Ahoy!
The past two weeks we’ve been discussing the difference
between music as art and music as entertainment. Because these labels aren’t
exactly black and white I thought it might be helpful to look at some live
performances. We’ll
be watching performances from Between the Buried and Me (Btbam), Katy Perry and
Pink. We’ll begin with Ms. Perry who is strongly in the “music as
entertainment” camp.
Katy Perry- Roar (From “The Prismatic World Tour Live”)
As I watch this video there are some things that stand out right away. First there's the major stage prop; the giant prism-thing opening with
Katy Perry standing in the middle as it unfolds. Everyone sees this. It’s part
of the show. I also notice the dancers dressed in strange costumes behind her
and I notice that they all start doing the same dance move as the intro music
is playing. Again, I’m sure everyone notices this as it’s a part of the show.
The biggest thing I notice, which
many people probably don’t, is that there are no musicians on stage. This is a
huge red flag for me. Isn’t this billed as a concert? Isn’t this supposed to be
a musical experience? If so, then where are all the musicians? I don’t trust
that it's people playing the parts behind stage. My guess is the music you’re
hearing is all backing tracks run by a computer. The whole song continues in
this fashion and at one point Perry stops singing to jump rope. Yes, you read that correctly. Perry and her teams of dancers
start jumping rope in the middle of the song. Along with this, it’s obvious
that all the dancing is extremely choreographed and not a result of anyone “feeling
the music.” It's a spectacle, and certainly entertaining, but it isn't music.
Between the Buried and Me- Turn on the Darkness (Coma
Ecliptic Live Blu-ray/DVD)
Next we move to Btbam; a band that is strongly entrenched
in the art music side of this debate. Firstly I will say that I understand this
type of music is not for everyone. By that I mean progressive rock with heavy
guitars and screaming vocals. But this clip serves to illustrate my point (and
I personally am a huge fan of Btbam). Right away there is a stark contrast to
the Perry video. Here we see five dudes on stage and that’s it. Each is playing
at least one instrument. Dan Briggs (the bass player) is playing two; he’s
playing the piano in the intro before moving to bass. Tommy Rodgers (the
vocalist) plays piano once Dan switches to bass. Tommy is also singing both the
clean and unclean vocal parts which is pretty impressive. From here that’s what
you get: five guys on stage playing their instruments. There is a small light
show that does help add to the atmosphere of the performance but there’s not
much beyond that. The thing to see here really is just these guys playing their
parts flawlessly. Yes, they move around and interact with one another on stage
but it’s a result of how there are feeling the music in this particular moment.
The next show will be different. The only thing here that’s highly choreographed
is the music and it demands your attention.
I think it’s worth noting here that I don’t mean to sound
negative toward the actual music that Katy Perry produces. While it’s not my
favorite thing to listen to, and I never seek it out intentionally, I won’t
pretend that I don’t sing along to this song if it happens to come on the
radio. What I have an issue with is that people don’t realize they aren’t
getting a musical experience when they go to see her live. Don’t get me wrong,
the choreography is great, and all the dancers including Perry know their parts
and execute them well. It just isn’t music. It’s a ballet. You are
going to see the dancing, not hear the music so why call it a concert?
Lastly, and briefly, I will leave you with a clip from a Pink
performance. What you’ll notice is that while it’s pop music, it’s done just
like the boys in Btbam. It’s Pink and her band, standing on stage letting the
music speak for itself. Again there’s a small light show to add to the ambiance
but aside from that, there’s nothing fancy about this stage production and is a
great example of how to blend art with entertainment.
P!nk- Try (The Truth About Love - Live From LA)
Until next time,
Heard
HAVE YOU HEARD?
Clutch- From Beale Street to Oblivion
I’ve been a fan of Clutch since high school. My brother
introduced me to them and I remember learning several of their songs on bass as a young musician. Since then I’ve followed them and this album in particular has
stuck with me. Clutch’s early music is rife with teen angst and their new stuff
is highly politicized. This album is somewhere in the middle, featuring songs
that edge towards the blues, has cool riffs and guitar solos, and even one song in
7/4. This is a great rock album that everyone should have in their library.
Sources: All clips courtesy of YouTube.
Sources: All clips courtesy of YouTube.
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