Huminary Webcast

The Bonnaroo webcast this past weekend ended with Phish's two-set festival closing performance. I didn't watch much of the fest except Sunday night when I tuned in during Phish's second set as 2001 went into a party-ready Chalkdust Torture.

I didn't last long with Phish because at the same time, the other YouTube channel webcasting from the fest featured Alice Cooper's set from earlier that day. Actually, that morning. Of course, I went with the Coop.



Alice opened  the set with a killer Black Widow which then led into a string of hits, many from the original band era. It rocked and (an older) Alice was in fine form backed by a very tight (much younger) band. But despite the chance to watch a longtime favorite (more about that another time), my attention started to go elsewhere.

"I wonder what's happening on Twitter..?"

"Anything on TV...?"

"I hope that's the dog...."

I love concert webcasts as an idea. I can sit on the couch in the comfort of my own home and watch Phish or Alice from Bonnaroo? Or even thegreatestbandintheworldtheyaremy- generationsBeatles Radiohead? Or any other number of bands webcasting from any number of venues on any given night? For free? Without a festival porta-potty in site? (Though if I want that experience, I just go use our boys' bathroom - they're seven and 12 - actually I think festival porta potties are cleaner) It shouldn't get any better than that!

In practice, though, I tend to get bored after a few songs. Granted, I don't have a TV/stereo/computer hook up where I'm blasting window-rattling sound with the video on 50" plasma screen. Still, even when I'm watching a webcast of a band I love, it just doesn't grab me. I don't get drawn in. There's a wall that blocks me from really connecting with the music.

A concert is a communal experience. It's impossible to recreate it, even with a hi-def live broadcast zooming straight to the device of your choice. How a band is reacting to an audience, how the audience is reacting to the band, how the anticipation builds once the doors open, how the guy two-inches taller is always standing right in front of me, how my really bad dancing increases with my level of joy, how my (sometimes) bare feet are blackened by night's or fest's end, and on and on. It's all about being in the room, in the arena, on the field with the band and other fans. It's an enormous give-and-take between everyone there.

A webcast is only take. I'm not giving anything that increases (or decreases) the community experience. I'm just taking the experience in through a wire. It's not awful - far from it. But when I hear people promise that webcasts are the "future of live music," I cringe. I know technology is changing everything and we should embrace it. And I do...

...wait a minute...."you damn kids, GET OFF MY LAWN!!!" .... sorry...

Where was I? Oh, yeah, I do embrace technology. But webcasts as the future of live music? Someday we'll all be couch touring instead of being on tour? It just doesn't work for me.