[Harp-L] Live performance

[Maka McMahon <makamcmahon@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Totally unqualified thoughts on live performance......

Remember when the first gig for almost every high school garage band was as the support band for their school dance?  The 'headliner' was guys that graduated a couple of years ago.  My kids have NEVER had a live band at a school dance - they've all been discos!  Young kids don't get to see live bands, as most bands play in smokey (not any more here) bars starting after their bed time.  We've bred a generation or more of people with little experience of/appreciation for live music.

I've been lucky - the local 'Friends of the Botanic Gardens' have been hosting a 'summer sounds' concert series on the lawns of the Gardens on half a dozen Sat and Sun summer evenings each year for about 15 years.  All sorts of live bands, playing two 40 min sets between 6pm to 7.30pm (then they go to their 'real' gig).  On a good night they'll get 4,000+ people, picnicing and enjoying the music - all for a gold coin ($1 or $2) donation. This has enabled me to expose the kids to all sorts of live music from an early age, and still get them to bed by 8.30 (although they're a bit old for that now - late teens/early 20s). 10 years ago my eldest was impressed by the sounds of a big band - five years later he had his first gig at the Gardens as the double bass player for the same big band!  This last weekend there was an instrumental jazz band on Sat and a zydeco band (led by a piano accordian) on Sun.  Seeing live bands still enthuses the kids - we went home
 after Sun evening at the Gardens and had a massive family jam.

I think a large part of the audience at a live gig haven't had the exposure to live music to be able to fully appreciate it.  Just my 2c.

Cheers

Maka


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