The concert I attended was a Laufey concert. She considers her music style modern jazz, and her music is often soft and follows a slow tempo. The performance took place in Bowery Ballroom in New York city. Because her music caters to a younger audience, the audience was cheering loudly but not to the point where they were yelling but everyone was excited. I decided to attend her concert because I discovered her music during quarantine and related to a lot of it. During this time, I also wanted to expand my music taste from just regular pop. Laufey’s music is slower and gives off a chill vibe compared to my music before, which was often fast tempo and very loud. She is the reason why I decided to get more into jazz and now I love jazz.  

Because her audience is a much younger group, the audiences’ outfits followed a certain aesthetic like chic but although it was chic, it was still very casual such as long flowy skirts, crop tops with soft colors, jeans, etc. The fashion at her concert is what is considered popular nowadays with teens and young adults. Bowery Ballroom is a mostly standing hall because there is limited space, and it was packed with her fans. While Shes performing, the audience is swaying to the melody of her song. Laufey doesn’t really use a call and respond but the whole time the audience is singing along. Nothing really surprised me because the vibe of fans fit her music. It’s not hype music to where you can jump and yell but it’s a nice melody with the crowd singing along and cheering when she performs her songs.  

I chose to focus on the Khalid concert. While they are both popular artists striving in our modern day, their vibes are very different. Khalid’s music does follow a chill vibe but its more of an upbeat melody. In Khalid’s concert, he used a call and response with his audience while Laufey mostly sang and smiled at the audience. In Laufey’s concert, her audience swayed to the music and sang on pitch but for Khalid’s concert, his audience members did sway to the music too but there were more cheers before and during the song while Laufey’s audience tended to cheer before and after the songs.  It is clear that despite them being current popular artists, the genre really affects the way the concert plays out and the audience reacts.

I went to see Chase Atlantic perform in the summer of 2022. Chase Atlantic is a dark alternative pop group with elements of rock and R&B. They performed at Pier 17 which is a rooftop venue in Manhattan. There was a stage and the rest of the roof was full of people. I bought tickets for this concert 4 months before the actual day, because they sold out really fast. I really love Chase Atlantic’s songs, and 2 of my friends also did, so we all decided to go. The audience dressed how I assumed they would. Some had very emo/goth outfits, meaning a lot of fishnets, big black eyeliner, layered silver jewelry, lace, etc. Chase Atlantic consists of 3 guys, and they all dressed very causally, however, the lead eventually just wore pants. As for the interactions, all the fans screamed when the band performed, and there was a point where someone fainted and the band stopped playing and waited for the person to be brought to safety. What surprised me was that the band also threw water bottles at the crowd because it was really hot. Other than that it went as I expected. 

In comparison to the Khalid performance, they were similar because everyone had their phones out, sang along, and screamed when they started a new song. However, they are different because the performers had no dancers and the lead was jumping around a lot, unlike Khalid since it’s a different genre of music.

A concert that I attended was a (G)I-DLE concert a few months ago in New York. This concert was their first world tour ever since their debut in 2018. Their style of music is Pop and they performed in a live music venue (Terminal 5). I attended this concert because I am a fan of theirs and this is the only time where they had a concert in New York since it’s pretty rare for Kpop Idols to open a concert in NYC. When I was attending the concert, one thing that shocked me the most was the interactions between the artists and fans. For example, when the idols were performing each song, the fan would sing along with then just like a fan chant. Also, the artist spoke in English throughout the entire concert because most of the times, there would usually be a translator. I also never thought there would be an actual interaction between the fans, but when there was a segment called “dance battle,” it includes the audience and the artists to dance and compete for the winning place. I would shocked and it was truly the best concert I had ever attended. Comparing to the concert that we went through in class, I feel like the most difference was the costumes and the music itself. The costume and music was more historical whereas in (G)I-DLE’s concert, their clothes and music was more modern and fits the Pop era.

When it comes to concerts I had only attended one concert when I was younger and that was a Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas concert. They performed together with one another at their “Future Now” tour which was held indoors. The genre of music they performed during that performance was pop. This concert took place back in 2016 in Brooklyn New York at the Barclays Center. The reason behind attending this concert was because it was a surprise gift for my sister, cousins and me. My aunt, uncle, and parents had purchased these tickets and told us the day of when we hurriedly headed over to see the concert. During the whole show, it consisted of just Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, a few backup singers, and musicians towards the back of the stage.  For the attire Demi had black outfits but also changed during the concert to a pantsuit, Nick was wearing a green plaid jacket with a black shirt, jeans, and a pair of black shoes. Their backup singers and musicians wore the opposite of them which was white attire. 

When it comes to how they were performing the audience was screaming their names as they were beginning to start the show and when the moment came when Nick Jonas also came out on stage to sing along beside Demi and later on by himself. They moved around the whole stage as well as down the middle to be in the center. They would pause and let the audience sing the lyrics along with them. The audience was very lively as they sang along, were recording, and cheered/screamed. Everything did match my expectations because it was a very fun show where I was able to have fun and sing along with the artists.

While compared to the “First movement of symphony No. 5, composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Performed by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim”, The performers are dressed in all black professionally and are shown to be focused on their instruments and their song sheets. The conductor is also very focused and dressed accordingly. As we can see from behind them is a quiet audience who is focusing on the show happening in front of them. There are no sudden or crazy movements from the audience. Additionally, from the comparison, one is more intense but calm as the audience sits there watching and listening. While the other concert I attended could be described as more freely as people are screaming, dancing around, and singing along. 

Yundi Li also know as ”China’s piano prince” is a famous pianist for the youngest Chinese person to win a price in the chopin piano competition in 2000. Most of the songs that he plays and performed were classical. One performance that called my attention was when he played Chopin nocturne Op.9 No.2. Mostly in the space that he performed were auditoriums, venues, and concert halls. I decided to watch this concert because the song that he plays is one of my favorites, and also because Chopin was a famous composer.

While Yundi Li was performing he closed his eyes in order to concentrate and feel the music while playing. The audience were very respectful towards him by not talking during the performance and they listen to him played all the time until he was finish. The way people were dressed is pretty decent and some people are wearing formal clothes. Something that surprised me was that when he was done playing people didn’t clap right away but they waiting for him to open his eyes, and they also waited for him to stand up. Basically everything from this performance matched my expectations. I can compare this concert with Beethoven’s 1808 concert because in Yundi Li’s performance only a piano was used and it was not seen as a failure as Beethoven’s concert was seen.

(Now, I didn’t exactly go to this concert myself, but my sister did and she has all the video footage to prove it! It’s a pretty good showcase of how the audience looked at the concert since she sat so high, and the POV makes it feel like I’m actually there!)

My sister went to go watch the K-pop group Seventeen perform at the UBS Arena in Elmont, right here in Long Island, NY. The group had become one of her favorites in recent memory, and she was offered to go by some family friends of ours who also got tickets. The prices weren’t all that bad, and this was the only chance to finally see them live as far as she was concerned. (We had watched a documentary/concert type of film about the boys a few weeks beforehand, so we all urged her to take the chance to go to an actual concert before she regrets it later!)

When we picked her and my mother up from the concert, they inevitably had videos to show us. Recording during K-pop concerts is nothing new and anyone could look up a specific concert of a specific group if they wanted to on YouTube, down to the exact day (in case FOMO hits). Arguably, the most important thing to bring to a K-pop concert is the group’s corresponding lightstick. Lightsticks are exactly what they sound like, sticks that the fans hold up and wave around during the performance. But don’t get it confused; these aren’t just any ordinary glow wand. They are specially designed to mimic the on-stage lighting, from its color to how much it flashes. As for performer/audience interaction, my sister remembered their “Snap Shoot” performance, where the gimmick is that the boys will pick out someone in the crowd and ask them to dance. Whatever dance they do, the boys will copy!

I think it’d only be fair to compare this concert to the Khalid Coachella concert we saw in class. Both concerts had people recording, singing along, shouting/screaming in their excitement, and yet, they’re both still different. Popular concerts like Khalid’s were more of what we know; an artist on stage accompanied by a band or some dancers, big screens, stage lights, and a lot of pointing/laughing/vibing with the audience. With K-pop concerts, there seems to be a lot more of an emphasis on the branding, for lack of a better phrase. A usual occurrence at K-pop concert venues is the sheer amount of fans giving out freebies before the event. It’s everything from photocard trading, to free wristbands, free banners, and sometimes fun activities that fans can participate in (an example that comes to mind is the “random dance challenge” a friend of mine participated in while waiting for the BTS concert a while back). There’s the lightsticks that are unique to every group, the “ments” section where the idols get to talk about how thankful they are to have fans like you, etc. You don’t exactly see this kind of behavior at any Western concerts, which is interesting.

Mac Demarco is an Alternative/Indie artist that has created many great albums that have been extremely popular on social media and in general. His 2012 album “2”, was a major success with songs like “Freaking Out the Neighborhood” and “My Kind of Woman” have been extremely successful and has paved the way for his newer music which has gotten better and better. He performed at Primavera Sound 2019, which is a musical festival that takes place in Barcelona yearly. I watched the concert on youtube due to my love of his music and due to the opportunity off of this assignment.

The performers even with the chill, synthwave music still try to vibe out and try to hype up the music. With little gestures like dancing a bit or even moving their hands a little while playing their respective instruments. Mac also has moments where he tunes his guitar and talks to the audience during intermissions. It seems like a very relaxed environment which can also be shown by the fact that the audience sings along and screams a lot during the performances beggining or ends. Also all of the audience are standing as it is a festival outside. People dress in all different varieties but summer clothing seems to be prevalent due to the heat, all different kinds of people come together to enjoy good music. What suprised me was the sheer amount of people during the show, there is at least a couple thousand there and it seems overwhelming to me personally. Compared to the concerts seen in unit 7 like Beethoven and Whiteman, it seems more relaxed and less about composure and preciseness but rather about the feeling and everybody just enjoying themselves while listening to Mac’s music.

Last winter I saw Morgan Wallen perform a concert at Madison Square Garden. Morgan Wallen is a country singer and this concert happened to be the first performance out of his whole tour. Me and my best friends love listening to country music and Morgan Wallen is my friend’s favorite artist. Her mom got the three of us pit tickets as an early graduation gift so we can see him live. Mostly everybody in the audience had on either a cowboy hat, blue jeans, or some boots. Most adults were drinking beer. Everybody chanted USA and sang along to every song. I expected all of this to be occurring during a country concert. I have been to many, and it is always the same thing. Country concerts are mainly filled with good people who love our country and are down for a good time.  In unit seven, we watched Claudio Monteverdi, “You are dead”fromOrfeo(1607). A performance like this is very different from the Morgan Wallen concert. In this opera, they had costumes compared to the concert I attended they wore jeans and a t-shirt. The audience did not sing along to this song like we did at the country concert. The music is completely opposite from each other, and the performances are nothing alike! 

The performing artist/group: Little Mix (LM5 Tour)

The genre of music they performed: Pop and R&B/Soul

The space they performed in: London, The O2 Arena 

What made you decide to attend or watch the concert?: Little Mix has always prided themselves on always wanting to do better than the previous material they have put out. Rather it be their music, albums, or the performances/tours they do. So, as a fan, you can always expect something new and engaging when they come on stage. 

Then, discuss how the performers and audience behaved (for example, dress style, interaction with the performer/audience, movement, etc). 

Performers:

There were many sections throughout the concert. So there were many themes and costume changes throughout the almost two-hour performance. The performers and dancers were in colorful clothing and patterns. For example, there was like this animal print phase and a jean and plaid phase. 

Little Mix loves their fans and often likes to interact with and involve them in their performances. Jesy is always hyping the crowd to jump and scream, and they also like to share some personal moments with the fans as well (flying over the crowd or talking about feelings). 

When it comes to dancing, Little Mix gives full choreography. The dances are always high energy and the dancers match up to that energy. The dancers also get up close and personal with the girl group to create the vibe that the song is putting forward. 

Everything from the lights on the stage and the video playing in the background on the stage was colorful and everything matched the tempo of the music. 

Audience:

The audience was singing along to the songs, they were dancing, grooving, jumping up and down, and screaming/crying throughout the whole concert. 

Did anything surprise you, or did everything match with your expectations?: Nothing surprised me about the concert, as it lived up to the expectations that these girls created for themselves. 

Compare this concert to one we discussed in Unit 7: A concert that I would like to compare with that of Little Mix at their LM5 tour is Beethoven’s Concert in 1808. Just like Little Mix’s Concert, Beethoven’s concert was the one to be at. Both of these artists are well-respected performers, so it is obvious that if either had a concert to do, people would go and watch the show. Just like the concert at the O2 in London, for Little Mix, the Beethoven concert was sold out. People were expecting to be dazzled. The Little Mix concert went extremely well and the audience loved the show. The same however can not be said about the Beethoven concert. While the sections done by Beethoven were the fan favorites, the rest of the four-hour show was disorganized and not pleasing to a lot of people. The orchestra was not well practiced, it was too long, cold, and too complex. The audience found most of the show to be displeasing for their liking so the show was not a great hit with the people. Despite the outcome, Beethoven was able to produce famous pieces that we all know today for that concert that night.

I have been to a couple of concerts in my life including Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and Kesha and Macklemore. But, the coolest concert I have been to in my opinion was the combination concert of Joan Jett, Posion, Motley Crue and Def Leppard. It was so different than any other concert I have been to. It was a 6 hour long concert and their concerts only were taking place at stadiums, hence the name “The Stadium Tour.” I saw it at Citi Field with my boyfriend in June this past summer. The genre of all of the performers is rock/hard rock. I have always loved and appreciated older music and the fact that I had an opportunity to go see a concert from 70’s and 80’s bands was crazy to me. My own parents who also love these bands had never even seen them in concert before. The performers were all mainly dressed in black and it was the typical rock band look with the men with long hair. Even the audience dressed in a particular way with denim shorts or ripped jeans, band tees, and a lot of black. The audience mostly consisted of people in their 40’s to 60’s and everyone was drinking alcohol and even smoking weed. My boyfriend and I at only 18 years old felt a little out of place. The way in which the audience behaved was everyone was standing and screaming the lyrics. So many people in front of us were dancing the whole time and throwing up the “rock on” hand sign. It was a very loud, crazy and exciting performance. Once it got dark outside, the colorful beaming lights and strobe lights went on and it looked so cool. Motley Crue even had a giant blow up woman for their song “Girls, Girls, Girls.” Many people in the audience were recording the concert and during “Home Sweet Home” people put their flashlights on and waved their phones back and forth. Everything matched my expectations with this concert. In comparison to a concert we have spoken about in class such as Beethoven’s, this one was loud, intense and the audience interacted by screaming the lyrics and dancing. In Beethoven’s, the audience was sitting and listening and only reacted by clapping when it concluded. Also, in Beethoven’s, the performers were very formally dressed and that was not the case for the concert I attended. Finally, in the concert I was at, the performers were dancing and they had backup dancers while in Beethoven’s concert, the performers were sitting playing their instruments on the stage.