The White Stripes and why local bands are better

In this post I am quite a bit less objective and say "I" a lot, so should this not be proper blog formula, tough. I have a soapbox to stand on for a second.
Not so very long ago, I used to be a huge White Stripes fan. So much so I went to see The Raconteurs and cut my hair like Meg's in the Icky Thump video. Then, they broke my heart.
When I recently visited my hometown, I went to see the White Stripes live with my Dad (who really was a major player in my love of music in the first place). I was so completely excited, not only to see them live, but because I'd be sharing it with my Dad and we hadn't shared a concert in a long time though we used to quite a lot. From the beginning you could tell the band wasn't as enthused as when I'd seen them live before. And just as with Britney, it is their job to perform and if it's lackluster your audience can tell. No matter. I trudged on and begged my husband to take my back to the venue after the show so I could stand at the back with hopes of meeting them.
We got there an hour after the show ended, but there was still a large crowd. We stood around for an hour and a half, until the buses began to pull away. The crowd in the hour and a half had dwindled from the original 50 or 75 to only 20. The people who had been backstage came out and sat on the stairs before the buses pulled away, and everyone waited anxiously as we had not been notified to go home. The last bus pulled away and with the heads low, the fans walked back to their cars. Some were shouting about being jipped, and some were silently brooding. My husband and I climbed in our car and eventually caught up to the buses long enough to see Jack and Meg's silhouettes staring back.
After this, I was so upset I told my Dad that he could have my White Stripes CDs. I didn't want them anymore. And not so very long after that, I heard that they cancelled the tour altogether.
Having relayed this story, I will say this. I don't think I was owed their appearance after the show. I know that technically it is not the job of every musician to come out and do the obligatory CD signing.
However, having been to dozens of concerts in my time, I've met several of the bands I've gone to see (including U2, all except Bono anyway). I'll say this. The time that The White Stripes have left if they continue to shun their fans in this manner, is very short. We can discuss talent all day long, but the real reason any of those musicians are in the positions that they are is because of their fans. It's because we let them make the money, have the fame and be adored in that fashion. If they didn't have fans, they're still be a bar band in Detroit. The reason they are where they are is because we the fans built the pedestals for them to sit on and dictate from. And we can knock them down too.
Which is why after the show, I terminated my allegiance to them. One person may not make much difference, but it's only a matter of time.
I'm in no way at all saying that anyone has the right to go harass and stalk their favorite musician. Those people don't deserve to be fans. They barely deserve to be living in freedom. I'm just saying that musicians should remember their rise, because their fall could be just as meteoric.
Which brings me to local bands and why I'd almost rather see a good local act than a national one: humility. If you go to a local show and put your heart into it as much as you do the arena rockers, you will get a lot more out of it. The local musicians still recognize and are uber-appreciative of their fans. I've even gotten interviews, hugs, and shows played specifically for my benefit. For any music fan, this seems like the high point of your existence. So trust me on the local acts, unless they're blowhards, who don't deserve your time anyway. And take heed musicians: remember your fans, or you might not have any left.