DJ Dave Fanning insists the future of music is not headlining the Sphere in Las Vegas — but pub gigs.
U2 sold out more than a dozen shows at the €2billion Sin City venue and are now attracting audiences there by showing a film of the concert in the same space.
Broadcaster Dave, 68, watched his mates play the space in 2023 — but believes the destiny of music is on a much smaller scale.
Speaking of the Sphere, where it cost him €22 for a beer, Dave told The Irish Sun: “It’s like watching a band on the moon. And somebody said to me, is that the future of live music? No it’s not.
“The future of live music is standing in a pub, being jostled and hoping your pint doesn’t fall because you’re watching a band right in front of you. That’s what it’s all about.”
But Dave says there are fewer groups to even play small venues.
The 2FM legend said: “I’d like if there were more bands but a lot of bands don’t exist anymore because there’s no money. Spotify’s a rip-off, so then people say it’s all live gigs.
“I was talking to a band the other day and they’re doing a five-day tour of Ireland and I take my hat off to them because years ago it was all about trying to get a record deal, and then the record company paid for everything — they hoped if they invested money they’d get it back.
“It was great, a band could go to the first or second album and lose everything, but it wasn’t them losing it, it was the record company.
“Now, imagine five guys in a band going round the country and they’ve got to go to B&Bs or put up for stays. It’s expensive and there’s just no money in it, no backing.
“To be honest, it’s tough out there, it really is. It’s not easy. If you love your music and it’s your hobby, great, but there was always the incentive of trying to get a record deal, and those days are long gone.”
Dave presents Fanning at Whelans, a Virgin Media show that gives new and established bands the chance to get broadcast to fans at home.
Explaining how the series kicked off, he said: “We started this during the pandemic, we felt we had to do something, and then just kept going.
“Guinness put their money into it and put their money where their mouth is and this couldn’t be done without them, because it’s 100 per cent funded by them.”
And while Dave says live music is where bands make most of their dough — he feels the cost of tickets for major acts is a big problem.
Oasis fans were left furious after dynamic pricing saw ticket prices shoot up in real time.
And Dave saw a similar thing when buying a friend tickets for US pop star Olivia Rodrigo. He could only get two for €80 each. But when he went looking days later, he could get two more — but for €120 a pop.
Dave said: “The ticket prices, there’s something weird going on, it’s absolutely insane. It’s just not right.”
And he said of the ticket market “monopoly”: “No wonder it’s being investigated seriously in America.
“Although with Trump now he probably likes the whole idea of ripping people off.”
- FANNING at Whelans airs on VM2 on Saturdays at 10pm.
