At 01:17 AM 8/15/2002 -0400, you wrote:
quoted 12 lines a rock band can go up on stage and perform the exact same set of tried and>a rock band can go up on stage and perform the exact same set of tried and
>true songs that everyone in the crowd knows and has recordings of. they
>can perform it note for note identically, and it's somehow considered more
>credible as a performance, when in fact the audience could do the exact
>same thing you've stated, which is to stay at home and listen to their
>recordings. a DJ, while a performer in his own right on a technical level,
>is really just laying down other people's music, albeit taking liberties
>with levels/mix/layering. But you could also argue that a DJ is playing
>back music note for note in the exact same way a laptop musician works
>(except that you can see him spinning the records). How is this more valid
>than someone who has specially put together a piece of original music for
>you to hear?
I agree with this to a point -- the fans will always attend and be happy to
see the show. However, there are also plenty of rock shows by
well-established artists that fans with completely and utterly
hate. Usually because the person just sang the songs, played the notes,
and that was it. Most people look forward to hearing a "live" version
which includes possibilities for mistakes, extended "jams," and so
on. Personally, I think that's one of the real defining factors for a live
show. I saw Coldcut live and they could've easily just had a sequencer
running the audio and video while they ate a pizza on stage, but instead,
they recreated everything live, and it was different each time -- I'd seen
videos of previous shows and heard some bootlegs before I saw them.
Using a band really helps for on-stage improvisation because any one of
those persons can extend songs, mix them up, and so on, and if the band is
a good band, it can roll with those changes and do really great things on
stage. How many times have you seen even a mediocre band end a song but
have the drummer keep doing his own thing for a while, the other band
members look at each other in a sort of "ok, i think i know what we can do
next,", then suddenly breaking back into a song you've never heard
before? It's one of the great aspects of live music, in my opinion.
And that's sort of the problem with a lot of gear-based or computer-based
live music -- the musician is so busy keeping his/her basic track going
that they can't interact with the audience, can't improvise, can't bounce
off other musicians and play around with the music. The most successful
acts, I've noticed, DO have a way to interact with the audience at the very
least by changing music around and paying attention (aka looking up and
seeing what's happening with those people who paid money to see the person
perform).
The reason so many people think gear-based or computer-based one-man-shows
are boring is because they *are* the equivalent of listening to music at
home, only with really expensive drinks and nowhere to sit down. Ideally,
you attend a show to "see what happens," not to "know what happens and
revel in your ego."
I'd seen about 10 good-sized IDM shows by november of last year, and it
took some punk idm kid from baltimore touring small venues on a shoestring
budget for me to actually hear the voice of an idm artist. He said "hey
guys," he told us to buy some records, and some other things. I think
that's great for a live show. Now, if it was a dance club and he was being
paid only to provide continuous music, it wouldn't've fit in at all, but
since everyone was there to see him and was looking for a *good show*, he
gave a good show. Kudos to him.
I don't mind the occasional taciturn idm-performer, but I'm sure plenty of
people paying for the show are just as curious about the people behind it
as they are about the music. I mean, unless you're a really geeky nerd boy
with no life, in which case you should at least put that on the fliers so
we can come prepared (with squirtguns).
derek
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eggytoast.com
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with lather thingy
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