Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but I see a common thread to the replies:

People just don't feel like going to see/listen to unfamiliar people play familiar songs.

They are spoiled by the availability of better than average sound being carried around.

You can trash .mp3 compression as a poorly done rendition of the original recording - but on the other hand, mp3 compression and playback systems have RAISED the quality of playback for the average joe that used to use a transistor AM radio and have given that same guy/girl instant access to the songs they want to hear. Not for the audiophile, of course - though now there are ways to obtain lossless FLAC files for them. Same if you compare to the walkman era of cassette playback which was popular in my youth.

Don't have to wait for it to play on the radio.

If you want it legally, it costs $0.99 and of course if you want it illegally, it costs a whole lot less than that.

Instant, on-demand song of choice by your artist of choice. Yes, it's kind of anti-social. Used to be it was fun and cool to go to a club to hear a band. But now everyone wants to hear it identically to the original, by the original artist, perhaps because that's what they feed their ears.

It's like the complaining about the dearth of album/CD sales. Much of it is because people consume music a la carte. Pick the faves from an album and buy them.

People share playlists now instead of mix tapes.

I tip my hat to you if you were able to make a living playing other people's music. I think that era is likely over.

Also, someone up in the thread stated that my view of home concerts was utopian. Sorry, I'm speaking from personal experience. I have not experienced the drunks in the garage thing. I wouldn't do that either.

But again, the focus is entirely different. It's original music being shared amongst friends and acquaintances. Very little money changes hands. It's for the enjoyment of new art - some of it good, some of it bad. For some reason, I continue to be attracted to new music. I could snap a picture of my CD collection for y'all, and I've got my 70's rock in there, almost nothing but U2 from the 80's, fusion/jazz from the 90's, and more and more new folk rock from time periods after that. I supplement with standards and what I can find at the Goodwill store CD section.

However, lately, I've been absolutely loving what the kids call dubstep, even though what passes for that term today doesn't match it's namesake music. I don't care, it's today's version of synthesizer music with lots of playful and creative use of filter sweeps, stacked synth layers, etc. Makes my brain come to life. Quite a bit of odd-time sequences played over even time signatures. One could even call it experimental, but it's popular.

I enjoy non-denigrating, non-misogynistic, non-boasting rap music. Yes, I call it music. It does exist, and the creativity I recognize in it is rich. Probably my favorite group is Deepspace 5 and all of their associated artists.

I enjoy the heavy funk of Soulive and Niacin and can't wait to see what twist they will bring with the next releases, all using both old (B3) and new (who knows what they use) technology with NEW songs.

I even enjoy the machine-gun rapid fire (one could recognize baroque aspects if they were willing to) musicianship of my son's favorite genre; metalcore. I can't stand the 'growling', but when the guitarist (who usually has a GREAT rock voice) kicks in singing, I can totally dig that stuff. That's one of the formulas of this genre; the 'singer' usually guturally growls lyrics, and the guitarist can usually hold his own with Steve Perry belts out some melody on the chorus. I let one of these bands crash on my living room floor earlier this year - band's name is Righteous Vendetta - look them up to see something entirely different from rap, jazz, folk rock, dubstep, etc.

Back on topic. Something else that I think the public expects from live performance nowadays is a spectacle, not just an audible experience. Whether it's the gold lame jackets with the band with the insane drummer (Rick K. and the Allnighters), or it's the latest Vegas Show On Wheels from U2 or the like, this is what people think is 'live' music.

Again, this is nothing new under the sun however. The definition of what is spectacle changes over time and it seems to get more grandiose and cost more money to produce, but it's spectacle all the same.

For something different, try home concerts of the flavor I speak of. Attend. Pay into the hat. Buy a home-grown CD from the artist. Support the scene you want to see thrive.

I was at the Santa Monica pier and the promenade a couple weeks ago. Talent on the pier was absolutely awful. However, a kid was out in front of the Converse store in the street with a classical guitar plugged into a little amp through a tiny Behringer mixer. Kid had a John Mayer vibe but with a better voice and from what I could tell from the song he was singing, was doing originals. I didn't even listen through one song - saw he was selling self-made CDs for 5 bucks. I gave him a fiver and took one of his CDs. Haven't listened to it yet - I'll report back with his name on whether or not it's any good. Live, he was good.

Back on topic again, sort of. I did hear a cover band a few months ago that was HOT. Insanely good musicians and brought it perhaps better than the original artists; song after song. The band was out of Denver and called "Alive on Arrival". Here's their page/schedule. They were playing at one of the best venues in Colorado Springs (for weddings), the Garden of the Gods club. http://www.aoaband.com/schedule.cfm

-Scott

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