The shift from consumerism, to buying experiences has been an incredible shift in the past few years, especially in the live entertainment industry. With technology making it even easier than before to download your favorite songs, movies, shows, and sports, what else is there?
Well, no matter how far technology advances, it will never be able to replicate the sheer thrill and fun that comes from seeing a concert live. From watching performers sing on stage only to converse with fans or to point out the amusing things on their minds, to seeing incredible twists and upsets during live sporting events. It’s an incredible rush to see where the next big live event takes you.
But why is that? Why would people take time out of their busy schedules to drive down to their favorite venues to see live performances? Especially since many live shows feature small mistakes that would never be allowed on a recording or streaming download.
Well there’s a lot of reasons, but it all boils down to the experience that surrounds a live performance. From the stage, you have entertainers or on the field, you have skilled and talented people who are performing for everyone in attendance. So you’ll often see the performers looking around the room, calling out for cheers from certain sides of the room, and responding to the energy that the crowd gives off. It’s a sort of harmony that you can never find with a recording or streamed show.
The energy is even there when you’re talking about sporting events when the athletes have to worry about their opponents. How many times have you seen athletes take a moment to highfive fans in the front seats, or live broadcasts that turn a camera to point out a couple holding one another or a fan cheering until it hurts. The audience becomes AS IMPORTANT to the experience as the performers, athletes, and celebs that take the center stage, the field, or the ring.
But it doesn’t just end there. Because the audience also has a role to play with each other.
For instance, how many shows become even better when you are really aware of the nearby fans and audience members close by. You can cheer alongside audience members, match their joy when they sing along with a song, or even have a conversation with someone new during the quieter moments of any live event.
Best of all, many of today’s performers and athletics teams have drawn excellent and welcoming fans to fill out the seats. Which means that even if you have gone to an event on your own, you’re never really alone. Because everyone is there to enjoy the same show. And those special moments are what makes the live performance industry such a powerhouse.
Don’t get us wrong. It’s nice to have things like music on vinyl records, shirts and jerseys of your favorite teams, or blu-ray recordings of your favorite comedians’ best routines. But how long will most fans truly cherish the items they bought? Even collectors ultimately leave their items on labeled shelves or similar items without a lot of interaction.
But how much cooler would it be to have some band merch that you had signed while you were at a venue. Because now you have memories that can spring up every time you pull an item from a shelf that reminds you of that one perfect day you took out to see your favorite stars perform or compete. Even if you didn’t get the chance to have something autographed, you’ll still remember the incredible concert that spurred you on to buy merch of your favorite music artists or of the intense game you saw on the day you bought a jersey featuring the name and number of your favorite players.