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Video screens at live shows

I’m curious what people feel about this?
Due to my work being within this industry I realise I am possibly viewing it (pun) in an entirely different and probably somewhat irrational way to a lot of people, but I have started to become vexed by the omnipresence of video screens at gigs.
It started with The Chemical Brothers who use visuals to cover up the fact the bulk of their sound is playback and came to a head recently with The Prodigy who still just use an old school light show, which seems rare these days and made me ponder this question…
They can look amazing (Bicep at Glastonbury) and add another dimension to a performance, but I feel we are now evolving with what is needed to hold our attention for a performance: could music drop the video screens and people would still be as excited by the performance.

Would it be like the Bill Bailey sketch about the Edge, and what he would sound like without all the effects on his guitar? 
People are either looking at a huge video screen or looking at their phone screen, are we still able to listen to live music without visuals?

Comments

  • I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
  • I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    This is the thing, seems now performers feel compelled to have it, it’s getting like catnip for humans; take it away and we just blankly wander off!
  • Off_it said:
    Are we talking about video screens that show the performer on stage - which are useful at larger shows where you may not have a clear view of the stage - or just screens showing something else whilst the show is going on?
    Ah good point, no I’m referring to an independent visual element of the show, I appreciate that a big screen showing the musicians us helpful when up the top tier in the O2 (for me one of the worst places to be!).
  • edited August 2022
    Some examples 

    https://youtu.be/GikjhOEqX3Y

    https://youtu.be/w2oGFEsaG5c

    To add this is more curiosity at music becoming a screen based experience 
  • Sometimes the images are a necessary part of the performance 


  • Some examples 

    https://youtu.be/GikjhOEqX3Y

    https://youtu.be/w2oGFEsaG5c

    To add this is more curiosity at music becoming a screen based experience 
    To be fair, if the alternative was to watch a couple of blokes stood behind a keyboard/deck who don't move or say anything (and for all you know aren't actually doing anything either, other than picking up a huge bag of cash at the end of the show!) then I'd be happier with an episode of Eastenders on a screen with subtitles - and I bloody hate Eastenders!
  • In the case of a dance band like The Chemical Brothers, I would suggest that such video displays are compulsory, as otherwise 2 blokes behind banks of pre-programmed keyboards isn't exactly a visual spectacle.

    I remember on Top of the Pops in the 90s when artists started using big video screens for their "live" performances in the studio once screen technology got good enough, with the screens showing the video of the song
  • I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    I absolutely hate this! And what’s the point? Are they going home and rewatching/sharing with all their friends their horrendous quality, tinny sounding, shite video?
  • I don't to watch the screens unless they show something extraordinary like when I went to see Guns and Roses, the fact you got a close up of Slash's playing during a solo was too good to miss.
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  • edited August 2022
    se9addick said:
    I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    I absolutely hate this! And what’s the point? Are they going home and rewatching/sharing with all their friends their horrendous quality, tinny sounding, shite video?
    Of course they are and uploading it to social media. Cretinous dildos.
  • Off_it said:
    Some examples 

    https://youtu.be/GikjhOEqX3Y

    https://youtu.be/w2oGFEsaG5c

    To add this is more curiosity at music becoming a screen based experience 
    To be fair, if the alternative was to watch a couple of blokes stood behind a keyboard/deck who don't move or say anything (and for all you know aren't actually doing anything either, other than picking up a huge bag of cash at the end of the show!) then I'd be happier with an episode of Eastenders on a screen with subtitles - and I bloody hate Eastenders!
    Which is what I’m wondering so thanks for your response 👍🏻

    Btw: ‘killers’ great album, though my personal fav is ‘piece of mind’ 🧠
  • edited August 2022
    cfgs said:
    se9addick said:
    I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    I absolutely hate this! And what’s the point? Are they going home and rewatching/sharing with all their friends their horrendous quality, tinny sounding, shite video?
    Of course they are and uploading it to social media. Cretinous dildos.
    Agree with all the previous comments.

    Filming on phones should be banned at concerts. Hard to police but just start throwing people out and it will soon stop. 

    Trying to watch an artist when some idiot in front sticks their arms in the air with a phone in  their  hands pointed at the stage is bloody infuriating. 


  • I work for a large AV provider, and we support a lot of major concerts and festivals around the world.. Not sure the screens are to cover up for play back, from my experience not many actually play back now, apart from pop idol type of acts!! 

    Content on screens is all designed to give the wow factor to the audience, and if designed well looks fantastic with special effects and lighting effects.. A lot of money goes in to the content design! Here is a good example Afrojack - Live At MDL Beast Festival 2021 (12/18/21) - YouTube As you can see the screen plays a big part not only in content but lighting as well. 

    Ed Sheeren tour used a different type of screen, circle hanging in the middle of Wembley, which had play back and content to support the lighting theme!

  • Related to phones at gigs. Saw Coldplay Tuesday. Chris Martin specifically asked the crowd to put their phones away for 1 song and just line in that moment.  Dickheads still got their phones out and filmed it. As per some comments above, people are obsessed with being the one to capture a unique moment for socials, when the reality is you are in a stadium with 90k people. You are not unique. Just enjoy the experience. 
  • BalladMan said:
    Related to phones at gigs. Saw Coldplay Tuesday. Chris Martin specifically asked the crowd to put their phones away for 1 song and just line in that moment.  Dickheads still got their phones out and filmed it. As per some comments above, people are obsessed with being the one to capture a unique moment for socials, when the reality is you are in a stadium with 90k people. You are not unique. Just enjoy the experience. 
    High powered electric magnetic pulse would sort them out.
  • I find it helps at the darts
  • Like a lot of things, I think screens at gigs are probably a good thing if they are done well but can be a bit naff if they are cobbled together with little thought or creativity. What is dull is just getting a bigger image of what's on stage, though appreciate it's probably useful for the sort of big gig that I wouldn't want to go to anyway. 

    I'd question whether it started with The Chemical Brothers though. I can remember some early 80s bands using screens. The Human League had an array of nine screens which were used as a backdrop. These had images from slide projectors. I think the good thing about their show was that they planned the images when they wrote the music so it all hung together well. Blancmange had a smaller screen that was used variously for images and to write stuff (laser?). I expect it would look a bit lame now but was great at the time. Before that, I think Pink Floyd may have incorporated screens into their act, but I've never seen them live so it may be better for others to comment.
  • edited August 2022
    In the early seventies people were very interested in visuals in live music.
    For many years previously there was always visuals, The Glenn Miller band doing stand up sit down moments, the stand up bassist in Bill Hayley’s band climbing on his double bass, Jerry Lee Lewis jumping on his piano. There were fancy lights, costumes and dance routines everywhere, British artists like Arthur Brown and Jethroe Tull were eager to be captivating front men visually as well as musically.
    Then something seemed to happen with regard to films.
    Led Zeppelin at the Ally Pally in 1972 played cartoons before their show (I was there!) and I also saw the Floyd Dark Side concerts in 1974 where they had a fantastic film on a circular screen, and their music was fantastically well coordinated with it.
    From my experience the live screen first happened with Led Zep at Earls Court in 1975, and in such a large auditorium I think the idea was to allow folk to see detail (like close ups on Page playing the guitar). The Osmonds of all people went to see Zeppelin at Earls Court, they were due to play there, and immediately decided to use the screens too.

  • Jean-Michel Jarre was another pioneer of visuals in music with his massive open air concerts, with images projected onto buildings, including Destination Docklands in 1987. Again, another artist conscious that someone playing keyboards and not singing isn't very visual.
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  • se9addick said:
    I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    I absolutely hate this! And what’s the point? Are they going home and rewatching/sharing with all their friends their horrendous quality, tinny sounding, shite video?
    I have been to venues where mobile phones are put into little cases and you cannot access them until after the show. Dylan will be doing something similar at his gigs, i expect to see this rolled out wider tbh.
  • PopIcon said:
    se9addick said:
    I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    I absolutely hate this! And what’s the point? Are they going home and rewatching/sharing with all their friends their horrendous quality, tinny sounding, shite video?
    I have been to venues where mobile phones are put into little cases and you cannot access them until after the show. Dylan will be doing something similar at his gigs, i expect to see this rolled out wider tbh.
    At a few indoor venue now, they ask you to download an app when entertaining, and at a certain point of the show, they ask you to get your phone out, switch on an app, which will then create a light show in the audience.. 
  • Jean-Michel Jarre was another pioneer of visuals in music with his massive open air concerts, with images projected onto buildings, including Destination Docklands in 1987. Again, another artist conscious that someone playing keyboards and not singing isn't very visual.
    I remember that night.
  • edited August 2022
    DubaiCAFC said:
    PopIcon said:
    se9addick said:
    I hate watching a gig through a forest of arms trying to record the songs on their mobile phones. Most of the bands I see don't have the big screen. Madness in Barcelona recently had one, and I found it a bit distracting - they showed video loops from their songs, and I'd rather have just had the band. So it's a no from me.
    I absolutely hate this! And what’s the point? Are they going home and rewatching/sharing with all their friends their horrendous quality, tinny sounding, shite video?
    I have been to venues where mobile phones are put into little cases and you cannot access them until after the show. Dylan will be doing something similar at his gigs, i expect to see this rolled out wider tbh.
    At a few indoor venue now, they ask you to download an app when entertaining, and at a certain point of the show, they ask you to get your phone out, switch on an app, which will then create a light show in the audience.. 
    Yes have been at a few shows with this, Very clever stuff and looks great.
    Interesting that you work in this industry, my curiosity is specifically relating to wether live music is becoming a screen based experience if that makes sense?
    Also my genre is electronic music so I suppose the screen is more prominent within it, I’m all about the sound and sometimes feel it gets overshadowed by the visuals but it’s the artists choice ultimately.
  • ROTW said:
    Jean-Michel Jarre was another pioneer of visuals in music with his massive open air concerts, with images projected onto buildings, including Destination Docklands in 1987. Again, another artist conscious that someone playing keyboards and not singing isn't very visual.
    I remember that night.
    I Was there , pissed down all through the evening .

  • Destination docklands. What a night that was, after years wanting to see the guy live. Didn't he have some sort of 'light organ' which involved playing a laser light rather than a keyboard (cue Kenneth Williams photo obviously).
  • Destination docklands. What a night that was, after years wanting to see the guy live. Didn't he have some sort of 'light organ' which involved playing a laser light rather than a keyboard (cue Kenneth Williams photo obviously).
    Yes, the laser harp. A cool bit of kit, designed to give something more visual in his concerts 
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