My idea of fun is attending concerts. Usually, I attend shows at the Old National Center downtown Indianapolis. There are three venues inside this building: The Murat, The Egyptian Room and The Deluxe. They vary in size, The Murat being the biggest and The Deluxe being the smallest, fitting about 250 people inside the room. During the summer of 2016, I attended a concert at The Deluxe, The Egyptian Room, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Klipsch Music Center. There‘s quite a change from going to a 200 person concert to going to a 20,000 person venue. As I’ve attended these, I’ve been weighing the benefits of each type of venue.
Pros of a small venue.
Small venue shows have a more personal feel. Artists are able to make the crowd feel important, because there aren’t as many people in the audience.
The crowd gets an opportunity to meet and have actual conversations with band members.
They provide a chance for people in the crowd to bond, and be there for each other. You help the anxious ones calm down. You get to know the people next to you, which is refreshing since you both have the same interest in music.
Less traffic; the smaller the venue, the fewer people, the less traffic.
Small venues usually sell cheaper tickets. Concerts at the Deluxe usually range between $11.50 to $25.
Bragging rights; it’s such a cool feeling to see unknown artists in a small venue connecting with a crowd, and then watching them through their career as they grow. When they become big and play at Bankers Life, you get to say you saw them in a 200 person venue three years ago before they were on the radio with the number one Billboard song.
Pros of larger venues.
Although smaller venues are usually cheaper, larger venue shows last longer. There’s more content to watch, so you’re getting what you paid for.
You get to witness 20,000 people sing and dance to music you (and they) enjoy. You get to watch people be happy. For some of them, it’s their favorite band and something they’ve always wanted. You get to experience thousands of strangers connect through music.
You get to watch the humility come out in artists. They thank the crowd so much for singing along the lyrics they wrote. They cry on stage because they’re blown away by a number of people happy because of them.
Although there are more people, the crowd seems less judgmental. There are too many people to be concerned about who is wearing what to a show. You can’t pay attention to the eighth-grade girls who are pretending to be drunk because you don’t care as much.
Although everyone puts the concert on their Snapchat stories, it’s still great to be able to talk with people all over about a concert you all attended without even seeing them there. It’s a cool feeling to go to work the next day and talk with your co-workers about a show you all went to, but not together.
Both types of venues are incredible and they each have their own sets of benefits. Personally, I attend smaller concerts because the music I listen to isn’t popular enough for large venues. The Wombats played on July 11 in The Deluxe and it was an amazing show. The energy and passion was through the roof. The band was personal and in love with Indianapolis, just like the last time they played here. They made jokes, they played our favorite songs and they gave the crowd an amazing night. Panic at the Disco and Weezer came to Klipsch Music Center on July 12, and I went to that show as well. It was a huge show. It poured down rain during the show and it was still amazing. The crowd went crazy during both sets. There was a range of people from 7 years old to 50, and this venue of 20,000 people connected through music no matter their age or where they came from. That show was just as great as the one on Monday. There is nothing negative to say about either of them. One is not better than the other, they are both simply amazing in their own little ways. I can’t wait for the next weeks to come and be able to enjoy bands in all of the different venues in Indianapolis.
