It’s rare to see a student walking around without a pair of tiny buds nestled in his or her ears. Whether we are walking to class, doing work or getting ready to go out, our generation has been spoiled by the easy and constant access to music.

Going to a live concert is the equivalent of your favorite artists ripping those ear buds out of your ears and dragging you to an awesome party where they just happen to be performing. With Avicii, B.o.B and Chiddy Bang at this weekend’s Juice Jam, South Campus is sure to be one hell of a good time.

Sure you’ve gotten into the routine of letting Kanye West pump you up on the way to your 8 a.m. class as you listen to ‘All of the Lights’ build in your ears. But imagine how much power that song could have as it blasts out of stadium-sized amplifiers, colored lights flashing with West passionately shouting into his microphone, close enough to see the logo on his Louis Vuitton sneakers.

Even if you’re in the nosebleeds, the energy emitted from a live show can often be felt from the parking lot. The last row is as good a place as any to rock out, which is often inevitable with booming music.

Then again, not every live performance is going to have you jumping up and down or head banging until you can’t walk straight. I would be lying if I said that I haven’t been watching Adele’s performance of ‘Someone Like You’ from the MTV Video Music Awards on repeat. A powerhouse voice, intelligent or moving lyrics, a catchy beat — there are so many ways a seemingly soft tune can hit you so hard.

Though there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your favorite artists live, live shows are one of the best places to learn more about what other kind of music is out there, just waiting to be added to your iTune’s top played list. Free from the tweaking and editing of the all-too-generous studio, a concert is the place to find true talent.

What really makes live music (usually) worth the money is being able to simply say you did it. We’ll be able to look back on a good time and good memories all backed by some great music.

– Compiled by Danielle Odiamar, asst. feature editor. dmodiama@syr.edu

Published on September 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm