Castleton Spartan

Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Opinion

Wanting to take a break from the monotony of school days and homework, I decided to buy concert tickets for Lifehouse, which is one of my favorite bands. This particular concert sent me on a rather short journey to Higher Ground in South Burlington.

After arriving at the concert, I stepped into the weaving line of fellow concert-goers waiting to be let into the building. It wasn't until I was inside the actual establishment that I realized the diversity of people attending this event. The ages ranged from young kids all the way to middle-aged adults. This crowd greatly differed from the previous Lifehouse concert I went to during the summer, which is probably why I noticed the stark contrast immediately.

However, I was so pumped about seeing the band play live again that I didn't give much thought to how the age range would affect the vibe of the show. Soon enough, I realized that this concert might not be as much fun. As it turns out, the bands also noticed the kids and parents in the crowd.

The opening act ended up toning down the profanities in one of their songs for this very reason.

It was rather disappointing if you ask me.

Most concert-goers, like myself, are at the show trying to have a good time and listen to the music as the artist intended it to be heard; no censorship should be allowed! And I'm not saying that swear words are necessary but I want the music to be real and not sugarcoated.

As the concert continued, I even felt like I had traveled back to the days of the boy bands. The entire duration of the concert teenage girls were screaming, "I love you," or just screaming for the hell of it. A concert is not meant to be quiet or reserved but when the lead singer of Lifehouse tells a particularly obnoxious girl that she is going to hurt her voice if she continues to scream in the same way, something is wrong.

I was under the impression that the era of Boy Band obsessions had passed with their break-ups, but apparently not. It seems that the pre-teens and teenagers have moved on from pop to rock. After the concert ended, I continued to question why people attend concerts if they are more obsessed with the members of the band than listening to the music that they play. Even now I'm not sure I have an answer.

For the most part the concert rocked and the music was amazing even with these few exceptions. But I will leave you with a question to consider: Can a band play their music as effectively if there were never any connections to the crowd?

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