Considering the rapid technological developments in the recent past, westernization of indigenous cultures is a common occurrence. Ideally, many parts of the world have been influenced by western civilization due to early technological developments that took place in the western countries. Music from the western world contributes significantly to the spread of western civilization in other parts of the world. In this regard, the following discussion will evaluate personal experience of live music performance I attended to.
In 2013, I was lucky to experience live performances of various musicians during the annual MTV Video Music Awards (MTV VMA). As expected, the MTV VMA receives international attention because prominent artists feature during the awards. It is for this reason that tried my best to attend the 30th annual MTV VMA live performance on August 25th, 2013 at Brooklynn’s Barclays Center. Interestingly, MTV VMA performances thrilled the audience in attendance to the extent I had never experienced. Audience applauded their favorite artists while analyzing the whole show.
During the entire period, different artists performed various songs in a bid to entertain their audience in celebration of their achievement. For instance, Kanye West performed the song titled “Blood on the Leaves” for the first time live on the stage. In many cases, artists stage unique performances during MTV VMA in order to attract the attention of the audience. Other performances included “Applause” by Lady Gaga, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake, “Gorilla” by Bruno Mars, “Same Love” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and “Take Back The Night” by Justin Timberlake.
All artists demonstrated a high level of creativity by crafting their performance in a way that appealed to the audience. In evaluating the performance settings, both the artist and the audience showed unique behavior due to the activities that took place at Brooklynn’s Barclays Center on that night. Almost all artist dressed costumes that closely matched the theme of their performance. In addition, it was evident that all the performers were happy and psyched up for the performance since they showed energy in all their performances.
Audience too had their share of demonstrating their energy by dancing and cheering for their favorite performances. Moreover, the audience also discussed widely while rating the performances done by various artists. Parameters were used by the audience to evaluate live performances and provide different ratings to artists. In many cases, many audiences judge performance according to the level of positive feedback from the crowd. However, certain elements, judged independently, contribute to the overall feedback provided by the audience.
According to Georgia Department of Education, assessment of live music performances involves evaluation of musical elements, such as rhythm, melody and timbre, and critiquing using concert customs and musical technique used (2009). Performance of “Blood on the Leaves” was my favorite during that night. Stage performance of the song incorporated animations such as dim light illuminating and illustration of ‘tree leaves’. “Blood on the Leaves” was an important song to me because it highlighted important issues in the community such as racism and slavery.
In addition, the backup artists in the song were energetic, and encouraged Kanye West hence motivating the audience to sing and dance along. It is the remarks of the master of ceremony during the introduction of the artist that caught the attention of the audience hence motivating them to respond positively. In conclusion, MTV VMA live performance in 2013 was an exciting experience. Various artists performed various categories of music and other short plays that entertained the audience. Considering the publicity given to the MTV VMA, it is undeniable that the western civilization has influenced indeginous cultures around the world
Bibliography:
Georgia Department of Education. (2009). Georgia Performance Standards for Fine Arts Education. Retried from https://www.georgiastandards.org/standards/gps support docs/fine-arts-music-gps.pdf
