The last few years have highlighted just how many of the things we have in the world that we can do remotely with the power of the Internet. As well as working, talking, and shopping, the entertainment world has proven that it can adapt. While Hollywood and even other music genres have had success in this, however, can a live rock concert ever work the same remotely?
Working Examples
Let’s start by looking at the success stories we’ve already seen in action. In wider entertainment, we’ve seen streaming services handle just about anything from live theater performances to stand-up shows, and even the online casino world has been getting in on the action. Nowadays, if someone goes to play blackjack online games at Paddy’s or anywhere else, there’s a good chance they’ll be playing with dozens of others with a live host in a directly streamed game.
In musical terms, the pop side of the industry has been the most involved in remote live performances. We’ve already seen performances held remotely by artists like John Legend, as well as huge events put on by the biggest pop acts out of both Japan and Korea. There have even been remote performances to live venues by artists with a purely online persona.
The Big Positives
Looking now specifically at rock music, there are plenty of positives to having entirely remote events. For a start, they are far more open to fans in parts of the world that otherwise wouldn’t have access. Even the biggest rock band world tours often only end up hitting a few destinations, often within North America or Europe, and having access in places like Africa or Asia could do wonders for the fans living there.
The other potential benefit for fans is in the cost. According to business analysis site Pollstar, the average basic concert ticket to the largest acts in the world came in at a couple of hundred, and it’s a number that’s rising. With online concerts inherently having less overheads, tickets would naturally come in a lot cheaper and ease the burden on fans.
Potential Pitfalls
The main potential issue is very straightforward. Even compared to concerts of other genres, rock concerts live and breathe on the atmosphere they bring. You only need to look at the legendary vocal warm-up of Freddie Mercury at Live Aid to see what really matters to rock fans, and a remote audience naturally does away with that.
In the end, it would come down to something of a tradeoff for fans. They would be getting the convenience and reduced costs of watching from their own homes, but would give up much of the live effect at the same time. Realistically, there is unlikely to be any kind of solid compromise for a long time to come, so we’re most likely going to see both types of concert for a while.
Of course, the technology behind these types of performances is developing every day. Although it’s hard to picture now, there could still be a time in the future when live and remote could blur into one thing!
