Perspective is a funny thing. That is to say, at the May 9 Avett Brothers concert at Terminal 5 in New York, I managed to get a good view of the band. In the bigger picture, it came at the expense of actually getting to hear much of the music.
Shortly before the show started a, dare I say, short guy and his girlfriend squeezed in behind me. As the band walked on stage, they started talking about the inequality of not being as tall as the people in front of him, and justifying the view of my shoulders by saying, "At least we'll be able to hear them."
I suddenly felt guilty for my height.
But hear the band we could not, as the guy behind me began singing at the top of his voice with each and every song. Now, I'm all for singing along with good music, and have at loud concerts been guilty of doing so in the past. But hopefully not at the expense of others. The Avett Brothers is not a particularly loud band.
Not having been terribly familiar with all of the Avetts' work, I came into the concert with an open mind. From that perspective, the first half of the show was terrible, and it wasn't the band's fault. Eventually, either as a result of repeated complaints from those around him or the loss of his voice, the guy behind me finally shut up. The concert got better.
Self awareness has not always been my forte. Over the many years I've been in bands or gone to concerts, I've been guilty of singing along with my favorite songs. I get it. And I understand the passion of feeling like the music was written and performed just for me. But I think this recent experience has also enlightened me to the effect that my own behavior might have on others. I hope I haven't ruined too many concerts for everyone else.
Shortly before the show started a, dare I say, short guy and his girlfriend squeezed in behind me. As the band walked on stage, they started talking about the inequality of not being as tall as the people in front of him, and justifying the view of my shoulders by saying, "At least we'll be able to hear them."
I suddenly felt guilty for my height.
But hear the band we could not, as the guy behind me began singing at the top of his voice with each and every song. Now, I'm all for singing along with good music, and have at loud concerts been guilty of doing so in the past. But hopefully not at the expense of others. The Avett Brothers is not a particularly loud band.
Not having been terribly familiar with all of the Avetts' work, I came into the concert with an open mind. From that perspective, the first half of the show was terrible, and it wasn't the band's fault. Eventually, either as a result of repeated complaints from those around him or the loss of his voice, the guy behind me finally shut up. The concert got better.
Self awareness has not always been my forte. Over the many years I've been in bands or gone to concerts, I've been guilty of singing along with my favorite songs. I get it. And I understand the passion of feeling like the music was written and performed just for me. But I think this recent experience has also enlightened me to the effect that my own behavior might have on others. I hope I haven't ruined too many concerts for everyone else.
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