I Miss Live Performance

I miss live performance.  I see/hear many artists making their best attempts of using social media and live streaming to get their music out in front of others.  But frankly it's just not the same. The feedback loop that occurs in live music is not present. 

As a viewer, listening to a streamed performance cannot compare to a live performance where you feel the bass notes in your bones or the sizzle of high notes in your ears or the emotive quality of excellent singers who bring a tear to your eye.  It is far too easy to be distracted when watching a small video on a computer screen or phone by all the other demands that will take you away.  And while I can send an emoji or a comment to let the artist know I am appreciative it is not the same as clapping and whooping raucously in a venue. 

As a performer I love watching a table of folks gathered in the corner who are talking through most of a performance quiet down and turn and listen. I want to know that I touched someone or that I made someone smile or that I sang a message that someone could relate to (or disagree with) just by sharing my music. This is the feedback that we as performers hope for. 

I am looking forward to the days when more venues open and more artists can get in front of their supporters so we can mutually share and give back in actual face-to-face performance.  Virtual performances give us an ability to reach out to more people at one time, but I don't believe it can replace live performance and the connectedness that comes from being in the same room as the artist. 

I miss live performance.

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