The music industry had seen listeners get upset before. Some fans of Bob Dylan threw a fit when he "went electric" at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Management had to send someone up to the microphone to placate the audience as though they were children. "Don't worry. It's okay. Bobby's getting his acoustic guitar."
https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/the-controversy-behind-bob-dylans-electric-set-at-newport-folk-festival/
Pink Floyd's "Wall" was built on stage between them and the audience. The band was appalled at how the audiences were escaping from reality. They commented among themselves that they would love to play on stage without having to witness it.
The Kinks also called it in 1978 with "A Rock and Roll Fantasy".
...
There's a guy on my block, he lives for rock
He plays records day and night
And when he feels down, he puts some rock 'n' roll on
And it makes him feel all right
And when he feels the world is closing in
He turns his stereo way up high
He just spends his life, living in a rock 'n' roll fantasy
He just spends his life, living on the edge of reality
He just spends his life, living in a rock 'n' roll fantasy
...
Dan is a fan and he lives for our music
It's the only thing that gets him by
He's watched us grow and he's seen all our shows
He's seen us low and he's seen us high
Oh, but you and me keep thinking
That the world's just passing us by
Don't want to spend my life, living in a rock 'n' rol fantasy
Don't want to spend my life, living on the edge of reality
Don't want to waste my life, hiding away anymore
Don't want to spend my life, living in a rock 'n' roll fantasy
“If ‘Flock of Seagulls’ or ‘Devo’ wrote and performed “Mr. Roboto”, Styx fans would have no issue with it.“
Right. it would have seemed in “character” for those groups. I was at a friends house, passing thru the TV room where his teenage daughter was watching MTV. She was excited and grabbed me and said “Look at this, isn’t this cool”? I couldn’t believe it was Styx. A true WTH moment for me.