Archive: Opinions

I've always been fascinated by the power of ritual, particularly in large groups.  A group personality takes over that transcends the individuals that make it up.  When the Lord's Prayer or the Kaddish (the Jewish prayer for the dead) are recited it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.  So I was a bit taken aback at the American Idol concert Monday night when I realized how ritualized pop music concerts have become.

I hadn't been to a rock concert in some time, and I may not have been as aware of these rituals when I did go.  But Monday I was stunned by the audience participation in the concert.  It was so uniform that it almost seemed scripted.  I noticed it at the beginning of the concert because of a technical glitch, and then I couldn't help noticing it.

The technical glitch came when they showed an introductory video.  As the very large crowd realized the show was starting an ear piercing shriek came from the audience, a specific kind that everyone seemed to know.  But then the show didn't start.  Ladders descended from the lighting trusses and a technician climbed down to get something or other.  About 20 minutes later they replayed the video and the audience reaction was spookily identical to the first time.

Evidently pop concerts have become more participatory events than traditional concerts.  For some tunes you wave your arm back and forth, preferably with a flashlight or a lit up cell phone in your hand.  When a singer ups the volume and reach of their vocal range, the audience knows to scream.

The performers encouraged it, and the audience seemed to respond as if it were hypnotized.  At a couple of points one of the singers encouraged the audience to text message to a certain number, and I was stunned at how many people actually did.  I wondered how much they were being charged for that particular text message and marvelled at the various ways the American Idol crew have found to make a ton of money.

I am not dissing this behavior.  Part of the genius of American Idol is the way the show gets its audience to take ownership of the competition, and how well that works.  You start to feel as if you know the contestants, and their success in the competition becomes personal.  Absolute strangers talked uninhibited at the drop of a hat about their favorite singers and the details of their lives and careers.  That buy-in made this concert seem more like a family affair than the giant pop concert it actually is.  The ritualistic response of the audience gave them a role in the concert, one that was as important to the weave of the event as the singers and the band.

I guess what fascinates me so much about ritual is that I don't really understand how or why it works.  But I can feel its sheer power when I see it, and while you usually see it in places of worship it was impressive to see it has the same impact at an event that is just for fun.

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