Can someone explain the appeal of live entertainment to me?

Because live music can be better then the cd. You get the unique performance, and if it isn't taped no one will ever see that version again.

Sounds like Deboss has just had bad luck with concerts. No one can live anymore.

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

No, I was just misinterpreting the tone of your last post. For some reason it kind of came across as — defensive? like you felt we were trying to convert you, sort of.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Well, I believe some people were. I've never been to a concert I wasn't in. Can't stand the sound of cheering at all. Been to bars that had live music. My general response was to leave fairly quickly.

Fight smart, not fair.

Yes, and the information has been helpful. Have you ever liked or disliked something, but found yourself unable to identify precisely what it is about that thing that appeals to/bothers you? Often, the very factor which causes one person to like something is the same factor which causes another person to dislike it. This is a case of that. Therefore, in providing insight into why they like live entertainment, these posters have simultaneously provided insight into why I dislike it.

@Deboss: Question I have: Do you know how the crowd factors into it? If you could have, say, a live performance on a small scale with people you know or nobody else in the audience would that change anything? Or maybe watching a movie from the projector room?

I'm still not sure why I would go see a live performance. They seem to prefer genres I don't like and poorly perform genres I do like. I go to movies, so I'm not sure what that question is about.

Fight smart, not fair.

I can sort of relate on the point that live music often makes me want to leave a room. This is usually because live is now blasted on industrial speakers that hurt me dearly.

There are only two things I see live: Plays and Orchestra. Plays have more impact because they feel real, as if you're seeing the story happen right before your eyes (without the camera gimmicks that can make films a bit less involving) and most instruments are much fuller when played live.

But I do think speakers render any sound to be exactly like a CD, only louder. That, I can sort of sympathize with. Search for the sorts of entertainment that don't require them!

I hope you enjoy whatever is written above. If not - well, I'm afraid that's life.

See a band that plays a genre you do like?

In my experience, some bands are much better live than recorded and vice versa. Stage presence is something that only the live experience will give you, and that's an entirely different - but equally valid - type from the music itself, even from the same artist.

There's a renowned local folk singer I see every chance I get named Dave Hughes who plays with his "Renegade Folk Punk Band". He's a fantastic lyricist but definitely not the world's greatest singer, and the music veers wildly from completely out of tune to expertly tight. But what his shows always, always provide is entertainment. There's a really endearing amusement to the bi-play between he and his bandmates (the number of whom at a given show are simply whoever randomly turns up out of the seven of them). Between his realising two lines in that he's forgotten the lyrics to an entire song (that he wrote) to completely randomising the set list at, er, random for no reason to getting audience members on stage for the Hell of it, etc.

These are things things you just don't get from a CD, on which the technical imperfections are much more prevalent. I have his C Ds, I listen to them often. But the social experience and interaction with the other attendees and the band is a live-only deal, and that's why I never miss a gig.

edited 27th Jul '11 5:03:21 PM by CaissasDeathAngel

My name is Addy. Please call me that instead of my username.

I've never seen a band where I felt the urge to listen to them live. It's always blasted out so loud I can't understand it, plus it's generally in a bar. Given the live versions of music I've heard on CD's, I doubt they'd quit cheering just because I asked nicely. And as I mentioned, the sound of cheering is nails-on-chalkboard annoying for me.

Fight smart, not fair.

I have to say that I don't really care for live performances either, in terms of uniqueness and energy and whatnot that everyone's mentioned. Mostly it just bugs me when things are slightly different from how I think they should be. So if I go to the concert of someone who's music I've listened to on CD it mostly just tortures my ears as I expect to hear something I don't. And could the crowd please shut up so I can listen?

On the other hand, I think theatrical plays offer quite a bit that film doesn't, mostly due to limitations of the medium. They can't zoom in, they can't do quick cuts, they can't change settings too often... In general it's a completely different thing, and I like it a bit more. It's not that movies couldn't simulate this experience, they just don't because they prefer to focus on their own strengths.

edited 27th Jul '11 6:21:02 PM by Clarste

Meh, I'm ambivalent-to-slightly-disparaging of live rock concerts and stuff. Gets too loud to really hear the music, and the audience tends to be rabid enough to make things worse.

Live classical, jazz, or symphonic though, absolutely nothing as awesome as that.

If I'm not already a dedicated fan of the performer or the music, live concerts do nothing for me, so I do sympathize with people finding these shows fairly pointless. When I do like the music already, hearing it live is fantastic.

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

Thread Hop: I thought the same thing as you, until I went to a Rise Against concert. And it was fucking insane! Really, it's a kind of atmosphere; the crowd, the fireworks (it was the night of the 3rd of July), the music (they are beast in concert), and the band itself all made for excellent entertainment. It all depends on who you see, of course, but I would recommend doing it at least once, if only to say that you did try it. There is a quality to it that simply cannot be met by the pre-recorded version, if the people in question are good, and I think it's worth it to see.

I am now known as Flyboy.

I've disliked most concerts I've attended as well unless I was already a fan of the headline. Concerts seem to be a terrible place to actually listen to music; what, with the distortion from speakers cranked to 11 and all the distractions. The fun of big concerts seems to come from being an established member of the fan base, enjoying a band you love with thousands of other of fans, singing along to your favorite songs, watching your idols in person, etc.

On the other hand, I've enjoyed small, intimate shows with musicians that I've never heard of. I think one of the big differences is between "performing" and "playing music." In big stadium shows, artists are typically "performing," which has a lot to do with producing an exciting show for the crowd and everything that entails—from the positive energy feedback loop, to outfits, set pieces, dancing and spectacles such fireworks or decapitating small mammals. Heck, a lot of artists use a background track for big shows

In smaller venues, the artists "play music." That is, the focus is on actually playing the instruments to produce a set of songs, and the audience is able to appreciate their artistic skill and the nuances of that particular rendition. "Playing music" is also what you get with live orchestras and recitals. I've noticed stadium shows pick up on this difference, too. There's the old trick of the lead coming out onto stage with an just an acoustic guitar and a stool to play a solo song under a single spotlight.

edited 29th Jul '11 3:07:36 PM by sketch162000

I'm the opposite way. I'm in it for the performance; the music I prefer to listen to on my own time, in private.

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

Well, lets say you really like Metallica. Why wouldn't you want to see these guys in person?!

What do ya mean I ain't kind? Just not your kind...

Well, assuming I do "really like" a band*

, it's because I like the way their music sounds. I'm not interested in what the performers themselves look like.

In person, I wouldn't be able to turn the volume down to a level that isn't painful, the vocals*

^{judging from their live footage and the live performances of bands I actually have seen}

are liable to be more difficult to hear over the instruments, the sound will be further polluted by the noise made by the crowd, and seeing them in person will require traveling and paying for tickets.

Bi-play, or byplay?

Other than classical music, I have only been to one concert for the bands Epica and Kamelot. The energy of that concert was amazing. I've been to numerous various plays*

. Generally, I stick to recorded media because I'm both paranoid and a cheapskate, and $15-20 for the CD/DVD versus $100 for the concert tickets ...

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw