An Open Letter to Live Music (+ Concert Wishlist Notion Template)
There’s nothing like being in a big crowd while you sing and dance along to your favourite artists. The feeling is euphoric.
I’m writing this a year into the global panorama when many live music lovers, like myself, are feeling deprived of one of the things that brings us pure joy. Yes, we can listen to our favourite songs day-in-day-out on whatever streaming platform you choose to use. However, nothing beats hearing it live. The way artists manage to infuse new life into song you’ve had on repeat for the past month will always amaze me — it’s like you’re hearing it for the first time. Watching live music is a near spiritual experience and will forever remain my favourite thing to do.
“From then on, I was hooked. In ‘normal times’, my favourite thing to do is to see a show”
I remember my first ‘concert’. I live in the UK and when I was 15, one of my best friends and I were obsessed with the American YouTube cover duo, Karmin. When we knew they were coming to the UK, it was a no brainer — we bought tickets to see them at The Borderline in London.
Admittedly, it wasn’t really a concert and more of a ‘gig’. It was a small bar with a stage area and there were barely 15 of us there who knew who Karmin were. Regardless, it was the first time I’d seen live music like that i.e. watched someone perform live that I’d only seen on the screen. It was incredible. We knew every word and took so many videos — even made friends! The fact that we were front-row and met them and took pictures afterwards was the icing on the cake.
From then on, I was hooked. In ‘normal times’, my favourite thing to do is to see a show. I know you’re wondering what my first ‘big’ concert was. It was Wireless Festival in the UK where I managed to see Iggy Azalea, Jon Bellion, Tori Kelly, Pharrell and Kanye West. Imagine watching Pharrell as the sun’s setting — it was glorious!
I’m a big R&B head. Apart from Pharrell, some of the favourite acts I’ve seen live include Goldlink, NAO, Misterwives, Kendrick Lamar, Masego, Brasstracks & Mura Masa.
When it comes to venue size, small-mid size venues are best, in my opinion. Too small and you don’t get that ‘buzz’ from the crowd, which makes the whole experience feel electric. Too big and a lot of the time it’s hard to tell what’s happening on stage. I’m personally not a fan of ‘arena’ concerts, unless I’m paying for decent seats. I once saw Bruno Mars and while it was fun, I felt like I was too far away to fully appreciate the show.
In those mid-size venues, you can push right up to the front ( if you’re lucky) and feel the buzz of the crowd as it bounces off the walls and completely fills the atmosphere. Nothing like it.
However, while paid/closed concerts are amazing, I’d like to be careful and not discriminate against street musicians. Buskers are under-appreciated and undoubtedly pick up the mood as you carry out whatever activity it is that you’re doing.
One my most memorable ‘busking’ experiences was when I was in DC and the Washington Capitals won the NHL. I was watching the game with some friends in a local bar; as soon as the game ended, everyone flooded the streets to celebrate. If that wasn’t electric enough, some local Go-Go musicians (a style of music specific to DC) set-up shop and started playing a live remix of ‘ Can’t Hold Us’ by Macklemore. I’ll never forget how together everyone felt in that moment; it’s easily one of my stand-out memories from my time in DC.
Busking has been the only window to live music during the past year. Every time I walk by someone playing in the street, I’m instantly reminded about all the previous memories I’ve made.
We’re all eager to get back into the crowds. At the time of writing of this, some of the world is back to normal, while some of the world is sadly still deep in crisis. There have been a number of experiments around the world which have have tried to test how ‘safe’ live events are.
At these events, the reports have so-far been positive. Everyone gets tested before they attend and from what the videos and images look like, it looks like almost as if everything is back to normal.
However, we have to accept that these were all done in closed environments and that when big live music events do return, we won’t necessarily have the safety of science, at least, forever.
While we’re eager to get back into the crowds, understandably, there’s lots of anxiety surrounding this too. I personally feel like it will be a while before any of us feel completely ‘normal’ in large crowds again. However, although I know it will take a while, I do have hope that objectively the collective anxiety will eventually wear off. We are naturally social animals and live music is one of the key ways we’ve been able to tap into that for centuries, no matter which part of the globe you are from.
I’ve already started planning for when we can get back out there. In Notion, I’ve created a concert wish list Notion template, so you can keep track of everyone you want to see live and then cross them off the list when you’ve seen them.
Who’s on my list? As I mentioned, I’m very into R&B and class it a crime that I still haven’t seen Beyoncé or Rihanna live. Although, given how concert-deprived we all are, I’m pretty confident that tickets will sell out almost immediately whenever we even get a chance to see them both live again. Apart from them, some more ‘new-school’ acts that are top of my list include Amber Mark, Tom Misch, Kaytranada & Chloe x Halle. Chloe x Halle get a special mention for all their amazing at-home ‘live music’ performances during the past year. If they were that 🔥 on screen, I can’t imagine what they’re like live.
“The thing that’s bringing you together is the love of the music and the energy of the people around you.”
I can’t wait for you to come up with your own concert wish list using the Notion template. One thing I’ve realised we can’t buy more of is time. That’s why I’m a big believer of seizing opportunities to go see artists when the opportunity presents itself.
Life is about experiences and making memories with each each other. Live music is unique opportunity, comparable to live sports, where for a moment you can forget about everything and come together, no matter what your race or background is. The thing that’s bringing you together is the love of the music and the energy of the people around you.
Live music isn’t just about the artists. There are so many people who work hard to make each experience magical — venue staff, sound engineers, marketers, cleaners, security, event organisers… the list goes on. No event could happen without them and we’re eternally grateful and hopeful that we can get back to business.
When the first artist I see walks on stage during their opening music, I can’t promise that I won’t cry. All I know is that it will be worth the wait.
Thanks for sticking with me — I can’t wait for you to dive in and start working on your Notion pages.
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