Live Performance as Tribute or Adventure
Previously written June 20, 2016
Yesterday was Father’s Day and my kids got me a pair of tickets to see Mel Brooks at Radio City Music Hall live in person plus a showing of Blazing Saddles. I was deeply touched by this gift… Mel has made me laugh on film, TV , radio , recordings , etc. , but never in person.
It occurred to me that we go to live performances predominantly for 2 reasons . 1) To pay tribute to the artist or 2) a sense of adventure draws us to something new.
Certainly as we get older the sense of tribute is more enhanced. We want the artist to hear us applaud. It is our way of saying thanks for the memories. It matters not if the artist is a musician or comedian just so long as there is a connection to our lives in the past.
Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, mass gatherings to pay tribute to artists who have been a thread in the fabric of our lives. Very often these are more spectacle than musicianship.
Less about the performance than the memories. That doesn’t diminish the experience. In fact it often carries more weight emotionally as we “remember when”.
On the other end of the spectrum stumble into a jazz or blues or comedy or folk club with no knowledge or preconceived notion of what to expect and discover an uplifting experience which comes with little or no historical baggage.
Both experiences can be anxiety provoking. For some, the stadium environment is overwhelming and fraught with hassles, for others the intimacy of a small room is too big a risk . The people around may notice that you are not connecting with the artist. Worse still, the artist may notice that they are not connecting with you , the individual. In a Stadium or large hall you don’t feel obligated to applaud or scream if the artist isn’t moving you. In a small room you may.
One isn’t better than the other. Understand your motivations and needs when you venture out to a performance. Don’t go to one expecting the other. Personally I enjoy both. I have been in the room to pay homage to the greats and I have been in the room to have the unexpected lift me up…. Just know before you go.
One side note. During the Mel Brooks event he talked for over an hour about Blazing Saddles. It was a mixture of joyous, hysterical and very poignant remembrances. His star Gene Wilder had died that week and it became a tribute to Gene . A giant shiva call if you will. Shiva is the Jewish equivalent of a wake … and it brought tears of joy.
