Traditions During Concerts

Topic: Tradition


Source: At a Portugal. The Man concert in the Kate Buchanan Room at HSU on September 27, 2011 (10pm-12am.)

Relation: When attending a Portugal. The Man concert I observed the traditions of going to concerts and how they vary with the type of music playing, who is surrounding you, and what type of venue the concert is taking place at.


Description: About three months ago I heard one of my favorite bands Portugal. The Man was going on tour. I got really excited when I saw that the first show of the tour was going to be about a month into my first year here at Humboldt so I immediately bought my ticket.
I didn't care if I was going by myself when I bought my ticket but I made many new friends here and some of them were going to the show as well. I met up with my friend Emily about a hour before the show and waited in line. Then we went in together and walked straight to the front middle area of the stage. People started rushing in but we held strong to our place in front of the stage. While waiting, Emily and I talked about different concerts we've been to and how fun they were. After about 20 minutes passed the band members finally walked onto stage where all of the instruments were ready for them. The crowd immediately started cheering and the band began playing their two hour set.
Portugal. The Man is categorized as an indie band (independent, college genre), therefore the crowd wasn't as energetic as some of the other shows I have been to that were more intense because of the different genre of music being played or how popular the band was compared to the one I saw this week.
From my point f view in the front middle of the stage most of the students around me were swaying back and forth, bebop-pin their heads, and the occasional jumping around. A few times when the music got louder and faster and the crowd became more enthusiastic, a very minuscule mosh pit formed next to me. This was somewhat surprising to me because, in general, indie bands don't attract the type of people that you would expect start a mosh pit. I saw Portugal. The Man three years ago but had to leave early so I only was able to see about half an hour of them, and there was barely any dancing from the crowd and there wouldn't have been a mosh pit at that show because the people were slightly older and much more calm compared to the crowd at HSU.
After the show was done the crowd called for an encore so they came out again and played three more songs for us and the lead singer talked to his audience a little more. Then after the encore was finished, we all went home or back to whatever else we had planned for the Tuesday night.  

Portugal. The Man Sept 27th

Analysis: These traditions I have witnessed in my past experiences with going to concerts and music festivals have changed due to the different bands playing, the venue it's at, and the people around me. Yet, at all of the shows I have been to I've noticed that people obviously go to the show to watch the band and have fun with their friends or the people they meet. For me, going to concerts, it's a tradition to get as close to the front as possible, try to stay near my friends if possible, and dance, of course.
There was definitely a difference between the show I saw this week and some of the others I have been to. For example, when I saw Paul McCartney a few years ago with my mom, we had to sit in the bleachers at AT&T Park. This was the first concert that I was surrounded my older people with their families and I had to sit down for most of the show. But we still danced in our seats and I would have to say that was one of the best shows I have been to.
Another concert that wasn't like any other I have been to was when I saw Crystal Castles (electronic experimental hard core band) with my three guy friends in March of this year. We got to the very front of the stage and I was literally fighting just to be able to breath. This experience was totally different from seeing Portugal. The Man or Paul McCartney. The people surrounding me were on a lot of substances and going crazy. It was an amazing experience.
My last example was when I went to Outside Lands Music Food and Art Festival in the Golden Gate Park a week before I moved to Arcata. This was different for me because I have never been around so many people at a concert before. There was about 25,000 people attending this festival and almost all of them were really excited to be there and having a blast. During some shows it was impossible for me to get to the front of the stage, but as you can see in the picture bellow, I was very far back when seeing Girl Talk but everyone, even as far back as we were, was still dancing and going crazy.
In summation, I love going to shows and taking part in the traditions of concert going. 

Girl Talk August 13th 2011

Taking a Closer Look at a Camera

Topic: Material Culture

Source: Taking pictures with my Polaroid camera in my room on Saturday, September 17th.

Relation: Looking closer into how a Polaroid camera can be observed to see the relation between this object and our culture.

Description: Yesterday while sitting in my room I decided to take a couple Polaroids because I was bored. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to analyse my camera as a cultural artifact, like we did in class, and to share my analysis through this blog.  

At a first glance this object looks like a plain little block of black plastic with a strap hanging from it and a couple of words written on it. But, when the flash is flipped upwards, the camera takes a whole new shape. Now it has even more words written on it, the lens is showing, and there are a few more switches that can be turned off and on. The Polaroid camera, other than the basic disposable film camera that you easily find a buy, is the easiest camera I have ever used. Yet, if someone from another cultural who might not have contact with any form of photography would look at this object and have no clue what it was.

Analysis: There are several factors to this devise that can be further analysed such as: the words written on it, various symbols, the different buttons and switches that can be used, and how to use it. 

I have a Polaroid Sun600. This is the brand name which means that there is more Polaroids manufactured that probably have different names other than the Sun600. There is a little squiggly lightning bolt symbol on the top of the flash which represents the flash and when it's turned off and on.  To properly use this camera the user must know how to operate it and what these symbols and flashing lights mean. There is a button to push to take a photo and another bellow it to put film into the camera. This shows that the photographer must be able to know how to buy film, which type of film to buy, and how to install it properly. It also shows that there is probably a large market involved with Polaroids because they are able to sell cameras, film, and accessories.

Through the process of observing my camera a little closer I was able to see how this object in a symbol of consumerism and marketing and the importance of these things in our American culture.   

Hangin' with the Homeless: Getting To Know the Norms of the Local Homeless

Topic: Norms

Source: On the morning of Saturday, September 3rd, my friend Abbey Teitelbaum and I talked to several homeless people in the Arcata Plaza. Their names are Hippie, Patrick, Desta, and True Blood.

Relation: This is a relationship between the differences of homeless people living in Arcata and the norms of my life as a college student.

Description: My friend Abbey and I decided to go into town around noon a couple Saturdays ago to look at shops just roam around town. When we were walking through the plaza we noticed a rather large group of homeless people sitting on the grass, looking like they were having a good time. Most of them were either laughing, talking, or playing with their dogs. Abbey and I then decided to go up and talk to some of them. Neither of us were very nervous because there was a lot of people around and they looked like generally nice people. I don't think I would have went up and talked to them on my own because there was so many of them and I would probably get too nervous even though I know most of them are nice people.
We approached the first couple person we talked to. We asked if we could sit by them and they said yes and told us their names are Patrick and  Hippie. We started talking and we asked them various questions such as, "How did you become homeless? Where do you sleep? How do you get money and how often? How did you get here and why Arcata?" They were happy to answer all of these questions and seemed excited to be talking to us. After talking to Hippie and Patrick for awhile their friends True Blood and Desta came by. We asked them similar questions and they basically told us their life stories. Looking back, I think our conversations with them were one of the most interesting conversations I have ever had and I am glad we stopped to talk to them.

Analysis:  When talking to the homeless people I met, I realized how different life is compared to mine. Sure, there are some obvious differences such as the lack of access to a bed, lots of food, and a lot of personal items. Yet, I never really thought about how they usually don't have much contact with their family and most of them are constantly traveling. These things are normal to them though and  from what I've seen, most of them are perfectly happy with it. Coming to college and being away from my family and my friends back home was a big change for me and I'm not sure I would be as happy as they seemed to be if I wasn't able to stay in contact with people back home.
One of the most interesting things I found when talking to them was the recurring theme of family and karma in our conversations. All of the homeless people I talked to that day brought up these two things on their own, without Abbey or I even asking them about it, which shows how important family and karma is to them. All of them had similar views about how their "family" is the people around them: their friends and just people who are nice to them. I found this to be somewhat similar to my current situation. Many of us new college students come here without friends and have a hard time adjusting to the change. Therefore, what I have found, is that students come together into groups and they make their own little "family" to ease the acclimation process of living away from home.
Karma was also brought up by all of the homeless people we talked to. I believe in karma but it seemed to me that they were constantly thinking about it, as though they really hoped to be rewarded in some way if they were good people in life. I'm used to never expecting an award from a good deed, but they seem to really like the idea of karma.
When Abbey and I said our goodbyes True Blood, the most talkative of the bunch, told us that he would always be here and that we could always come to him if we needed help or a place to stay. This was astonishing to me, not only because we just met him, but that he would offer anything he had to give us just because he is a nice person.
Overall, I'm glad I learned a lot about the people I met that day. I found a few similarities in the norms we share. Also, people to live with if college ever fails me.