The Beauty Of Live Performance

Photo by Marino Thorlacius

I totally agree with Ólafur Arnalds on this: 

The beauty of live performance lies in its imperfections. Otherwise you can just be listening to a CD. The live situation is not the same as a studio situation so you shouldn't play like you're in a studio. . . . It needs to be human. That's why people come to concerts. That's why mistakes are okay, that's why surprises are okay and imperfection is super important live.

The energy and intimacy of a live performance is so far removed from that of listening to a CD or Spotify. It's strange that bands and artists choose to just replicate their studio recordings live on stage without making changes to reflect the new environment and undistracted attention of an audience. It's probably why I haven't been to a pop or rock gig in so long!

Ólafur is a fascinating guy, you can check out the full interview below.

Read: Ólafur Arnalds: Five Things I Learnt in my Twenties