Ah, the life of LIVE music

This past weekend I got the opportunity to go to the Lotus Fest. I was able to see the Irish trio in that church. It was alright. I like Irish singing, and that ws the good part of it. Then there was the violin player, which left a lot to be desired. I don't think a recording would have helped a lot prior to listening to them live. I went to Les Yeux Noirs shortly afterwards.
Les Yeux Noirs has to have been one of the best performances I've been to in my life next to Barrage. I've heard critiques from others saying it was too simpistic and just not that great. Perhaps it's just because I'm a string player and I can relate to them in a way that I found it to be vastly entertaining. There was this energy there that you just don't find in other performances. The crowd got into the music like a bear gets into a beehive. When the tempo doubled in certain songs, the crowd got even more into the music. There was a uniqueness to their playing style that I've only seen in such groups as Time for Three (I highly recommend everyone to go to www.timeforthree.com) or Barrage, which added to their value in me. However, not all the songs were fast, which made a nice contrast. There were, obviously, some slow songs that made you feel just a little bit closer to the group, and then the fast songs would start up again, making your adrenalin flow. By the end, they had a very wired-up and enthusiastic crowd (at least, the ones who, like me, found it to be spectacular), so I'm sure they felt as excited as most of the crowd did. After this concert, I ran to the cd tent and bought the two albums they had there. Nothing was left to be desired from their cd's.

So. What I value in music is the power to move you and make you say wow. It can be powerful or gentle, but it must make you say wow.