Bands that have had success over the last 10 years move crowds of fans with sold-out shows and songs that evoke memories. Understand what is behind the meetings of groups that had separated or were on “pause”
It’s no secret that a veritable band dating phenomenon has taken over the music market in Brazil in recent times. With the ability to move a crowd of fans and sell out in minutes, bands like restart AND NXZero cause a real commotion in those who want to remember happy times under a sense of urgency.
Nor is the name given to the sentiment behind so much emotion a secret: the nostalgia, a feeling created by times that no longer exist. It’s no news that meetings, playlists and songs that evoke this emotion are popular among people who have lived – or even those who have not lived – a certain time.
One thing, however, stands out in the announcements made in recent years: bands that were successful in the last decade – the not so distant past. In the case of Restart, the heyday of colored trousers was experienced just 10 years ago. The NX Zero announced a “hiatus” just six years ago.
The interest and the return of increasingly recent trends goes beyond the music market and today is very well exposed in the fashion market. On popular platforms like Tick tockit is not difficult to come across the Y2K aesthetic, a name given to the revival of elements such as low-waisted trousers, so popular in the 2000s, and ‘old’ music, but from not so distant realities.
In this text you will understand:
- How are tours organized by split groups?
- Why do recent groups come back under the guise of nostalgia?
- What explains so much emotion among the fans?
- How do social networks contribute to this?
- To what extent is nostalgia a positive feeling?
How are the “nostalgia tours” organised?
There is considerable public demand for bands or musicians who encourage this feeling of nostalgia. That’s what matters Alexander Fariavice president of Live Nation Brasil, the production company that has already led the duo’s tour Sandy and Junior and currently organizes eight RBD concerts in the country.
According to him, there is a monitoring of the names of greatest interest to fans, whether they are active artists or those who have experienced a ‘pause’. A possible return can derive both from the will of the artist and from the request of the production house.
The time needed to organize a tour of this caliber involves many variables, which can arise in a few months or last a year. If the band or musician is keen to release new music, the “gestation time” is longer.
Alexandre, however, agrees that the feeling of wanting to remember the past is what drives the public’s taste behind such a request. “It’s all about nostalgia. Music and live entertainment have a permanent place in people’s emotions,” he comments.
The ‘restart’ of a not so distant past
Such a short life span for musical blockbusters is nothing new to the entertainment industry. Simone Pereira de Saprofessor at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) and researcher of media, music and the music market, explains that the fact is linked to the way in which the pop market was built and dates back to the explosion of Beatles in the 60s.
“The temporality of this market is quite accelerated. […] A hit from 10 years ago, for pop music, is already classified as old,” he says, who compares this sector to that of classical music, where the feeling of nostalgia is not evoked. “We don’t talk about nostalgia to someone who is listening Beethoven OR bach […]because this genre shouldn’t need new hits.”
According to the researcher, several phenomena explain the public’s great interest in musical attractions that evoke this feeling. The first is associated with the ability of music to trigger memories.
This affection for certain songs, according to Simone, is not necessarily associated with the quality of these hits, but with the memories that invade us with a certain sequence of chords. The market is aware of the power of this sentiment and uses it to its advantage.
Sold out tickets are also associated with fan loyalty
Another element, however, shouldn’t be ignored when thinking about how quickly tickets sell out at group reunions: fan loyalty. Simone cites a personal example: the band Titanswhich she has been following since she was a teenager, who she recently toured with Encounter.
“I don’t go to shows [dos Titãs] because they remind me of my 15 years. It’s because I still think it’s a great band and I want to see what they’re doing today,” comments the lecturer, who says that the post-pandemic and the need for live shows are also contributing to the rapid sell-out of tickets for the presentations.
The interest of the bands, for her, is not only associated with an economic interest: there is also a desire for artistic creation on the part of the musicians. “In the case of Restart, they are young musicians who founded the band from that first moment. Subsequently, they went in other directions and found themselves, on the one hand, exploring this wave of nostalgia, but also for artistic interests in the creation.”
This loyalty, however, is not limited only to fans who have lived through the time of the groups. A phenomenon, driven today by the social mediacauses bands and artists to attract the interest of new generations, such as the so-called Generation Z.
Accelerating through social networks starts with fashion
In addition to the reunions of more recent bands, the interest of the younger ones also revolves around groups that have not had the pinnacle of success. It’s not hard to find song clippings from the ABBAFrom Fleetwood MacIn Billy Joel comes from Rita Lee on platforms like TikTok.
In these social networks the ‘retro’ references, especially in relation to fashion trends, come from the 2000s. Maira Zimmermannfashion historian and professor at the Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), says that previously, fashion cycles and the return of trends lasted 20 years, the time of a generation.
Currently, the new generations resignify elements of others with this ‘nostalgic’ look, as he explains. The circulation of images and symbols of the 2000s contributed to this audience’s broad interest in turn-of-the-century elements.
Maíra mentions a phenomenon described in 2010 by the English journalist Simon Reynolds: ‘retromania’, addiction to an increasingly recent past. This movement, however, is not organic, according to the teacher.
However, you point out a problem that involves both the interest of young people in these elements, and the interest of parents in letting their children know a certain era: the idealization of the past.
‘Things were better in my day’?
For psychology, the feeling of nostalgia implies a number of feelings and other problems. The teacher Leila Salomão de La Plata Tardivofrom the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo (IP USP), explains that nostalgia can be accompanied by both sadness and joy, as it releases endorphins.
For example, he mentions idol shows like Paul McCartney AND Robert Charles, which always attract a strong demand from the public. “If the person has been through it, it’s time to get that well-being back,” she comments.
The problem with nostalgia, for Leila, is when the person is prevented from living in the present by this idealization of the past. “What’s not good is staying there. […] [A nostalgia] it will hurt if it prevents you from moving forward, because the only time to live is the present,” he says.
*Intern under the supervision of Charlise de Morais
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
