PHISHIN' in Saratoga- Media Meditation #1

In June of 2010, I attended the most amazing media experience I have been a part of thus far in my life. I was invited by my friend Lauren to attend a Phish show in Saratoga, New York. I had seen Phish before in concert, but was excited to experience the show in a new light: front row.

We watched Phish from the pit at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This was my second time having seen Phish, and the experience was completely different. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), for anyone who hasn't seen a show there, is unlike any other venue I have been to. It sits in a large field surrounded by acres of trees and little babbling brooks. The environment definitely enhanced the overall media experience. SPAC houses tons of great performers; I highly suggest checking out their show list.

They began the show by bringing all their children out on the stage and introducing them to the crowd. This instantly made us feel like we knew them. They didn't seem famous or glamorous; they were just averages guys with families like ours. They were dressed in flannels and tee-shirts, nothing fancier than what my dad wears while gardening. Phish definitely used the Plain Folks idea to connect with the crowd in the beginning of the show. All their kids were also really cute! Definitely brought the warm fuzzes out of the crowd that night! This changed the vibe of the show from a concert, to an experience. There was a strong social interaction between the crowd and the band- making it a lasting memory in our minds.

When the lights went down , the first cord grabbed my limbic brain by its core- and rocked my world. They opened with Tweezer Reprise- if you've never heard it check it out- awesome song!

GET PHISHY PEOPLE

Aside from the physical show, there is so much that happens after the show in terms of social media and networking. Minutes after the show, it will be on YouTube/blogs/Twitters and Facebook accounts. You can go online after a show and find that people were updating blogs and streaming videos during the show! This is changing the entire concert experience, because bands are not just playing for the crowd anymore, they're playing for everyone on the web as well. Bands are going to be pressured into enhancing the show to make it appeal to the entire web. I think there is a change in the way shows are produced and performed- so it can appeal to multiple media forms vs. the band to audience experience from the past. Light shows and special effects are being used more and more to enhance the show. As the web continues to grow, we'll be seeing huge changes in the way concerts and performed. Phish even pulled out the trampolines and showed us some REAL skill!!