Going to a live music show is a feeling unlike any other. A mixture of anticipation, nervousness, and excitement, a good concert is a heart-beating, blood-pumping, body-pounding orgy of sensory overload that takes you somewhere you’ll never forget. Great concerts burn into your mind and leave you yearning for more the next time you hear a song on the computer. And that is exactly what I’m here to talk about. Let me put it in simple internet terms: live music shows > your computer. A live show is a feeling you just can’t reproduce, a computer song/concert stream is something that you can reproduce every minute.

So here we are to defend the live show. Deland, Florida – where North Ave is located – has developed an insanely popular music scene. Venues scramble to get acts and you’ll be hard pressed to find a quiet night in the downtown area. And that’s not because they need to be filled, it’s because it’s f-u-n fun. There’s a difference between going to a venue and feeling your chest thump with a bass amp and sitting with your Beats by Dre headphones watching a pixilated lead singer chop through a song as your live stream buffers on the laptop.

Now some people have an anxiety about going to shows. The crowds, the jerks, the prices, but think back to your last show…you didn’t just sit in the corner shaking with fear while the band played, right? You had a great time! I call that the Boy Scout Effect. People worry so much about going somewhere, but once they get there they have a great time. “OK”, you may say, “But how can you justify the price of shows?” Who are you trying to go see? Britney Spears? I saw Surfer Blood by accident one night for free just before they blew up and it was awesome. Most shows cost under fifteen bucks, give you a social outlet, and also great stories. A night at the movies costs more than most shows and you’re not even guaranteed a good time!

On your computer you get absolutely zero interaction. There’s a reason why live clips of shows get so many views on YouTube: it’s the closest thing some get to seeing a live show. I’ve been there. I almost crawled through my computer monitor watching a clip of a band I love a few days ago. So leave your computer and go to some shows: they’re cool, fun, cheap, social, and exciting. To quote a guy I heard in the bathroom at the last Vampire Weekend show I went to: “Pull up your skinny jeans, put on your game face, and get back out there”.
-Jack Kelly (Follow me on Twitter for more @JackKellyIsHip)