Experiencing music

A stroke of luck found me in a seat at the Lisa Hannigan/David Gray concert last night. Both are artists I like. However, this wasn't a concert that I was dying to see and had been waiting months for. Tickets were expensive, more than I would pay for a lot of artists I am dying to see, but a couple friends and an extremely reduced price on a ticket they were looking to sell were enough to get me to that show. And it was great.

There's just something about live music. Time and time again, bands that I have only moderately liked have blown me away when I've seen them live. Bands that I absolutely love have given me chills and made me want to see them over and over again. Of course, there have been a few let downs. They have been the minority, thankfully, owing to either luck or good personal taste (and since it's my taste in question, we're going to go with that one).

Seeing someone live, seeing them interact with their music, is really quite an honor, if you think about it. They are sharing something they created with you, right there in person. They could forget the lyrics, sing off-key, break a guitar string, dance like an idiot...they are up their on stage, making themselves vulnerable to a crowd. I love watching the way a singer moves with their music (John Mayer's foot stomp, David Gray's chicken legs and head shakes). I love seeing the band interact on stage, both musically and relationally. I love the reinterpretation of a song, the "live" version. I love the way lighting or stage set-up gives songs a visual component. I love singing along with my eyes closed, knowing that people around me are doing the same.

There's also the way that, somehow, live music becomes a part of you. I can turn up my stereo and really get into a song, but hearing it live, actually feeling the notes reverberating through the floor and off the walls and in my blood...it's audiosensory magic.

I won't say that Lisa Hannigan or David Gray are my new favorite artists, but I will say that I love them for the experience we shared last night.

Plus, I met them both, and they're real nice.