Having attended a few pop concerts in America, I realize my good habit of being punctual is totally unnecessary. From Gwen Stefani to Christina Aguilera, from J-Lo to Sting, none of them showed up at their concerts on time as scheduled. The most procrastinating star in my experience is Gwen. Her performance was scheduled to start at 8PM. She didn’t come to the stage until after 10PM. At first I really thought she stood me up!
Instead, it’s a norm that the first hour of the concert or longer is slated for some unknown, or lesser known, singers and bands. They sing, dance, rap, scream, yell and even perform acrobatics on the stage. If you don’t like their music, too bad! You have to stick with it unless you put on your own soundproof gadget over your head. If you think you can get away from the loud music by just walking out of your seat, well, you’re wrong. The pulsating beat of the heavy disco music thumps the floor, shaking the building. I heard it even in the parking lot outside Gwen’s concert!
I often wonder if the sound engineers working for pop concerts are deaf, or near deaf. Only the deaf can’t distinguish that the sounds blasting from the amplifiers have become noises. In fact, sounds that reach 85 decibels(dB) are considered harmful for our hearing in the case of prolonged exposure. I certainly want my hearing back. But it takes a while to become accustomed to a quiet environment.
It seems it is a long time ago when a pop concert started on time. I was in Guangzhou, China. My more-than-a-decade-old concert experience there left me a good impression. That was in the age of pre-smart phones. Chinese fans brought their own handmade placards, and objects that glow in the dark to cheer for their idol. When they were motivated to sing along, clap, and wave their arms, the venue was lit up by a sea of sparkling crowd.
A decade later, the same interaction between the performer and the audience is still happening at concerts around the world. The only difference is the flashlight on a smart phone has replaced those glowing wristbands and bracelets. In the recent concert of J-Lo’s “It’s My Party Tour” in Washington, fans were requested several times to raise their illuminating flashlights on the phone. All of a sudden, thousands of white stars emerged from the pitch dark audience. They followed the command of the singer, “up—down—up—down—up—down . . . ”, the sea of stars twinkled, so many of them, in unison.
These heart-warming, rewarding moments perhaps are what we—the organizer and the audience—are waiting for the whole night. A small crowd cannot bring the melt-your-heart visual effect in full display. It needs a full house! This is show-biz! The more people come, the more drinks are likely to be sold during waiting periods for the star. For the late-comers, a pop concert is a perfect fit for you. Because we can’t start a pop concert until the room is full enough and the crowd is hyped-up. A Chinese proverb says it well: “It is easy to break a chopstick, but they become unbreakable when we put all of them together.” The more, the merrier.
Now I will remind myself that if I want to skip the opening racket, it is ok to be late for a pop concert. However, I will be better off in the punctual world of classical music where the lights dim as scheduled and immediately followed by the sound of music from the stage. Salute to musicians of all genres!
NOTE: Don’t forget to check out my book talk on TV. For details, click here. Due to my month-long travel, column writing will be suspended until mid-October. I will bring home more materials to share with you. Stay tuned!
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