I can always count on forgetting to unplug my hair straightener or taking my clothes out of the laundry, but I know I’ll never forget the thrill of my very first concert, even if I tried. However, this emotion isn’t as tied to the 2016 Coldplay “Head Full of Dreams” tour as I thought it might be. Live music anywhere is evocative: take the proud faces of my grandparents in the audience watching my middle-school orchestra play, or the turning heads of people running late to work as they hear a saxophonist on a street corner. The power of live music extends far beyond what we might think. Eager to learn more, I reached out to a musician in my community.Â
Mrs. Elizabeth Lane, a close family friend and professional violinist, describes her experiences witnessing music “transport people away from their ailments, like a balm for the soul.” Mrs. Lane helped me understand that performers have an equally strong emotional response to music, and feel for their fans in a similar manner. It also has the power to heal. During her time playing in Alzheimer’s homes, Mrs. Lane noticed that “as soon as patients start hearing familiar music, the brain, no matter how damaged it is, has the music in there. Music can transform that person.” Live music serves as more than leisure: it’s a tool to mend ailments and reinstate joy.Â
The grandeur of concerts works to amplify the already-powerful emotions evoked by live music. Lindsay A. Fleming’s “The Science of Why Humans are Obsessed with Stadium Concerts” argues that concerts are integral to cultural fabric as “events that have expanded well beyond geography and generations.” They remain popular even as markets keep capitalizing off their euphoria through price gouging, increasing inaccessibility. The The National Library of Medicine (NLM) furthers her argument through research on live music’s impact on brain activity. In comparison to prerecorded music, live environments “demonstrated general [positive] emotional and cognitive effects in listeners, such as reduced depressive symptoms and better memory performance.” In One Direction’s documentary This Is Us, a featured neurosurgeon explains that when “Directioners” listen to a One Direction song, the following dopamine hits lead to feelings of joy, manifesting as shivers, tears, and goosebumps.
“While a concert might only be one night, the memories last forever. You might just discover your new favorite song, your best friend, or a fond memory to look back on.”
Conversations with Mrs. Lane and quick research make it clear that live music is integral to the human experience. Concerts remain costly and inaccessible, a hurdle that fans themselves cannot jump without the help of policy. Still, the benefits of live music are profound. The next time you are walking to the bus stop, take out an Airpod to listen to a busker. Pause a conversation with a friend to listen to the pianist at a bar. While a concert might only be one night, the memories last forever. You might just discover your new favorite song, your best friend, or a fond memory to look back on. So go ahead, enjoy the dopamine hit.