VH-1 Classic irks me in two big ways in the same video

It's bad enough VH-1 Classic has made videos the filler, not the centerpiece of its schedule, but I've already fought that battle and lost. But for a while, even if we were sick of "Married with Children" reruns and wanted to see an old video, we could turn to our cable provider's On Demand section and see a handful of choice selections. It wasn't the best deal around, but it was something.

I don't know if it's a CONcast thing, but for some time now, the only videos in the VH-1 Classic section have been recent clips shot at various music festivals. So instead of the vintage videos, we see live concert versions. OK, there may be value in that footage, but at least give us the option of seeing the original performance, not one recorded two years ago.

Out of curiosity, a few weeks ago I watched Ugly Kid Joe performing "I Hate Everything About You" at one of those multi-act outdoor shows. I hadn't seen the actual video in years, but I sure remembered the song, and so did the appreciative crowd. That's a good thing.

What's not so good is the lead singer doing one of my least favorite rock frontman gimmicks: the one where he stops singing and holds the microphone out to the crowd so that they can sing for him. Whenever this happens at a concert I attend, I want to groan and yell, "We didn't pay to hear ourselves!" I mean, really, there is a thrill in sharing a communal sing-along during a music show, but if I shell out big bucks for a ticket, I want to hear the words coming from the singer, not from all the inebriated ham-and-eggers standing next to me.

Besides, if you're Ugly Kid Joe, isn't it the least you can do to make it through your one hit all the way through all by yourselves? The band looked enthusiastic and happy to be there, but, gee, it's safe to assume this wasn't the culmination of a 3-hour set. Get on, do your hits to the best of your ability, make way for the Soup Dragons, and get off!