Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play

From The Wall Street Journal Online :

Guitar Hero, a Videogame, Is a Big Hit With Bands; Aping That ‘Goofy Stance’

By ETHAN SMITH

On tour with his multiplatinum hard-rock band Korn last summer, Jonathan Davis regularly whipped crowds into a frenzy with classic-rock staples such as “Iron Man,” “Smoke on the Water” and “More Than a Feeling.” And that was before he even got off the tour bus.

Mr. Davis, Korn’s lead singer, is part of an unlikely but growing fraternity: Rock stars who are also avid players of Guitar Hero, an electronic game that lets gamers pretend to be, well, rock stars.

From superstars like Korn to up-and-comers, Guitar Hero has quickly become a fixture on tour buses and in recording studios. Intended for air guitarists who might not be able to play the real instrument, the $70 PlayStation title has also won a following in the music world. Its devotees range from alternative-rocker Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails to country stars Rascal Flatts, whose tour manager, Chris Alderman, says he frequently has trouble tearing the musicians away to conduct preconcert sound checks.

The game involves using a miniature plastic guitar to “play” along with songs associated with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Boston and the Ramones. Instead of strumming strings, players press color-coded buttons on the neck of the guitar to match “notes” that scroll across the TV screen. At the same time, players “pluck” a little toggle, earning points each time they hit a note successfully, which is then played through the speakers. A virtual crowd cheers harder the more skillfully a song is played.

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