Rabid music fans share their love

Their fans are the best and the worst in the same hyperventilating breath.

I'm talking about Steely Dan aficionados, that pointy-headed lot with the superiority complex of a Hollywood A-lister's offspring.

Steely Dan fans like to think they're all smart and well-cultured and crap for digging a band that, while admittedly great and pioneering, is maybe one-fourth as progressive as they like to make them out to be. They flaunt their misplaced zeal like fine jewelry. The band has a gig here at The Pearl in a couple of weeks, and it got me to thinking about what acts have the most impassioned fan bases in music.

Of course, Steely Dan partisans are ensconced near the top of the list. Now, for the rest of my top five:

Rush: A Rush fan is like the rock 'n' roll equivalent of the Trekkie, and I'm talking about the kind that can speak fluent Klingon and knows Spock's mom's maiden name. Write anything about this band, and you will get responses from all over the world. I used to poke fun of the undeniable geekiness of Geddy Lee and Co. -- seriously, Rush is like hard rock's pocket protector -- but have come around after seeing them live. Their last two Vegas gigs were among the best shows of the year in '07 and '08 respectively. The nerds officially have had their revenge.

Josh Groban: My personal high-water mark for hate mail came after critiquing a particularly syrupy Groban gig a few years back. I stopped counting when the angry responses crossed into the triple digits. And I don't think one of them was from a dude. Instead, it was a lot of really pissed off grandmas. Little old ladies love this guy even more than early bird specials, "Matlock" and plastic-covered furniture. Trust me, you do not want to offend the blue haired mafia or else you will never see another $5 check in your birthday card ever again.

Slayer: To get a sense of how nuttier-than-a-squirrel-turd crazy Slayer die-hards can be, go check out the band's "Live Intrusion" video, where you can see one particularly dedicated dude take a razor and carve the band's logo into his forearm as blood pours from the sliced flesh. If you need still more convincing, go see 'em live -- you'll be getting measured for a neck brace in no time. There is no band in the world that other acts fear opening for more than this bunch, as their crowd will chant groups right off the stage. Seriously, as brutal as Slayer's tunes can be, their fans are even more so.

Contemporary country in general: This audience is the inverse of Steely Dan's. They can be so insecure about their intellect, that they imagine slights even when they're not there. I remember reviewing a Kenny Chesney concert a few years back, giving it like a "B" and still getting incensed e-mails. But, you know, I'd be prickly, too, if I had to listen to Carrie Underwood all the time. In fact, I'd be downright incensed. But, then again, every outhouse needs its flies.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.