1.) You can feel the music. Listening to music on your iPhone simply can’t replicate the powerful feeling of having the bass hit your chest and high-end sounds surround you on all sides. It’s the most primal, ancient way to hear music and there’s simply no substitute for it.
2.) Live performance carries an energy that recordings can’t match— the thrill of musicians performing together in front of an audience, with no do-overs, is a powerful and exciting thing to witness in person.
3.) For aspiring musicians, seeing a live show is an excellent way to see both the work that must be put in to become truly great, and the rewards of that dedication. Seeing live performers at the top of their craft is both inspiring and instructive for learners and budding musicians. Many all-time great artists can point to a specific concert as the moment they knew they were in love with their craft.
4.) Concerts are a communal event— there’s something that changes within a group of people in a shared space who are all enjoying the same performance. It’s an intangible since of community and love that transcends language, culture, or background. And it happens whether you’re in a group of ten or a group of ten thousand.
5.) Concerts cut out the middle man. By the time a recording reaches your ears, it’s been assessed, marketed, changed, adapted for radio, and changed again. But live music is an artist or group of artists performing their craft directly to you. It’s a one-on-one communication that can’t be matched anywhere else.
6.) It’s simply fun! Going out to see a concert featuring a performer you love or a promising up-and-comer with your friends is an amazing, uplifting way to spend an evening. You’ll come away feeling energized in a way that you can’t imagine.
7.) You have a chance to enjoy the performance element of art. This might seem like it goes without saying, but live performance can often bring an entirely new visual and dynamic element to music that you can’t obtain with recordings. The truly great artists can even come to be known even more for their live performances than for their recordings.
8.) You’re surrounded by people like you! Even if you’re in a room full of strangers, you’re all united by one thing— your love for whichever artist you’ve bought tickets to see. You’ll look out at the sea of t-shirts and posters that you recognize and feel at home with people you’ve never met. It’s incredibly powerful.
9.) Merch! Live shows often feature merchandise that you can’t find anywhere else— tour shirts, exclusive recordings, posters and other keepsakes that you can use to commemorate your experience and profess your love forever.
10.) They’re romantic— many a great love story has began at a concert. If you’re looking to share a special moment with that special someone, or maybe even meet that special someone, there are few places more romantic than a beautiful concert featuring emotionally stimulating music. So go to a concert, and fall in love!