The past few years have been a learning experience for me musically. I’ve let dust collect on the Megadeth and Dream Theater CDs that I listened to almost religiously at full blast in high school and have started thinking about my musical preferences holistically. Instead of being obsessed with a few similar genres, I’ve branched out into styles and sounds that I could have never imagined myself enjoying.
This transition didn’t happen randomly. In fact, I can pinpoint exactly what caused me to start looking into a wider variety of music. My senior year in high school I abandoned the arena-style concert experience I’d grown up with—where a band goes on stage to run through the same set list and dance moves as they do every other night on their 158 day tour—and began going to smaller shows.
Without a doubt, this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. For anyone who considers themself a music buff or for anyone who simply wants to discover some new tunes, ditching the big stage for a less-frequented venue is a must.
Let me clarify exactly what I mean by a small show. The venue can be relatively large, like The Majestic, or as small as someone’s basement, and there can be anywhere from a handful to a few hundred people in attendance. I’ve seen bands perform on top of monuments and in warehouses, so the location can vary immensely.
Essentially, small shows give precedent to the music itself and disregard any illusions of glamour.
One of the most virulent aspects of the music industry in general is how insanely expensive tickets are for major names. When concert tickets can easily cost $100, it’s not surprising some people are skittish about splurging on shows. But although one end of the spectrum is completely out of whack, the other is right on track.
A lot of smaller shows don’t even aim to make money.
Okay, an established venue is trying to turn a profit. Still, ticket prices are much cheaper (like one-fifth as much) at a non-major venue, which means going to a concert doesn’t have to be an economic burden.
In addition to being much cheaper, smaller shows in general are more enjoyable than huge concerts, I have found. Some of the best acts I’ve seen had a $5 cover (admittedly, there weren’t any laser shows or back-up dancers). This is largely because smaller acts often don’t care about money. They just make music because they have a passion for what they’re doing. That passion breeds a more genuinely heartfelt brand of music, which is always better than something contrived for profit.
I think the superstar status that many musicians hold puts their fans in a vice grip. A lot of people dream about going backstage and meeting their favorite band. They have thoughts of the singer falling in love with them and envision the guitarist teaching them to play their favorite song. It’s a teenybopper dream that has been alive since the 1960s. In reality, those people are sitting in the nosebleeds. Large venues just don’t deliver the intimate musical experience that a smaller location can.
At the Alliant Energy Center, you probably can’t even make out the faces of the people performing unless you’re in the front row. A smaller venue, however, allows the audience to be very close to the band. This makes the concert much more personal, sometimes so much, it feels like you are being serenaded.
Sometimes you don’t know what you really like until you experience it. I am a living example of this. Before I started going to more small shows, I was perfectly content with the music I listened to. But after hearing some new bands and genres I was completely unaware of, I felt like I had been wasting my time.
When there are no expectations to fulfill, there seems to be infinite room for creativity and experimentation. From grindcore to post-metal to the utterly indefinable, I’ve heard a massive hodgepodge of different styles and genres since I began going to smaller concerts, sometimes juxtaposed at the same show. My exposure to this insane variety has completely redefined my musical taste. In fact, it has even altered how I listen to and appreciate music altogether.
I’ll be the first to admit that some of the music I’ve heard at small venues has been absolutely terrible. Such is to be expected when amateurs are allowed to perform, as they often are. But if you can wade through the nonsense, you’ll find that some of the most exciting and progressive music is emerging from these small venues. All I can say: Go out and experience it for yourself. Look at any of Madison’s intimate venues and get up close and personal with the stage.
