[Chris65LeMans]

Originally Posted by bdk1976

I haven't been to many shows over the past 15+ years, but figured most car shows would have classic rock playing by now. Please tell me old women dressed up in poodle skirts aren't a staple of car shows anymore. Did those stupid dolls people had leaning against their cars go away yet? Have PT cruisers been banned?

I see one of those dolls occasionally, and had wondered what the story was with those.

[NeighborsComplaint]

A mix of music to suit the show is fine. A "Back to the 50's" show should have a 50's theme, otherwise a mix of period correct tunes is fine with me. The volume level needs to place the music in the background, the cars are the stars. I was at a show last year that featured a band called "Gasoline Alley". They covered everything and did it very well. In between sets, a DJ played tunes and trivia.

[codyyy]

I think a lot of car shows just have the music most people have heard when they were in high school. The demographic seems to be perceived toward the older retired people I think. I'd rather not hear any music though. Let the exhaust do the singin'.
It still surprises me they started playing Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers on the classic rock station in San Diego. I go to Las Vegas and see a bunch of classic vehicle/classic rod license plates on '90s cars. I still have a few minutes left in my 20s and I'm wondering when I got so old when I see that stuff.

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by codyyy

I think a lot of car shows just have the music most people have heard when they were in high school. The demographic seems to be perceived toward the older retired people I think. I'd rather not hear any music though. Let the exhaust do the singin'.
It still surprises me they started playing Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers on the classic rock station in San Diego. I go to Las Vegas and see a bunch of classic vehicle/classic rod license plates on '90s cars. I still have a few minutes left in my 20s and I'm wondering when I got so old when I see that stuff.

The first time I head Metallica on a classic station I felt super old.

[zephyrracer]

NO MUSIC
50 years of Lou Kristie and the Four Seasons screaming and now with 1200 watt systems turn up to hear them 1/4 mile away,
I've left car shows because of the music,
Why not have an area roped off for people to listen and dance to sock hop style.

Thanks for posting this, Gregg

[GT182]

I say 60s to early 80s or... No music as it gets to be so loud and you can't hear yourself think, let alone try to talk with someone.

[oldblueponcho]

There was a local car show the other day about eight blocks away from my house, I was a little late getting ready to leave and could hear the music clearly from inside my house so I ended up not going. As a result my vote is no music.

[ponyakr]

I think your age may have a lot to do with it. After the mid '70's there were VERY few Musclecars. The '77-'79 W-72 cars were nice, but really didn't have much muscle, as compared to the early RA, HO, & SD cars.

Also, somewhere in the very early '70's, Rock-n-Roll music changed. There are VERY few songs made since, that I liked.

Many think of the Musclecar area as beginning with the '55-'57 Chevies. Pontiacs also began winning drag & circle track races, in the late '50's. Then there were the 389 & 421SD cars, of the early '60's, which won lots of drag & NASCAR races. Then there were the 409 Chevies. And, how about Mopar's famous 413 & 426 cars.

And, during the early '60's, lots of guys were just then able to afford the cars from the late '50's. So, when they were hot rodding their late '50's cars, they were hearing early 60's music, on the radio. Now, fast forward to this century. Many of the guys who had the old '50's & '60's hot rods, have raised their families & now have a few bucks to spend. So, when they are able to buy or build a car that was popular when they were young, what type of music do you suppose most of 'em will wanna hear. That's right, most wanna hear the same music they heard back then.

The first hot rod I remember seeing was, I believe, a '63 model Fairlane, with a 289 High Performance engine and a 4-speed. It would burn rubber when shifting gears. Hey, I reckin I was hooked, from that time on.

http://www.supermotors.net/articles/...sue03-a1-1.php

Then, of course, with '64 came the GTO & the rest is well known history. So, it appears to me that mid '50's thru early '70's music is just a natural fit for car shows featuring mostly cars from that same time period.

If I went to a car show which had music only from say '75 up, I'd either leave quick, or use some good ear plugs. Absolutely can't stand MOST of the pop & rock music made after the very early '70's. So, again I say that music preferences depend mostly on your age & what you listened to back then.

Give me the old car songs, surfin songs, Motown stuff, and most of the good late '60's stuff, like "Born to be Wild, Mitch Ryder, all the CCR hits, etc. Hey, I even like the Elvis rock. Everybody has their own opinions & tastes, in music & most everything else.

[RocktimusPryme]

At the end of the day, its a small thing that many of us probably never even thought about until someone asked this question. But to me its part of the larger systemic problem of bringing in new blood to hot rodding. People get so elitist. And in a hobby where the financial entry level bar gets raised constantly unless people get creative, its bad for business.

A 4 door?...... Scoff
You swapped in a small block....Scoff
Why did you put that modern looking radio in.......Scoff
Those dont look like the 14" Redlines that car is supposed to have.....Scoff

I could go on. And a PROMISE you. If someone tried to be hip and was playing modern or even semi modern music at some of these cruise in shows the old guard would complain. This is not really revelatory information, but the older a generation gets, the more resistant to change it is.

SEMA is in a couple months. Ill bet if you walked the floor there they dont have sock hop music playing.

[Terry M. Hunt]

50's and 60's stuff is okay, but I always wonder why no tunes that charted below #10 seem to get played. I think that is the major source of the monotony people experience. A lot of the artists from this era had some interesting tunes that don't often get heard, so why not include them for the sake of variety? Volume too loud is definitely a pet peeve, as is the asshat who shows up with a very average car loaded with $7000 worth of audio equipment and who thinks everybody enjoys his frequent displays of its power while somebody is making a PA announcement about a lost child, calling out a winning raffle ticket number, trying to announce coming shows, etc. You can count on this guy firing up his doomsday system every 15 minutes, featuring some "artist" with only one name(Weekend, Future, Felony, Indicted, Fugitive, or an endless list of Lil-something) and that gets truly old by the end of day.

[Tim Younker]

I enjoy 50s, 60s, early 70s music at car cruises/shows as long as it is not blaring loud.

[bird72]

I was surprised at the strong "no music" voting and respect that. But what about the racket of tapping canes, walkers, and squeaky oxygen tank wheels?

[66_Catalina]

Those are usually covered up by the gentle sound of Fords rusting

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by zephyrracer

NO MUSIC
50 years of Lou Kristie and the Four Seasons screaming and now with 1200 watt systems turn up to hear them 1/4 mile away,
I've left car shows because of the music,
Why not have an area roped off for people to listen and dance to sock hop style.

Thanks for posting this, Gregg

or 409, Little GTO, Deuce Coupe......

[Squidward]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

I type/speak for most here when stating that music newer than 1991 is loathsome and unwanted at car shows.

I think Bluegrass and select 57-71 music played at 1 Watt across 100 yards length would be perfect.

You know, any live band playing completely unplugged would be super.

Unplugged? I was glad when that phase died out in the 90's. Plug it in and turn it up.

There were some great rock acts in the 90's+ if you cut out all the eat-a-shotgun grunge and cut-up-my-arms EMO crap from the 2000's. It just takes a little more effort to make a playlist than hijacking the first 3 seasons of "Happy Days". I propose Metallica and White Zombie to start a list that I would welcome in lieu of the crusty oldies.

I would even welcome music that my kids grew up on. Just please, oh please, let us not get geezed out by utterly stale tunes.

I swear... The next time I go to a car show and get held hostage by doo-wop music, I'm gonna steal an oxygen tank and an electric scooter chair to stay awake.

Someday, our grandchildren will be tortured the same way by endless loops of Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and Imagine Dragons while they polish up their Hellcats and Mustangs.

[64CatalinaVentura]

Originally Posted by bdk1976

I haven't been to many shows over the past 15+ years, but figured most car shows would have classic rock playing by now. Please tell me old women dressed up in poodle skirts aren't a staple of car shows anymore. Did those stupid dolls people had leaning against their cars go away yet? Have PT cruisers been banned?

Not many poodle skirts these days, but I do see those creepy dolls from time to time. They are usually owned by someone 75+ who drives a pre-1960 car and wears one of those straw hats!

Notice to all PY folks: If you or someone you love owns a faceless car show doll, there is help available. Trash collection is once a week in most regions of the country.

Only one PT Cruiser shows up at our local stuff, but the late model Mustang/Corvette/Challenger/Charger/Camaro crowd is out in full force.

Getting back to the music.... nothing worse than blasting music at a show...it kills the conversations and your ears. I always prefer live music, it adds energy in contrast to a DJ.

The best shows include racing, trivia, seminars, burn out competitions, or some other kind of INTERACTIVE aspect rather than being another edition of the lawn chair nationals.

[OCMDGTO]

LOL 64cat! I agree that while I love music I don't go to a car show to get my eardrums blown out. It is annoying when you can't talk and you can't move away because the car you want to see is in the going deaf zone.

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans

I see one of those dolls occasionally, and had wondered what the story was with those.

I've seen them before. I just assumed I was too young to understand their meaning.

They look stupid.

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by Squidward

\
I would even welcome music that my kids grew up on. Just please, oh please, let us not get geezed out by utterly stale tunes.

I swear... The next time I go to a car show and get held hostage by doo-wop music, I'm gonna steal an oxygen tank and an electric scooter chair to stay awake.

Someday, our grandchildren will be tortured the same way by endless loops of Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and Imagine Dragons while they polish up their Hellcats and Mustangs.

Thank you. Its funny to me that a hobby that is built on innovation is so loathe to move forward culturally.

Considering its unlikely that everyone is going to agree with Slayer and 120 decibels (which I would be fine with) I agree that there doesnt need to be an invasive level of noise with any music being played. So loud that you cant have a conversation. But I do hate hearing the same "Sounds of the 50s!" CDs that somebody bought from one of those TV ads in the 90s that listed all the songs. "4 CDs for 19.95! All your favorite hits including......."

I think you could even come up to only 30-40 years old with GnR, Foreigner, etc and it would be an improvement. But even then you would still be playing nothing but songs Ive heard a million times.

[66_Catalina]

This will make some mad but the doowop lawn chair unwilling to change crowd is part of what is killing the hobby. What have you done to further the hobby recently? Have you swallowed your disgust at some ricer and complimented the owner? I did. Turned out it was a single turbo v6 Nissan and was fast. Have you ignored some loud annoying music you didn't like to talk to the newer crowd and maybe get them asking about our style car? It's called networking. If you just pulled your lawn chair closer to your car and complained about the tatted up kid and his crappy music you failed. I go to the local cruises when I can and put up with the oldies and elitist behavior of the guys who don't want to change. I compliment their chromed up glass packed stuff and nod when they tell me when they taped a twenty to the dash and bet the passenger couldn't get it when they floored it. I do what I can to be respectful of them and the guy with the ratted out whatever. Hopefully they all continue on and are nice to the next person who shares nothing in common except the love of cars.