Key Of Grey

Photo courtesy of Shayne Kaye

February 13th, 2009 – First off…OOOoooOOO, Friday the 13th…spooky! Anything happen to any of you yet? I’ve been extraordinarily clumsy today, but it’s only because I was out late at a Wide Mouth Mason concert yesterday and didn’t get much sleep. Last month I posted about them in the AYMNN series and right after I did that, I went to their website to see if there were any upcoming shows. Turns out they did, and last night I had a rocking time.

They played all their classics, and everyone had a great time. There were 2 opening bands, the first of which was quite good considering its members might not have been old enough to be in the venue in the first place. When Wide Mouth Mason came on, the crowd was suitably rowdy and raucous. The band was ridiculously good. I wasn’t a concert-goer when I was introduced to them a decade ago, but had seen Youtube videos; it didn’t properly prepare me for the live experience.

There’s something that doesn’t translate across video. It’s more than the technical issues dealing with frame-rate that don’t allow you the full bandwidth experience; it’s more visceral. A properly mixed kick drum hits you hard in your chest and it’s like someone punching you…but in a good way if that makes any sense. The screaming fans and comradery (even if temporary); everyone sharing the experience together. I’m sure you’ve all felt it. I’m not sure why I don’t make the effort to see live music more often, but every time I go I swear I’ll try harder.

One of my favorite parts of listening to bands live, is hearing variations on songs that I’m very familiar with. When I like a band, I listen to their music on repeat for weeks on end. You’d think that I would get tired of it, but as I get more familiar with it, I’m able to hear new things each subsequent time. That, in itself, is rewarding. I know I’ve found something good when the discoveries keep coming. When artists play live, even if they play it the same way as the recording, it’s a little different and that makes it fresh all over again.

I especially like it when artists switch up a song, or insert an interesting intro into their hit songs. When the assumption is made that everyone is familiar with a song, then the artist is free to play with it more. I like to think of it like a cinematic sequel. Once the first movie is there to set the stage and explain the characters, the second movie is free to explore the story. The difference, though, is that movie sequels are usually terrible.

What’s the last concert you went to?