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Blurring the Lines of Art and Entertainment: A Look At Live Performances

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.

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