Way back in the beginning of October, I went to the Dierks Bentley concert, featuring Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band, at Emens auditorium. I am a die-hard country music fan, so when I received information about this event, I was just bursting with excitement. Bentley has grown on me over the years. His music has just a little different feel to it than the rockin’ twang of most other older and modern country artists. Some of Bentley’s music is softer and has more of a bluesy tone to it, which is refreshing and enjoyable. I am not as familiar with Eli Young Band, but upon hearing their music at the concert, I was wondering why they hadn’t ever been my favorite band. I had always found Jerrod Niemann’s music somewhat comical, playing more on the lovesick and drunk part of country music. These three names may not be as well known to the common public as some other country stars, like Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, etc., but if you love country music like I do, every name is a big name.
As I said before, I was basically beside myself with excitement about this event. I had been to a Tim McGraw concert over the summer, which was outdoors, and it was fantastic. I wasn’t sure what to expect for the Bentley concert as far as atmosphere, because it was indoors. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I was let down by the environment, but it was very different than an open-air, midsummer country concert. Instead of the free feeling and freshness, there was a feeling of being at a somewhat stifled formal performance. At the outdoor concert, there was chatter and movement previous to the show, and during the show it was a singing and dancing free-for all. It kind of felt like a big backyard party with McGraw and his crew. Being indoors at the Bentley concert, I felt like I wasn’t allowed to stand up, dance, and sing along right away. I felt closed in, like I was just supposed to watch and not participate. I did get over that feeling though, but I thought it was an interesting difference to observe. The acoustics sure were different, too. Strangely enough, the sound was almost better inside than outside, but that’s mainly because there were major technical difficulties happening during the outdoor concert. The excessive use of lights on stage seemed to be an effort to make up for disadvantages of having a concert indoors. Still, they were a necessary component to complete the atmosphere. Another oddity for being at a party-style concert was sitting in plush theater chairs, neatly bound together in rows, made for a comfortable viewing experience. At a concert like this one, people don’t sit down and passively listen. People stand up and go crazy, so the chairs just seemed out of place and in stark contrast to the type of environment you would expect for a country concert. It is interesting to observe how entertainment has changed over the millennia. Even though this was not a play, what a far cry it is from ancient Grecian forms of entertainment—sitting in an amphitheater straining to hear what the orators/actors are reciting.
All this seems negative, and as if it took away from the experience, but it certainly didn’t. The music was phenomenal; all three acts were great live performers. Energy exuded from Bentley, which was infectious to the audience. I know this does not really have anything to do with our course, but it’s not supposed to, right? Country music, and concerts in general, are a huge part of today’s culture, especially among college students. I mean, college kids actually paid money to have this experience. That’s saying something, is it not? J It was an experience worth losing my voice by singing/shouting and worth reliving through writing about!
11/25/11 Thinking About Culture After Turkey Day!
I’m sure you’ve all seen “So You Think You Can Dance”. I don’t know about all you people, but I think watching dancing is super interesting. I am certainly no dancer of any kind, (except for a good ‘ole line dance) J but I especially love watching contemporary dance. It’s amazing what the human body can do, and then to see it put together in such a carefully pieced together story of fluid art is beautiful and brilliant! So, of course when I saw that a group called Dance Kaleidoscope was coming to campus, I knew I just had to see that show! So off I went to get tickets, and excitedly made my way back to my dorm, already counting down the days till I got to experience something awesome. I stared at the suspicious-looking poster, wondering what in the world the show was going to be like. Finally, the Friday came to go see this team perform, and I was practically bubbling over with excitement. I had gotten the best seats in the house and had a good friend with me. We got there a little early, and I took a glance around. I was stunned to see how empty Emens auditorium was. Groups of people sparsely populated the middle and side sections of the main floor. I really hope this isn’t a foreshadowing of the quality of performance, I speculated. I anxiously eased my attention back to the stage and waited for the first sounds and movement to cue the opening of the show. The performance began just as strangely as its first impression promised. Through the whole first piece, called Earth, I sat there, throwing an occasional sideways glance at my buddy Austin next to me, thinking, What in the world did I make us endure on our Friday evening?! His expression reflected my thoughts. “What??” Yep, he was totally lost and confused. This first performance was just…weird. That’s all there is to it. Neither of us knows a thing about dancing, but we both enjoy watching it. But this was the kind of performance where you have to have some background knowledge of the art of dancing, or be a dancer, to understand and appreciate it. The score being played by a live orchestra had no rhythm or set beat. The “dancing” appeared choppy and not rhythmic; it seemed like movements even I could do. Amused and baffled, I chuckled and whispered my sincerest apologies to Austin. By the end of that episode, I didn’t know what to think about what I had witnessed. Interpretive dancing? Tribal ritual? I felt my cheeks turning red in embarrassment of putting my friend through this. Neither of us was enjoying the show at all! We both just laughed a little; I mean, what can ya do? Sitting there during the intermission, with one performance still to come, we just decided to chalk it up to an edifying cultural experience.
As I listened to the choreographer talk about his group, my attitude changed. I sat there basking in appreciation and awe of this guy’s mind—to think up all those movements and put them together to form a dance that powerfully represents a piece of music is just genius! Yea, maybe it is a weird brand of genius, but golly, I couldn’t think up that kind of stuff if I tried! He explained the piece we just witnessed, telling us that it was supposed to represent all the “creepy crawly” things in the earth; it was supposed to be primal and disconnected. That made a heck of a lot more sense. And it only got better from there. The next piece, titled Skin Walkers, was influenced by Celtic/jazz music, which I absolutely loved. It was upbeat and lively, haunting and beautiful. The dancing was more like dancing and less like…a big misunderstanding. Energy and passion exploded from the dancers as they moved in unthinkable ways across the stage. I actually understood what was going on in this piece a little more. The first piece was more of a story, while the second was just “a lot of pretty dancing to pretty music,” as the choreographer put it. What a relief—I had a good feeling after the end of the whole performance. I still think it was weird and only dancers can truly appreciate everything going on up there, but I still respect the art of dance and am grateful for cultural experiences like this one to help me become more well-rounded.
12/12/11 Event #dos
Way back in the beginning of October, I went to the Dierks Bentley concert, featuring Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band, at Emens auditorium. I am a die-hard country music fan, so when I received information about this event, I was just bursting with excitement. Bentley has grown on me over the years. His music has just a little different feel to it than the rockin’ twang of most other older and modern country artists. Some of Bentley’s music is softer and has more of a bluesy tone to it, which is refreshing and enjoyable. I am not as familiar with Eli Young Band, but upon hearing their music at the concert, I was wondering why they hadn’t ever been my favorite band. I had always found Jerrod Niemann’s music somewhat comical, playing more on the lovesick and drunk part of country music. These three names may not be as well known to the common public as some other country stars, like Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, etc., but if you love country music like I do, every name is a big name.
As I said before, I was basically beside myself with excitement about this event. I had been to a Tim McGraw concert over the summer, which was outdoors, and it was fantastic. I wasn’t sure what to expect for the Bentley concert as far as atmosphere, because it was indoors. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I was let down by the environment, but it was very different than an open-air, midsummer country concert. Instead of the free feeling and freshness, there was a feeling of being at a somewhat stifled formal performance. At the outdoor concert, there was chatter and movement previous to the show, and during the show it was a singing and dancing free-for all. It kind of felt like a big backyard party with McGraw and his crew. Being indoors at the Bentley concert, I felt like I wasn’t allowed to stand up, dance, and sing along right away. I felt closed in, like I was just supposed to watch and not participate. I did get over that feeling though, but I thought it was an interesting difference to observe. The acoustics sure were different, too. Strangely enough, the sound was almost better inside than outside, but that’s mainly because there were major technical difficulties happening during the outdoor concert. The excessive use of lights on stage seemed to be an effort to make up for disadvantages of having a concert indoors. Still, they were a necessary component to complete the atmosphere. Another oddity for being at a party-style concert was sitting in plush theater chairs, neatly bound together in rows, made for a comfortable viewing experience. At a concert like this one, people don’t sit down and passively listen. People stand up and go crazy, so the chairs just seemed out of place and in stark contrast to the type of environment you would expect for a country concert. It is interesting to observe how entertainment has changed over the millennia. Even though this was not a play, what a far cry it is from ancient Grecian forms of entertainment—sitting in an amphitheater straining to hear what the orators/actors are reciting.
All this seems negative, and as if it took away from the experience, but it certainly didn’t. The music was phenomenal; all three acts were great live performers. Energy exuded from Bentley, which was infectious to the audience. I know this does not really have anything to do with our course, but it’s not supposed to, right? Country music, and concerts in general, are a huge part of today’s culture, especially among college students. I mean, college kids actually paid money to have this experience. That’s saying something, is it not? J It was an experience worth losing my voice by singing/shouting and worth reliving through writing about!
11/25/11 Thinking About Culture After Turkey Day!
I’m sure you’ve all seen “So You Think You Can Dance”. I don’t know about all you people, but I think watching dancing is super interesting. I am certainly no dancer of any kind, (except for a good ‘ole line dance) J but I especially love watching contemporary dance. It’s amazing what the human body can do, and then to see it put together in such a carefully pieced together story of fluid art is beautiful and brilliant! So, of course when I saw that a group called Dance Kaleidoscope was coming to campus, I knew I just had to see that show! So off I went to get tickets, and excitedly made my way back to my dorm, already counting down the days till I got to experience something awesome. I stared at the suspicious-looking poster, wondering what in the world the show was going to be like. Finally, the Friday came to go see this team perform, and I was practically bubbling over with excitement. I had gotten the best seats in the house and had a good friend with me. We got there a little early, and I took a glance around. I was stunned to see how empty Emens auditorium was. Groups of people sparsely populated the middle and side sections of the main floor. I really hope this isn’t a foreshadowing of the quality of performance, I speculated. I anxiously eased my attention back to the stage and waited for the first sounds and movement to cue the opening of the show. The performance began just as strangely as its first impression promised. Through the whole first piece, called Earth, I sat there, throwing an occasional sideways glance at my buddy Austin next to me, thinking, What in the world did I make us endure on our Friday evening?! His expression reflected my thoughts. “What??” Yep, he was totally lost and confused. This first performance was just…weird. That’s all there is to it. Neither of us knows a thing about dancing, but we both enjoy watching it. But this was the kind of performance where you have to have some background knowledge of the art of dancing, or be a dancer, to understand and appreciate it. The score being played by a live orchestra had no rhythm or set beat. The “dancing” appeared choppy and not rhythmic; it seemed like movements even I could do. Amused and baffled, I chuckled and whispered my sincerest apologies to Austin. By the end of that episode, I didn’t know what to think about what I had witnessed. Interpretive dancing? Tribal ritual? I felt my cheeks turning red in embarrassment of putting my friend through this. Neither of us was enjoying the show at all! We both just laughed a little; I mean, what can ya do? Sitting there during the intermission, with one performance still to come, we just decided to chalk it up to an edifying cultural experience.
As I listened to the choreographer talk about his group, my attitude changed. I sat there basking in appreciation and awe of this guy’s mind—to think up all those movements and put them together to form a dance that powerfully represents a piece of music is just genius! Yea, maybe it is a weird brand of genius, but golly, I couldn’t think up that kind of stuff if I tried! He explained the piece we just witnessed, telling us that it was supposed to represent all the “creepy crawly” things in the earth; it was supposed to be primal and disconnected. That made a heck of a lot more sense. And it only got better from there. The next piece, titled Skin Walkers, was influenced by Celtic/jazz music, which I absolutely loved. It was upbeat and lively, haunting and beautiful. The dancing was more like dancing and less like…a big misunderstanding. Energy and passion exploded from the dancers as they moved in unthinkable ways across the stage. I actually understood what was going on in this piece a little more. The first piece was more of a story, while the second was just “a lot of pretty dancing to pretty music,” as the choreographer put it. What a relief—I had a good feeling after the end of the whole performance. I still think it was weird and only dancers can truly appreciate everything going on up there, but I still respect the art of dance and am grateful for cultural experiences like this one to help me become more well-rounded.