I find myself changing direction, in a way.......


Always claiming the musicianship, composition and ultimately, "the performance" are the key factors as to why I have always listened to and enjoyed music, I find myself listening and watching YT videos of my favorite musicians, especially those I have never seen live, of which there are many. For some reason lately, watching them "perform", gives me a positive lift that I do not get from merely listening. The interesting part, my big screen tv is in my bedroom, as I do not have a tv in my main audio room. I have not liked what a big tv screen has done to my "sound", but I might have to change that. I have a very nice system in my bedroom, but the "sound" seems less important to me than watching the mastery of many of the greats, such as Danny Gatton, Alvin Lee, Albert Lee and Miles Davis, just to name a few. "Watching" them play brings me joy, as I find I am spending more time listening to music via YT. Many of these yt recordings might be lacking in that "ultimate fidelity", but I do not seem to care. I am spending more time listening this way, watching.......hope everyone is well. My best, MrD.

mrdecibel

Many people find watching performances and performers enjoyable. Some of these folks are performers themselves. 

I enjoy the music. I find watching distracting... even at the symphony.  Typically I close my eyes to allow my mind to be engulfed. I am taken by the music... without regards to the instruments. Although, the natural sound of the instruments is really great. However, I remember first hearing The Art of Noise and realizing music does not require musical instruments. Like the drummers in cities banging on plastic bucket... they can produce some great compelling music. 

I have some friends that play instruments and clearly are swayed by technical skills. I remember one of the Al Di Meola albums my friend (s) loved... to me it was only a guy exhibiting how many notes he could pump out... without creating any actual music. I have never been able to listen for more than a couple minutes... something Gypsy. 

There is no right way. But this is how I appreciate music. So, I own no music videos , concerts and am not drawn to YouTube. But that’s just me. 

I used to love watching concert videos on DVD's, and later on YouTube; that's gotten to be just too much of a rabbit hole so I rarely watch a live performance vid; I do listen to YouTube for audio without visuals as well. So much stuff is available, and the music is more important for me than having the ultimate sound quality. 

If the concert is encoded in Atmos, it sounds awesome in my HT room, you are part of the show, sound everywhere. But if it's not in multi-ch it sounds like poo. 

Have gone down the video/live shows in the HT room, but my 2ch setup sounds best for music. 

Have a small tv and soundbar in the bedroom. It sounds ok, but there is no imaging, very small soundstage. 

I appreciate the friendly comments. My point is this....I enjoy watching...the musicianship. I was watching a Danny Gatton (RIP) concert, and watching him play, amazes me. He also allows other band members to take the lead, such as Bill Holloman, on sax and keyboard. What an awesome sax player. Most listeners are interested in the "sound" of the instruments", but the reality is, these instruments do not play themselves. I do believe that my early years as a vocalist in bands and choruses have given me this appreciation for the listening perspective I have. As I have stated, I might consider adding a large screen to my main listening room, as I once did, as "watching" has become as important to me as the listening. Closing my eyes during listening is a given, as others have stated, but watching along with listening seems to engage me more, at this time in my life (71). Thank you to all who have responded. My best, MrD.

@mrdecibel 

Last night I watched a live Hellecasters video on YouTube, followed by a live Joan Armatrading video (both recorded in Germany, as it happens). I enjoyed the heck out of both. My tv is not run through my 2 channel sound system. Sonics played little part in my enjoyment. It was, as you say, all about the musicianship. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jXsD7K65PA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRt6TYDIpY