people REALLY far back in the crowd can't really see you that well. most people gravitate toward the eyes when they look at a person. it's psychological in a way and it's really no different than the male actor in a play or musical who actually has a crew of people who apply stage makeup for him so that the audience can see his facial expressions for the same reason.
Garr wrote:for the same reason we love to wear eyeliner.
people REALLY far back in the crowd can't really see you that well. most people gravitate toward the eyes when they look at a person. it's psychological in a way and it's really no different than the male actor in a play or musical who actually has a crew of people who apply stage makeup for him so that the audience can see his facial expressions for the same reason.
but some people also place a lot of emphasis on the performance, connecting personally with the audience, and the theatrical aspect of a concert. if the music only ever spoke for itself, people wouldn't go to concerts, they'd just buy CDs.
Here are some talented musicians whose music clearly speaks for itself (or as least their album sales say it does) who also believe strongly in a stage performance and the attributes that go along with it. Let me know if you haven't heard of any of them.
I loved shooting at the Embassy. I've been shooting bands at small bar venues and it's great to shoot where the lighting is decent. Soulfyre's set was only 40 minutes so there wasn't much time to get shots from various angles. To get to the floor from the stage was a pain in the butt. So I shot what I could from the wings and then finished up shooting from the floor.
So, SRV shoulda ditched the stupid hat, the kimono, the feathers, the big, dumb guitar straps, the mini-trampoline, the El-Mocambo-style jumping up and down on his Strat....
Well, he sure could have as far as I'm concerned, but would he have been noticed in a sea of guys pushing the same Albert King riffs through a modified Deluxe Reverb?