blue man group, sound of the future?

I hadnt been to a ‘show’ or ‘theatrical performance’ for years…. Then i saw ‘Blue man group‘.

 

I was blown away by the logistics of creating such a show. Coordination of effects including lighting, sound and choreography, proved it to be a solid performance.

“The silly, lightly avant-garde trio of silent performers in Blue Man Group make this show visually stimulating, energizing, and an absolute blast!” – (Blue Man Group: New York City Theater Review About.com Rating  From Yvette Thompson, for About.com)

Throughout the show, the performers ‘educated’ the audience with quirky facts about contemporary issues, including global warming, music, and the social affect of the Internet. 

Paul Gillen, talking on webmasterradio.fm discusses Social Media and its Transformative Effects. He states “the traditional mainstream media used to be the key influencer, but now we are seeing the influx of blogs, podcasts, and social networks; they are even influencing mainstream network media.”

‘Blue man groups’ ability to communicate similar messages whilst maintaining a  captivated audience, essentially demonstrates their successful ability to express social / cultural views in a modern format.

Having been around for sometime now, and still getting huge audiences and receiving fantastic review, Blue Man Group may just original revolutionists/ artists that will be referenced for years to come. 

researched: Steve Jones (1993) Popular Music, Criticism, Advertising and the Music  

Posted by Adrian

“The Gondoliers”

During my time in Australia, I was fortunate enough to see Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Gondoliers” at the Sydney Opera House. When my family flew over to see me, my mother and I decided it would be fun to see a show at what is perhaps the most famous venue in the world. Surprisingly (and fortunately!), the tickets were not as expensive as we had anticipated! So, only knowing one song from the show (I had sang one in choir when I was in high school), we made our way to the Opera House and took our seats. Neither my mother nor myself were familiar with the plot or music (or operas in general, really!), but we figured if it was boring we could leave at intermission and still have the privilege of honestly saying we saw a performance at the Sydney Opera House!

Luckily, it did not come to that.

The show was fantastic – the music was brilliant, the costumes were amazing, and the performance was unbelievable! I went in not knowing what to expect (but semi-expecting to be a bit bored…) and came out LOVING “The Gondoliers”! With the stigma opera’s have (let’s face it, a lot of people picture a larger woman with long hair wearing a Viking hat and almost shrieking when they think of “operas”), I was very pleasantly surprised that I found myself authentically laughing and really getting involved in the show. The lead roles were all played by very talented actors and actresses who created very believable characters for themselves. They were essential to pulling in the audience and enthralling us with their story and the show’s music. The ensemble also did a fantastic job putting on beautiful song and dance numbers that helped liven up the show. Together, the cast and crew created quite a spectacle for their viewers.

Seeing as “The Gondoliers” is the only show I’ve had the opportunity to see at the Sydney Opera House, I wouldn’t have a whole lot of credibility in saying “the Sydney Opera House puts on amazing shows”. However, I CAN say that my experience at the prestigious venue was a great one and broke some of the preconceptions I had about operas in general. I was not expecting to be pulled into the story, but it happened – and if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

posted by Cassidy

the trend towards brand marketing through music festivals

Considering the rapid growth and popularity amongst youth and younger people, with the dense convergence of particular cultural groups, music festivals provide a fantastic marketing opportunity for companies aimed at these markets. A prime example of such marketing is the Virgin music festival, involving international and Australian musical acts coming together playing under huge TV screens with the ‘Virgin’ brand posters, Tents, and TV screens blotted throughout the arena’s.

I have recently been involved in the production of such an event and have seen that the building of a ‘sense of community’ creates a stronger association with the particular brand/ product marketed. As far as music is concerned, the ‘event’ staged involved performances from popular hip hop artists, whom the targeted audience all had an appreciation for. In combination of this musical festival/ event ‘new products’ were launched along with the production of a television commercial.

The growth of such events proves how powerful music culture is in terms of tapping into the tribalistic nature of people and bonding community. Whether you like it or not, you’ve gotta admit, its a clever way to promote (using music as a driving force).

                                                Pic: Above the ‘Scion‘ music Event in the Nevada Desert

 

Posted By Adrian

Australian Music Festivals

Over time a number of music festivals have formed to show case a range of Australian music. As discussed in our first project, live music plays a significant role in the lives of many people. Some of the advantages of seeing a band live include (Peter Earl):

– better atmosphere

– greater connection

– sounds better somtimes

– meet the performers and other fans

For these reasons the popularity of Australian music festivals has continued to grow. Some well known festivals include: The Big Day Out, Come Together Festival, East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Falls Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Splendour in the Grass, and perhaps the most appropritately named Asutralian festival – HOMEBAKE, which is compsed entirely of Australian artists (with the exception of some New Zealanders).

      

Year after year a number of these festivals continue to be sold out, which highlights the constant demand for live Australian music. I’ve attended a number of these festivals, some which i go to each year, and am continually impressed with the music that is presented. I love seeing old favourites being played by some of my favourite artists, and also like the new music that you can be exposed to. Most of my most memorable music experiences have come from music festivals, mostly from Aussie bands.

So why is it that Australian music is received so well at music festivals that continue to grow each year, but at the same time received such so coverage in the popular Top 40 talk?

Does anyone else have any Aussie music festival moments they’d like to share?

posted by Hannah