Does anyone else find this social dance bizarre and insulting?
The concert seemingly comes to an end, the band steps off stage, yet the lights in the theater remain low. There is an unspoken expectation between the band and the audience that regardless of the quality of the performance, the crowd will remain in their seats, making a requisite amount of noise in order to coax the band back on stage, despite the knowledge of all present that the musicians intend on returning regardless of the reaction of the fans.
I’m sure that there was a time when the encore was a legitimate act of audience appreciation, when a band would genuinely end their performance and head backstage, only to be inspired by a roaring crowd to return for one more number.
But this is no longer the case. Nowadays, bands save their most well known song for the encore, and even the lighting and pyrotechnics for an encore are preprogrammed, eliminating all illusion to the authenticity or spontaneity of the moment. In fact, performers often leave their instruments on stage during the encore, only removing them after the encore is complete. This contrived interplay between audience and performer is ridiculous and should end immediately.
This strikes me as similar to the silence that now reigns between movements in an orchestral performance.
False. Pretentious. Unnecessary. Stupid.
