The Ocean

On a whim, I bought the Led Zeppelin live DVD one afternoon on one of my ritual after-school visits to the CD shop in the city. I had seen the rendition of Moby Dick that was played at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970 and figured that it couldn't be a bad thing to pay 20 dollars for 2 DVDs worth more of a good band. 5 hours later and I became the prophet of Zeppelin you all know and love today.

'The Ocean' is what Led Zeppelin affectionately called the seething mass of fans they would greet as they walked on stage to play gig after gig after magical gig. It's no secret that Led Zeppelin were one of the most prolific gigging bands of their era - and with good reason. Aside from their growing underground popularity, what the band appreciated was the magic of on-stage performance. The electric spontaneity that came with the ability to move an audience at your will was a rush that was almost as exciting a trip from a colourful stimulant.

I have developed a firm belief that the mettle of a band is only truly tested in their live performances. To grind an old gear, too much of modern music places too much value on image manufacturing and clever marketing. The common indie-hipster adage is that big record companies are too focused on what constitutes good business and that in this process, musical integrity loses merit. (This, though, is part of a larger cultural phenomenon that I have a rather significant beef with. I'll maybe talk about this in another post).

All of this comes out in the wash, however, when you begin to examine the live performance of a musical act. Live and in the moment, you can see the artist for what they are, get a chance to really feel their music and, in many cases, come to appreciate their musical integrity. On-stage, musicians are aren't just performers who are showing off how well they can perform their craft, they're also entertainers and experimenters. 

  

Led Zepplin - Live and in the moment

By and large the best concerts I have been to or watched are concerts where either the band actively interacts with the audience or deviates significantly from their original source material. 

The first kind makes for entertainment that is genuine in a way which is rare amongst other forms of stage-craft. In these cases, the artist is reacting to feedback from their audience - a process which is intensely emotional for anyone who takes pride in their work. The result is that we can witness how self-effacing, comically-egotistical or entertainingly bizarre some bands and their frontmen can be. It provides us  with an entertaining window into what must be rather complex and artistically creative minds.

Some examples: Jarvis Cocker of Pulp likes to drape himself over pieces of sound equipment whilst relaying tidbits of wisdom to his audience. Linkin Park got an entire audience to sing happy birthday to a roadie at a concert that a friend of mine went to.  And Oasis... well it was fun to see two idiots from the north of England bicker and fight.

The second kind evokes a different kind of magic. Bands are able to take their original music, and not only evolve it, but evolve it spontaneously and evolve it because they are inspired by the live atmosphere and playing to a live audience. The on-the-spot nature of this improvisation and evolution speaks of a level of musical prowess and creativity that you hardly ever see in modern music. It shows a creative drive that proves that the band doesn't stagnate, even when they choose to play the same songs.  These changes take their music to an entirely different place and can drastically change your experience of the original song or piece. All you have to do is youtube concert versions of Zepplin's Dazed and Confused or Jeff Buckley's Mojo Pin to feel what I mean.

Jarvis Cocker during a recent Pulp concert - known for his on-stage antics and toying with the audience.

I love live music. It's an experience which can inject a vigour into love of a particular music that you never knew you had. To go to a concert and see performers react to you and play for you creates an excitement and a rush that sweeps you into the moment and has you dancing and singing along to their music with energy that would be embarrassing in every day life.

It's worth remembering that it should be live gigs that form the backbone for the music industry and not the other way around. Past the marketing, the promotional interviews, the auto-tune and sound production, truly good music finds its grip on us when it's laid bare and sung to our faces.

Fun Links:
Jeff Buckley - Mojo Pin (live at Chicago, audio only)
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused (Live from the Royal Albert Hall, 1970)
Led Zeppelin - No Quarter (Live from the Song Remains the Same)
Pulp - Live at Reading 2011 (entire set)