Most of my concert-going experiences were to see Phish, and what would make their shows memorable was a good mix of well-played classics and rare surprises. Also, minimizing contact highs was always a bonus.
Poll: What makes a great concert?
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Overall I have to say that I go for two things:
1.) A solid representation of the music I hear in the studio recording. It doesn't have to be note for note exactly the same, and it doesn't hurt at all for there to be a little improvisation, but it needs to sound good.
2.) A band that looks like they are actually enjoying themselves. They don't need to be chatting with the audience or anything, but they need to look like the music is something they're actually feeling even if this is the 300th night in a row that they've played that song.
My two favourite concerts so far have been David Bowie on his Reality Tour and the White Stripes on their Canadian tour. Neither show had a ton of audience interaction but both fit my two needed criteria perfectly.
1.) A solid representation of the music I hear in the studio recording. It doesn't have to be note for note exactly the same, and it doesn't hurt at all for there to be a little improvisation, but it needs to sound good.
2.) A band that looks like they are actually enjoying themselves. They don't need to be chatting with the audience or anything, but they need to look like the music is something they're actually feeling even if this is the 300th night in a row that they've played that song.
My two favourite concerts so far have been David Bowie on his Reality Tour and the White Stripes on their Canadian tour. Neither show had a ton of audience interaction but both fit my two needed criteria perfectly.
I agree totally. I consider myself something of a Nickelback fan but I really went to the show more because my wife wanted to go. Turned out I had a great time because Nickelback really knows just how to put on a great concert. The music sounded great and actually had a much harder edge than it does in the studio recordings, and the band actually seemed to be having a really good time just being up there on stage and playing to the fans.Free Thinker said:
Personally i find the interaction a little bit tacky, especially when they spout the "you guys are the best crowd ever" bullshit (metallica and iron maiden spring to mind.)
having said that i have seen Rage Against The Machine twice in 2008 and 2010 and their interaction with crowd is one of the best ive ever seen, they literally make you want to rip your surrounding to pieces and scream fuck you to a bastard.
It seems that every band has stage presence (with the exception of placebo or radiohead) its more of a case of how they use it Muse put everything into the music and the visuals and are probably one of the greatest live bands of all time where as a band like Pantera, Slipknot or Korn sound shite live but make up for it by being involved in the moment.
but the bottom line of what makes a great concert for me is being as far away form Reading festival as humanly possible i have gone for the last 3 years and there is always something that fucks up there (heres to Reading 2011!!).
and greatest live music moment was being near the front for AC/DC playing at this years Download Festival and looking back to see 90 thousand people going bat shit crazy, ill never forget it.
having said that i have seen Rage Against The Machine twice in 2008 and 2010 and their interaction with crowd is one of the best ive ever seen, they literally make you want to rip your surrounding to pieces and scream fuck you to a bastard.
It seems that every band has stage presence (with the exception of placebo or radiohead) its more of a case of how they use it Muse put everything into the music and the visuals and are probably one of the greatest live bands of all time where as a band like Pantera, Slipknot or Korn sound shite live but make up for it by being involved in the moment.
but the bottom line of what makes a great concert for me is being as far away form Reading festival as humanly possible i have gone for the last 3 years and there is always something that fucks up there (heres to Reading 2011!!).
and greatest live music moment was being near the front for AC/DC playing at this years Download Festival and looking back to see 90 thousand people going bat shit crazy, ill never forget it.
Like all art, no one thing is necessary nor sufficient for a band to be great live.
I saw the Flaming Lips this Summer at Bestival, and they were the most insane thing ever. For their entrance they walked through a celestial vagina in their massive lighting rig at the back. Then their frontman, Wayne Coyne, got in a giant hamster ball (youtube it to see what I mean), in which he gets carried onto the crowd in order to surf around. They have hundreds of balloons, a tonne of confetti, a crowd of dancers in costume on either side of the stage (and this isn't stuff saved for the finale, they use it from the opening number to the end). Coyne talks to the crowd with a level of charm I don't think I've seen any other frontman possess. The crowd is all really well mannered and nice, there were group hugs and plenty of dancing (no moshing, which, while not inherently bad, would be inappropriate for their style of music).
They are the only other band (along with Muse) who really pull out all the stops for their live shows. A lot of people consider them to be just as good or better than Muse live.
Yet, on the other hand, I saw Spiritualized a couple of years back, no crowd interaction, very little crowd movement, you could barely see the band, their songs don't lend themselves to singalongs. Yet, somehow, they managed to be completely fantastic, probably because they are amazing musicians.
In fact, many of the best bands I've seen live have kept crowd interaction to a minimum. Jonsi, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, Dirty Projectors, LCD Soundsystem, Iron and Wine.
I saw the Flaming Lips this Summer at Bestival, and they were the most insane thing ever. For their entrance they walked through a celestial vagina in their massive lighting rig at the back. Then their frontman, Wayne Coyne, got in a giant hamster ball (youtube it to see what I mean), in which he gets carried onto the crowd in order to surf around. They have hundreds of balloons, a tonne of confetti, a crowd of dancers in costume on either side of the stage (and this isn't stuff saved for the finale, they use it from the opening number to the end). Coyne talks to the crowd with a level of charm I don't think I've seen any other frontman possess. The crowd is all really well mannered and nice, there were group hugs and plenty of dancing (no moshing, which, while not inherently bad, would be inappropriate for their style of music).
They are the only other band (along with Muse) who really pull out all the stops for their live shows. A lot of people consider them to be just as good or better than Muse live.
Yet, on the other hand, I saw Spiritualized a couple of years back, no crowd interaction, very little crowd movement, you could barely see the band, their songs don't lend themselves to singalongs. Yet, somehow, they managed to be completely fantastic, probably because they are amazing musicians.
In fact, many of the best bands I've seen live have kept crowd interaction to a minimum. Jonsi, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, Dirty Projectors, LCD Soundsystem, Iron and Wine.
They can both be ways of setting up brilliant concerts (see Pink Floyd for setting up brillinat concerts via displays instead of interaction), but I've always preferred the crowd interaction method. Bowling For Soup and Bloodhound Gang both provided great examples of crowd interaction when they played at my home town a few years back, where both acts would chat with the audience/ themselves almost between every song (and in BFS' case, between the songs). Though it may help that one of the few things I remember about that gig was Bloodhound's bassist getting the entire audience to sing 'Jimmy Pop is Homosexual! Homosexual! Homosexual! Jimmy Pop is Homosexual! Homosexual! Homosexual!' after Jim ripped the dude's vest off. The more grapic parts of Bloodhound Gang's set aren't worth remembering.
As long as the crowd gets moved by it, it's good in my books. This is why one of the many bands I want to see live is Enter Shikari, a band who are adored for how insane their live gigs are, to the point that they were banned from one of my local venues after their drummer jumped onto the barrier and started to climb along the scaffolding and light rigging. Plus the crowd surfing, cheering, human pyramids, mosh pits would all culminate in such an immense performance I reckon. Coincidentally, if anyone who reads this post has seen Shikari live, how great was their performance?
As for my greatest concert experience. That would be last year, when I saw Motorhead live. And managed to push myself to the moshpit as the band went on to do the encore... Long story short, I ended up in the mosh pit for Ace of Spades, and I'm pretty sure that I was killed in doing so.
As long as the crowd gets moved by it, it's good in my books. This is why one of the many bands I want to see live is Enter Shikari, a band who are adored for how insane their live gigs are, to the point that they were banned from one of my local venues after their drummer jumped onto the barrier and started to climb along the scaffolding and light rigging. Plus the crowd surfing, cheering, human pyramids, mosh pits would all culminate in such an immense performance I reckon. Coincidentally, if anyone who reads this post has seen Shikari live, how great was their performance?
As for my greatest concert experience. That would be last year, when I saw Motorhead live. And managed to push myself to the moshpit as the band went on to do the encore... Long story short, I ended up in the mosh pit for Ace of Spades, and I'm pretty sure that I was killed in doing so.
There should be an 'all of the above' option. However, out of the options given, I don't think that having a display is the most important; though, if done right, it does help.
It's a culmination of all of the above that make an atmosphere. It's weird, but I can't really describe it... some bands pull off spectale really well (like Iron Maiden), whereas other bands can entertain you just as much without having a set at all (Alkaline Trio springs to mind here).
I'd probably go for crowd interaction if forced to though, as I could listen to the music anytime.
It's a culmination of all of the above that make an atmosphere. It's weird, but I can't really describe it... some bands pull off spectale really well (like Iron Maiden), whereas other bands can entertain you just as much without having a set at all (Alkaline Trio springs to mind here).
I'd probably go for crowd interaction if forced to though, as I could listen to the music anytime.
An impressive light show helps but it's definitely the interaction. I've been at concerts where the artists didn't do anything but play their instruments, it got quite boring.
And there's nothing worse than a boring crowd in a concert.
And there's nothing worse than a boring crowd in a concert.
The band playing well is the obvious choice, I don't care all that much for bands going out of their way to interact with the audience...
The audience is key. Support the band by moving and looking like you're enjoying it, the band becomes less tense and the show benefits greatly from it.
The audience is key. Support the band by moving and looking like you're enjoying it, the band becomes less tense and the show benefits greatly from it.
Crowd interaction is great, but when the guy next to me is singing the lyrics so loud I can't hear the damn band I paid to see, I get pissed.
Though I haven't gone to a concert in a looong time. I think I may be missing out.
Though I haven't gone to a concert in a looong time. I think I may be missing out.
It really depends. Daft Punk nails effects.
Prepare to be blinded by it's awesomeness!
When the lights come out, the crowd goes crazy. This is a bit harder to achieve, as obviously it's simpler within the electronic genre. They have their trademark Pyramid and that's part of the success.
The more simpler way of making a great concert is to interact. But ultimately, everything would fall apart if the music was crap.
Prepare to be blinded by it's awesomeness!
When the lights come out, the crowd goes crazy. This is a bit harder to achieve, as obviously it's simpler within the electronic genre. They have their trademark Pyramid and that's part of the success.
The more simpler way of making a great concert is to interact. But ultimately, everything would fall apart if the music was crap.