Sound Check: Team Opinion performs Nest Fest commentary

Andrew Friedgen: I went to see The Summer Set at a small club in Orlando last September. When you say music is the unifier, you aren't kidding-- at one point the band took out their acoustic gear, got everyone in the club to sit down, and then sang to us while they were

sitting on the edge of the stage. That was unifying. That was community. I hadn't felt so enamored and empowered by music in such a long time. But then you have the type of etiquette I saw at Nest Fest. It's somewhat disheartening. I would have expected a lot better behavior from people who claim to support a band.

Sara Gottwalles: Well, it depends on the motives behind attending a concert too. Are you going to support a band you love, listen to them live, and later celebrate that you share the same air supply with them, or are you going because all of your friends are, and you think it would be cool to get drunk and shout a conversation as you listen to bands you are some what familiar with in the background? For $12, I got the show I expected. I just tuned out all the dweebs and enjoyed the show. Music is the unifier, but it also has the power to connect with us on an individual level. That's what the Summer Set did for you, and others around you- resulting in the kumbya experience. Shows that can pull that off are amazing. But its not just on the band- the audience has to be capable of that too. Somewhere along the line, we went from bonding with our music and the musician magicians behind it, to ordering it on iTunes and demanding the live performers dance to our own grind box wishes. I hope we can go back to the stage where everyone is connecting and groovy.

Andrew Friedgen: Indeed. And to clarify, I'm not saying Nest Fest was a letdown — quite the contrary.

Sara Gottwalles: Agreed. It was $12 well spent.