Wait a second. Are we seeing a new “meta-concert” evolve right before our eyes? Possibly. Let’s see what exactly happened when Ben Folds merged Chatroulette with live music this weekend.
To answer that question check out pop piano man Ben Folds (video above) who took the chance chat social networking site Chatroulette and the live concert experience one step further this weekend when he played live before a crowd in Charlotte, NC at the Fillmore.
Folds was doing a funny tribute to Merton as he improved live before the crowd merging improv piano with what ever pops up on his Chatroulette screen. All while the live crowd followed along giggling and laughing at every odd and quirky verse and image that popped up on his computer screen.
Like I said, this is pretty funny stuff and when I watched the video, I thought of how this could be used to make the live concert experience hyper-personal and possibly more interactive.
But like Mashable points out, we might be seeing the peak of fad or just the beginning of trend.
I’ll be optimistic and say we might actually be onto something here.
The whole idea and execution does need some refining. But at the very least, Folds shows how bringing Chatroulette into a live concert can keep a musician’s brain sharp and ready for anything during a concert. And how doing something like this can be fun for fans at home and at the show. I don’t think we’ve seen the end of this at all.
I think it might just bridge the gap and create sort of a meta-concert experience. I’m not sure exactly what that means but I know that it sure sounds cool and I’m excited to see what comes next.
A whole bunch of other questions popped in to my head when I saw this. So let’s riff on them in the comments below.
How else can an artist use something like Chatroulette at concerts?
Will we see record labels use technology or social networking sites like Chatroullette to create a new type of live recording Chatroulette mixtape that can be downloaded and sold with live albums?
Will fans fall in love with the chance of having their Chatroulette buddy end up being their favorite artist performing at a live concert and hope that they become a part of the show themselves?
And what about the brain activity of the artist doing the live improving? What exactly does it look like inside their brain during such an experience?