The first time I ever heard a live band play, all I can remember was the stomping heaviness of the bass drum pounding as I stepped into the concert venue.
Is it strange that this very first concert was on a Halloween night...complete with women dressed in bunny suits, men wearing that silly mask from all the "I know what you did last summer" movies, and teenagers rocking the closest thing to the "emo look" that is known today...and all I can remember is the physical feeling of the bass drum hitting?
There is something to be said about the kinesthetic quality that live music possesses. I can remember being about 9 years old and sitting next to the radio in my living room with the headphones on and waiting for just that ONE SONG to come on so I could hear it. Back then, it was Wonderwall by Oasis. I would wait hours and hours just to hear those first few acoustic guitar chords ring through my ears and once it did, I would be satisfied for a day or two and then come back to this same scenario.
Whether you enjoy music, or absolutely love music, you have had this same sort of feeling. You have this ONE SONG that just makes you feel differently then all the others.
I can't put my finger on what makes that ONE SONG just more special then the others...but it just is.
For some, it may be a classic song by The Beatles that made them appreciate the soft melodies and structures of a perfect rock song...
For others, it may be the glittering distortion provided by Bon Jovi on Living On A Prayer combined with the anthem-like chorus that reverberates through your mind in the 80's...
And for the rest, it could even be a sentimental lyric in a song by an unknown band that just reminds you of everything you want in the world...
Well no matter what it is, you would die to hear that song LIVE. Even if that band does not currently play live shows anymore, you would pay at least 10$ to hear some cover band try their efforts to attempt the song.
Just the fact that you can physically share that song with the people around you...with hopes that just one other person may enjoy just as much as you do when you listen to it alone in your car...makes you appreciate music for what it is.
I am currently working on a project at my work...which is something that excites me there (of course, this doesn't happen frequently at my job) about the vestibular stimulation that music provides in young people and older people. Furthermore, it examines just how the brain can be manipulated and altered to enhanve your living experience by the music you love. This study is all about wearing headphones that add in a physical stimulation along with the lower frequencies in music. There is definitly something to this...
For anyone who has ever heard a song that gives them chills...
I applaud you and would love to hear your first memory of live music.
2 comments:
Ooo good question about the song! I completely know what you mean about that "one song" and the feeling associated with it. For me, it's Prison Food by Ben Folds. Wow. When I heard this live (which was the first time I heard it), it sent chills down by back. And while you dig the bass undertones of Oasis' Wonderwall, give me any piano solo by Ben Folds and I'm set! Awesome blog by the way...the subject or music always excites me and gets me to comment! :)
Prison Food is a great track! Ben Folds certainly does the same thing for me as well. The song that first got me into him was "Missing the War" when the 3 part harmony kicks in...right before the drums start up. I couldn't believe how powerful a build up in a song could be.
Thanks for reading and I appreciate the comments!
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