Direct TV - The Perfect Concert Venue
The last major concert I went to was great in a lot of ways – there was the energy of the crowd and I got to hang out with my friends. On the other hand, the wind made it freezing cold and our “awesome tickets” that we had paid extra for to be on the ground near the stage ended up meaning that we couldn’t actually see a single thing happening on stage. The sound system was great so I still thoroughly enjoyed the live music, and the massive screens showed me everything I was blocked from seeing due to the abnormally tall audience. I had fun, bought the t-shirt, and afterwards spent 45 minutes getting out of the stadium and another 2 hours trying to track down a vacant cab to take me home, and when I finally found one, we sat in interminable post-concert traffic. It got me to thinking: I spent all that time, money, and energy just to watch a concert on a screen. Couldn’t I do all that from home?
The obvious answer was that I could, it had just never occurred to me. My TV is for watching obscure late night movies on Direct TV or savoring my NFL Sunday Ticket on the weekends. It had never occurred to me to use it as my own private concert venue. Since I’m already paying for the satellite TV service anyway, the concerts are free; on top of that they require no travel, I can eat my own food, drink my own beer, and adjust the volume exactly as I please.
I started to regularly skim the channels in search of a good live performance being aired. There are way more than I ever realized; I guess my eyes had always skipped right over the titles without paying much attention – makes me wonder what else I am missing through inattention. I am lucky because my big HD TV is in a well-insulated part of the house, so I can blast the music as loud as I want when a good song comes on; and I can just as easily turn it down when my ear drums start to quiver.
Some special equipment is definitely recommended if you want to start watching televised concerts. First and foremost it’s all about the music, so a solid sound system is an absolute must, and some surround-sound speakers really add to the effect. Next, this is a concert, not the radio, so the visuals are important as well. High definition captures the flashy lights and costumes of the performers, and makes you feel like you are really there watching the artist. It should go without saying that selecting one of the great Direct TV packages is a must, since you need access to the channels that broadcast concerts. Beyond that, I always enjoy having some extra treats to make it feel like a real event – as simple as popcorn or as involved as baking some cookies – and I always have a good beer in hand. Finally, I have to admit, one of my favorite new things about watching concerts from home is that there is no one around to see how ridiculous I look when I dance!
If you’re tired of spending outrageous amounts on tickets, or perhaps if you are short and eternally stuck behind some tall person, try catching a concert from the comfort of your living room in beautiful Direct TV HD; you just might be converted!