As I was re-watching Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' concert at the Henry Fonda Theater, which was filmed and posted on YouTube, I was reminded one more time how different the live experience is. We live in an era when it is possible to watch almost any single show online, or at least parts of it, considering the army of iPhones in the air I see all the time,… and I am guilty of it too.
As technology advances and takes more and more place in our lives, it's not crazy to think that the next generations will enjoy live music mostly through the internet? It is certainly a tendency, virtual classrooms are not science fiction anymore, kids tend to rely more and more on social media to determine whom they are friends with instead of actually meeting people, the internet is eating more and more minutes of our lives every day and we aren’t even aware of it.
Seeing how many concert tickets are sold every day, and how hard it is to simply buy a ticket for certain hot shows, I am not afraid the live experience will disappear anytime soon, but who knows what technology will offer us in a little while: multiple cameras to choose from, a 3D image, a perfect sound, and of course a secured front-row spot with no tall guy to obstruct your view, no drunk guy to ruin the experience, no talkative girl to sing along. Plus the possibility to put on pause to have time to grab a snack or go to the bathroom!
Sure, but is it really what you want? Are you 90 year-old already?To be front row at this last Nick Cave concert, I waited on line for close to 3 hours, didn’t pee or drink or eat, and although all the people around me were super nice this time, I have endured all of the above before, the tall guy who is standing just in front of you, the drunk-beyond-any-hope-of-recovery who is kicking you in the legs for 2 hours, and this is without mentioning the sweat odor, the bad breath, the unbearable heat, the unnecessary body contact, the cold beer on your pants, the outrageous priced parking and drinks – and usually I don’t drink to avoid going to the bathroom and lose my spot – so yes, the live concert experience can turn into a real nightmare. But I love it regardless…. Nothing can replace it, nothing, no matter how good the sound system of your computer is, nothing replaces the bass vibrating throughout your body, the drumming pounding in your chest, and the strong visceral connection with live music!
It’s possible that the music industry will also change at this level, and that more and more concerts are gonna experienced through the internet, but I will never, as long as I can walk, drive my car and maintain the stand-up position for several hours, give up the live experience. Just like friendship on Facebook will never be a substitute for meeting with a friend face to face, going to concerts is a unique experience, and the sleep deprivation, the morning-after body-ache, the overall concert ‘hangover’ are well worth it.