theconversation.com: Icons – and gigs – come in all shapes and sizes. July 6 marks the anniversary of the day that Paul McCartney and John Lennon first met at Woolton Fête in 1957. Sixty-three years later McCartney has played at massive and historic events: Olympic ceremonies, Royal Jubilees, Live Aid and, of course, stadiums and arenas around the world.
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The article does well to highlight the grassroots aspect. Small venues are vital in the shaping of artists. Paul McCartney said it himself. In addition, venues that have been known to house famous artists in the past are attracting people who want to stand and sit in the places their heroes once did. The article mentions that people frequent the Dublin Castle because that was where Amy Winehouse drank. It interested me that 78% of respondents in the UK live music census of 2017 had attended a small venue in the last 12 months. Nothing beats the atmosphere in a small, sweaty space. You can’t replicate that in a stadium. Artists want to make the people at the back of an 80,000 seater venue feel like they are right down next to them but they can’t. Successful artists are even opting back to playing the odd, intimate gig. The article roughly indicates how much financial aid is available to these venues but also tells us that this won’t solve all their problems. Battling hardships isn’t an unfamiliar task for these venues and Brexit doesn’t look as though it will make things any easier.
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