Live sound matters

In this chapter, we present three case studies—the 1956 Elvis’ homecoming concert, the 1964–1966 Beatles tour, and the 1973 Watkins Glen “Summer Jam” festival—in order to introduce readers to an understudied area of music production: live sound. Drawing on our ethnographic, historical, technical, and sociological research, as well as analysis by other scholars and industry figures, we highlight the basic capabilities, ideals, and values underlying the use and development of modern (i.e., post-1970) sound systems and distinguish these from prior amplification and sound reinforcement paradigms. We argue that the progressively mediated nature of music requiring large-scale amplification not only led to new ways of envisioning the role and importance of concert sound, but also established live sound as an increasingly important contributor to broader social and technological changes.