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Twenty lines about... The power of live music

The past weekend I got to meet an amazing woman. She seemed open and friendly, caring, humorous and fulfilled. She was calm, but passionate at the same time. She just looked like a nice person.

The past weekend I got to meet an amazing woman. She seemed open and friendly, caring, humorous and fulfilled. She was calm, but passionate at the same time. She just looked like a nice person.

I probably wouldn’t have such warm feelings for her if I wouldn’t have stayed for the evening – an Evening with Michelle Wright – an intimate concert at the old movie theatre room with amazing acoustics.

I can’t call myself a crazy country fan. The checkered cowboy music has never really made it to Russia, so it didn’t hit me when I was young and vulnerable (that’s when we develop unconditional love for most of our preferences).

I grew up listening to rock, punk at some stages and later developed a passion for jazz. Nevertheless, after my few years here I got a taste of country. It’s fun and it makes my feet uncontrollably move. Yet, once again, I’m not a real fan, unless it comes to a good performer. And Michelle Wright was definitely one of them.

I tried doing my job, taking pictures and so on, but I couldn’t put the camera in between my eyes and her, so strong and sincere she was. She was enjoying every minute on the stage, every minute of playing the guitar, every minute of singing, every minute of interacting with the crowd. Not for a second, I had doubts that this woman found herself in life.

This concert brought my mind back to many concerts I’ve been to. From 50 people to 20,000-crowds, from solo concerts to big festivals. Rock, pop, country, jazz, classics, hip-hop, rap, reggae, metal, trip-hop and all types of mix and matches. If there is an option to go to a concert, I go.

And it doesn’t really matter if I’m crazy about the band or not (never cared about Bryan Adams, but totally loved his last concert in Regina). For me, it’s about the power that I feel at good performances. It’s about that inspiration I receive from people who are passionate, who live their music and who share their lives with thousands of others.

Some concerts I attended because I loved the music and the particular performer, but others were just experiments. And some of the performers, like Michelle Wright, actually took me on their life and music journeys, allowed me to step into their world, to dive into their songs and to travel through their music paths along with them, turned it into longterm relations with the band and the music.

Musical talent is not enough to have great concerts; I believe the passion for what you are doing is the key. Unfortunately, it’s not always present on stage. Thus, I used to love one performer until I made it to his concert. He didn’t care. He just sang. Yes, music was still there, but he wasn’t. It felt like the crowd was annoying him. Maybe he was just tired or burnt out but that was it for me.

Quite a few times in my life, concerts were also a way to spill out energy and emotions. You probably know that moment, when the performance is really good; you get up and dance, sing and just let yourself go with the flow. It works even better when it’s a standing concert, where you become a part of a civilized and positive crowd, and share your charge with thousands of people next to you.  

In general that sense of unity with strangers becomes more and more rare in our digital world. But when I realize that a complete alien shares my passion, emotions and energy (even if it’s just a momentum), it makes me feel safer and happier. Big sports events have a similar effect, but with the competition component involved they split a crowd and get a different set of emotions out.

I also believe that live music creates stronger emotions. You might be familiar with the idea of “anchoring” emotions. Briefly, when you are enjoying your emotional condition at the moment, you can consciously or unconsciously create a virtual “anchor” to get back to this exact set of feelings later. Anchor can be odor, or sense (like slight squish of your pinky or a touch on the cheek), or sounds, or image. And when next time you hear or feel this “anchor,” your emotions will automatically get back to that memorized state.

Well, with involvement of strong emotions at concerts we usually automatically create anchors. And when we hear songs later in time, not only do we recall memories, but we also all of a sudden feel happy and energized.

Provided research suggests that for some people intensive emotions they have during concerts are even stronger than those associated with sex. I wouldn’t think that it’s a rule of thumb, yet the strength of the emotional upheaval is of a similar range.

After all, live concerts led by talented and passionate performers make you feel alive.