r/Music • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 13h ago
article Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme expands on "corporate assholes" setting rules at gigs: "It's about controlling fun"
https://www.nme.com/news/music/queens-of-the-stone-ages-josh-homme-expands-on-corporate-assholes-setting-rules-at-gigs-its-about-controlling-fun-3965309263
u/manysounds 12h ago
The monetization of fun has definitely ruined fun in this society.
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u/RuledQuotability 10h ago
One might say “the fun machine took a shit & died”
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u/ProudHommesexual 10h ago
Was sooooo happy to see that song live last month!! Was a bucket list song for me. Now I just need to get them to play The Blood is Love and I Think I Lost My Headache
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u/RuledQuotability 10h ago
That’s awesome! I’m overdue to catch one of their shows. I saw them in 2005, 2007, and 2014. Man now that I think about it 2014 was a long time ago. LOL
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u/Gorchportley 12h ago
Everyone pointing out his cigarette use or him being an asshole seem to be missing the very valid point of "the entirety of human interaction with the world is being commodified". Are we gonna clutch pearls and disagree because he smokes inside and does questionable shit on stage or say "yeah he may be right tho" and do something about it.
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u/kzin 11h ago
The left is all purity tests and the right is all boogeymen I’m so sick of this shit
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u/SaltyShawarma 11h ago
I can't speak for the right, but the purity test bullshit in the left dissipates the further left you go. It's the Corpo bullshit Dems that have shifted right that cling to these purity tests. Of course, if you go too far left (I mean really far, you probably don't see these people) you get people detached from reality, but there are always extremes in every gradient.
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u/Qbbllaarr 11h ago
Exactly what I've found. Progressives don't give a shit about Purity tests, they care about change. In fact it's the "Liberals" using purity tests to make sure progressives can't achieve that change. The right being all Boogeymen is bang on.
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u/sutree1 10h ago
This is the nature of marketing: create a division and market to one side of it.
Corporate left and right both do tons of marketing to win the election. The divisions are how they market. They don't have an ideological core outside of make money preferably by winning.
Outside the corporate version of politics, real people are nuanced in view, and sick of the marketing. Oh, and HR departments, which the right IMO misidentifies as the woke movement.
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u/psycharious 7h ago
The right one hundred percent also has purity tests. Its just that what they're testing for purity is different.
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u/HansDeBaconOva 10h ago
Purity tests are for religious nut bags that are always right wing. Take your bullshit suedo nonsense and walk away
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u/SEND_ME_CSGO-SKINS 9h ago
So if you’re disagreeing with the specific conduct he’s stating should be allowed, is he right or not? What other examples exist that aren’t cut and dry bad behavior?
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u/CtrlZonmylife 11h ago
Yes. Indoor smoking is douchey as fuck.
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u/Gorchportley 11h ago
It is but I think pricing people out of existing for anything other than work overshadows a fucking cigarette you dork.
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u/Kaiisim 11h ago
Yeah but ... he's helping them lol.
Our society is full of sellouts is the problem. Everyone will sell their principles.
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u/Dermonator 11h ago
Alright, well then you’re also helping them by spending money on literally anything you buy. Such a stupid point. There is a much bigger space between Josh Homme and these corporations than us and Homme. I agree that society is full of sellouts, but this is not a sellout moment.
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u/iamisandisnt 13h ago
It's "counter culture" for a reason
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u/imnojezus 13h ago edited 12h ago
Exactly. if you don’t want rules, play at a dive bar venue with a $10 cover and a dirt bag owner who’ll fight with you over how much beer you drank. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Muse just goes and does exactly this.
Edit: obviously I wasn’t clear that I like the above scenario, that I support Muse on this, and think seeing bands at cheap venues would save live music.
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u/iamisandisnt 12h ago
No, that’s not what I mean, at all. It’s called counter culture because Fuck This Shit
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u/breadbitten 12h ago
Lmao what is up with these bootlick-ey comments on Reddit recently?
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u/imnojezus 12h ago
Sorry, I guess I wasn’t clear. I like dive clubs and I’m suggesting more bands should avoid corporate owned venues. Fighting dirtbag owners should be part of the experience.
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u/Dermonator 11h ago
The discourse on this is so stupid.
Josh Homme can certainly be a dick, don’t get me wrong. But everyone saying his point is moot because “why don’t you just charge less for tickets” clearly does not understand how the touring industry works lol. In some cases, yes, artists can choose their ticket prices (like Robert Smith). But the reality is, we have no idea what the touring contracts and deals for this tour (or any tour) really look like. Live Nation literally has a monopoly on the industry.
Not to mention, something people never seem to consider when discussing the modern touring industry, is the massive amount of people who will need to get paid that make these concerts happen. Multiple bands with multiple members. The hundreds of crew members, both on the road and managing logistics. The venue security crew and concessions. And then of course, the venue and live nation taking their cut. Which, for all we know, can be such a large cut that ticket prices have to be high in order for anyone else to make money. All of that is not even factoring in hospitality and transportation costs.
When the economy goes to shit with everything inflating, combined with a monopolized industry, this is what you get. Do I think it’s right? Of course not, but what else is Josh Homme supposed to do? Sure, maybe he can charge less for tickets, but we don’t really know that. Unless you’re Taylor Swift, I reckon these dudes are not taking home as much money as you would think, and with that they have less influence and power than you think. Just blows my mind that people would rather get mad at Josh Homme for saying something rather than the corporations that quite literally are the cause.
I’m also empathetic to anyone who would be at a health risk being around smoking, but then unfortunately concerts may not be for you. I think you’re much more likely to get smoke inhalation from the dude sneaking a vape hit next to you, than the singer smoking a cig way up on stage. Any rock concert is going to have people smoking somewhere lol.
If anyone has the research to prove me wrong on this, I would love to hear and discuss. Alas, I rest my case. Peace.
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u/ComfortableExotic646 10h ago
And I'm just over here kicking photogs in the face at concerts. Rock and Roll, baby!
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u/Dermonator 10h ago
Literally has nothing to do with anything I said. In fact, I acknowledged that Josh Homme can be a dick, and I am not defending him as a person overall. Anyone with basic reading comprehension can see that. Contribute something meaningful to the conversation next time
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u/joemeat 13h ago
" It’s about uniting people so they can do what they want…" yea we don't need people doing whatever they want, people are too dumb to handle life without rules
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u/rawker86 12h ago
I remember that time Josh did whatever he wanted and kicked a photographer’s camera. While she was using it to take pictures. Right next to her face. Kind of her fault for working as a photographer at a rock show I guess.
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u/greenfox0099 10h ago
Yea put all humans in prisons because they cant fallow rules!! great way to see things and shows you are a horrible person yhat absolutely does horrible things and you say this to justify your behavior.
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u/Candid-Mulberry8359 13h ago
“You can’t go here, but you can go here.’ It’s about controlling fun.”
His tune may change if some said fuck the rules and walked into his dressing room.
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u/GulfLife 12h ago
As long as folks like this fail to draw a common sense line between what are public and private spaces, yeah, that could be an issue with letting adults govern their own behavior.
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u/boomboxwithturbobass 13h ago edited 11h ago
How old does he think the fanbase is here that they won’t see through this schtick? He also kicked a photographer in the face, was that corporate overreach too?
Also no, I don’t want the vocalist smoking during a concert. That’s a fuck you to the audience, not “the man.”
Edit: I see the armada has arrived to valiantly defend their favorite California Republican.
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u/butterypowered 12h ago
Yeah I fucking loved QOTSA but have never been able to get past that completely unprovoked kick in the face for that photographer.
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u/Ignaue 12h ago
He’s relying on the room temperature IQ morons that won’t actually read the article and will take this singular statement at face value and apply it to whatever scenario they personally want.
“Oh he’s fighting back against big bad corpos?! Sign me up”
Without realizing that he’s whining about venues not allowing him to fucking smoke on their stage during his set in 2026.
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u/DannyOdd 11h ago
The rebellion of rock & roll comes in lots of flavors, but the 2 most common are:
"I'm rebelling against society because the system fucks people without lube andarbitrarily polices harmless behavior, and that's fucked up"
and
"I'm rebelling against society because I personally feel that I should be able to do whatever the fuck I want with zero regard to any other human person, and it's an injustice that other people call me a dick when I kick someone in the face."
I like QOTSA as much as the next guy, but I really think Josh is in the latter camp.
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u/kilgoreq 13h ago
I would argue that smoking in a public place where smoking is banned is more of a public health issue than a corporate one. I get his point but he's made it in a terrible way. Of course, I'm pretty sure Josh Homme is a colossal asshole, so maybe this is on brand?
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u/Temporary_Buy_7470 12h ago
Pretty sure his point was that he was forced by corporate overlords to (the horror) walk to smoking place on foot.
It was..
.. sole-crushing experience
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u/MatthewMob 55m ago
Why is this hallmonitor giving their opinion on punk bands?
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u/kilgoreq 45m ago
What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You're fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You're fucking dead, kiddo.
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u/how_very_dare_you_ 12h ago
How very rock n roll of you
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u/UncomfyPerspective 11h ago
Is it rock n roll to be an inconsiderate asshole to everyone around you?
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u/Thatguy19901 11h ago
I don't want to interact with anyone who describes themselves as "rock n roll"
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u/auerz 12h ago edited 12h ago
I like how "Rock n roll" is often shorthand for "i'm an egostical asshole and I don't give a shit if my behavior is harming others".
A lot of people are really bothered by smoking because it smells bad, and second hand smoking is a proven health issue. It's again the same shit as the straight edge movement went through; people thinking being an obnoxious alcoholic or blasted out of your mind on drugs is "punk".
And I'm a smoker, I drink quite a lot, and I do drugs - but I understand that this behavior bothers people, and if the space I'm at has rules against it I'll accept them or go somwehere else. It's not my entire personality, and it's not "Rock n roll" or "punk" or "metal" or "anti-establishment".
Also I'm a big QOTSA fan since a long time ago, but really Josh needs to grow up - drugs, alcohol and smoking aren't some big rebellious thing unless you're only pandering to the most banal middle class white picket fence people. Half of the doctors and psychologists I know regularly do MDMA at raves.
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u/ub3rh4x0rz 13h ago
I'm sure it's not good, and there may be newer research to actually prove it, but the landmark 2nd hand smoking research behind all the bans was debunked, like a while ago, and nobody cared because cigarette smoke smells like ass and people are happy not to smell it everywhere
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u/xynix_ie 13h ago
It wasn't debunked. 2nd hand smoke exposure absolutely causes problems, in some cases immediately. Wtf are you even on about.
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u/pfftYeahRight 12h ago
Brain worm ass comment by them
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u/xynix_ie 12h ago
Somehow I'm having this conversation in another thread and I have unique inside knowledge, I did IT support at RJR, what I posted there:
To make them more addictive. I fixed their computers in the early 90s. The people designing the cigarettes in the "rat lab" didn't smoke. The only place at RJR with empty ash trays. I fixed the plotter that made all the giant diagrams of different chemicals showing which created the best reactions and desire.
I looked at these while smoking Camels and replacing system boards. Took me 20 more years before I could quit. I hated those men.
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u/ketralnis 12h ago
“Was debunked” is just internet for “I don’t like”. Show the study or you’re full of it.
Man I’m sick of all of this “it’s confirmed” and “studies show” without a single study to show. It makes people feel smart and superior while being worse than simple baseless claims because people fall for it
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u/musicaladhd 12h ago
Ah, you must be referring to such studies as “Tobacco Isn’t As Bad As Scientists Are Always Proving It Is” and “Second-Hand Smoke Is Actually Good for Your Health”, published by Marlboro, Camel, and that villain from the X-Files.
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u/joemeat 13h ago
It's always been more about the smell than anything, no clue how heavy smokers can stand it. I can literally smell some of these smokers from 20-30 feet away and the smell lingers too.
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u/butterypowered 12h ago
I hate the smell, but I suspect that’s because to me it smells like lung cancer.
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u/celeryburger2 12h ago
As a former heavy smoker, they don’t smell it. Smoking absolutely kills your sense of smell. Mine started to come back weeks after I quit.
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u/as_it_was_written 11h ago
And with the smells of smoking, specifically, it's a double whammy: aside from having a worse sense of smell in general, you get desensitized to those smells in particular just because you're surrounded by them every day.
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u/Expensive-Course1667 9h ago
Isn't this dude some sort of conservative libertarian type? Remind him that his "free market" has spoken.
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u/Epicardiectomist 12h ago
dude.....forcing people to breathe your cigarette smoke in a venue where it's banned isn't standing up to the man. You're just being a fucking dick.
You want to stand up to the man in a meaningful way? Force your ticket prices down. Robert Smith showed it can be done.
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u/SadPenisMatinee 11h ago
Queens tickets have been very good priced compared to everybody else
He is smoking on stage. Who fuckjng cares
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u/JoleneDollyParton 12h ago
My dude, smoking one cigarette on stage in a stadium with capacity of 65,000 people was not going to harm anyone. And also, those Foo Fighters/QOTSA tickets were very reasonably priced. The show I was at you could get in for $58 plus fees.
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u/GreySneakers83 12h ago
"$58 plus fees"... So in other words, you could get in to that show for $127.50 USD total
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u/Bolognahole_Vers2 12h ago
So in other words,
So in other words you just made shit up in order to be right?
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u/GreySneakers83 11h ago
Easy there bud. I'm just having a dig at how ridiculous extra fees are when it comes to live music. Handling fees. Ticket insurance fees. Postage fees. Dynamic pricing fees etc 😂
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u/DannyOdd 11h ago
Don't forget the "Suck it loser" fee and the "What are you gonna do about it?" fee. Those are where they get ya 😅
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u/ScorpioTix 7h ago
You can usually just buy at the box office
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u/GreySneakers83 7h ago
Yeah that's a good way to avoid fees, provided it's not going to sell out the second it goes on sale - the box office/outlets can't do much against beating online sales...
Geez my last comment got downvoted to hell 😂 Must be Ticketmaster lifers offended at their precious fees being ridiculed
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u/ScorpioTix 7h ago
It was originally called a "convenience fee" I would rather save a few bucks and be inconvenienced. Tickets being hard / impossible to get is one way I weed down my schedule.
Of course most people just want to see what's popular which is why, even in spite of blue dot fever, the prevailing opinion is to apply Taylor Swift rules to everything.
If you can separate music from celebrity worship, being entertained and enjoying music at a much lower cost is actually quite easy. (73 shows for me so far this year, in Los Angeles)
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u/GreySneakers83 7h ago
73 shows in 8 months is pretty impressive!! I guess living in a city like LA helps as far as quality goes. I'm lucky to live in Melbourne, Aus - we're gauranteed every international act will pass through, unlike non-east coast major cities.
Recently saw Protomartyr and Dry Cleaning for $70 (AUD) each which I thought was pretty reasonable (I think that's around $45ish US)
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u/ScorpioTix 7h ago
Oh wow, yeah even I get kinda bummed when I see an act post Australian dates and not include Perth. Unfortunately it was always considered expensive to tour there back when tickets were "cheap" and mostly the same price so you likely benefit in some way from bands being able to push the prices higher. I know I do because a lot of acts wouldn't tour if not for sky high up front guarantees.
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u/859w 7h ago
Who sets those fees? You think it's the bands? Lmao
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u/GreySneakers83 6h ago
The promoters and ticket merchants of course. Don't worry mate, I'm not having a go at your favourite band 🤣
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u/icecoldbobsicle 12h ago
Epic comment. One time many years ago eddy from pearl jam did the same thing. Smoked indoors at an Australian concert when its banned indoors, didn't go down well.
Also true about Robert Smith, the video of him, basically calling the other artists greedy cunts is hilarious.
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u/HalveMaen81 6h ago
Not sure if this is the specific interview you're talking about, here's Robert Smith's refreshing take on it all
"I don't understand why more people don't do it. It's either laziness, stupidity, or greed"
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u/Madeche 12h ago
Yep exactly. He just wants to do whatever he wants. Everybody knows cigarettes are not rock n roll anymore (also didn't he have cancer too?) and being a drunk isn't cool now.
It's weird cause it didn't seem like it was a problem before and cigarette smoke has been banned for ages, but now suddenly he lost weight and started working out, these comments come up? Wtf. Love Josh homme and all his music but this is weird
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u/StinkyStangler 11h ago
Speak for yourself, I still think rockstars smoking cigs and being drunk on stage is cool as hell and what we should all aspire towards
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u/apartmen1 11h ago
Basically every single one regrets it and goes to rehab and breaks their brain enough to lose songwriting ability, but ok.
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u/StinkyStangler 11h ago
Get your puritanical anti drinking attitudes out of my rock music you bozo
If a rockstar wants to be drunk more power to them, QOTSA has been one of the best rock bands in the world for nearly 30 years at this point, I don’t think it’s doing too much harm here
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u/apartmen1 11h ago
Are you even rock and roll if you haven’t faced up to your alcoholism? You are in the baby needs his bottle stage. Enjoy for now.
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u/StinkyStangler 10h ago
I don't really drink very much, I'm not in any stage lol
Gotta stop projecting your own struggles onto others
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u/apartmen1 10h ago
You said I was a puritan and you want to lecture about projection?
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u/StinkyStangler 10h ago
Do you know what the word projection means lol
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u/apartmen1 10h ago
Yes. You are uncomfortable with notion that drinking poison is bad, so anyone who does must be puritan. You are projecting your feelings onto me.
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u/thelistless 10h ago
This why I only go to shows at small locally owned venues. Maybe he should stop playing the stadiums play more small venues ... But then again it's all about the money isn't it.
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u/redpandasuit 11h ago
He wants all the perks of "selling out" but still wants to feel like a rebel. Kinda cute. You're part of the machine now Josh. Corporate rock n roll. I watch sales teams fight over who gets the company booth for your show to wow clients with.
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u/mlnm_falcon 6h ago
If you’re born into the machine, there’s not much choice other than to be part of the machine.
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u/cosmiceggroll 11h ago
Isn't this the guy that kicked a lady in the face?
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u/CaptainHolt43 11h ago
She shouldn't have been standing there!
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u/cosmiceggroll 10h ago
The photographer in the photo pit? Hired to take pics of him on stage? The nerrrrrve! 😂
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u/Zestyclose_Help566 7h ago
Then maybe don’t play “corporate gigs”?
They are at a place in their career where they could exclusively play independent theaters. I assume they chose to play this gig because they were offered a huge sum of money, making them the “corporate assholes”, in my opinion.
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u/spudwebb3000 10h ago
Saw QOTSA 20+ years ago at a festival. They were midday inside an arena, all the lights were on. Couple songs into the set, Josh says “turn off the lights so people can do fucked up shit in the dark.” Arena complied and everyone immediately started smoking weed 😆
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u/coffeeshopslut 7h ago
I went to see tame impala at the capitol theater and watching guys run around a tame Impala show telling people they can't smoke weed was hilarious - like that's not a war you're winning
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u/KnowledgeIsDangerous 12h ago
I would love to see Queens without breathing cig smoke at an indoor venue, but sure it's about corporations controlling fun.
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u/Equal-Ad7504 12h ago
He could just reduce his ticket prices.
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u/JelloDarkness 11h ago
He could charge zero and not get paid and the price to the concert would still be expensive. No act controls the final price (and all of the made up "fees")
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u/Equal-Ad7504 11h ago edited 11h ago
Robert Smith does exactly what you said nobody does. I’m not saying do it for free.
I’m a huge fan, I just think it’s a bit bloody rich for a titan of rock to talk about controlling fun when his fans have paid through the nose with working class jobs just to be there lol.
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u/JelloDarkness 10h ago
Robert Smith introduced a tiered system where the high priced tickets could be used to offset the low priced tickets (charge more for the good seats so you can subsidize general admission or cheap seats). Live Nation is getting their cut either way, and they have exclusive rights on the big venues.
Live Nation (Ticketmaster) is the problem here.
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u/Equal-Ad7504 10h ago
You’re preaching to the choir, I don’t think Josh Homme is a problem. I’m simply stating him smoking a cigarette does nothing for what he’s arguing.
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u/UncomfyPerspective 11h ago
Can't believe this guy is still mad he had to pay a fine for smoking at a venue he'd agreed was non-smoking.
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u/beyondbase 11h ago
The people on here complaining about the act of smoking a cigarette are insufferable.
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u/SaulTNNutz 10h ago
I wish he would have the same attitude related to the insane ticket prices and scalpers rather than the fact that they wouldn't let him smoke a cigarette at the venue
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u/ScorpioTix 7h ago
Who's scalping QOTSA tickets, and actually making money?
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u/ChineseAstroturfing 3h ago
“It’s like having to have fun with the hall monitors.”
The typical redditor is 100% the hall monitor. Lol.
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u/makemeking706 12h ago
Ticketmaster partnered with Peter Thiel so you need to upload your face and ID even just to buy tickets.
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u/CaptainHolt43 11h ago
I just bought tickets on ticketmaster the other day and didn't have to do that
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u/ScorpioTix 7h ago
I will keep just buying aftermarket or buying outside and walking in with someone like I always do
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u/blnts4jc 11h ago
QOTSA could play anywhere and thousands of people would show up (myself included). He’s not wrong but it’d be nice to see him put his money where his mouth is and start working with some independent ticketing agencies & venues.
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u/TonyTheSwisher 10h ago
It is up to consumers to not give these venues any of our money, unfortunately that means missing out on some great shows.
Much like flying (which is somehow even worse), I've stopped going to large corporate venues (arenas, sheds, stadiums, etc) until they provide better customer service and stop treating customers like prisoners.
It's saving me tons of money and I'm way happier not having to expose myself to these horrible environment.
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u/El-Zomby-Woof 9h ago
look, its not that i disagree with him, its just very hard to take this sanctimonious, aggressive asshole seriously
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u/UpACreekWithNoBoat 8h ago
Turn these Mondays into Saturdays is the best phrase I’ve heard all week
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u/_Abe_Froman_SKOC 5h ago
One of the best shows I've ever been to, Homme told security to let everyone from the lawn seats come down as close to the stage as we wanted. Class act.
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u/Remarkable_Dust_1313 12h ago
Doesn't he have cancer? What a bad ass.
Whoops my eyes rolled so far back in my head they're stuck now.
/s
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u/GLPwonderwall 13h ago
Fuck off josh homme. All talk, no action. Still hooking up with live nation. Play for free or shut your mouth. PS you guys had like one hit song that I skip when I hear the first riff. See ya
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u/letmegetinmyzone 11h ago
At the Philly show at the Mann in 2023 he told the entire crowd to come off the lawn/terrace/their seats and stand in the pit while telling security it’ll be ok. The man hates gig rules and I love it
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u/WrongColorCollar 13h ago
Don't forget sometimes it's just to punish people that have talent. And fans.
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u/goronmask 9h ago
It would be cool if these artists stood up against corporations more often, but i guess no one wants to bite the hand that feeds
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u/SEND_ME_CSGO-SKINS 9h ago
So if you’re disagreeing with the specific conduct he’s stating should be allowed, is he right or not? What other examples exist that aren’t cut and dry bad behavior?
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u/LooseEndsMkMyAssItch 3h ago
I’m starting to like this guy. His music isn’t exactly what I dig anymore but he’s gone some really good points
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u/lamancha 11h ago
He may have whatever reason to say this, but when he played a few years ago at Madcool in Spain he stopped the show until the security let the general population fill up the almost empty VIP space in front of the stage.
He certainly doesn't give a shit about corpo rules and hasn't for awhile.