One thing that struck me as interesting when I was watching Michael Jackson's "This Is It" film, he at one point discusses how he wants his song to sound to the keyboardist (whom I believe he was truly disappointed in). He said (paraphrasing), make it sound like the album. The way he wanted the song to sound was already burned to wax, there was no way to improve on it, at least from a musical perspective.

So unless a band is willing to give you a good show (Metallica with their pyro, Michael with his dancers, Bruce Springsteen with his energy) then you're better off just buying the album and enjoying it as the music that it is.

I'm sad to read Peaceboy's comment about the Cars' bad show, but it just goes to show that musical talent doesn't always accompany showmanship. Take the example of Sammy Hagar vs David Lee Roth. Both are fine vocalists, but one is a great showman who knows how to work a crowd, and the other is a hack who barely made it as a solo artist.

Peaceboy: I hate to say it cause I really liked them, but I saw them in '84 and of the 70-80 shows I've seen it was probably the worst concert I ever attended. (And I even got stuck going to Air Supply.) Studio-polished replication of the hits, 80 or so minutes, no hello or goodbye or thank you or any other words from any band member, and that was it. I was disappoint.

More or less this. I saw them at their peak in '84, and though they played just fine, it was without any spirit, joy, enthusiasm... maybe an hour and 15 minutes total, and expensive as well (compared to other shows I saw around then).

Not the worst of the bands I ever saw (even Wang Chung, who opened were worse) but I wouldn't go see them again, even for free.

NO BEN ORR = NO CARS.

RIP Ben.

/Bostonian. Cars fan.

Peaceboy: I hate to say it cause I really liked them, but I saw them in '84 and of the 70-80 shows I've seen it was probably the worst concert I ever attended. (And I even got stuck going to Air Supply.) Studio-polished replication of the hits, 80 or so minutes, no hello or goodbye or thank you or any other words from any band member, and that was it. I was disappoint.

Also, similar to the Beach Boys reunion thread from a few days ago - no Ben Orr, no Cars reunion. He sang half their hits.

I agree. Saw them twice -once at a Summer Jam in Arrowhead Stadium. Their music just didn't come across very well for a live performance.

I agree.Saw them in the early 80's in Miami and they played with the attitude that they would really rather be doing something else.That said,it is 30 years later and I would read some reviews before deciding whether to see them again.

It'll be Touch & Go considering Benjamin Orr won't be there.

But what about The New Cars? The one with Todd Rundgren? Or did I just dream that?

CarnySaur: But what about The New Cars? The one with Todd Rundgren? Or did I just dream that?

I downloaded that... listened to it once. So you weren't dreaming.

So, who are they gonna get to sing Benjamin's songs?

I've always loved me some Cars, but I think the band died when Benjamin did.

Also, I just wanted to say this: What kind of a farking dumbass of a "journalist" do you have to be to work for the Rolling Stone?

Face to Face was their last album? Try Door to Door, dipshiat.

CarnySaur: But what about The New Cars? The one with Todd Rundgren? Or did I just dream that?

You might think I'm crazy, but I heard that too.

hell i still remember the MTV news reports about the Cars canceling their last tour. I then surmised that it was because they were a bunch of old men that stood around that the younger generation didn't care to see.(even though they had some cool videos). They, like Dire Straits, ZZtop and Springsteen did survive the classic rock era to thrive during the MTV early years. I was just recalling MTV 'world premiering' Elliot Easton's solo vid.
As for Ben Orr, I wasn't even aware of there being another singer besides Ocasek until the video for 'Drive' was out, because there were no vids for the early cars hits. To me their voices were interchangeable

"last recorded together for 1987's Face to Face."

Fine reporting there, Lou.

It was "Door to Door."

If you go to see The Cars, who's gonna drive you home?

I guess Rundgren really pissed Ocasek off enough to tour again.

Hello Again. Since You're Gone, the Panorama is Touch and Go. So Shake It Up and Let's Go.

Listen to "Down Boys" of their third record PANORAMA.

I swear to God it is the most awesome CARS song.(Ben on vocals)

The CARS had so many radio staples but "Down Boys" for some reason never got air time. I once read that they wanted PANORAMA to be a little more raw and direct than their previous two because of criticisms of being "too slick and polished"

Anyway,PANORAMA is a truly great and underrated record.

FIRST THREE CARS RECORDS ARE MANDATORY

I don't know what shows you posters saw but when I saw then in '83 at Nassau Colosseum they were great.
/the New Cars tour was canceled because the tour bus crashed and Elliot Easton broke his arm

I saw The Cars at the Norfolk Scope in 1984. The best way to describe the concert: I could've put a Cars poster on my bedroom wall and cranked up the stereo and gotten the same experience. I don't think Ric Ocasek moved or acknowledged the audience the entire time.

What a boring concert.

I saw The Cars a couple of times and they actually acted like they resented being there. I saw them the second time just to give them another chance. Nope, same show.

The only interaction at all with the audience was at the end when Ric Ocasek said thanks a lot. And, that was the show.

The albums are still great, though.

Yet another echo of Peaceboy's comments.
I've seen Yanni live. Neil Diamond. Duran Duran. The Righteous Brothers. The Cheetah Girls. Hannah Montana. Rod Stewart singing the American Songbook.
And none of them were as bad in concert as The Cars. They committed the one inexcusable sin of live rock bands: They were boring in concert.
Without fail, every time I've ever had a "worst concert I ever saw" discussion, someone mentions The Cars before I can.
If they put out a new CD, I'd like to hear it. But live? Not a chance.

Yep. Boring concert. The Go-Gos opened for them. They rocked.

high school from the mid to end of the 70's. I loved 60's music, worked in the music biz in the 80s and hated it. I remember a conversation in 1978 on a mountain top with a musician friend of mine that went..."this just can't go on forever...the amount of quality musicians and songwriters will have to dry up someday. The next morning I heard "Just what I needed" for the first time. I was never a big Cars fan their early stuff was pretty amazing. I do have to tip my hat to the early boomers.

I saw them on tour for their first album and even then they had a rep for playing with no stage presence. But what do people know? They also ripped Panorama, a great album. I'll defer to Ocasek's judgement. He married P. He must know what he's doing.

I'm not a die-hard Cars fan, though I do like them. That said, Drive is the most beautiful pop song ever written.

No Phoebe Cates picture? Really?

Judge Reinhold is very excited about this news.

Generation_D: FIRST THREE CARS RECORDS ARE MANDATORY

For pretentious posers who couldn't be bothered to go find Gary Numan, Bauhaus and Joy Division, Wire, Buzzcocks and numerous other actually interesting bands, yet none the less thought of themselves as "nu wave" and "punk."

Cars Sucked, then and now. Sh*t band stealing actual innovation and spitting it out for American dumbed down audiences.

No, you get off my lawn. And hands off my vinyl collection while you're at it.

The first Cars album kicked seious ass, it was one of the best debut albums by aby band.

No Ben Orr, no Cars.

Wow, me spel badd on that one.

Is it possible to listen to "Moving In Stereo" without thinking of this:

Signed up...commented about the door to door thing and when it refreshed, they had corrected the article.

\oh well

Ocasek must be hard up for cash, or really bored. He once ruled out him being in a Cars reunion, saying something to the effect that he would rather have "diarrhea for a year than tour with the Cars again."

nothingyet: NO BEN ORR = NO CARS.

RIP Ben.

Add another THIS^^^ to the stack.

/until they released "Drive" I didn't realize how many songs he sang
//much better voice than Ric Ocasek

I've never seen them live, but I have that live on Musikladen 1979 DVD. I'm a huge Cars fan, and I really tried to convince myself that DVD/performance was good. It's not.

However, it's worth buying for the last interview with a sadly emaciated Ben Orr.

Despite being a fan since I first heard them, I have heard for 30+ years that the Cars stink in concert - plus as mentioned repeatedly above No Ben Orr = No Cars.

So. you know. Good luck with that, Rik.

nothingyet: NO BEN ORR = NO CARS.

RIP Ben.

/Bostonian. Cars fan.

no ben oooahh no CAHHHS

Oh I definitely liked the Cars over these guys but now, sorry, these guys live on and the Cars is sadly dated. True genius stands out from the rest.

Start here and then go here and finish up here. Just freaking awesome. So many have followed and copied.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnAXb6gmbOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmf7r_37eA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUJXms4vWa0&feature=related
Start the last one at :45

Primus was playing with the poop in his diaper when these guy were going off. Lady Gaga thieves their shiat liberally. Weezer and to a lesser degree Nirvana got their start copying these guys.

Generation_D: Saw them get booed off the stage and quit their set early at the Rockford / Belvidere Speedway county fair grounds summer 1979.

Cheap Trick headlined, and kicked butt.




Cheap Trick always kicks butt.