I have to tickets to an upcoming rock/pop concert.  Thinking about it I realized how much the “rock” concert has changed.

The first popular music concert I attended was the Monkees in 1968.   The opening act was 1910 Fruitgum company.  Since then I have been fortunate to attend more than forty major concerts including some of the most popular classic rock acts of our time.

As I think back through the years and the various shows I realize how they changed from an loud roughly planned musical event to a highly choreographed and practiced event with a multitude of props, light shows and special effects.

The original rock concerts were four or five guys (occasionally including a girl) on a bare stage with a minimal light show (basically just spotlights on the performers).  Today it is the full on extravaganza.  The props and special effects are both expected and needed to meet the entertainment expectations of today’s generation.

I saw Al Stewart in a small club with a capacity of about one hundred.  From my seat I could reach out and touch his piano.  (Al Steward had a number of billboard top 10 hits including the Year of the Cat which was probably his most popular song),

Which is Better?

I have immensely enjoyed the experience for all rock concerts I have attended both minimalist and those that were major events.   For me the vibrancy and life of a live performance cannot be duplicated on video or other medium.

So for my upcoming concert I am expecting, dancers, backup singers, special effects and grandiose choreography and looking forward to it all.  That being said though, it is still the star and their talent that make the show whether an extravaganza or not.

A great entertainer is great, no matter what the skin – although seeing Alice Cooper loose his head to a guillotine or Ozzy Osborne bite a live bat ( both of which I have seen) is pretty cool.