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I know there are many of you who personally go to shows & record them.
From a curious point of view, I was just wondering how you got started?...
It's definitely not an inexpensive hobby, that's for sure. I'm always impressed seeing your equipment setup's!!
:wink: Sarah
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The very first show I ever taped was Spirit Of The West at the Ontario Place Forum in 1991. I had a Panasonic recording walkman, which recorded to regular size tapes. I was sitting on the lawns, when about halfway through the first song, I realized that if I turned on the recording feature, I could tape the concert & listen to it again. (Honestly, it had never crossed my mind that I could make my own boots). I recorded right over my mixed tape that night, and got 90% of the show. Over the next 4 years, I snuck that tape recorder in with me to many shows. Some of them turned out great, some just okay, but I was always glad to have a copy of the performance at the end of the night.
The thing that turned me off bootlegging shows, is that when you're recording, you can't clap, you can't sing along, you can't move or dance, if you want the best sound. I found that I wasn't enjoying the shows anymore, because I was so intent on getting the recording down. That is why I stopped, and that is why I appreciate those that do take the time & effort to record concerts.
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i realize mini-boom mikes and such are expensive, but I've seen them at some Hip shows. Does that make it easier for tapers to enjoy the show and how much are they?
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:thumb:
SRB, it was interesting reading your post & thinking about the two sides of taping and recording shows. To all of you who do it, I appreciate your time spent - I know you do it gladly but it really does mean alot to be able to have a copy of a show that's personal to you. That being said, I too have wondered about the people who spend their time at shows being so focused on the shots & sound quality they're getting. Do you ever feel like you're missing out in participating in the show itself or is it more like you're participating on a completely different level?? TLB and a couple others recorded the portland show and to this day, I play it often. I guess this thread was just my way of saying thanks to those of you help make these shows stay strong in our minds - whether we were able to experience it first hand or not. Your time & effort continue to be very much appreciated!
BTW Tony, if you're reading this, who else was taping with you at the Portland and Seattle shows??? What are their hipbase names?
C-Ya,
Sarah
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Nice to see you made it over to these parts Sarah. To answer your parting question, the other taper you met was probably a fellow Hipbaser named Biga. Like myself he's from the Vancouver area, and I am very thankful to have a person like him close-by (sadly it seems the number of western Hipsters dwindles as each year passes). I'll try to respond to your thread as accurately as possible, even though some parts may end up being taken out of context or ruffle a few feathers.
I think the main reason I started taping was simply because I could. The Hip allow us to do it, and no other band I had ever seen did that. Out of the many different bands I've seen live, one constant was that I always would want an audio or video copy of the shows I saw, if only to never forget that particular moment in time.
Another big reason I started taping Hip shows was because of the type of person I am - if I can do something meaningful for someone, for me that is the ultimate high. I can't think of a better way to make a concert more meaningful for a friend than to give them a copy of the show they've attended. The looks on their faces does it for me; it's really satisfying to have a hand in growing someone's love for music. It also brings my love for The Hip back down to earth a bit (ironically it's easy to forget your love of the music once you become part of such a die-hard group of fans like we have here at the Hipbase).
I started with audio, then moved to video - the whole time never owning a single piece of equipment I used. I've taped almost all of the 30 Hip shows I've seen and rented the recording gear every time. On top of ticket & travel costs, the rental fees have literally left me broke at some points. In the end though, I wouldn't have had it any other way.
The Hip taping community is a great one, always trying to get as much live Hip recorded as possible - this in itself was a large motivation for me. I wanted to give something back for the over 500 bootlegs I've downloaded for free over the last few years. Taping was the best way I could think of achieving that. Aside from the notion of 'giving something back', I noticed that there weren't many tapers out west (or at least not many western shows getting into circulation), which made me want to tape the shows out here even more.
As SRB mentioned, it's very easy to forget why you're at the show; eventually taping takes precedence over enjoyment, which makes me question why I actually go to the lengths I do. In addition to that, there's always a select few leechers who seem to forget how much tapers actually go through to tape a single show, let alone numerous shows. Eventually, the attitudes of a few do have an effect, and there's been a few times I've considered not releasing shows for this very reason. But never has it stopped me from actually recording a show; it's just much easier to deal with folks who don't expect anything rather than folks who expect too much. There are many tapers out there that don't release their recordings for whatever reason, but the common theme seems to be a lack of appreciation or immense expectations, or a combination of both.
Looking back at my large response, I've probably over-explained things, but I'm a long-winded type of guy and I feel I couldn't explain my views properly in any other way. I'm glad you regularly enjoy your copies of last October's shows Sarah because personally, it's people like you that keep me doing what I do.
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Have any of you ever been turned away because of your recording equipment? Its never been clear to me who sets the policy...The Hip or the venue.
I have an expensive SLR camera that I would love to bring but I'm always worried that I won't get in. So I bring my pocket camera and only get average pictures.
