Last night The Wife and I went to see Johnny Lang perform in Fort Lauderdale for the second time.  Lang is an amazing performer and I really enjoyed it, just like the first time.  Unlike the first time we saw him (same venue, a year earlier), he had an opening act: Alex Band from the Calling. I have never seen a more arrogant performer in my life.  This includes performances by Creed, Slayer, Trapt, Godsmack, and pretty much a whole host of hard rock/heavy metal/etc. with stratospheric egos.  The bands I just listed were my previous top 4, but Band is now spots 1-5 on the arrogant chart.

• Before every song that was remotely popular, he would list the awards, Billboard charting, and any other radio charting statistics that the song had garnered.
• He repeatedly threw how his age when describing when he wrote the songs: "I wrote this when I was 15".
• He spent significant time whining about his label and how they screwed him on his record deal and how everyone else screwed him by stealing music (downloading).
• He then played a cover song which I'm sure he paid no royalties for (stealing, in his terms).
• He went on and on about a bracelet music purchase system he's invented, where you could buy it, how much more convenient and better it was than downloading the songs or buying the single, then confessed you have to take a code from a the bracelet, enter it on his website, and uhhh, download the song!

I just sat there cringing and wishing he would get off the stage.  He also had this horrible opera-like deep vocal tendency and the entire thing was a shame because he was obviously talented and had a good voice. Johnny Lang got out on stage later, an infinitely more talented and creative musician and mentioned "Give it up for Alex Band" to anemic applause.  Then reminded everyone "Hope you enjoyed all those number 1 hits.  We have no number one hits.  But we have people who love us." Words to live by.