Eric Schwartz is a singer songwriter whom I saw at a house concert this semester. Singer songwriters tend to be soloists who write and sing their own songs. Schwartz does just this, by writing autobiographical songs, such as “Who’s Gonna Love Me Tonight.” Schwartz also does this by writing songs which comment on current events, such as “Senator Whoever.” He then goes on to perform these songs by himself without a band. It is characteristics like these which help to label Eric Schwartz as a singer songwriter. Due to seeing Eric Schwartz at a house concert, the set up of the performance was different than a concert at a venue like the House of Blues, Chicago Theatre, or United Center. For one thing, the number of people in the audience was greatly reduced at the house concert compared to a number of other venues. This can be attributed to the lack of space available at a venue like a house concert. Approximately 30 people were in attendance of Eric Schwartz’s house concert, whereas hundreds or even thousands of people are in the audience at other venues. The effects used at a house co...
Every theatergoer may consider the question: What is it about performance that draws people to sit and listen attentively in a theater, watching other people labor on stage and hoping to be moved and provoked, challenged and comforted? In Utopia in Performance, Jill Dolan “argues that live performance provides a place where people come together, embodied and passionate, to share experiences of meaning making and imagination that can describe or capture fleeting intimations of a better world (p.2)”. She traces the sense of visceral, emotional, and social connection that we experience at such times, connections that allow audience members to sense a better world, and the hopeful utopic sentiment might become motivation for civic engagement
From the moment an audience member enters the theatre, he is welcomed with refreshments and waits in the basement until an usher calls the audience to come upstairs to the main performance area. Since the tickets purchased for the show say “General Admission,” there are no assigned seats and the audience is left standing in a large dark square room, with four black walls and a white ceiling. The once empty room becomes filled with people waiting for the show to begin. Ushers remain in the room to guide the audience to move from one area to the next because the performers may need room to perform later in the show.
The ambiance in the Amazing Things Arts Center was largely responsible for the success of the jazz concert. The management had installed dim lighting, which added a sensitive touch and gave the whole concert a romantic feel. Although the Amazing Things Arts Center was small and packed with people, the atmosphere was generally peaceful and soothing. There was likeability and effortlessness in the way each of the performances took place.
I attended the Los Angeles Philharmonic classical music concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday 29 November 2013. The classical concert started at 8:00pm to the enjoyment of the huge audience that had been waiting for this amazing music extravaganza. Classical music concerts always offer magnificent entertainment and the audience in this concert was expectant to derive such entertainment or more. In attendance were Christian Zacharias who was the conductor and Martin Chalifour who was the LA Phil commanding Principal Concertmaster and Bach violin player. In readiness for the concert, I enjoyed a special dinner prepared for the audience. More specifically, LA Phil staffer introduced us to the evening classical concert amidst cheers from the audience. It was such a refreshing and joyous feeling to be part of this audience.
It was apparent that Rosenblum was familiar with the Sanctuary’s community because as soon as he entered, he began talking to each of the audience members he recognized. Though I had never witnessed one of his performances, he also said a simple greeting to me as he walked past. Davis followed suit when she entered the Sanctuary. She sat down with Rosenblum in one of the pews to catch up with the current events of audience member’s lives. This pre-show element made the experience even more welcoming, relaxing, and friendly. Once it was time for the concert to begin, the director of the Sanctuary introduced each performer. Once Davis and Rosenblum were settled, Davis explained how the concert was going to be a calm and fun night. She chatted with the audience talking about her preparation for the night and how excited she was to be visiting the Sanctuary with Rosenblum. Throughout the concert, Davis would tell little stories or continue speaking to the audience in between pieces. This incorporated the audience into the concert and created a friendly relationship between performers and audience. Finally, Rosenblum and Davis made decisions on what pieces they would play in the moment. After each ended, they would ask what the other felt like performing next. Most often they chose their favorites or had specific pieces in mind. Occasionally, Rosenblum would simply begin playing a piece,
The performer and the band are on a stage that is elevated higher than the ground the audience (fans) is on. For this performance, and the majority of others performances in this musical style there are no seats in the audience. This allows a different type of interaction between the fans and the artist. The musical style of this piece consists of calls (from the artist) and responses (from the audience). The artist engages the audience by calling out actions to them. For
The concert and the entire experience correlated to several themes in psychology. The concert related to sensation and the stimulation of a sense organ by an external physical stimulus, which in this case was sound. I was able to detect various octaves and intervals between two sound melodies. With the variety of instruments playing, the tone height and sound quality corresponded to diverse levels of pitch, which monotonically related to frequency. Tone chrome was vividly present in the percussion ensemble with the sound quality being shared by octave interval tones connecting to a musical helix, which helped me visualize a musical pitch during different pieces. Perception connected to the concert and the sensation. Perception works together to help people sort out the complex information available to them. The percussion instruments triggered a sensation and allowed me to appreciate the various instruments. When there is more than one instrument playing at once, it can som...
On the evening of February 6th, I attended an alto and baritone saxophone concert, in Davis Hall in the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. This being the first saxophone concert I have ever attended, I found it to be quiet enjoyable, as I enjoy the smooth sound of a saxophone. I found Davis Hall to be a rather unique set up and had felt that more could have been done to make the atmosphere feel more appealing. There were cords scattered throughout the floor that could have potentially tripped someone in attendance rather easily. The auditorium was set up so that where people were sitting on chairs at the same level as the performers making it difficult for anyone who was sitting towards the back to see.
The LaSells Stewart Center is in Oregon State University serving the Corvallis area as its performing arts meeting. This auditorium is 1,200 and is world know for its acoustic excellence. The performance was very elegant and well organized, however as I looked around I saw several people fall asleep and on top of that I had a really tall person in front of me so it was a little hard to see the performers. Not only that this old lady next to me started to snoring. I also did not enjoy how the performers all stopped together to flip the page and it was like three minutes of silence. Even though my seat was bad the music was very relaxing and enjoyable.
Slowly the lights dim and the volume of the crowd rises. About 3,000 people have come to Massey Hall in Toronto on this night to witness what some consider rocks most bizarre spectacle: Marilyn Manson. They grip the back of the seat in front of them in anticipation of what is to come, some are almost to excited to stand still whilst others seem just a little bit scared. It begins with a few dull flashes from strobe lights accompanied with ear splitting guitar feedback noise. The flashes from the strobe light quicken and theatrical smoke pours in from all corners of the stage. One by one, the members of the band take their respective places on stage to the jubilation of the audience. The anticipation for the man himself builds and as it reaches a fever pitch, Marilyn Manson emerges from the darkness at the back of the stage like a lion pouncing on its prey and the band breaks into song.
On the night of Friday, the 13th a confusing battle ensued at Skooter’s Roadhouse located in Shorewood, Illinois. The venue, hosting an “annual Halloween themed party,” lacked audience's attention even with an incentive of no-cover-charge. In attendance for the event was D.J Bernie Mac, a ghost in the search box, and FOOL HOUSE, a 5-piece cover band playing strictly ‘90s music. To add to the ambivalence of the night, the venue split into two sections with the D.J performing on one side and the band on the other. It made the 50+ in attendance waver in and out of each other’s set. Unable to fully capture the room, which was made up of mostly 30-something-year-olds, FOOL HOUSE retained the majority of the audience for the night.
The stage and the crowd were always filled with commotion, always having the ability to bring enthusiasm into the night. There was no time to let our attention go from the performance on the stage. The third movement, called the Dandy, was a frightening movement, filled with intense fluctuations of registers and volume. The Dandy began with loud, high-pitched vocal singing with flute playing on the background. Moreover, this third movement was filled with fast tempo of both vocal singing and instruments being played, such as the high-register flute and piano that were performed. The intensity skyrocketed in comparison to the prior second movement. The audiences and I were shocked by the movement, clueless on whether to praise and applaud for
The main stage stood proud and center of the 330-acre polo club in Indio, California. The entire crowd, washed in beautiful neon lights, had been cheering in utter excitement in hopes of their favorite band would enter the stage. The high tech equipment of all different shapes and sizes assisted the artist in putting the audience in a musical trance. To get the crowd pumped up, a voice would often say,” One…two…one…two… let’s go! as it projected across the venue from huge speakers vibrating the message. Throughout the concert, you’ll be able to feel your body respond naturally to the rhythm of the song and the only thing you can do is to let loose, and dance. The crowd, filled with a range of young teenagers to adults all add to the ambiance. This describes one of the the largest music festivals known as Coachella.Past the chill vibes and unforgettable experiences, there are several consequences of attending a large music festival.This includes the amount of waste,air pollution, and energy consumption.
As said by Thornton Wilder, “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with one another the sense of what it is to be a human being,” the theatre is one of the greatest art forms. An audience collectively gathers to watch and enjoy the show of their choice, taking in the storyline, characters, and emotions portrayed by actors. Such an experience can often be described as a whirlwind of different emotions and connections, but the storm stifles to dead air once interrupted. The world of theatre is a beautiful place; however, it is easily disrupted by nuisances backstage, onstage, and in the house.
The space in which the audience occupies may feel cluttered, or may even be flooded at the superfluous amount of people attending. The shared experience won't feel genuine as there are so many people responding. Ironically, it may feel as though one is alone, even if there are plenty of people nearby. Finally, a large number of people may make the performance literally unwatchable. This can occur from an assortment of reasons, but it will most likely vary from audience to audience. One example of this may be from an extremely large audience that takes up so much space that one can no longer correctly experience the performance.