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I'm a fan of several bands that people seem to either love or hate. Bands such as Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, and U2. I happen to enjoy most, if not all, of those bands' music and I can't quite figure out why so many people think they "suck" and constantly bash their music and fans. That hate for certain bands fascinates me, and I've thought about possible explanations for it.

First, most people who hate a particular band only really hate the lead singer/spokesperson of the band. People don't necessarily hate Coldplay, just Chris Martin. Same thing with Dave Matthews Band and Dave Matthews. I probably don't even need to tell you how many people can't stand Bono of U2. Why do people hate the bands because of the lead singer? It might be the singer's voice. I will admit that Chris Martin can get whiny, but that will happen when you sing falsetto. I think people also hate the "he's everywhere!" factor. Bono is an in-your-face kind of guy and gets too much exposure and press coverage for some people. Also, many of these lead singers have favorite causes, like world poverty and AIDS for Bono and free trade for Chris Martin. People who hate Coldplay and U2 seemingly don't like issues with their music. In the process of hating these people for their causes, they forget to find something they like about the music itself.

If you take the lead singer out of the equation, there's not much to object to. Do you care about any of the non-Chris Martin members of Coldplay? Can you even name one of them? If it was just guitar, drum and bass and there was no singing, I don't think anyone would get so worked up with disgust and hate. It's not the music itself people don't like. The lead singer, by getting the lion's share of attention, is what people form their opinions about.

Another thing that I think inspires dislike of certain bands is the vocal, loyal fan base each band has. For example, Dave Matthews Band's college-aged fans. They are Deadhead-ish in their loyalty and obsession about the band, and they travel many miles to follow the band from gig to gig. The haters see that sometimes-annoying fan base and let that justify their like or dislike for the band. A band can have the worst, most annoying fans in the world, but that doesn't make the music good or bad. I'll admit there are probably some fan bases that turn me off to bands, but I'd still be willing to give the band's music a fair listen before I completely wrote them off.

The last reason I think people hate Coldplay, U2 and the like is their image as "soft." Coldplay, for example, is a band with a singer who can sing falsetto and play piano, and who writes introspective, sensitive lyrics. Who likes bands such as Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band? Women do. They appreciate the many musical flavors these bands have to offer, and I'd bet that much of the fanbase of these bands are women. That doesn't mean men can't like their music too, and many do. The haters, though, are probably men who are uncomfortable with sensitive, light, slow music. If it's not loud and aggressive, it's made by "wussies." People who don't like these types of music usually don't like sounds that could be described as beautiful. Instead of thinking the songs are beautiful, they call them dull and boring. Some people can appreciate the beauty in Coldplay and DMB's music, but others just can't see it.

Well, those are some reason why I think people don't like certain bands that I love. They're certainly entitled to their opinions, but I feel sorry that they can't see the same musical quality that I see in the above mentioned bands, Coldplay U2 and Dave Matthews Band. I try not to let it worry me, though. I just pop in a CD by one of those bands and enjoy what I hear.