What makes a great live performance?

Michael Forrest
Mon 02 Jul 2007


  • Those bits at the end of tracks where a riff takes over, the noise intensifies, the jamming gets freeform; when the energy peaks, anything goes - it's deafening, exhilarating

  • A crowd being able to sing along; this can be awfully cheesy, but it's an undeniable sense of unification with a mass of other people all feeling the same as you

  • In a piece with a set and recognisable structure (e.g. a song) - unexpected pauses allowing the tension to be stretched until finally the music drops and everybody goes crazy

  • A band playing (and stopping) TOGETHER - an intricate structure - the more members and instruments the better - the less obvious signalling the better - the more unpredictable the better

  • A great front man (or woman, yes) who engages the audience - someone funny, charismatic, in control. Also - great personal interactions between band members.

  • A 'show' can be excellent if done well. Costumes. I'm thinking about Beck here

  • In dance music: a respect for the audience and maintaining an elemental pulse throughout any sonic deviations


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