But is it as simple as all that? Can a Web site that contains nothing but date, city, state and venue information for acts like The Groovie Ghoulies, Ministry and Pete Yorn really help bring together the disparaging masses to form an ethos that is cohesive, yet certifiably non compos mentis? Or are we just throwing a series of ten-cent words against your monitor in hopes that some of them develop an adhesive quality?

Sure, a simple data element, such as Public Enemy playing in Dublin on April 12 may seem like nothing more than a database listing the who, where and when of concert mechanics, but more importantly, it is but one of many individual events where a single listing can form new common ground for all societies to gather around, a conjuncture to recall and reminisce upon in the coming days of future past as we breath deeply the gathering gloom.

“Where were you when matchbox twenty announced that they would play Memphis on June 27?” “What were you doing when The Libertines revealed their itinerary?” “How old were you when Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s original three-date stand at Giants Stadium rolled into seven?” These are questions that will bind us in the future, just as many still recall the exact moment that Dean broke up with Jerry or when John met Yoko. For just as tour dates often predict future events, the nomenclature of venue combined with date and city often reveal much about our past.

A wise man once said that those who refuse to remember history are condemned to reheat it. Sure, the terminology may be different as familiar homilies such as “snap, crackle and pop” give way to “whack, pop and snuff.” But when all is said and done, the future tour dates listed on this site will eventually become mementos of what went before, relics of our concert past.

What should one do? The answer is simple if only you can recall the question. Savor each and every tour date listed in our database. Remember the additional shows in major markets for the Eagles, the Bangkok date for The Rolling Stones and the TBAs for Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine. For even though these dates represent our destiny, for the culturally hip in our viewing audience these listings will one day serve as reminders of how we spent the past.

While the rest of you will just have to make do with your videotapes of American Idol.