Maybe it’s not ideal to do gigs online – the intoxicating energy exchange between the artist and the audience as they feed off of each other dies before it even begins. Lynn yelling down the camera “how are you guys feeling?” to be met with complete silence seems like a funny take on what makes a gig a gig. Without an audience, there is a weird energy.
But what can we do about it, would I prefer no gigs at all? Absolutely not, not experiencing live music since March has left a hollowed out portion of my soul and this PVRIS show seemed to be shovelling material into that crevice.
The 30 minute wait to start the show featured some music videos and a White Noise cocktail making with the band. This, I can only assume, was fun for the top fans of the band, but the production quality was pretty basic and slightly awkward. It is a clever idea to provide more than a basic show, but could really be leant into to create a less awkward atmosphere.
Hearing White Noise in full was a great incentive to watch the live show. Hearing the songs reminded me of when the album was released, who I was then vs the world that we live in now. There was a sweet nostalgia that reminded me of the emotions I unloaded onto their songs 6 years ago. This emotional state was aided by the strong audio mixing, Lynn’s voice (which has improved greatly) and the decent production in general. If they would’ve got this wrong it would’ve really hindered the show, but they didn’t and so it only aided it.
The only real mistake, I think, was the fact that PVRIS played the album in order. Due to the nature of an album the energy of the concert started strong with all of the classics from the album but eventually tapered off with the slightly less known slower songs. With previous full album shows I have found that song order controls the energy which is really important (especially with no audience). The anticipation of what song comes next and the traditional journey of having a calm more acoustic area ¾ through would have really benefited the energy of the concert.
Overall it felt like home hearing the band perform White Noise in full. Of course the things they can’t control made the experience slightly awkward, but it’s worth experiencing those just to see live music again.
Lynn can push the microphone into the camera like she is leaning off the stage, but will it feel the same if a few hundred people aren’t deafening me at the same time? No.
Should it matter when PVRIS can bring joy in such a mournful time? No.
