In celebration of Kurt Cobain’s birthday I downloaded the DVD Live At Reading and hope to watch it and review it before I go to Mercury Lounge for the Harper Blynn concert.
But I have my problems with movies of live musical events.
Not always. not all of them, but enough for me to claim a dislike.
Listening to music is essentially passive: I do it when writing, erercising, w3orking, reading: it is a part of my life but seldom takes center stage until some song comes out of the mist and grabs me.
Live shows is active participation: it is almost installation art where you go to a room to join with other people in sharing a band of humans sound. It takes all of you.
But live on film demands 100% of your anticipation to share with you an experience where you are essentially a passive consumer.
And most of the time the recorded songs are superior.
Now I could give you a hundred caveats but it doesn’t change the basic truth I just stated.
So I’ll review the DVD but unless it’s Nirvana Unplugged I don’t know how thrilled I’m gonna be.