9 July

Many say to me that people flock to gigs as a mass social event because of the music. But I think this video shows well that big gigs appeal to many people because they like being in a crowd of people. It’s a social event, the music is just background. The band or act becomes the reason to assemble, as a crowd. The focus here is much more on the experience of being together as a huge group, than it is on any of the nuances of the music. That’s gig culture, music being used as a core way to generate social activity. That’s only one aspect of it too, people also look to artists for guidance in how to understand and live life. They’re at the centre of many adults’ lives, they give a meaning to those lives. And the same acts that give that meaning when they’re 17 are still doing that when they’re over 80. That’s historically unique, we just live in these times and forget that.