For years comedy clubs have been giving away free tickets to shows. The feeling was people are not paying for comedy anymore so we will get them on the expensive food and drinks. It works, sometimes. The shows are not as good when the audience has not invested money to see the product but it is better than no audience. Now I am starting to notice this at music venues as well. Just giving away tickets to get you in the door. And still these venues are not filled. Or half filled, for bands you have heard of and probably enjoyed.
Now this does not hold true for a lot of the super star performers whether they are Kevin Hart or Guns and Roses. People will still pay top dollar for that show. However, it seems more and more there are a few top performers that become gazillionnaires and everybody else who is just scraping by. Musicians no longer can make a living on album sales. (Albums are a collection of songs that an artist puts out at the same time on one format). They make their money touring now. Or at least try to make their money touring.
Leaving the house is a pain in the neck. You need to fight traffic, get a baby sitter, pay crazy prices for beer and food, etc. I get it. It is not cheap or easy. Everything is right at your finger- tips on your hand held device in the comfort of your home. Again, I get it.
Let me try and give you a few reasons why you should see live comedy or music. There is a euphoria that washes over human beings when they share in a joy with other human beings. We are a social animal who because of technology is becoming more anti-social. Whether it is laughing as a group at a joke or dancing and singing with a group to a loved song it feels good. It feels much better than humming by yourself or smiling alone as you watch it on the screen of your phone.
You are helping the economy. If you don’t go out and fill these venues they will close. People will be out of work. Buildings will remain vacant which makes an area look undesirable which drives down real estate prices. More people out of work means more competition for jobs which means wages go down. Lower wages means less things people can afford to buy which means other businesses not directly in the area of the venue begin to suffer. When these venues are filled other businesses like garages, restaurants, convenient stores, etc. open up around them which provides jobs and stimulates the local economy. You are being a good citizen when you go out and support live events.
If you don’t go see artists live they will stop touring because there will be no venues left for them to perform in. As I said, touring is how artists make their money these days. Artists will probably still create and yes it will be online but these artists will be hobbyists. Often to truly be brilliant in art you have to live it and breathe it. If artists are coming from a day of taking your order at Star Bucks they often will not have the time necessary to grow and become the entertainer you love. Art will suffer. A society without art is a dark society.
If the venues close and the artists stop touring there will no longer be places for us to gather as a community to share joy and happiness. We will become even more isolated. More indifferent to our neighbor. Our dealings with each other will be left to business and necessity and there is not much joy in that. Civilization will break down. There is a reason there have been travelling bards and plays throughout history. We need that as a society. We need to take the edge off as a group. It all comes apart if we can’t laugh and dance together.
If you give the artist a few hours of your time and give them some love back I promise you they will give you a lifetime of memories. So now stop reading this and go out to a comedy show or go see a musician. You can thank me for the advice at my next show you go to or the next time I am watching a band do their thing on stage.