In Seattle, concert enthusiasts have lots of options. With the abundance of large and small venues, seasonal festivals, and do-it-yourself (DIY) basement shows, people who like to see live music can do it in lots of ways. While concerts might not appeal to everyone that listens to music, they’re an essential part of any musical community because they serve as meeting places for like-minded artists.
The idea of dozens, if not hundreds, of frenzied people packing into a room just to listen to music they’ve probably already heard before wouldn’t seem like the best place to make friends. But Mycole Brown, a frequent Seattle concert-goer, would disagree by saying, “It’s great discovering so many different types of people. I like underground shows as you get to meet people from around the world on occasion.” With smaller venues and DIY concerts, you’ll easily recognize faces and begin to make friends after a few shows.
Major venues typically put on the best shows by having the highest quality sound systems and most skilled personnel. However, their shows can feel impersonal because of the size of the crowds. The Vera Project mostly holds shows for musicians that are just emerging in popularity. Many local bands can claim it as the location of their first live show. Venues like Neumos and The Crocodile host artists that already have a sizable fan base. Acts that can draw the largest crowds play at the Neptune Theater or The Showbox, which can hold 800 and 1,100 people respectively. On the other end are DIY shows which are usually held in basements, garages, or in unofficial concert halls which cap at 50-100 people.
While major venues typically book based on the size of a crowd the artist can draw, smaller venues and DIY shows base their concerts on the style of music the artists play, loosely adhering to their scene’s genre. Houses that regularly host shows around the Seattle have code names like “Werewolf Vacation, Crush Castle, and The Future.” These shows are mainly attended by university students and other young adults looking to
Major venues typically put on the best shows by having the highest quality sound systems and most skilled personnel, but this isn’t always preferable. Mycole feels, “Major venues are more predictable….they have much less of a sense of community. You don’t quite feel like you can meet a bunch of interesting people to hang out with outside of the event. Small shows are more geared towards being social. Plenty of people don’t simply come for the music. Smaller shows are more about expression and sharing art for the sake of art.”
Seattle’s energetic, storied musical history extends to the modern day through bands both new and old playing music how it’s always been played — live. If there’s a stage, concert enthusiasts will come, whether it be a concert hall, community stage, or household basement. With community support, friendships can be made, which is how I met Mycole Brown. And if the state of today’s music is any indication, this will be the case for many, many, years to come.
