Virtual Concerts — a New Way to Experience Music

Last night I attended NextVR’s live streamed concert of Thievery Corporation. This was my first VR concert — and I believe one of the first live streamed concerts ever in virtual reality. As someone who sees dozens of shows a year, I was equally excited and apprehensive about what the experience would be like. Spoiler: for a new technology, it was surprisingly good! I’ll admit it- I got up and danced. I may have even clapped and whistled. This is the future and I’m eagerly awaiting more.

Will it replace attending concerts in person? No, but it is a solid alternative- actually- it will certainly be a great *addition* to the live concert scene.

There are, of course, still many reasons to go to live shows… dancing with others, meeting the artists, crowdsurfing(?), buying merch. But the many things that differentiate a live concert from a recorded album still happen in VR. For example, I felt the same amount of joy when the band came back for the encore, and there was still a lingering post concert buzz after it ended. One of the benefits of the VR show was that there was no waiting in line to exit when the show was over!

Other benefits to a virtual show — not being stuck behind tall people, or being shoved in the back by someone that has had too much to drink. It was also incredibly easy to go to the restroom or get a beverage when needed- or to sit down during a lull.

And the perspective! The views were fantastic. Imagine seeing the band play from side stage, from the pit, and even behind the drummer! It felt like magic to see the rug on the stage, the bassist’s bare feet, and his unique dancing moves as he played. The detail was incredible — I could see what chords were being played, which pedals the guitarist used and even the outline of the telephone in one of the singer’s pockets.

But even better, there were things that wouldn’t have been possible to see without this vantage point. This is what takes a concert in VR to another level. Seeing the looks the artists gave each other made me *feel* the joy they had performing. Also, it was exciting when the band members seemed almost inches from me (though it was intense, so probably good that it didn’t happen too often). It was also fun to see the patterns of light on the beautiful ceiling of The Tabernacle in Atlanta- from the stage! Or to notice the guitar player removing his shoes before he sat on the couch to play the sitar.

You would think seeing a concert this way would feel solitary, but it didn’t. The audience was clearly part of the experience. The crowd sounded very real and it was great to see people in the front row singing along (except for the 14-year old who looked a little bored next to her parents). It felt special to notice nuances like the guy that was crouching in the pit.

There were a few things I thought I would miss, but didn’t. In particular, the feel of the bass. I was certain that a live show wouldn’t be the same without feeling the music, but in truth I barely noticed it was missing. That said, I did have the volume turned up loud and there is a certain amount of response in that. Also, I thought I would want to move around more. But really, as long as you can see, who walks around much at a show? Dancing in place was enough. Finally, I was concerned it would feel too long in the headset, but 90 minutes went by quickly. This was the longest I have been in an HMD and the Gear was comfortable the entire time.

There were a few things that took some time to adjust to before they felt comfortable. The first was the visual in general- it seemed a bit blurry and not real for the first few minutes. Also initially surprising was the background (the opposite view from the stage) which was a green room with guitars and logos for NextVR. Most of the time during a concert the viewer is looking ahead anyway — so I barely turned around. Even when I did, after a few times it didn’t pull me out of presence. The switching of views from side stage-to pit-to balcony also took a few minutes to get used to. That said, they did a nice job moving between the vantage points without being distracting or feeling too unnatural. There was no motion sickness through this movement.

While I had a great time and fully enjoyed the VR concert, I do want to point out a few areas where I feel the experience can be improved. Most significantly, the people felt too small which ended up being distracting throughout the whole show. To me they felt about 4 feet tall — so not average human size. Also, the sound was pretty good, but didn’t feel natural in many cases. In future shows it will be interesting to see how the sound matches and transitions with the views. The most real sound for me was right in front of the stage. I also realized halfway through the show that singing along sounds strange — but most of us shouldn’t be singing along anyway. The ending was a bit abrupt, but that will change with more practice. Also, the ability to take a picture to share with others would be a great addition.

All in all, a spectacular first experience. I’m excited and thrilled that this will allow more people to see more music when they couldn’t otherwise- due to physical limitations, cost, travel, etc. It will also be great to have the ability to watch a concert in VR that I have seen live. Looking forward to more! Kudos to NextVR, Thievery Corporation, Samsung Gear and all others that made this experience possible.