I have been following this thread in this Nightwing video on Youtube:

youtube.com/watch

What is your input in this matter? Here is the question:
When going to see someone live (Nightwish or any other group or musician), do you like to hear the songs as they are in the CD (even if that means having layering/ sampling or whatever), or do you prefer that they sound different, because it's a concert and what the musicians are playing is what we should hear?

My answer to my question is this: As one of the Youtube users says, it's magical to be in the same room as the artist we admire and being there to share the energy and the enthusiasm is intoxicating. But we are there because we admire them as musicians, right? I want to HEAR the music, not just see them on stage with lots of layers of choruses and strings that are not even there. I prefer to renounce to these layers of music to hear them really playing. That is what a CONCERT is about, that's why it's called concert. It's about music. Not stage presence. If I want to hear the songs as I know them I'll stay home and play the CD over and over while I am staring to a picture of them until I go blind.

Picture this: you entry on a theater to see a concert of Beethoven's work. But when you go there, they tell you that they had no money to pay someone to play the piano and its sound is going to be layered from a record. Won't you feel cheated?

To me, going to a rock concert is no different. The presence of the artists on stage is not good enough for me. If I don't see on stage what I hear in the speakers I feel cheated. If you don't have the money to have chorus and strings, keep the songs simple. If you can't do that, then you are no (good) musician.

As for the person who says that if you don't like what they do live then you are not a fan; I believe you can be a fan and not like everything that comes from your favorite artist.
Most of us are dancers, and we have said frequently that, although we like to hear compliments (who doesn't?), we like to know what we have to improve. If we are only told that we are amazing no matter what, how could we grow as artists and persons? Even more, if someone said to me that I am the best no matter what, I would believe that the person talking to me has no criteria at all to judge my work and he/she is talking from ignorance and only to please me. I don't believe that that is what a true fan would do. Just my 2 cents.

Your turn.