We're all living in a surreal world right now. Responsibility keeps us at home to protect ourselves, our family, our friends, and our communities. COVID-19 has robbed of us so many of the things we take for granted in our lives, including the ability to enjoy live music in small clubs, big arenas, and at major festivals.
We don't know yet how long the changed circumstances we're experiencing now will last. We don't know how many more shows and tours and festivals will be postponed or cancelled. We don't know how many more weeks or months it will be before we stand in a crowd and sing and dance and enjoy the sound of live music as we're surrounded by friends and strangers.
But we know we miss it.
As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And as the weeks pass since our last taste of live music in a live setting, we feel it. I can't speak for everyone, but the more live streams I tune into on Instagram, the more live performance videos I revisit on YouTube, the more effort and innovation I come across, the more I realize just how much I appreciate the live music experience.
Note: I 100% don't mean to suggest that I don't appreciate or love the live streams that artists of all genres and levels of stardom have put on. The entertainment, escapism, and distraction that you are giving to the world is wonderful. I hope they keep coming for as long as this lasts.
I've written a lot in the past about reasons we're excited to see specific bands play live on tours and at festivals. Sometimes it's about the fans of the artists and how we expect them to react, sometimes it's about specific songs and the anticipation of seeing them played live, and sometimes it's just about the experience. We know what an Eric Church crowd is going to be like and we look forward to it every time. We knew how much of a smash Shut Up And Dance was and couldn't wait to see Walk The Moon play it live at WayHome 2015. We knew CMW puts on a long list of great shows every year, giving us plenty to try and pick some to give our Don't Miss lists each year.
Whether you go to one concert a week or one concert a year, you know why you love it. After seeing who knows how many concerts by artists of all genres in tiny, small, medium, large, and enormous settings in the last decade, here's a list of reasons I love live music and can't wait to start getting back to it when things are safe for the artists, the crew, and the crowd.
10 Reasons I Love Live Music
☆ 1. The electricity of the crowd in the moments before the show starts. The buzz of voices. The excitement and anticipation. You can feel it.
★ 2. The roar of the crowd at a major show or festival when the headliner takes the stage. After that anticipation, the initial release of energy is amazing. Sometimes it happens before a single note has been played, it doesn't matter - it's amazing.
☆ 3. The sound of a crowd singing along and/or taking over from an artist. We've asked a lot of performers over the years to explain the feeling of the crowd singing their songs back to them - and it's never been easy. A lot of adjectives have been used, but mostly we've been told that it's indescribable. For me, it's the best. It's a choir of voices that may not have anything more in common than knowing the words to the song and feeling the need to sing along with their neighbour. And whether it's pop, rock, or country, it's special.
★ 4. Chants of encore, encore, encore. When the crowd begs for the show not to end they're telling the artist they want more because they've loved it all so far. They're telling us all that they don't want this moment to end.
☆ 5. The community of hardcore fans. We're lucky to know some fans who will do just about anything to see their favourite bands. They are at the front of the line to get into the show, they're at the front of the stage from the start to the finish, they sing along and buy merch and support artists. On the surface, they are just another face or ticket or set of eyes and ears in the crowd, but we know that they are appreciated for their love and commitment by the artists.
★ 6. Surprises. Once in a while, something special happens during a set and it's a wonderful highlight. Maybe it's a surprise guest or the lead singer jumps down from the stage and crowd surfs while they sing. Almost anything can happen, and sometimes it does. And I love it.
☆ 7. The pop from a crowd when a major act tells them how much they love their city. It can be described as a cheap pop, but you know what, it's always fun.
★ 8. The pop from a crowd when a hometown artist tells them how great it is to be home. The pride and appreciation and sense of ownership that flows is palpable and always special.
☆ 9. Great covers. We love it when talented artists sing their own songs for 15 minutes or two hours. But there's something cool about an artist choosing to cover a song they love and putting their spin on it. It's a treat for the crowd. It's a tribute to the original artist and songwriters, and it's one of my favourite things.
Seeing new artists and openers wow the crowd and earn new fans. We love headliners, headliners sell tickets and fill seats. But with the exception of a very select few artists, they aren't alone out there. We've had the chance to watch a bunch of acts go from openers to headliners, from "never heard of them" to "can't wait to hear new music from them" and it's lovely. The lesson, get to the show early and enjoy the whole thing, you never know when you're going to make an "I saw them when" memory.
There are a lot of reasons to love live music. These are ten of mine. If you're an artist, a fan, a crew member, please accept my thanks for doing what you do. We can't wait to get out with all again as soon as possible.
