American bands/music artists who are huge there but not over here..

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 8:38am #1

KISS: ok, I think most people have heard of them but i don't think I've ever met anyone who was a big fan. Theyre massive in the States, plus by extension Canada plus Latin America but I reckon if you ask your average Irish or British person to name one of their songs you'll draw a blank, maybe one or two like God Gave Rock N Roll To You (and that's a cover of an Argent song).

Phish. While not exactly mainstream they have a huge cult following Stateside. Beyond their appearance in an episode of the Simpsons I doubt very many people this side of the pond would have even heard of then.

Ash.J.Williams · 03-02-2022 8:41am

motley crue

ratt

Trekker09 · 03-02-2022 8:43am

Kiss were/are dreadful. Style over substance.

Weezer

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 8:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574179#Comment_118574179

A lot of those 80s American hair metal bands wouldn't have gotten much of a following over here, compared to trash metal bands.

One odd offshoot of hair metal would be Christian metal bands like Stryper. Definitely a largely Stateside thing.

Dr Bob · 03-02-2022 8:47am

Back in the mid to late 90s there were a ton of alt rock bands that were huge in the states but literally couldn't fill a pub in this part of the world .

Probably as Britpop had claimed a huge chunk of the market .

Ironically one of them was Bush who were English

Gregor Samsa · 03-02-2022 8:48am

The Grateful Dead

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 8:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574203#Comment_118574203

The "Deadhead" mega fans are definitely an American thing. Occasionally meet people who have a few of their albums but not obsessives. Would be better appreciated than Phish, who are basically a Grateful Dead tribute act/ripoff.

Mr. CooL ICE · 03-02-2022 8:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574190#Comment_118574190

Tears Are Falling

I Was Made For Loving You

Love Gun

Detroit Rock City

God Of Thunder

Psycho Circus

Strutter

Absolute belters of tunes. They had style AND substance. And if you ever have the pleasure of seeing them live and how they give every single performance 110%, you'll see why they have so many fans and keep them for so long.

L1011 · 03-02-2022 9:07am

The majority of the younger acts on the Country charts would fall in to that - people who can sell a million tickets on a US tour and would either be unheard of here or get some rural radio play and maybe a support slot at that annual Country thing in the Point.

Seeing US year in review lists for music now can be quite confusing as that stuff is so popular it's filling many of the overall sales/streams charts.

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 9:08am

Ted Nugent would be another one, might be as much to do with his flag waving, America first hyperbole plus the fact that hes something of a cnunt as it does with his music.

Trekker09 · 03-02-2022 9:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574227#Comment_118574227

I have heard a lot of their songs but not one of them has tempted me to delve deeper. Even the titles of their songs make me cringe! But hey, horses for courses and all that.

DellyBelly · 03-02-2022 9:27am

Kiss is a good call. I'd also say Bruce Springsteen is another. Massive in the states but not so popular over here.

Wanderer78 · 03-02-2022 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574343#Comment_118574343

the boss has no problem filling big venues over this way.....

Ash.J.Williams · 03-02-2022 9:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574260#Comment_118574260

anyone that has ever met ted said he's one of the soundest people going! and that includes henry rollins who expected not to like him!

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 9:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574343#Comment_118574343

Wouldn't agree on Springsteen. Has regularly played big shows here and has a healthy following.

Gregor Samsa · 03-02-2022 9:32am

Seemingly the biggest selling/streaming album as per the Billboard Hot 200 in the US for 2021 was by someone called Morgan Wallen.

Ash.J.Williams · 03-02-2022 9:33am

oddly enough Bush are huge in the states

Ash.J.Williams · 03-02-2022 9:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574343#Comment_118574343

bruce is limited to only selling out our largest stadiums in every city

Gregor Samsa · 03-02-2022 9:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574343#Comment_118574343

Springsteen filled Croke Park for two nights the last time he played here in 2016. He's due to play there twice again this year, and Cork too.

In all fairness, with the size of Ireland in comparison to the US, it's not possible for any band to be as massive here as in the states. So some relativity needs to be taken into account.

druss · 03-02-2022 9:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574190#Comment_118574190

Weezer were pretty successful globally (and at fairly similar levels) in the 90's and 00's.

I agree totally on Kiss and was relieved to find out that they hadn't written that Argent song (And that it was a shoddy effort compared to the real deal).

Not a band/artist, so much as a genre...in most 90's/00's teen comedies/rom coms, eventually you get to the big party set piece. At this point, Alicia Silverstone/Mellissa Joan Hart/AN Other goes "OMG, it's my favourite band! It's the Slightly Overweight Guys with Overly-styled Facial Hair*". And some identikit ska-punk band would play some mediocre stuff while the crowd went wild. Was this an entire scene in US? Were the producers forcing this on us, or was this the high school genre of choice?

May not be actual band name.

olestoepoke · 03-02-2022 9:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574343#Comment_118574343

Not sure Bruce belongs in this thread. Didn't he fill Croke park twice? And play to a fairly large crowd in Slane? (65,000 in 1985) He's also played numerous sell out gigs in the RDS, Thomand Park, Nowlan Park and several sell out gigs at the Point.

Ash.J.Williams · 03-02-2022 9:43am

fiona Apple

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 9:47am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574402#Comment_118574402

Born In The USA was a massive album over here, spawned several hit singles. He'd broken through a decade earlier with Born To Run but with BITUSA he went stratospheric. Definitely doesn't belong here.

eviltimeban · 03-02-2022 9:48am

John Mayer

ohnonotgmail · 03-02-2022 9:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574227#Comment_118574227

You forgot Crazy Crazy Nights

Moghead · 03-02-2022 10:07am

Dave Matthews Band

Badly Drunk Boy · 03-02-2022 10:08am

Hootie & the Blowfish

Kenny G

Bob Seger

Santana

They might have had bits of success this side of the Atlantic but nothing like they have in America.

AlanG · 03-02-2022 10:08am

Hootie and the Blowfish and most of the old US college rock scene except REM.

Ubbquittious · 03-02-2022 10:40am

The likes of Ashanti never did well over here. The odd R&B / in da hood artist does well over here but not nearly to the same extent as in de States. Lots more demand for that kind of music over there and not just among black people

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 10:44am

A lot of American 70s prog rock bands who subsequently evolved into more radio friendly AOR by the early 80s. Kansas, Chicago, REO Speedwagon etc.

Trekker09 · 03-02-2022 11:16am

There were a lot of bands rom the 90s and noughties that we might've heard one song but never really got a European following:

Blind Melon, Dynamite Hack, The Offspring, Sixpence Non The Richer (awful name) etc.

gigantic09 · 03-02-2022 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574203#Comment_118574203

I saw a deadhead sticker on a cadalic

Only recently copped what that lyric meant.

dxhound2005 · 03-02-2022 11:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574868#Comment_118574868

Sixpence is a pre-decimalisation UK coin worth six pence or half a shilling, a small amount of money. “Sixpence none the richer” is an idiom that means to have engaged in an unprofitable endeavour. Literally not even sixpence richer than before.

dxhound2005 · 03-02-2022 11:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574200#Comment_118574200

More usually called Thrash Metal.

gigantic09 · 03-02-2022 11:55am

Rush

Journey

The allman brothers

Matchbox 20

Jewel

Boston

Flinty997 · 03-02-2022 11:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574421#Comment_118574421

Kind of a left of field artist though.

El Tarangu · 03-02-2022 12:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574550#Comment_118574550

+1

Pavement is a band that I frequently hear mentioned by middle-aged American men in podcasts as one of their defining influences; never heard any mention of them in Irish indies circles.

Trekker09 · 03-02-2022 12:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575181#Comment_118575181

Pavement are one of those bands Like Grandaddy that are huge on a small scale 😁 I think Pavement are playing Vicar Street this year

thebronze14 · 03-02-2022 12:32pm

Wilco

Trekker09 · 03-02-2022 12:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574974#Comment_118574974

I know what it means, but it's just an awful name for a band

Apiarist · 03-02-2022 12:43pm

Kanye West

Seems to be / has been popular in the USA, less so here. Or is it just my uninformed opinion?

L1011 · 03-02-2022 12:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574974#Comment_118574974

Its a specific reference to a CS Lewis quote. Christian rock band, which is probably the main reason they aren't popular outside the US bar the two tracks that did well - one of which was a cover, the other of which has no obvious christian rock content.

El Tarangu · 03-02-2022 2:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118574550#Comment_118574550

One more exception to this rule - Pixies, who seemed to become massive over here after supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Devo seem to be a very influential band in the States, less so in Europe

RayCon · 03-02-2022 2:22pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-certified_music_artists_in_the_United_States .... according to this list , # 12 biggest selling artist in the US is a C&W guy called George Strait (69M album sales) .... never heard of him

RayCon · 03-02-2022 2:24pm

I'll add Dave Matthews Band .... awful crap, thankfully not popular over here.

banie01 · 03-02-2022 2:28pm

Toad the wet sprocket and Hole spring to mind along with the Wallflowers, Jane's addiction, sonic youth, Creed, Primus, Amnd the criminally under rated Ben Folds (US's answer to Neil Hannon IMO) and Marcy playground.

On the rap front? So much of the post 2010's US output strikes me as utter shít. That may be my age? But some of the British stuff is brilliant, Dave the Rapper especially. But aside from gems, US rap peaked in the G-Funk west coast era.

Hangdogroad · 03-02-2022 2:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118576117#Comment_118576117

Wouldn't agree on Sonic Youth, they've long had a decent following on this side of the pond. Janes Addiction were big enough in the 90's in UK and Ireland.

sweetie · 03-02-2022 2:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575181#Comment_118575181

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118575263#Comment_118575263

Pavement have'nt released an album in about twenty years, they were a reasonably big indie/college rock band on both sides of the atlantic.

I loved them in the 90s/00s and still do.

Wilco regularly sell out Vicar st and last played Iveagh gardens. Again they are much acclaimed in the US too but don't sell millions, I'd guess they sell about 150k albums each time and money is made touring and Jeff produces, plays solo and has a couple of side projects.