So, I listen to a lot of different styles of music. It’s not a contest and I’m not trying to win the “Oh, yeah, we’ll I’m more diverse than YOU are” contest, because it’s pretty much a “who cares wins” argument. Most of the time, no one cares. My point, however, is that I have a different perspective on music than the person sitting next to me, just as that person has a different perspective from the person sitting next to them. What it brings to the fore is the point: subjectivity.
In this vein, I figure an example is required. Three weekends ago, I saw Conquering Dystopia in concert. Last weekend, I saw Hotel California play live. They were both excellent shows, though for me, for different reasons. The Conquering Dystopia show, pits and all, was about seeing the absolutely amazing tandem of four of the top musicians in the heavy metal genre in what can be described as an all-out shred fest. The Hotel California show, for me, was about spending time with my wife, seeing a band that falls within the Venn diagram of music we both enjoy. Now, for me, being with my wife was more important, but that didn’t take away from enjoyment of the music and it was a good show – high energy when it needed to be and also, when appropriate, suitably subdued and contemplative. It was also a simpler show, which led to the following observation:
“I think Conquering Dystopia played more notes in their first song or so than this whole show.”
Well, that was dumb of me. Because while it felt like a “hmmm…interesting” moment, to me, it could be – and was – perceived as a bit of music snobbery, implying that because the music wasn’t as complex or up to the quite lofty standards of Conquering Dystopia, that it wasn’t good. It’s not how I meant it, but I will readily admit that’s how it comes across. This is where the subjectivity and, further, expectations come in.
I don’t care, really, that Hotel California didn’t put on a show rife with riffs jamming hundreds of notes per minute, per instrument, into my brain. That is not their style and I wouldn’t expect it. I’m not going to defend my statement any further, as it was a pretty boneheaded and insensitive thing to say. Specifically, it made it sounds like there was judgment as to which was a better experience and, to get back to my original thought, it means different things to different people. To me, Hotel California did exactly what I expected them to do – put on an excellent show that made a lot of people, including me, happy. Part of my happiness came from the music, but part of it also came from my watching my wife enjoying and being touched by the music.
Honestly, the first half of the HC set, I was kind of lost, as I’m not a huge Eagles fan, though I do enjoy the music of theirs with which I am familiar. That said, I got to watch my wife enjoy it and was introduced to music I wasn’t familiar with and, ultimately, got to take in musicians having fun playing music they love. That’s pretty much what it’s all about for me.
I mentioned the Venn diagram and mentioned music that my wife and I both enjoy. It’s not as inclusive as you would think as I listen to a lot of things she does not. Interestingly, though, when we got married, we duplicated two CDs – neither of which you would expect from someone who listens to Conquering Dystopia – Jewel’s “Pieces of You” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Solace” albums. Here’s the point to that – I would never in a million years take my wife to a metal show…she doesn’t enjoy the music, I’m not taking her anywhere near a pit, and it just wouldn’t be a fun experience for her. By that same token, I enjoy going to see bands I wouldn’t seek out if it weren’t for her. I also don’t go in with the same expectation as I do with a metal show. If I’m going to see Arch Enemy, it’s not because I’m there to feel the white space between notes wrap around me in a soundscape woven from sounds and memories I’ve associated with the music since I was 10. It’s because I want my face melted off by shredding guitars, bludgeoning double-bass drums and volume set to “bleed” in an all out set of aggression and technical sonic devastation. When I see a band such as Hotel California, my expectations are quite reversed.
It’s also hard to extract the metalhead for those times when I am not in a “metal” environment. When heads were bobbing at the Hotel California show during songs like “Hotel California” or “Dirty Laundry,” I thought, “hmm…it’s not even heavy…” After about a second or two, I tacked on, “…but there IS emotional connection and subsequent outlet of this emotion.” What people get out of music is as individual and unique as the music out there. Far be it from me, however, to judge any one else’s appreciation or enjoyment of music and, especially, inadvertently minimize that enjoyment by the implications of the statement that I will now, attempt to rephrase in a way that isn’t boneheaded:
“These guys rock and it was a much different experience from the last show, and that’s cool.”
For the record, I recommend seeing both of these bands live, if you have a chance. They both put on excellent – though very different – shows. You won’t be disappointed in either case and you might just gain an appreciation for what goes into each performance, as I did.
