plastic recorder. If the kid picks it up, good, if not, oh well. But over there, it seems like it is a part of life."

"When you go to a concert hall in Japan, there are always people waiting for you," Cooper said. "They won't crowd you or stick a camera in your face — they let you come to them."

In 1999, when the Japanese stock market collapsed, Cooper says fans showed up to wait for him even though they could not afford tickets.

"That's the kind of stuff that hits you in the heart," he said, adding that he tried to get people on the guest list, but there were too many to accommodate.

Cooper thinks some American fans demand more than just a run-through of a band's greatest hits. At shows in the U.S., there are guys he calls the music police, striking belligerent poses with arms crossed.

"They stand there and it's like they're saying, 'C'mon, impress me,'" Cooper said. "Because there's so much music that's been done so many times before, they want to see something new. Even if it's a band they've known for years, they want to be wowed and amazed.

"But in Europe, it's always like an event. It seems people enjoy it from absolutely the start to finish, from the opening band all the way to the end. Usually, ticket prices are higher, a lot higher than they are here in the United States, depending on what country you're in. They really want to see the whole show from start to finish. They want to feel the vibe from beginning to end." [Read more]

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