There’s a reason why those virtual concerts don’t cut it
With reopening’s set across the world, especially in America, we’re excited to be back in-person at our favourite pastime events, like concerts. That gets us to thinking, why do some of us feel our absolute best at concerts?
Pre-pandemic (and hopefully post-pandemic) I was an avid concert-goer, as many people were. It’s a captivating experience to be feet away from a band or artist who is playing your favourite song. It’s something I cherish and miss dearly. Virtual livestream concerts during quarantine didn’t cut it because they put visuals to the experiences that I missed, which made me sad. Being on the scene where the music is being played evokes a different feeling than just staring at a screen that is attempting to mimic a live performance.
Recorded studio songs just aren’t the same as real-time setlists
Rocketman has it right:
“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.”
– Elton John
We know that music, delivered any type of way, is healing in that it helps the release of dopamine, our “happy hormone.” However, the medium music comes in matters more than we think. Specifically at music venues when we see the instruments (that can include a voice) being played in front of us sync with the music that we’ve had on repeat for the past few months, it can bring us a surrealistic feeling of joy.
There is a sense of pure contentment and oneness at a concert that cannot be matched to listening with headphones on the bus.
- Live music is shown to usher in a sense of belonging and higher self-esteem no matter the genre: rock, folk, EDM, jazz, opera.
- A 2017 Australian study titled “If you’re happy and you know it: Music engagement and subjective wellbeing” found that concert-goers had higher subjective wellbeing, meaning they were happier, compared to those who did not attend live performances.
- There’s shoulder-to-shoulder solidarity — we form social bonds with strangers. This can be said to emerge from our natural way of engaging in social-emotional development through music, thanks to evolution. We’re just a bunch of music-lovers synchronizing our movements to songs, and in the process, each other.
The research has been done on babies, too. Playing live music (versus pre-recorded or no music) led to a calmer heart rate and a deeper sleep among infants.
As we might be easing into having those mind blowing concerts again, it’s great to understand some of the why behind we feel so drawn to them.
Author
Elizabeth Wulf
Say hello to Elisabeth Wulf, our new Content Marketer, Editorial
Elisabeth is a recent graduate from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota where she studied psychology and communications. She is pursuing a career in marketing, community engagement, and communications-related fields. Elisabeth is passionate about mental health and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health needs. If she could do anything right now, you’d catch her at a concert festival because music is healing.
I really appreciate your support. I’m a volunteer for Mostly Mad Music. If you liked this blog, please buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bethwulf
