In this article we’re going to indulge in a debate on concert performances versus studio recordings.

It should be pointed out that there are no personal views in this article. The following is a composition of arguments made by critics and fans of music since the early days of both live and studio recordings.

Let’s first cut to the question we ultimately want to get answered in this article. Which is better, seeing a group live or listening to one of their studio albums?

Well, to answer that it first needs to be pointed out that the question of better in itself may not even be the definitive answer. A live performance may be better than a studio album, worse than one or simply a different experience depending on what you are trying to get out of it.

If you’re a purest who wants to hear your favorite group’s songs done exactly as they were done on record then more likely than not you will probably be disappointed. Why? Well, there are several things that factor into that equation.

For starters, a studio recording is done in an environment that is totally different from a concert hall. The acoustics are manufactured as opposed to natural. Also, in a studio, you have millions of dollars in equipment that you just can’t lug to a live performance, no matter how hard you try.

Then there is the recording process itself. Anyone who thinks that a group records each song they do in one take has an unrealistic view of studio recordings. Songs take multiple takes. Also, many parts are overdubbed and even triple dubbed. In a live performance there is no dubbing. Everything is done there on the spot. No chance to take back a wrong note. If the lead singer has a sore throat you can’t skip over his parts and do them another day, as can be done in a studio. It is do or die at a live performance. Therefore, a live performance is going to be different from a studio recording.

Naturally, if you are going to see somebody who just plays guitar in the studio and is going to be playing that same guitar live, there is a better chance that what you will hear will more closely resemble what you’ll hear on record. But with a big ensemble rock group that uses twenty keyboards in the studio, the chances become quite slim.

However, if you are someone who is going to a concert to hear and see the energy that a group puts into something live, or even hope to hear something a little different from what you get on record, then most likely you live for live performances. Recordings to you are simply a matter of getting some idea of how good that group will sound at a live venue.

But disappointments happen. Many critics claimed how a band by the name of Boston from back in the late 70s sounded absolutely terrible in concert because the lead singer could not hit the same high notes that he hit in the studio and it was obvious that the musicianship was just not there. This is a group that most likely needed the studio to sound as good as they did.

And then there is the concert enthusiast who isn’t so much looking to hear the record duplicated or to hear energy or something different. They’re just going to the concert to hear a band they just happen to like. Their experience at the concert will most likely be a simple matter of did it sound good? Since sounding good is a relative term, we won’t try to answer how to qualify what good is. That is an individual’s taste. In most cases however, just to generalize, if the concert sound is of professional quality and the songs are recognizable as the hits from the record then most people will walk away from the experience saying that it was a good one. But again, that depends on what you’re hoping to get out of the experience itself.

Hopefully though, the above will serve as a guide of what to look for based on what type of person you are and what you are personally expecting. That way you can get a decent idea of what a concert experience will be like for you. If you need your music note for note to the record then most likely you will be disappointed by most concerts.

Notice we didn’t actually answer our question of which is better. As was stated, concerts may simply be different.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Concerts

After a long illustrious career, the one and only, the original piano man, Billy Joel, is still touring strong. Billy Joel tickets are a hot commodity among young and old fans alike.

Joel is many things: a singer, a songwriter, a performer and a pianist. From his humble beginnings in 1973 to his so-called retirement in 1993, Joel has written pop music for many generations of fans around the world. Like an old friend, his songs are the soundtracks of his fans? lives. A Billy Joel song can be playing on the jukebox in a bar and suddenly all the patrons will begin singing every word in unison, bonding in a collective consciousness of song. That is the power of this incredible songwriter. His lyrics hit a cord in the hearts of people worldwide. Whether he is singing about a lover or a blue-collar town called Allentown or the Cold War, Billy Joel?s lyrics are thoughtful, insightful and poignant. He has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and is the sixth best selling artist in the United States. He was inducted into the Songwriter?s Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Even after retirement, you can still get Billy Joel tickets and see this musical icon along with fellow piano man, Elton John. Perhaps Billy Joel?s most popular song, which became his signature song, is ?Piano Man?. Written in 1973, this song became his first single selling over four million copies. He continued making albums like Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, The Stranger, Glass Houses, and Songs in the Attic, among many others. In total, Billy Joel wrote over 20 albums during his 30 years in the music business. Beyond just his music, Billy Joel?s private life has also been exciting. Among his three marriages, one included a union with international supermodel, Christie Brinkley, and his most recent to a lady, Katie Lee, thirty years his junior. Billy Joel has also had bouts with alcohol abuse, having many car accidents and being admitted to rehabilitation centers twice.

As one of the best in the history of pop music, Billy Joel is a phenomenon not to be missed. Get your Billy Joel tickets and witness this legend of rock and roll.

Jake Tyler
Stage Front Tickets, Inc.
http://www.stagefronttickets.com

Sometimes I wonder if Phoenix is considered the back end of concert dates. So many acts tend to take their Arizona Fans for granted or just bypass us when they have to cancel or reschedule another date. Others seem to forget that we tend to turn out in big numbers for almost any event. Ozzy obviously forgot or just didnt bleeping care.

Despite a monstrous crowd and dollars flying across the concession tables faster than bats out of hell, Ozzy managed to snub his Arizona Fans by failing to appear at the Phoenix Ozzfest event this past summer. And thats ironic since Phoenix hosted one of the two very first Ozzfest events in 1996. The other was held in Los Angeles. Maybe we just werent worthy of the Master of Metal this year? Not everyone was willing to pay one to three hundred dollars for a ticket and sacrifice their firstborn to Ozzy.

If youre going to skip out on fans, at least have the decency to record a video welcome message or greeting. There were lots of big screens around, so everyone would have seen it. If Ozzy had lost his voice or didnt feel well enough to speak, he could have offered a middle finger salute or bitten the head off one of the Backstreet Boys. If even that was too much to ask, the Prince of Darkness could have had his dogs come and crap all over the stage or asked Sharon to open the event by throwing some frozen poultry at the first few fans to arrive. If all else failed, his kids could have come and set fire to piles of N Sync and Snoop Dog CDs to get everyone in the mood for the days events.

Fortunately, there are some major acts out there that really care about the fans in this town and know how to show it. Mick Jaeger had some throat problems, so The Stones recently cancelled a few dates in the USA. Phoenix was not one of them. AFI, the CHILI PEPPERS, TAKING BACK SUNDAY and GWAR really rocked the Valley of the Sun over the summer. But my favorite was Evanescence.

Ill be the first to admit that I hadnt been up to date on all things Evanescence until my wife brought the Band to my attention several months ago. After I started listening to their music, I was glad she did. Its been some time since I heard anything that was melodic and unique. While fans might argue otherwise, most artists that manage to get signed these days seem like clones of struggling late eighties alternative music bands or the now infamous and always whiney sounds of the nineties.

I like music thats different and hate to admit it, but the last concert that I thought was refreshingly distinctive was a Buster Poindexter and the Banshees of Blue show in the early nineties. It was a smaller venue and the music was hot! Being from New York City, I guess Im a bit jaded. I had the opportunity to be exposed to a constant flow of live music in the form of big acts, street bands and everything in between before relocating to Arizona. On the flipside, it also means that I hold performers to a higher standard and know great music when I hear it. Thats how I felt when attended the Evanescence Concert at the Celebrity Theater last week.

After reading up on Amy Lee and the various Evanescence personnel changes for a couple of weeks before the big night, I was ready for the concert. We bought our tickets as soon as they went on sale. To be honest, they were a bargain for a concert held at the Celebrity Theater. That venue is as intimate as you can get without renting the local high school gym and using only half the space. One would expect to shell out the usual hundred bucks or more for being almost within arms reach of a class act like Evanescence, but we paid somewhere in the thirty to forty dollar range.

Listening to Revelation Theory open the show and hearing Amy Lee belt out her first couple of songs with Evanescence, I really felt guilty for paying so little to see so much talent in such an intimate setting. To make up for it, I tried to buy my wife and kids some band tees. By the time we got up to the front of a very long line, the good sizes were gone. I bought some anyway because Ive been trying to lose a few pounds lately. If I had any doubts about the band, it had nothing to do with their music or performance. I just wondered if they were getting their fair share?

Reading some of the comments attributed to her by various websites and blogs, I understood that there probably would not be any Amy Lee perfume, designer clothes, signature make up lines or Evanescence action figures available anywhere in the near future. However, whether she is or isnt a material girl, Amy has to know that she must have been personally responsible for the sudden increase in sales of things like dark eyeliner, black and white knee length socks and long black dresses. Oops, I forgot, and about a billion dollars worth of black hair dye.

Its not unusual to find artists who are unaware of their actual popularity or real earning potential. After all, they are Artists, not financiers. I got the distinct impression that the members of Evanescence were legitimately surprised by the numbers of fans that showed up for the sold-out event and the many more who wanted tickets and couldnt get in.

Amy offered an apology for the smaller venue, but all of us really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere. However, heres a bit of advice from the older and wiser to the lovely and immensely talented Miss Lee and her musical partners: Next time charge extra for the intimacy, find more stuff to sell and return those calls from the big management agencies. Even the evil princess of the undead can always use a few extra zeros behind a nice large number in her bank account. Amy and the band certainly earn it!

Oh, yea, I almost forgot. Ozzy, burn in Hell!

*Amy Lee has a Website called Out of the Shadows that is helping to educate people about Epilepsy and make a difference in the lives of Epileptics. Please visit www.outoftheshadows.com

- Bill Knell http://www.ArizonaRocksLive.com

More articles at Article Database