This is in response to Emily Burke’s question, what is the difference between hearing a recorded live performance and actually being there to hear it? There is a major difference, in my opinion, between hearing a live recording and actually being at a concert. When you are listening to a live recording, you are still only being stimulated in an auditory way, when you are at the event; all of your senses are stimulated making it truly a sensory event.
Live music on a recording does have its qualities that cannot be found when listening to a studio version of the song. You hear all the potential mistakes that the performer makes, all the variations that they incorporate into the music, and you can hear the audience. Many times I prefer to listen to a live CD as opposed to a studio version, however, nothing can top seeing a band or artist live.
When you see a band live, many things are occurring that will enhance the overall experience for the listener. All five of your senses are being stimulated that increase at least my enjoyment of the performance.
The first sense that is obviously being stimulated is your sense of hearing. Not only do you hear the band play but you also hear the fans that are around you, the feedback from some of the equipment when they are first setting up, you might even hear the sound of food cooking if there is a concession stand nearby. My favorite part, besides the music itself, is hearing the fans. We live in a very judgmental world, a world where people judge everything about you, and that includes what music you listen to. When you are at a concert, you know that other people who like the same artist you like, why else would they be at the show? People with a common interest surround you and for a few hours, you are all on a team, a united front.
The next sense that is stimulated is your sense of sight. You can see the band, they are right there in the very same room that you are. Some concerts will even have pyrotechnics, which create a very nice visual stimulation, and are an auditory stimulation. Even looking at the massive amount of people that are in the audience can be shocking, seeing thousands or even tens of thousands of other people around you is definitely a visual stimulation.
Another sense that is stimulated is that of smell. This sense might not be as pleasing as the other senses at times but none-the-less, it is stimulated at a live show that you cannot experience with a live recording. Unfortunately, you might smell some body odor, especially if it is an outdoor event on a summer day. You can smell the food, maybe grass, the smoke from the pyrotechnics. In addition, the fact that a certain smell might trigger a memory later on, maybe you went to a festival and the next time you smell freshly mown grass you remember the festival, how much fun you had, and how you felt that day, that is something that you cannot get with a live recording.
The sense of taste is a little trickier than the other four senses, but anyone who has bought a four-dollar hotdog or a five-dollar bottle of water at a show remembers how it tastes. Food at a show, while ridiculously over priced, seems to taste a bit better. It might be because you just spent 20 dollars on something that would normally cost five, but in that moment, it is worth it.
The final sense that is stimulated is that of touch and feeling. First off, you are in an area that is packed with many people, you might bump into each other and touch others. If you are one of the luck ones near the front, you might even get to touch a band member or performer; there is no chance of this with a live recording. The most important feeling that you can get while at a concert is actually feeling the music. Many shows that are put on use huge speakers and amplifiers, which cause pulses of vibration through the audience. You can, at times, feel your heartbeat appear to synchronize itself with the pulses from the speakers truly connecting you to the music that you are listening to.
I really think that the fact that seeing a live show incorporates all your senses as opposed to only one with a recording makes seeing the show live that much better. It is something that is unique, even from concert to concert, and something that cannot be contained on a disk.
Question – Of all the senses that are stimulated during a live performance, which one do you think is most important besides the sense of hearing.
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