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sigod 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 17 2004
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 2779
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 Topic: Do You Prefer Live or Recorded?
Posted: April 18 2005 at 11:49 |
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I had a strange conversation over the weekend with a
fellow musician about music and how it is best enjoyed. His contention
was that in truth, listening to a record/CD/MP3 was a much better
experience as there is nothing to get in the way of you and the
band/artist. In addition, they are always at the top of their form and
available whenever you want to listen/feel in the mood.
I said that seeing a live band is half of the fun for me as the sights,
sounds (and smells) of the gig all add to the musical experience.
Granted you might see a band on an off night but I believe that when it
comes to prog, a live show beats a CD every time.
Any thoughts?
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I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.
- Clement Atlee, on Winston Churchill
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Debra59
Forum Newbie
Joined: April 12 2005
Location: Shiatfield, Ohi
Status: Offline
Points: 26
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 12:02 |
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I like to watch bands live. But when I listen to bands I usually prefer the studio releases much more than the live recordings.
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Metropolis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 20 2004
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 760
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 12:07 |
Recorded music is great but nothing can compare to a live show.
After seeing Dream Theater, Rush, Iron Maiden, Metallica, The Mars
Volta, Porcupine Tree and others i expeienced an intense adrenaline
high that no recording can ever recreate.
Live music rocks. 
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We Lost the Skyline............
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Snow Dog
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: March 23 2005
Location: Caerdydd
Status: Offline
Points: 32995
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 13:18 |
I prefer beer and a CD 
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Metropolis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 20 2004
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 760
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 13:27 |
Oh, and I don;t drink (well not more than a couple of beers) or do any
drugs before or at gigs. I always appreciate it much more in a
state of sobriety
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We Lost the Skyline............
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Reed Lover
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 16 2004
Location: Sao Tome and Pr
Status: Offline
Points: 5187
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 13:33 |
Having seen Porcupine Tree recently in a very,very small venue,I realise that I have been missing out on real live performance.
Let me explain.Since about 1985 I have only attended a few concerts (mainly Rush) and these have all been in large stadia.Rush last year was an absolutely superlative show,but that is what it was a "show".I was sharing the band with 20,000 others and there was no real interaction between band and audience.However,as I said,I went to see Porcupine Tree and there couldnt have been more than a few hundred people there.My friend and I ambled up to the stage (almost in shock) and stood directly against the apron.Anathema came on as support and we enjoyed the intimacy of the performance.The same with Porcupine Tree,we got a real buzz from the band and visa-versa-you really felt a connection and an input into proceedings.For all I adore Rush,I feel I got that elusive "something extra" from the smaller scale concert.We came out of the venue absolutely elated and "happy",and excited like teenagers again.
So,in the right circumstances,nothing can beat the "buzz" of a live performance by a band you love.
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Dick Heath
Special Collaborator
Jazz-Rock Specialist
Joined: April 19 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 12818
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 13:42 |
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Important for me to see what these guys are doing. If you amongst 20,000+, over a 100m from the stage and band is playing a note perfect rendition of their album(s), I wonder what the point of going is, now I'm old enough to prefer my home comforts. I caught both Krimson and Led Zeppelin on their respectively first UK tours, both in the scrum of the Tolworth Toby Jug. However, I didn't see any of the KC men in action during their performance and the loss of the visuals made for a very disappointing night. And wrt LZ, all I could see was Plant hair when he was shaking it up and down - but compared with KC, they were loud enough to cut through and make for a better night of live music.
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arkitek
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 31 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 289
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 13:48 |
i coulsn't really vote opn this as i havn't seen any prog bands live  but i have seen dvds and from that experience (with surround sound ) ..........
Defiantly LIVE music!
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Guests
Forum Guest Group
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 15:18 |
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I saw Rush on their 30th tour and I really gotta get out to more concerts. Nothing beats seeing an artist perform their music for you.
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HaroldLand
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 02 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 162
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 17:16 |
i saw yes last year twice, in toronto and london ontario, and i've been
to about 10 other concerts in the last 3 years, and they have all been
amazing, and yes' performances were right on, sounded like cranking up
the album. however, i still prefer the home stereo experience, as
everything is that much clearer and there are no screaming, obnoxious
people or ear damage to get in the way
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tuxon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 21 2004
Location: plugged-in
Status: Offline
Points: 5502
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 18:29 |
I think there's some kind of energie in a crowd enjoying the same parts of music in a similar way, like your feeding each other with emotion, small venues gives the bands more a chance to share in that unleashed energie, and I think that makes them better, at least for the moment, when released on CD these shows tend to sound bad, because it's all a moment thing and you have to have been there to really apreciate that moment.
Maybe a strange piece of text, but it's the closest I get to my experiences.
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I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT
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Ben2112
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 15 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 870
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 18:31 |
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I love watching live VIDEOS but I'm not much for live ALBUMS. I'd usually much rather slap on Close To The Edge or Fragile than Yessongs, for instance.
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frinspar
Forum Groupie
Joined: March 21 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 47
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 19:16 |
They're so different - live and Memorex - that I'd prefer not to choose. They both have their plusses and can't really be in competition.
When I lived in Austin I got to see so many live established bands - as well as countless local bands. Seeing Dream Theater in the Backroom on a stage that was about 3 feet high with no barriers between you and the band was absolutely amazing. Listening to 'Awake' on a killer system at the right volume can be pretty amazing, too.
Some of the shows at Frank Erwin Center were outstanding, but arena shows have always felt like watching an IMAX movie. It's fun but you still miss part of the experience. The smaller the venue the better the show.
When I wanted to be a guitar god I wasted my time at shows pretending I cared how players played and watched them rather than experienced them. Then I gave up the dream and found out that I could enjoy their technical expertise a little better on a recording. So I went to shows more to be in crowds, be with friends and share an experience. My musician friends still fought to the front to watch players play and I moved through the room listening and drinking Shiner Bock.
But there are some bands that excel at the live show and their energy is dampened when only ever experienced on a recording. And those are the bands that are truly consisting of kindred souls pushing for one goal.
Boingo and Fishbone are prime examples. They put on the absolutely greatest live shows. The energy is infectious. The music feeds the crowd and the bands get off on it and play to their peak.
Some bands put too many layers in their music which can sound spectacular on CD, but because members play multiple instruments in the studio their live output is stumped and the sound suffers.
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Arsillus
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 26 2005
Location: United States
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Points: 7374
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 20:08 |
My first inclination is to say CDs, but I also love seeing live shows. Both bring you some of the best. Obviously, CDs shows musicians at their (hopefully) best and most concentrated. But live shows, the whole experience, along with all the energy and improv jams (awesome) provides something CDs cannot; even live CDs. So both provide something the other doesn't. It's a toss-up with me.
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Man With Hat
Collaborator
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
Joined: March 12 2005
Location: Neurotica
Status: Offline
Points: 166183
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 20:25 |
Live shows are good (I've been to many over the years), and i liked them alot. There is just that atmosphere of seeing a performance. But there is something (I'm not really sure what the correct word would be) about sitting back in your lounge chair, drinkin' a cold one (a soda of course, being I'm 17) and fully enveloping yourself into a CD. It really allows you to focus on the music and "feel" what the artists are doing.
Also, if it comes to a CD, a studio version is much better that a live album. The sound quality is much, much better, even if it's with "primitive" CDs. And thats not saying there are no good live albums, it's just that it is rare (case in point- Playing The Fool by GG. Fantastic work, and a great sound )
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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valravennz
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: March 20 2005
Location: New Zealand
Status: Offline
Points: 2546
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Posted: April 18 2005 at 20:57 |
I prefer CD listening experience over live shows. As mentioned in previous comments, the recordings are near to perfect and there is nothing better than sitting back and chilling out to your favourite recording with out outside interference, if possible  .
I have enjoyed live shows in the past - the more intimate 2 - 5,000 audience numbers as opposed to stadiums, where you are so far back from the action that even a pair of binoculars does not always help.
I also enjoy viewing live concerts on video or dvd - if they are produced well enough not only do you get to hear superb music but you get close up shots that you would not normally see if you were part of the audience. The only thing missing is atmosphere and I agree with previous comments that "being there" can produce an incredible buzz and memories that stay with you forever. CD's can't quite produce that state of being - cheers
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"Music is the Wine that fills the cup of Silence"
- Robert Fripp
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James Lee
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 05 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 3525
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Posted: April 19 2005 at 05:05 |
my stupid answer: recording artists are best on album, and performing artists are best live.  It makes sense, in a way, because not every band that puts on a good show is worth listening to when you're at home, and not every great work of music can or should be performed live.
Socially, even a so-so live show is better than good background music...and if it's really bad, it's even more fun. I've been to a few 'favorite band' shows where the band's performance didn't blow me away (as a live band, or compared to their albums), but it was cool enough just to finally get to see them.
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Dick Heath
Special Collaborator
Jazz-Rock Specialist
Joined: April 19 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 12818
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Posted: April 19 2005 at 05:18 |
Having sat 6 feet away from Gary Husband's bass drum during an Allan Holdsworth Group gig in Nottingham 8 or 9 years ago; I have to say this is how it should be. However, it is not without dangers: deafness for at least 3 days, and the risk of being hit it by a flying drumstick or two - Husband hits those skins with some power and I still have one battered stick of Husband's which passed through my hair.
Talking live. Who's bought Husband's Force Majeure live at London's South Bank DVD yet - incredible line up (including Jerry Goodman, Jim Beard, Randy Brecker, Matthew Garrison) playing jazz in a discernable prog rock fashion?
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TBWART
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 17 2005
Location: Netherlands
Status: Offline
Points: 130
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Posted: April 19 2005 at 05:33 |
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''progression is trying to eliminate boundries''
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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 20432
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Posted: April 19 2005 at 05:44 |
I probably could've never appreciate Guapo had I not seen them live some 3 weeks ago.
Seeing a band live is really essential to understand it.
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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Do You Prefer Live or Recorded?
, recorded music is just HEAVEN!!
BUT live is irreplacable!!! The best concert I have attended was YES
at the 35 anniversary tour in Antwerp. I've also seen Caravan, Fripp
, YES two more times, Rick Wakeman
, Terry Bozzio and lots more that I am not going to mention right now! And EVERY time I have been BLOWN AWAY!!!! Live is FANTASTIC!! To see the artist perform his own soul product is something that I cannot describe in words....I can only say look for concerts near you and visit ALL of them!!!