Comments on: Watching Shows Through Other Peoples’ Viewfinders: It Really, Really Sucks

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:51:55 +0000

He has a point – from channel surfing to YouTube, pirated songs to blogs, we are beginning to live things we physically could never experience in person. Metaphysical experiences are the result of people that are willing to either augment their experiences by sharing, or fully selfish in that they want people to know what they experienced. Either way, they share. The same as you are with this blog, so who is right? Eh? ;)

By: BakerStreetSaxSolo

BakerStreetSaxSolo — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:43:21 +0000

If this guy wants a conversation to expand his horizons, I'm sure there's a better way he can go about it than watching grainy videos of the same gig from 15 different angles. He could always try having a conversation with someone in "meatspace".

[uuurggghhhh I feel dirty for just saying that]

By: Homage

Homage — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:18:42 +0000

I was going to point out that your concerns re: mediated existence and reluctance to experience the moment as it happens were concerns expressed as far back as Neal Stephenson wrote nerd-transcendence manifesto In The Beginning Was The Command Line, but then I got to the other fellow’s argument and my eyes filled with blood and steam shot out my ears. People like this make me feel like such a jock.

By: teknohed

teknohed — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:22:10 +0000

I've pondered this as well. I have been tempted to pull out the old camera phone, but I felt like, "what the hell?" This is an experience I'd like to experience without distraction, besides if you were there do you ever watch those videos?

I have so many un opened Concert DVDs. I doubt I'd waste time watching a crappy 1.3 mega pixel blur fest...but I suppose someone's into it. Probably them damn kids with their MyBook and their FaceSpace.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:03:39 +0000

a) anyone with a free hand to take more than ten seconds of footage needs to buy a beer, like any other decent american would do. Put the camera down, and support institutionalized cirrhosis.

b) The Gnarls Barkley/Battles show this weekend (not that anyone could find this surprising), was like that fucking Jessica Simpson performance of "Angels", there were an ungodly number of cell-phones there. Shit was aggravating.

By: futurehorse

futurehorse — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:38:07 +0000

@scott pgwp: Agreed. I don't what is up with Brooklyn Vegan lately, but it seems like in the past few weeks their excessive photo posting has gone up ten fold. I can't even read it through the ol' Google Reader anymore because it takes so long to load all those shots.

By: Lax Danja House

Lax Danja House — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:35:39 +0000

Sitting in a seat would be enough to ruin a concert for me.

By: TriedandTrue

TriedandTrue — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:55:36 +0000

I was at the The National/Modest Mouse/REM show this weekend. Admittedly, I took some pix on my phone because I had really awesome seats and wanted some photos for myself so I could remember how great the view was. What weirded me out were the people all around me looking at the shot to see what I shot. I have a crap camera in a crap phone and they were comparing my shots to their iPhone pix. I found it more invasive/distracting than the texters around me that were texting through the whole show.

By: bcapirigi

bcapirigi — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:01:57 +0000

@Audif Jackson Winters III: That's the worst part!

By: Poubelle

Poubelle — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:15:57 +0000

Look, I'll confess to taking pictures with my phone sometimes at shows, but I never let myself take more than a handful, because, well, they're pretty much all crap. And besides, I need to keep my hands in free at shows in case I have to pump my fist in the air or something.

Also, I don't post all my crappy pictures to the internet. Because they're crappy, and I don't have the delusion that a blurry shot of a black lump that might be the lead singer is adding anything to "a global conversation." A picture like that really shouldn't be anything other than a personal memento.

By: dreamsneverend

dreamsneverend — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:11:21 +0000

I’m often torn about busting out the camera for a nice picture to remember an event with. For the most party now I take pics with friends before/after and keep the camera put away during the show. It DOES interfere with the live experience and just buy the damn live tour dvd when it comes out if you have to relive it in some way.

By: Eugene Langley

Eugene Langley — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:54:47 +0000

This guy is right about augmenting our intelligence: everything I ever needed to know I learned by watching shaky cell phone videos of a Ted Leo concert.

By: Captain Wrong

Captain Wrong — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:52:58 +0000

@Audif Jackson Winters III: yep

By: okiedoke

okiedoke — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:41:31 +0000

And to think that Homeland Security has to look at each of those photos and videos. The mind boggles.

By: scott pgwp

scott pgwp — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:30:00 +0000

Seriously, all the show photos need to stop. I can’t handle the daily cascade of amatuer pics of ugly dudes on a dark stage that clog my rss reader, mostly courtesy Pitchfork’s “News” section and Brooklyn Vegan. If you want to put up a picture or two, fine, but this whole twenty-five-pictures-per-post thing has got. to. stop. Flaming Lips aside, most these shows are not visually interesting in the least.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:31:41 +0000

At this point, I feel we must thank the stealth tapers who document these events with high-quality audio without having to wave a cell phone in the air for two hours.

By: jetsetjunta

jetsetjunta — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:09:18 +0000

conversation? so crummy video and audio are elevated to the level of ideas? this is somehow educational? this notion of entertainment as the central modifier of one’s whole life sounds like some kind of guerrila marketing. by which i mean this guy is the first one against the wall.

By: Lax Danja House

Lax Danja House — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:01:08 +0000

wtf is a "hyper-current level" and how do i get to it

Cameras at shows don't really bother me. Granted, I rarely attend indie buzz band shows, but they can't be any more annoying than sweaty topless men and people with sharp elbows in your ribs all night, can they?

By: Audif Jackson Winters III

Audif Jackson Winters III — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:59:03 +0000

The thing that irks me the most is that these people, for the most part, aren’t even getting good pictures/video.

By: SomeSound-MostlyFury

SomeSound-MostlyFury — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:44:51 +0000

"Those who mobile log and share at the sacrifice of their current experience are participating in a global conversation."

That sounds suspiciously what sports journalists do at sporting events -- in the press box. Away from the fans. Which makes me wonder if we should cordon off a section of seats reserved for you brave, brave mobile loggers where you can jostle for camera-phone real estate with your enlightened peers.
Camera-phone-recording someone else's camera phone recording of a concert is so meta.