Can live music affect us?

[slosh]

Hi everybody,
I'm conducting research on live bands playing at local pubs and clubs. The aim of this research is to examine the influence of live music and whether it affects patrons at their local pub. The main focus will be on the patrons reactions after the final song of the evening. For instance does the crowd become unruly and difficult to deal with for staff members at the end of the night when the last song the band played was say a number like Nirvanas 'Breed' as opposed to a song like Crowded Houses 'Better be Home Soon'? Feedback on this topic would be appreciated. cheers -Slosh

[rocklander]

I reckon that it isn't really that big of a difference. we invariably try to end on a big up beat one (leave them wanting more) but that is more because it is what the crowd would have wanted.
I guess it's a lil chicken and egg, but if we played a slower one they'd likely get all difficult and upset cos they want it upbeat, and when we play an upbeat one they get all difficult and raucous cos the upbeat song inspired them.. but they were in that mindset already.. waiting for it..
the big question is; is this something that bands have cultivated to be the 'expected norm' over the years? did we create this expectation, or was it always there?

[sambrowne]

Actually, it's a fact that covers bands are not allowed to play certain styles of music at the end of the night at Botany Cock and Bull.

We used to finish (as many covers bands do) with Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine but were told to play nothing but reggae for our final set (lol). Not having any reggae at all, we played a standard rock set minus the Rage song. Sure enough, someone got bottled and we were not asked back...

There is no doubt that playing an aggressive song to a room of pissed guys who have not managed to "pull" that night and have a lot of tension to get out will almost certainly result in a punch up.

These days my band finishes with some Kings of Leon which is a highlight without being overly aggro. People expect a big song to finish but doing Metallica, Rage or whatever is not a good idea.

[Capt. Black]

I'd expect, maybe eveen condone a crowd to become pretty unruly if the last song of the night was a song like 'better be home soon'.

I've been involved in a fair number of gigs this year and have yet to see a crowd be anything but happy and freindly after a gig.
We've run a series of gigs at a bar in ak recently and there has been a shooting at a drug house down the road and a massive drunken post function street brawl between members of the PI church on the corner. But our patrons have been nothing but well behaved.

In fact in my personal experience there hasn't been any trouble at a gig I've run since the Red Squad raided a gig out west in about 1981.

Looking back I can also say that despite the percieved hard edged nature of some music scenes I've been around over the years, the bands or the music itself have never been the cause for any negative crowd behavior. More often it has been heavy handed police action or youth gang elements who were out for trouble anyway that has caused trouble. Queen st riots being the biggest example of the former.

[twistedthoughts]

There is no doubt that playing an aggressive song to a room of pissed guys who have not managed to "pull" that night and have a lot of tension to get out will almost certainly result in a punch up.

You hit the nail on the head, Sam.

I have only witnessed one riot in my life and it was in the middle of Killing In The Name.

We only play that now if the crowd is cool. It's banned from one at least one bar in Christchurch. At another bar, we have to advise the manager before playing it so that he can get additional security to the dance floor.

So yes, live music can absolutely affect people. I would go as far as to say it affects people more than recorded music.

[Vince]

I'd expect, maybe eveen condone a crowd to become pretty unruly if the last song of the night was a song like 'better be home soon'.

I've been involved in a fair number of gigs this year and have yet to see a crowd be anything but happy and freindly after a gig.

Oh, thank goodness. I was starting to think that perhaps I live in some parallel universe.

I can't help but wonder at who is doing this research and how unbiased it is.

Hi everybody,
I'm conducting research on live bands playing at local pubs and clubs. The aim of this research is to examine the influence of live music and how it affects patrons at their local pub.

You'll notice that the wording is "how it affects patrons" rather than "whether it affects patrons" Perhaps the word choice is unintentionally poor, perhaps this is just "research" designed to "prove" somebody's initial assumptions?

[Bg]

I only get unruly if someone plays April Sun in Cuba - and it doesn't matter where in the set it comes...

[The Scarecrow]

Rickshaws used to play a few party gigs on the side with a mix of covers and originals. People can get mighty irked over stuff if you don't play a certain cover you're known for playing - in our case, it was either King of Leon's "Sex On Fire" or our Strokes/Christina Aguilera mash up "Stroke of Genius" (you'd be amazed how Genie In a Bottle lyrics fit over Hard To Explain!). Even though after a few gigs, we began to hate playing KOL, it was always the song people wanted us to encore with.

[DarcyPerry]

I'd expect, maybe even condone a crowd to become pretty unruly if the last song of the night was a song like 'better be home soon'.

Or... 'Closing Time'

[twistedthoughts]

Or... 'Closing Time'

We play Closing Time if the bar specifically wants people to leave. Not only do the words indicate that it's closing time, but the song sucks so much ass that people usually head for the door in disgust.

Top notch stuff.

[Rog]

I think ol Zakk's I Hate Your Guts should be the last number...

[Fler]

I can't wait to see an epic booze brawl during a jazz gig.

It's interesting to note that in the metal community, over the years I've seen some brutal mosh pits and stuff but generally everyone's pretty well behaved...

[Aquila Rossa]

I was discussing recently about how science has proven that everything in the universe resonates to musical frequences. Most objects resonate to the major scale, with a few being "relative" minor. Intervals between objects in the universe are also set out at the same intervals as musical scales.
All this would mean that the quantum universe is very musical place. It then stands to reason than music could have a very powerful effect on us, as our bodies would be comprised of sub-atomic particles that are also resonating to musical frequencies.

I have to do some reading to investigate what I was hearing in that conversation was accurate. If it is, it would be very interesting for us musicians to ponder.

[philipnz]

At our last gig we finished with Wonderwall and then the bar owner wanted an encore request from a patron...... Enter Sandman. Didn't notice any hugs swapped for punches. Pretty cosmopolitan crowd there tho.

I've played some pretty wild gigs where you do wonder...........

[Fler]

I was discussing recently about how science has proven that everything in the universe resonates to musical frequences. Most objects resonate to the major scale, with a few being "relative" minor. Intervals between objects in the universe are also set out at the same intervals as musical scales.
All this would mean that the quantum universe is very musical place. It then stands to reason than music could have a very powerful effect on us, as our bodies would be comprised of sub-atomic particles that are also resonating to musical frequencies.

I have to do some reading to investigate what I was hearing in that conversation was accurate. If it is, it would be very interesting for us musicians to ponder.

I found this sorta stuff out by just being a bit oh a spiritual hippie. It's all just vibrations, man.