Concert review of the Train and Mat Kearney Show at Ravinia Festival in Chicago Illinois - Essay Example

A unique feature of this venue is that the pavilion itself is already elevated on a natural terrain so that the viewers do not have to crane their necks or push towards the front of the concert in order to have a good look at their performing band. This ease of viewing added greatly to the overall experience as from the concert experiences I have had, it can often be frustrating to attempt to maintain a comfortable distance from the performance while still being able to have good visibility and not being crushed by the crowd.

With respect to the concert lighting, the concert fell short. This was not necessarily due to a lack of proper planning but due to the fact that the performance took place outdoors. As such, most lighting displays need adequate indoor facilities in order to project the lights onto the stage instead of from the stage to the stage. Therefore, by nature of the venue, the lighting left something to be desired as the performers were illuminated in what only seemed like a two dimensional way. To be fair, in order to achieve proper lighting, it would have been necessary to anchor multiple high powered lights in and around the area that the concert goers were viewing the show.

This would have caused further inconvenience due to the hassle of draped power cords and the non visibility that would have been a problem to those seated or standing behind such anchored lights. With rock concerts, the venue has a heavy bearing as to the overall ability of the lighting and sound to mirror the same type of experience that might be available to the concertgoer in an indoor setting. As such, with respect to the overall sound level and equipment used, the organizers were limited with what they could do; instead having to sacrifice by setting up a barrage of speakers on the front lines of the pavilion in order to ensure that the sound was loud enough to reach those at the very back of the concert area.

Such a technique is effective, however; it can make the noise level somewhat unbearable for those that wish to be in the front rows of the concert. This was very much the case as I attempted to get a closer view of the performance I was appalled at the overall noise level that was coming from the very front of the concert. It was uncomfortable in the extreme to spend more than a very few moments in such a setting. This fact helped to somewhat reduce the overall effectiveness of the concert; however, it must be noted that as described earlier, such techniques are just part and parcel of what having an outdoor concert necessarily entails and could not have likely been improved by another band performing under the same conditions.

With respect to overall accessibility, the concert also scored well in my perspective. Due to the fact that there was plenty of room to move around, high stage visibility even from areas far removed from the performance and an outdoor setting, individuals, even with disabilities, could easily gain entry, have room to move around, and enjoy the concert without being impeded by the setting. With respect to the actual fashion and style that the performer’s exhibited, it could be described as a very folksy representation of pan-America.

Flannel, leather, boots, and cowboy hats