I go to a lot of concerts, and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever regretted buying a concert ticket. But stadium and arena shows are starting to get old. It's frustrating to watch live music in a mass of people that really just don't seem to care that much about the music being played. Is that unfair?
Within the last week I’ve seen two of my all-time musical heroes live — The Strokes, and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. In both instances they were opening acts in massive venues; The Strokes opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Chicago’s Soldier Field, and Johnny Marr opened for The Killers at San Francisco’s Chase Center. I was absolutely locked-in to both performances, mesmerized by the fact I was finally hearing in-person all the sounds my record player had been playing for years.
But in both instances, nobody around me seemed to pay any attention to what was happening on the stage. In the case of Johnny Marr, few people were even present. I was watching one of my idols play some of my favorite songs of all time to 15,000 empty synthetic rubber chairs, all of which had a better view than me. And it was kind of sad, not because I thought I deserved a better view than a slab of plastic, but because I thought my hero deserved better.
And God forbid a stadium or arena show turns into a "sit-down concert." I won't even broach that topic for fear of jinxing future concerts.
There’s something about the level of respect in a small club or theatre that is irreplaceable. There’s something about seeing live music in a venue small enough that the only people who find it are the ones looking for a great night of music, not a great Friday night. I don’t need you to care about the artist as much as I do. I just need you to care. And sometimes I just don’t think people do in big venues.
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