Disrupting Routine is a GOOD Thing in 2021: a hasty review of Steve Carlson’s recent StageIt
On any given Sunday, when it’s a balmy, 70-ish degrees, I spend a good portion of the day working in the yard. There’s mowing the grass, edging the sidewalk with the weed-eater, (that should probably be trademarked) and rearranging the ever-present brush pile as fodder for the fire pit. The rhythm of the work is underscored by the near-constant drone of cicadas and the occasional bitten-off scream as a garter snake crosses my path. At the end of the chores sits a large glass of iced tea and a baseball cap, both drenched in sweat.
This afternoon’s cadence was interrupted because I purchased a ticket to a 30-minute live streaming concert via StageIt. Steve Carlson was performing from Austin, Tx., and as one half of my current music obsession Radio Company, it felt like the right time to try something new. Apparently he’s been doing these about once a month during the pandemic and I hadn’t realized it. (Some uber fan I am.) Never having seen Steve live, I wasn’t sure what to expect from either the performer or the platform.
My first exposure to a live stream-no audience “venue” was the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day concert by the Dropkick Murphys from Boston. It came through Youtube and honestly, these guys don’t need a crowd to put on a show. But, watching them from my living room with the family and a plate full of corned beef ? As much as I like their music, I just wasn’t feeling it.
Eighteen months later, give or take, here’s one guy with a guitar, a dobro, and a ukulele broadcasting from what looks like his basement. It was thrilling! What was so different?
As eclectic as my musical tastes are, the obvious things like musical style don’t count here. I believe one major difference is the social media/ chat aspect of StageIt. This being my first StageIt experience, listening to Steve sing and following the chat stream simultaneously was difficult. When hearing songs that I knew (“Truly Forgotten”, “What Goes Around”), I wanted to engage with other audience members, but felt that would be rude to the performer, akin to passing notes in class. Then again, he can’t hear us clap after every song, so the lack of auditory feedback must be disconcerting — like giving a Zoom presentation when all the cameras are off. When he played songs that were unfamiliar, I simply wanted to just sit and absorb everything I could. Trying to translate the traditional in-person concert etiquette to the world of streaming no doubt shows my age, and it makes me wonder if there’s a better way to experience live streaming performances.
Since StageIt performances are not recorded, I kept a list of the songs Steve played so I’d have something to help me remember — maybe write a more nuanced review later. There was some new-to-me material which is always exciting and makes me think that interrupting my “regularly scheduled Sunday programming” needs to happen more often. Preferably, those interruptions will soon be face-to-face.
Steve did say at the beginning of the session that he didn’t read the chat because it made him mess up his lyrics. My thought was, “How cool would it be if he created a song based on what he read in the chat?” Is there an emoji for disruption? How about musical innovation? (Eighth notes and a light bulb!)
