Last night, I went to see Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall. Both bands were great, although I had an entirely different experience with each of these acts. I had never seen Thee Oh Sees before and they blew me away. Now, truth be told, Castlemania and Carrion Crawler have not left my record player in weeks so I wasn't sure if their live show would meet my incredibly high expectations, despite everyone telling me how awesome they are live and hearing the stories. They far exceeded any expectations that I had. They killed it.

Ty Segall were also great, although I felt the level of enthusiasm slighty fell off, and I must say, I much preferred the dirtiness and raw fuzz of Ty's albums (solo or otherwise) to the live experience.

This got me thinking about live music and recorded music and how sometimes our expectations can dissapoint us. The live experience is one that affirms our devotion to a band or, in some cases, sever's it. I remember years ago I went to see Velvet Revolver (I told you I had terrible taste in music) at Darien Lake and the show was so utterly and objectively bad on all fronts that I had trouble ever listening to them again, which is a shame because I loved their albums. It's hard to maintain any semblance of enthusiasm when a band is clearly going through the motions and trying really, REALLY hard to be bad-ass and not coming anywhere close.

The live experience can also have the opposite effect. I saw AC/DC two years ago. They played a 3 hour set and it was packed with b-side cuts and Bon Scott tracks, and the energy on display that night rivaled any punk show I've ever been to. I was "re-affirmed" in Cleveland and am loyal to that band til the day that I die.

In both of these cases, the live show had a a significant impact on my impression of those bands. They not only affected my perception of them, but the way I listen to their music. In the case of AC/DC, I sought out more. In the case of Velvet Revolver, I lost interest.

There is a flip side to this coin. Sometimes we are so unimpressed with a band's recorded material that the live experience, should we choose to pursue it, is transcendant. I will admit, I was NOT a fan of Interpol when they came out. I couldn't understand the hype. Fast forward a year or so (circa '03?). My friend Angela is going to see them in Toronto, had a free ticket and asked me if I wanted to go. I had nothing better to do that day so I said sure. I'm glad I did because Interpol were so incredibly on point that I had no choice but to become a fan. The vibe in that room was inescapable and I dare anyone to deny the presence that band had on that particular night. Since that time I've been become a devoted Interpol fan.

Recorded material and the live show can complement each other, or you can be left with a hole in your wallet screaming "why did I just spend $15 to see this shitty band?" It's a risk we take as music enthusiasts. I sometimes think that that gamble is part of the fun in this game. Will will be re-affirmed or will our favorite bands let us down? Can they deliver on both fronts? Do we move together upstream or jump ship and find something new? As our tastes change how do we evolve as music listeners yet still maintain our roots? I know one thing. Whether live, or in the studio, a great band, a truly transcendant one, always delivers. And you will know it.