Why do people pay money to go hear LIVE music?

Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 15 Nov 2004 10:53 am

There has been a lot of talk on the PSG forum lately about new music versus traditional music.
IMHO Country music is undergoing an evolution, (which has been happening ever since the first song was played by the way). Anyway, there are just more forks in the country road than there used to be. Used to you had shuffles, western swing, bluegrass. Now we have a few more things to throw in there. Hey, we play all kinds of original stuff in my band, and luckily most of it is accepted down here in Texas.

Here's the interesting part. I'm finding out that a lot of folks go to concerts for the "experience" and not necesarily for the music. Does that make sense? I'll give you an example.
There is a guy down here in Texas named Pat Green. Not really a national household name. But if you come down here and go to one of his concerts, you will see a phenomenon. It's like going to a DEAD concert. Everyone that comes knows the words to every song, they stand through the entire show and sing along. But, it is a PARTY atmosphere. Lots of young folks drinking a lot of beer and hooking up. Now Pat' musis is OK I guess, but I saw him at a venue here in Dallas a few months ago. 20,000 people showed up, sold it out and then sold out of beer! Again, they are there for the experience.
And as some of us can attest, back in the '70's, a lot of us went to big rock concerts for the same reason....it was THE place to go. I didn't reqally like all of the Doobie Brothers music, but I knew a bunck of hot chicks would be there, so let's go! I think some of the new bands like Big and Rich and Gretchen are experiencing some of this. Country music stars are becoming "ROCK" stars.

Whaddaya think?

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Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 15 Nov 2004 11:48 am

June 1974, Rich Stadium, Buffalo, NY, nice warm summer afternoon, 100,000 people in attendance, Lynyrd Skynyrd on stage, eye opening women's apparel on display, funny smells (smoke?) in the air, Frisbee's flying, many altered mental states.

We just went there for the music and came out with a whole new outlook in life

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 15 Nov 2004 12:00 pm

Boy must meet girl. The band is a pretense.

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Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 15 Nov 2004 12:06 pm

I only can speak for myself, but live music is more than just music, it is (mostly) an overall experience, the music, the crowd, not only hearing but also seeing.

For me the optical part of it is very important, seeing what's going on, watching the musicians, that's essential!

One more observation I made: Many times I bought records at a concert, next day when I listened to it I felt a little bit of embarassment I couldn't explain. The CD was great, but listening to it couldn't recreate the feeling I still had from the night before...

Hard to explain!

Kind Regards, Walter

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www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 15 Nov 2004 12:10 pm

Boy must meet girl. The band is a pretense.

Ornette Coleman talks about the way sex and music get all confused in a club situation, in his interview in A. B. Spellman's 1966 tome Four Lives in the Bebop Business (reprinted under other names recently)

The end result is music loses...[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 15 November 2004 at 12:11 PM.][This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 15 November 2004 at 12:12 PM.]

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 15 Nov 2004 4:13 pm

What I've learned is that big shows are about "the experience," and small club shows are about the music. I haven't been to a stadium or arena concert in years, even when the concerts are given by performers I like. I'd rather see a local or touring act that is playing a small chicago venue. There is a much bigger connection between the band and the audience, and as a bonus, there's a good chance you could actually talk to the performers after the show.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 15 Nov 2004 8:20 pm

"I'm here For The Party". Says it all. The women come to see us, and the guys come for the beer, tequilla and the women.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 15 Nov 2004 8:37 pm

.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 07:37 PM.]

James Pennebaker · Post by **James Pennebaker** » 15 Nov 2004 9:23 pm

I see where Herb Steiner quoted Johnny Gimble in another thread on this forum about how people could hear the band in "the old days" when they only had a 10 or 15 watt PA and 2000 people to play to. To paraphrase Gimble, he said most of them couldn't hear the band but that they were there for "the experience" or the happening anyway. I guess things haven't changed THAT much.

Bob Wills was mixing up all kinds of musical elements going back a very long way. Blues, Jazz, Dixieland, Big Band, everything. I played fiddle from time to time with Leon Rausch and other ex Texas Playboy musicians back when I was a still a teenager and I never heard any of those guys talk about getting blasted for mixing things up. I suppose Bob had already invented his own format (Western Swing) even before there was a "Country" format. Of course, he was playing mostly Texas in the beginning and we Texans are pretty wide open. I wonder what it would be like for him now?

JP

Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 16 Nov 2004 3:52 am

Hey James, I have often said that Bob Wills was Texas' first rock star. That's not what they called it back in the '30 and '40's, but I think you get my drift. They sold out every room they played back in the day, Bob always stirred things up by talking and hollering during the songs, he always had the HOTTEST cats playing in his bands. It was an instant party. He may not have been playing rock music, but he had rockstar status most of the time. At least ot us Texans.

Wayne Carver · Post by **Wayne Carver** » 16 Nov 2004 5:26 am

I've heard of people going to Nascar races and never seeing the race. A lot of people go to the "Masters" golf tournament that know nothing of golf.I've seen "Riverdance" on tv and it was just ok but seeing it live was unbelievable. Same thing on other musical venues and plays. Seeing anything live is better but i'm sure alot of people are just going to events to party etc. I love to go to the beach and check out all the people.

James Lutz · Post by **James Lutz** » 16 Nov 2004 7:26 am

Affiliation. We all want to be a part of something, part of the pack, not left alone. I wonder how many of the Pat Green Frat Pack Crowd are just bandwagon jumpers there because their friends say it's cool and the thing to do...

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Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 16 Nov 2004 8:12 am

Jim, I will go out on a limb and say a lot of them are on the bandwagon. Although seeing where you live, you are probably familiar with this phenomenom. It is an amazing thing to see. I just heard that Pat turned down playing a party in San Antonio for $35,000 bucks. He is now getting $50, 000 a show. Go figure........

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Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 16 Nov 2004 9:10 am

Here's the interesting part. I'm finding out that a lot of folks go to concerts for the "experience" and not nesarily for the music.

Bingo! You hit the nail on the head. They go for the "spectacle". Lasers? Smoke machines? Pyrotechnics? "Moving" stages? Outlandish costumes and antics? Yep. That's what they like.

Plain ol' "good music"?

What's in that to like???

Nicholas Dedring · Post by **Nicholas Dedring** » 16 Nov 2004 11:36 am

http://robbiefulks.com/myday/index.html?id=00057

There's some really funny stuff (very dismissive) regarding Pat Green a good part of the way down the page...

I am not fond of his stuff, it's just kind of boring and splashy... middle-brow crap.

Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 16 Nov 2004 12:33 pm

WOW!, what an article. There is some good reading in there.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 16 Nov 2004 1:35 pm

A LIVE DJ ! WOW.Can't beat the music

JOE

Don Joslin · Post by **Don Joslin** » 16 Nov 2004 5:17 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>They go for the "spectacle". Lasers? Smoke machines? Pyrotechnics? "Moving" stages? Outlandish costumes and antics? Yep. That's what they like.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, at $60-$90 per ticket it had better be a flippin' trip to Disneyland as far as I am concerned. For $90 I can take my whole family to a Twins game and eat hot dogs too. That's why I don't go to stadium shows anymore. I saw the Derailers in a small club here in Sept. - maybe 200 people there - $10. Now that was good music and a good deal!

Don

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HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 16 Nov 2004 6:32 pm

Going to see live music....is an adventure. At least that's how I look at it. You never know what is going to happen, musically onstage. Meeting people and talking to the musicians is a thrill for me.

NYC may be the greatest place for all kinds of small and medium venues. It's amazing how much music you can experience in a short period of time and in the local vicinity.

As far as all the fluff goes, I had my day with light shows, dancers, foggers, and whatever other novelties were needed to enhance the experience. Those were great days, but so are these.

I don't care if it's in a back room of an artsy bar and the cover is a suggested $5.00 bill thrown in a pitcher, or an expensive evening in a jazz club. Give me lively people playing live music.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 17 Nov 2004 12:41 pm

"Going to see live music is an adventure"--right on Howard. If it was just for the music they could play CDs through the system and just stare at the speakers--now wouldn't that be exciting! Years ago the artists never moved a muscle on stage. While you were staring at the artist, the artist would be staring back at you--then along came Presley--finally some movement on stage.
This is how I feel about playing. I could stay at home playing all the old standards with Band-in-the-box but I would rather be out playing in public even if some of the songs we do I don't always like. Joe

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 17 Nov 2004 5:06 pm

Joe, there just ain't no pretty girls happenin' with Band In A Box

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 17 November 2004 at 05:08 PM.]

Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 18 Nov 2004 5:50 am

Isn't that part of what contributed to Garth Brooks success? It was basically a rock show with Garth's music. I'd say it paid off for him!

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 18 Nov 2004 10:39 am

I am a Vince Gill fan (as long as Jay Dee is in the band) and the sound produced at Wolftrap was unforgetable. I wish that Vince would add a couple of shuffle songs to his reportoire and turn Jay Dee loose.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 18 Nov 2004 11:16 am

For the record....Garth was originally about as country as you could get,i.e., (I'm Too Young To Feel This Damned Old), but his managers and his producers turned him into what he is today.

You might summarize Garth's career by saying that he lost his country beginnings, but made millions! ....For the bottom line, isn't that what the music business is all about today and in the past?

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