KROQ's Limp Weenie

(USING MY BEST RADIO ANNOUNCER VOICE): Hey everyone, tickets for the Weenie Roast y Fiesta go on sale today! Take a look at this lineup that's been gathered for one of the flagship events of the summer in Southern California! Aren't you excited?

I, for one, say meh.

The KROQ Weenie Roast, one of the great festival-type shows in the region for many years, is going soft. This year's lineup inspires so little excitement in me that I'm finding that it's not even worth it to try and call in to win tickets for free.

Now, in fairness, I've never been to a Weenie Roast, and have only been to one KROQ-run show, the first Inland Invasion (before it was moved to LA). And I'm far from a full-time music critic. But every year, when they announce the Roast, I find myself looking down the lineup with some sort of jealousy because I know I won't be able to go.

This year? Let's look at the headliners.

Weezer? OK, they're pretty cool, and Gina loves them, so they get a pass. But they're the headliner, so they're going to have to bring it.

Kings of Leon? I really can't say much about the band. They play the little snippets of their songs in the big promotion commercial, and they sort of blend in to the rest of the music on the radio. And that's not a good thing.

Jimmy Eat World? Have liked the songs I've heard from them ... which all got overplayed on stations across the dial. Probably would be cool to see them live, but...

The rest of the bill is filled with the usual "band-of-the-moment" acts, such as Silversun Pickups, Cage the Elephant, The Airborne Toxic Event and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. All of them fine bands, I'm sure.

But, and maybe I'm being overly harsh here, where's that one REALLY big act? Where's Green Day (who has an album the station has been "World Premiering" songs from coming out the weekend of the show)? Where's No Doubt (who's touring for the first time in years right now)? Heck, why not even the Offspring (who also are out supporting a new album)?

The problems are two-fold. First and foremost is the economy. We all know about that, and I won't belabor the point, other than ticket prices aren't astronomical for the show ($65 for seats, $55 for lawn, plus Ticketmaster's fees).

The bigger problem, though, is KROQ seems to be in the middle of an identity crisis. The "World Famous" is struggling with who it's audience is supposed to be at this point. Is it supposed to be me, the nearly 40-year-old who has been with the station for his adult life? Or is it supposed to be for the teen aged rocker who wants to hear the next big thing?

And if you listen, I'm not sure they know. Any given hour, you'll hear a song (or two) from Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins or Pearl Jam. All cool jams, but all venturing into the 90's. Sure you'll also get new music from other "older" KROQ bands, such as Green Day, the Offspring or Red Hot Chili Peppers. But a lot of times, their back catalogs get as much play as the newer offerings.

This identity issue can be traced to the current music scene as well. Since the "emo" movement seems to have faded away (thankfully), there's not that one unifying genre of rock to play. The last time I can remember this happening was back in the mid-90's, when you could tune in and hear swing (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers), nu-metal (Limp Bizkit, Korn) and ska (Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish) on the radio, mixed in with the punks and grunge.

Blame the iPod. When everyone's walking around with 500+ songs in a tiny device, it makes it hard to program a station that's still trying to live up to its "World Famous" status.

Oh, I'm sure things will work out. They always seem to in the music business. Bands are still going to need airplay to generate interest and sales. It's not like they'll harness the power of the Internet, making over-the-air radio stations seem as obsolete as a printed newspaper.

Nah ... couldn't happen. Or could it?