Dinosaur Jr., Band of Horses Give Smokers Sweet Treats

Posted on Sep 10th 2007 5:00PM by Benjy Eisen
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Tobacco smokers that catch Dinosaur Jr. with Band of Horses on the remainder of their tour will enjoy something rare for those that light up: preferential treatment. At what appeared to be a typical tour stop Sunday night in San Francisco, a marketing company representing Camel cigarettes gave away hundreds of free tickets (to smokers), handed out backstage passes (to smokers) and reconfigured the venue itself with interactive kiosks and lounges -- for smokers.

Among the concert installations are a "make-your-own spin art" booth, a "rock art" poster exhibit and an outdoor smokers' tent with free refreshments and a live feed of the show. The alliance between indie-rock forebears such as Dinosaur Jr. and a corporation that, as one attendee commented, "is basically the devil," raises more than just one philosophical question. But, in the end, we can sum it up with just one: What would Neil Young do?