top of page

The future of live music is looking good.

Alex Freund

With a list of bands I've seen perform nearing 250 at this point in time, I think I have enough experience in consuming live music to write a bit on it's future. As someone who grew up wondering what shows of the past would be like, I never took much interest in modern music and the shows they produce until relatively recent. Seeing documentaries on MTV and VH1 of rock bands playing arenas and festivals, I wanted to know what Paul McCartney playing Hey Jude felt like in person or what the energy of Steven Tyler look like 20 feet away. Luckily I have been fortunate enough to witness both of those inquiries live and in living color.


During my first festival that had the headliners of Guns and Roses and Alice in Chains, I began to worry about the state of live music entertainment as the great groups are aging out and leaving. In the past 2 years I no longer have concern.



Having grown an affinity for less popular artists early on in high school, my taste in music shifted from popular acts from the past to unique, independent groups of the now. One band in particular sparked my hope for worthwhile concerts, Jukebox the Ghost. A piano pop/alt rock trio that has a stage presence and sound that doesn't translate through anything other than being in the crowd has not only become my most seen artist, but also an all time favorite band of mine. They were the glimpse of what I had been searching for when it came to answering the question "what was it like to have seen them before they were them." I could finally say At Last.



While at a festival that featured my friends JtG, another artist I was told would become my new musical obsession was also on the bill. During a cold and rainy mid afternoon set, a badass took stage in an over sized black cable knit sweater and docs that commandeered the attention of my wife and myself like no musician had done without previously knowing their work. Her voice was powerful as the instrumentals backing her and the lyrics were twice as sharp. Her name isn't Katherine, or Crystal/Nicki/Chad or Sebastian. Her name is K. Flay and her entire aura is energetic and cuts deep. Balancing incredible composition and vocals during her live sets gives me hope for the state of rock.




If you are looking for energy and a visceral concert experience that embodies a shark when there is blood in the water, look no further than an artist that I discovered through a collaboration with K. Flay who simply goes by the name grandson. Having only heard his music for a few months prior to getting front row to his set at Rocklahoma 2021, I had very little idea just how passionate he or his fans were and more notably, his ability to turn a crowd. Grandson, as I now know, is incredibly outspoken on all things social movements and politics and Oklahoma, on average, doesn't mesh well with that vibe. Starting his set by a moving speech on putting aside hatred and social differences that sucked the life out of the crowd almost immediately and caused trash to be thrown at him, he said something that flipped a switch "take that energy and lets do something about it". For the next 35 minutes I got my ass kicked in a moshpit and my heartstrings were pulled in several directions due to the nature of his words. Grandson will be the future of political music and will be known for live performance.




Lastly, I want to expand on one more group I feel will is going to potentially be the biggest small band I've ever seen. Early last year I scrolled through TikTok and saw a duo singing song I later learned they wrote over the pandemic. The song was concise. The vocals were clear. The production was fantastic. The aesthetic was similar to the style of the White Stripes. Simple vibrant color scheme that lets the art do all the talking. The band was Durry. As of right now the group still only has just under 90,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, but I feel like they are one more viral moment away from skyrocketing towards something special. I got to see them in a pivotal transitional period in my life where every song they performed struck a chord stronger than the last. The band played an intimate venue with no more than 100 or so people in the crowd but the energy and style in which they played the room felt like a 30,000 person festival. Leaning on their independent roots and continuing to craft catchy choruses and heavily relatable lyrics, Durry represents a generation that is unapologeticly themselves with a level of anxiety and empathy that cuts through the warm and energetic exterior to something far more complex. On the surface it may sound like they are like any other gen z or millennial, egocentric/self absorbed/ wanting to be seen on the next trendy platform, but looks are deceiving. Who's laughing now?



So tell me what you think, how does the future of live music look?


Comments


Search More Tags

bottom of page