Rock Rivals

Greensboro, NC -- If you're from the DC area, you know that when the Redskins play the Cowboys twice a year, it is referred to as "Dallas week." It's accompanied by a little anxiety and an adrenaline rush by Saturday. For non-Skins fans, that means "rivalry week." Engaged in epic battles since 1960, the Redskins and Cowboys are bitter foes. My one experience watching this rivalry live occurred during the last game of the 2002 season. Both teams were awful that year, yet it felt like the Skins clinched a playoff birth by defeating the Cowboys 20-14. Following the game, I had the opportunity to shake Darrell Green's hand in what was his final football game. A special thanks goes to the dream holder season ticket holder who felt sorry for the college kid with 40 bucks in his pocket.

There are some rivals squaring off this weekend as well in the college ranks, most notably Michigan and Ohio State. I thought that it would be appropriate (and fun) to name a few bands who could be considered foes on stage, in the recording studios, or in record sales. On August 22nd of this year, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake [Ed. Note: 50 Cent, not Timberlake] both released albums on that day. There was a competition to see who would sell more. There's my first rivalry. Here's the rest...

• U2 and R.E.M. -- 2 great bands from the same decades. 4-man bands. Same number of albums. Somehow, they're always paired together.
• Lynard Skynard and The Allman Brothers -- The battle of southern rock.
• In Sync and The Backstreet Boys -- The battle of awful boy bands from the 90's.
• The Who and Led Zeppelin -- British rock.
• The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (and The Beach Boys) -- Talk about legacies...
• Blur and Oasis - The battle of British pop.
• Phish and Widespread Panic -- hippy music.
• Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera -- The battle of two people who shouldn't have kids.
• Moby and Eminem
• George Harrison and Eric Clapton -- friend or foe?
• Pearl Jam and Nirvana -- The battle of Seattle grunge.
• Kiss and Van Halen -- Two over-the-hill bands.
• Radiohead and Coldplay -- Two bands who want to be U2.
• 2Pac and Biggie -- The Bistro doesn't discriminate genres.
• The Rolling Stones and The Kinks -- Can you have more than one rival?
• Billy Joel and Elton John -- No comment.
• The Go-Go's and The Bangles.
• Neil Young and Lynard Skynard -- Two real rivals.
• Metallica and Napster -- Oh come on, that's funny!

Alright, there's what I could come up with right now. As always, your suggestions are better than mine.