SnowGhost Music

The Context

SG: Having expectations for a show brings up another important factor for a band and the show you are going to see. The context for which you see the band is definitely a big factor in how much you enjoy the show.
Ted: Yeah. I guess it would be important to clarify that so far we’ve been talking about the typical one to three band tour rolling into town. Annual festivals and traveling festivals are different animals. I’ve seen some incredible festival performances, but I think they need their own category. I mean, just thinking about all the factors involved in judging a singular performance within a festival, and then judging the scene of the festival, the vibe, and the performances as a whole. Dude, you’d need a whole new formula, with all kinds of symbols and multiples and exponents. That’s rocket surgery.
SG: Which is way more complex than rocket science.
Ted: Exponentially.
SG: So then the context is a non-festival show.
Ted: But there’s more to it than that.
SG: Like the time the show starts and whether or not there is a time limit on how late they can go.
Ted: And at what point of the tour you catch the band. I’m always leery of catching the tail end of the tour because the band or artist might be sick of each other or sick of the road or even worse, sick of their music. But at the same time, by the end of the tour, they probably are a lot tighter and together at least musically, plus they might have new ways of playing old songs so they don’t get bored. First shows tend to be more exciting in terms of the buzz, but they also tend to be a little sloppier, especially if it’s a band that hasn’t toured in a little while.

The Band

SG: That reminds me of a classification that you always hear when people talk about bands. Sometimes people refer to a band as a great live band, or a singer as a great performer.
Ted: And whether or not that means that they sound a lot better onstage than they do on record is a good point. Some bands do a lot of great studio work that simply doesn’t translate onstage. Maybe it’s because the band is one person doing all the overdubs or because the band took 500 takes and finally got it right, or they cheated with editing tools. Some bands don’t even tour, and some have different permutations because maybe they need to save money or because some of the members have stage fright.
SG: Some bands are just meant to be heard and seen.
Ted: Yup. And some bands just aren’t much fun. I pretty much hate jam bands, especially if I’m forced to listen on a record. But if I’m in a good mood and the band is really intense, then I’ll get into it. Basically, as long as the band is really into it and playing well with each other, I think you’re pretty much guaranteed a good show.
SG: Especially if it’s a band you really like.
Ted: Being a big fan definitely helps. It also helps if the guys in the band are functioning at the top of their game. I remember seeing the Pixies on their last tour before they broke up. It was a pretty good show, except that it was pretty short and Kim Deal was tanked. You could just tell that the band was not getting along. I saw them years later on their reunion tour, which was at least 4 times the crowd, and they were all completely sober. They played a ton of songs, but at the same time it was a tad mechanical. Not boring, but not exactly emotional.
SG: So sometimes a little booze is a good thing?
Ted: Depends. I remember seeing Cat Power years ago, and it was easily the worst performance that I or anyone around me could remember. She was so hammered that she could hardly get through a song, much less play her guitar. And then some bands get smashed and are a complete blast to watch. Plus, you have plenty of bands or singers that have a wee problem with the harder drugs. There’s a ton of great songs about heroin, but I haven’t seen a too many great performances by junkies. Coke heads too are pretty much a waste of time, since it always seem like they can’t wait to go somewhere else. As far as all that stuff is concerned, would you really want to hang out with some junkies and coke heads all night, especially if they are in control of loud instruments?

Moods

SG: Obviously some bands, like people, are just more fun to be around than others.
Ted: Absolutely. And since we were just talking about mood enhancers, we should definitely consider moods in general.
SG: Some bands and singers can be legendarily moody.
Ted: Well, yeah, but I’m really thinking of how a band can set the mood, especially in the interaction with the fans. Establishing some kind of connection with the crowd is essential in earning my respect. If I want to go watch a band rehearse like I’m not there, I’ll go find a warehouse somewhere and go for some solo shoe gazing. It’s probably easier for bands in smaller venues to connect with their environment, because they are right there. But even the bigger bands need to acknowledge the people that paid to see them. I’m not saying they need to surf the crowd or graciously accept their applause after every song and do 8 encores. I think simply talking to the crowd goes a long way. That’s what I mean by mood, really. If the band and fans are sort of interacting between songs, then the interaction during the music will be even more intense because of that friendly connection.
Ted: So it’s a two-way street then, because the crowd needs to be in a good mood too.
SG: Opening bands tend to have to deal with a lot of that, and you can see some that just get out there and do their thing and they let themselves be ignored. Then there are some that go out there and win everyone over, especially when they interact. It’s those kind of bands that are headlining next time around because they get noticed. But the headliners, they definitely have the most say in how the mood thing works out. If the crowd is there to see them, they pretty much just have to get out there and put on a good show.

Conclusion

SG: And that’s the most important thing when it’s all said and done, that they put on a good show.
Ted: Pretty much. All of the stuff we’ve covered is important, and there’s obviously plenty of other things to consider, but the most important thing in determining whether or not a show kick ass is if the band kicked ass. It may be a shitty venue, you may have paid too much, your friends might suck, the kids might be annoying, the band may not tell jokes, and the drummer might be wasted, but if they get your head bopping and your begging for one more song, then you are definitely going home satisfied.
SG: And that can be scientifically measured as a percentage?
Ted: Yes, using our formula, with the coefficient of Z.
SG: Sounds simple enough. Well done.
Ted: Indeed.