Break a Sweat and Enjoy Yourself

In my last post, I spoke of engaged audiences and how they can make a live show that much more enjoyable. Well, I experienced one of those audiences on Friday, September 7, 2007.

To be fair, it wasn't just the audience that made British rock band Editors' show at Webster Hall in New York City so enjoyable. The band itself put on a show so filled with energy, much of the crowd was sweaty and tired by the end. I had never seen an Editors show before, but judging by the way the music screams through the speakers of a stereo, the high energy of the live show came at no surprise.

Song after song, the urgency of the electric guitars shrieked out the melodies, the guitarists' arms furiously strumming the rhythms of almost every song on their new album An End Has a Start (and a lot of songs from their first album too). Tom Smith, the lead singer, soon drenched with sweat, moved around the stage with ease, making wild gestures with his arms. He is probably one of the most animated singers I've ever seen. He worked the stage, even climbing atop his piano at one point. And while trying to make their last song their best, he twisted his body wildly, and almost toppled over, but gracefully righted himself and continued his feverish playing, never missing a beat.

And neither did the crowd. The floor bounced with every movement of the audience. Two young men with thick British accents (or perhaps Scottish judging by their enthusiasm for opening band Biffy Clyro) jumped in place, pumping their arms up and down above their heads toward the front of the tightly packed crowd. Those standing near the barricade, not six feet from the stage, struggled to keep their personal space, but sang along with every song nonetheless.

And after every song came waves of applause and cheers. Smith's hair went from fluffy to slicked back with sweat in a matter of minutes, but so did the audience's. They danced and jumped from beginning to end, completely immersed in the experience of the show at the stage-end of the ballroom filled with Asian decor.

But that's the only way to experience a show like that: forget there are people in front of you; forget there are people behind you. Forget where you are and just dive in. Become completely engaged and enjoy yourself. That's the kind of show I love.

The audience was fun, the opening bands were great. Editors were phenomenal. And the experience I had, I would definitely want again. And the merch wasn't overpriced either!

Also, the video I took for your viewing pleasure!