First image is from Coachella Music Festival (Credit). Second image is from a Deafheaven club show (Credit). Deafheaven is a blackgaze band from San Francisco.

Hip-Hop to Pop-Punk — Exploring the Flavors of Live Music Shows

Live music is the physical representation of an art form that is increasingly experienced digitally. So how does recorded music translate into a bustling live show? For a curious music listener there are a few factors to consider.

Festivals vs. Club Shows

Music festivals and club shows are distinct platforms for live music. While festivals include offerings like amusement rides, camping, food trucks, and craft beer, club shows are wholly focused on the music. In terms of music discovery, festivals offer a variety of artists, while club shows typically have one or two opening acts in the same genre as the headliner.

Club shows tend to provide a more intimate, cohesive crowd experience made up of fans who came out to see a particular headlining act, whereas at festivals, the majority of the crowd might not be familiar with each artist they see.

Crowd Experience

Joyce Manor is a pop-punk band from Torrance, California. Their crowds often know many of the song lyrics. (Credit)

Being in a crowd of music fanatics can be an emotionally charged experience, and depending on the genre of music, that fanaticism gets expressed in different ways.

Tobias Jesso Jr. is a singer-songwriter from Vancouver, Canada. Check out his recent performance on Conan here. (Credit)

Fans of a piano-playing singer-songwriter might be respectfully quiet during a performance while at a punk show this behavior would represent a lack of enthusiasm.

Jay-Z and Kanye West (Credit)

At a hip-hop show, fans typically show appreciation by nodding their heads to the rap verses and moving their arms to the beat.

Mosh Pit. (Credit)

At a hardcore punk or metal show, you might find yourself caught in the formation of a mosh pit.

Live Instrumentation or Lack Thereof

Interpol is a post-punk band from NYC. They play tight sets with a high caliber of musicianship. (Credit)

A typical rock band has multiple members playing instruments on stage, providing an animated performance of their music to entertain the crowd. A common criticism laid against hip-hop and electronic shows is that they lack this type of stage presence and authenticity.

Zedd is an electronic producer known for his spectacular light shows. Check out his performance at Ultra Music Festival 2014 here. (Credit)

While a cheap electronic music gig might be someone playing tracks off a MacBook and turning a few knobs on stage, the high end performances have custom stage effects and light shows. The best hip-hop and electronic music shows don’t try to compete with rock music’s live instrumentation, but instead differentiate on elements like the vocal performance, stage effects, backup dancers, audience interaction, and performer charisma.

Artist/Audience Interaction

Kanye West is notorious for his onstage rants during shows. Here is one of them. (Credit: Tumblr)

Artists choose to have varying degrees of audience interaction and it can either add or detract from the live experience. Some artists who have a following beyond their musical output use stage time to share a story or perspective not contained in their music, while others make remarks on stage to fill the space between tracks.

Angel Olsen reacts to being asked a question at her NPR Music Tiny Desk concert. (Credit).

In contrast, some artists choose to let the music speak for itself and are more reserved on stage. This technique can play to the strength of artists who make more abstract or delicate music which would be degraded by stage banter.

Yung Lean crowd surfing at his first US show in NYC. Check out his unique take on cloud rap here. (Credit)

Certain artists physically interact with the crowd through stunts like crowd surfing or giving high fives to the front row during shows.

While some artists excel in a studio setting and have trouble translating their art into a live experience, others are able to add more context and meaning to their music at concerts. Being aware of the factors that influence live music can help you better choose which artists to see (or not see) at a club show or music festival.