The Luck Reunion
You can’t watch it.
There are two immutable internet paradigms:
1. Everybody won’t be aware of what you are doing, no way, there’s no way to reach everybody, the channel is just too clogged.
2. We live in an on demand culture, people want to experience it when they want to experience it. Of course, you can make it a one time only event, which is what live is all about, but when capacity is unlimited, was everybody aware of the show? I mean if you sell out a physical venue, you’re probably satisfied, but if the whole world is your audience, don’t you want to reach more people?
Usually the Luck Reunion garners 4,000 in-person attendees.
The Livestream last night had over 100,000 viewers. How many stayed the whole time? We don’t get the granular data we need, that’s the problem with Netflix views, you don’t have to watch much to be counted.
All this is to say what I’ve actually seen of the Luck Reunion show is FABULOUS!
Funny world we live in. The record industry keeps telling us it’s about beats, that hip-hop is the only thing that matters, and then you tune into something like the Luck show and you hear “wooden music” and pure voices and your soul is touched, your heart pitter-patters, you want more.
So sure, I saw references to the Luck Reunion online yesterday, but I was busy and I did not see it as a priority, I mean I like Willie, I’ve seen him, but do I need to stop everything to watch his show?
And live at home is not a good experience. It’s hard to sit there and watch without surfing, it’s different from being in the venue.
And to tell you the truth, so much live stuff on YouTube is awful. Sure, you can blame it on recording techniques, i.e. an iPhone far away, but even through that you can oftentimes hear how the singer can’t sing in tune, that outside the studio their voice just isn’t that pure, it’s disappointing.
And then you hear Lukas Nelson sing “Turn Off the News (and Build a Garden)” and your jaw drops.
Navigate to here:
How the Luck Reunion Pulled Off Its Most Emotional Year Yet – With No Crowd
You’ll see the pic of Paul Simon right on top, I’ll get back to that.
But scroll down to the video and click to play. You’ll be positively stunned at Lukas Nelson’s voice, this is exactly what is coming out of his mouth, with no effects, no pitch correction, no autotune.
And then you want to hear more, BUT YOU CAN’T!
The article linked to above says the show is still available on Twitch, but then you click through and it isn’t, I tried multiple browsers, is there something I don’t get? I was researching and I just could not find the complete concert, not on YouTube, not anywhere.
But then I went to:
And I clicked on “paul simon, edie & woody,” it was only half a minute, but their version of “All I Have To Do Is Dream” was exquisite, it reminded me of the sixties, when we got together and sang, when the songs were still singable. (Does that make me sound like an old fart? Maybe, but one thing I’ll tell you for sure is melody never goes out of style, and a great song is one that can still be sung half a century later!)
Now when you finish watching that, click back on:
(It’s easier this way, trust me.)
And then click on “View All,” which is in purple, above the clips.
Scroll down twelve rows to the pic of Paul Simon and click to hear an excerpt of “American Tune.” Paul seems to be wearing most of his years, but he can still pick and his slightly weathered vocal adds gravitas and humanity to the song.
So my main point is this Luck Reunion show should be available to be streamed in its entirety, and also be available for song by song streaming, especially because it was a tip-only show.
But my secondary point is this wooden music is treated like a second class genre, but it’s not, it’s primary, it’s the music that’s played in cafes, bars and theatres all over the country. And it’s this music that resonates in this time of isolation.
After this period of isolation is all over, there will be a number of resets.
First, people will stop demonizing technology, will stop complaining about kids on their phones after they realize it’s these devices, this technology, that allows us to connect, that keeps us united.
Second, people will stop demonizing Amazon, our link to products. In an era where the local merchant, if there even is one, is shut down, thank god for Amazon.
Third, we will all remember this experience, how we were alone and craved togetherness.
There’s been a tsunami of live streams in the last week. The problem has become that many musicians are using it for self-promotion, they say they’re giving back, but what they really want is fame. So…we’ve got the paradigm referenced above, so much in the channel that we don’t hear about things and end up overwhelmed.
But this Luck Show is something different, it’s a showcase of what once was, and forever will be, something we need more focus upon, because it’s not evanescent crap, but stuff that speaks to our cores, that keeps us alive.
