Not everybody with perfect hearing enjoys music, much less a specific performance. So let’s just get that out of the way. I don’t understand how people couldn’t love music, but I accept that it’s not for everyone.
But if you were unable to hear anything at all, would you go to a show? Would it just be an enormous frustration, or might you have a great time out?
Most of us can close our eyes, listen to a recording, and feel something. Maybe feel a lot. Music has the power to evoke deep emotions in many of us.
But sound is not the only way to convey tenderness, energy, or any other number of feelings during a performance.
I have no idea why these thoughts and questions came to me the other night. But they were top of mind while, driven by a whim, I shot for the Loudoun Now at a nice local venue called the Tally Ho.
This wasn’t a huge pyrotechnical stage production. The theater can accommodate about 600 people, so there’s room to do things with lighting, but no explosions, please!
But it’s a great venue. And with good acoustics come clean vibrations.
I imagined what it would be like if I couldn’t hear these excellent, regional bands. I thought about it between shots. What could you see, what could you feel?
Amber Galloway-Gallego has become famous signing music and concerts for the hearing impaired, and she’s fabulous. There are haptic suits being designed to help people feel even more, as we speak. It’ll be fantastic to see more products and services emerge to allow people to enjoy music as much as possible.
Without either, though, is it hopeless?
The more images I made, the more I thought it might not be. A person might be able to perceive quite a bit.
Imagine you were unable to hear, but could see and maybe feel these moments:
There’s a famous line from White Men Can’t Jump, where Wesley Snipes tells Woody Harrelson: “Look man, you can listen to Jimi but you can’t hear him. There’s a difference. Just because you’re listening to him doesn’t mean you’re hearing him.”
With all respect to Snipes’ character, maybe there’s more than one way to hear?
There are certainly deaf people who are regular concertgoers. They talk about the feel in addition to the visual.
And then there are the interpersonal emotions of the band members.
The previous three images are from the evening’s headliner band, Yarn. They’ve been been together for 17 years, and they tour up and down the coast. They are excellent, highly skilled, and the personalities of each member are clear and distinct on stage. The lead singer is expressive and energetic. The guitarist is soulful and skilled, with and without his slide. The bass player is funky and theatrical. They are greatly entertaining.
But the following three images show something additional. The opening act, 2MB The Band, has only been a group together for about a year, They had never played a venue like this before. Their skill was outstanding, and if you were listening with your eyes closed you wouldn’t realize what a big deal this was for them.
But watching them onstage, their joy was unmistakeable.
These were special moments not only for them, for those of us in the audience. Unforgettable.
Would I ever want to lose my ability to hear music? Of course not. I love listening to music.
But if I did, would that be “it”?
No. I don’t think so.
There’s too much to enjoy. So, Mr. Snipes. You were pretty funny in the movie, I’ll give you that. But in real life I must disagree.
And by the way, if anybody reading this finds themselves near either band, check them out, you’ll be glad you did. With or without sound.
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Donn, I enjoyed your article and the great pictures.