Why So Much Live Music?
Not surprisingly, I get asked this a lot.
The short answer is, I can’t help myself. The music scene here in Boulder is so good that I feel like I’m an alcoholic living next to a brewery. Just when I think I have it kicked, the venues announce another 4 or 5 shows that I get excited about. Honestly, if I wasn’t juggling so many other things right now, I’d consider going to see even more shows.
As it stands, I’m on about a one-show-a-week pace and will probably see 40 or 50 shows this year which is a few more (on average) than the past 2 or 3 years. That sounds crazy to most people, but consider the following:
- I don’t really watch any TV. After not even owning a TV for 4 months, Jennie and I were recently given (thanks M&M!) a small set that we keep up in the bedroom with a set of rabbit ears plugged into it. We use it to watch 2 or 3 DVD’s a week, “Lost” on Wednesday nights if we’re around, and the occasional NASCAR race (a whole other post one of these days) on the weekend. My guess is that most people spend 3 or 4 times the amount of time that I do at a concert each week in front of the TV.
- Similarly, I don’t play much golf (though I’d like to change that), watch football, spend any time commuting, etc… The point is, a couple hours a week isn’t seriously impacting anything else that I want to do.
- It’s a lot of fun. Heading out with Jennie, friends, or even by myself for some of the smaller shows can make for a great night out. We’ve also met a bunch of great people at different shows and even run into some old friends who we hadn’t seen in years. That’s a good thing as we’re still relatively new in town and enjoy meeting new people.
- It’s inspiring. Most of the shows we see are a few hundred people max in small venues. For more than half of the shows we’ve seen this year, Jennie and I have been less than 10 or 15 feet from the performer. Having this sort of access, especially as I am learning to play an instrument myself, is amazing. Totally different experience than seeing a band like U2 from the upper deck in a big arena which is the sort of show most people end up going to.
- Music seems to be a disproportionately large part of my life because I always write about it. If I took the time to chronicle every book that I read, or every meal that I cooked, some people would probably find that to be excessive too…
Now, lest I sound overly defensive, let me say that I actually think that I’m on the right track and that most people should get out and see more live music than they currently do. It’s one of the things in life that I take advantage of (like most of the other things listed in the header of this blog) that contributes to me being a better, more balanced, person in the long run.
So what about the idea of going to work in the music industry instead of, as many of you like to put it, “whatever the hell it is I do?” I’ve certainly considered it, but at this point in my life, it suffers from the same limitations that my foray into the wine industry did. Specifically, there’s not a ton of money in it unless you get really lucky, and there is a certain appeal in keeping it as a serious hobby rather than a j-o-b.
That being the case, after I’ve made my fortune with my current ventures, I look forward to opening a fine wine shop and maybe running a music club down the road. Take the $ aspect out of it and keep both as serious hobbies. That and play more golf.
In the meantime, I’m going to expand the boulderLIVE concept as time and energy permit to be more of a community oriented site separate from this blog. I envision it having lots of local, user generated content, seeing more interaction with the artists that come to town (interviews, features, etc…) and maybe even making a few bucks off of some targeted advertising.
As time goes on and I get older (and less enamored with the front row), I’m interested in being more than just a “fan” in the audience - can’t think of a better place to do that than here in Boulder.
Stay tuned…
