How important are the background visuals (really)?

[gopher_p]

I do quite a bit of lurking on various Rock Band forums and am surprised by the number of complaints regarding the background visuals; e.g. not enough options in the character creator, issues assigning specific characters to specific instruments, lack of choice of venue, not enough venues, etc.

For me personally, the stuff going on in the background is the least important part of the game, and I don't see how it can be a significant source of dissatisfaction for people. Of course I understand the issues people have with the aspects of the background visuals such as strobes and other effects that obscure the highway and interfere with the core game play.

Am I way-off, and are the background visuals really that important for people?

If there were no background visuals at all, would you still play Rock Band?

Edit: This is not an attempt to troll anyone. I'm just trying to understand other people who aren't me and have different feelings than I have.