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#10: The Importance of Live Shows

#10: The Importance of Live Shows

Adam Dash
March 24, 2025

Good morning! Welcome back to another edition of the SoundCentric newsletter!

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Tommy Richman perform live in Philly, and it helped reenergize my love for music and what I do. It also got me thinking about how important live performances are, even with their slight drop off since Covid.

You could be reading anything in the world right now, and you're here with me. So, I appreciate it.

Let’s get to it!

Deep Dive

Blame it on COVID. Blame it on Live Nation and secondhand resellers skyrocketing ticket prices. Blame it on TikTok ruining the art of the live performance. Blame it on whomever you like, but let’s get one thing clear—a great live performance will always be the gateway to building a true fanbase.

Concerts may seem like they’re losing their flair, and from the outside looking in, they might even appear to be losing their value. But that’s just not the case. Concerts have been a staple of human life since the Ancient Greeks and Romans began composing music in the 6th century.

Nothing leaves me more energized or fills me with a deeper love for life than when those lights come up after a show. A concert can even make an artist click for you in a way that listening through headphones never could. Music makes you a fan, but a great live performance can create an army.

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of seeing Tommy Richman in Philadelphia. After spotting tickets for as low as $3, I convinced a bunch of friends to join me for a night out, saying, “Come on, it’s $3. They’re literally daring us to go. Plus, it’s the ‘Million Dollar Baby’ guy.” After days of spamming the group chat, I finally coerced them into buying a ticket.

Saw @tommyrichmann last night in Philly and was blown away by his performance.
He had a full band, his singing sounded great, and the show was never boring for a second.
— Adam Dash (@Adamdash_)
3:03 PM • Mar 23, 2025

To my surprise, the show was packed. The crowd was older than I expected, with a solid mix of men and women. And let me tell ya, I came into the night a fan of Tommy Richman, but I left a HUGE supporter. He blew me away. More importantly, he completely won over my friends—most of whom only knew two songs at best. We were dancing, vibing, laughing. It was just an all-around great human experience.

Tommy made an even smarter move. A lot of artists with a Billboard-charting hit might rush to book massive 10,000-capacity venues with high ticket fees. But Tommy and his team took a different approach, opting for smaller venues and potentially sacrificing some short-term money to build a loyal fanbase. And I’d say he nailed it. He won me and the entire crowd over with ease.

I’ve had plenty of concert experiences where an opening act put on such an incredible show that I had to check out their catalog afterward. I saw Jordan Ward open for J.I.D and Smino, and by the end of his set, I was thinking, “Did I just find my new favorite artist?”

I saw Westside Boogie and Buddy open for Joey Bada$$ in 2017 and left a fan for life. I saw Teezo Touchdown—an artist I was skeptical about—open for Tyler, the Creator, and was blown away by his energy and charisma. These shows matter.

I know ticket prices are surging, and staying home is easy, but these shows are important. For me, they bring that rare feeling of, “Wow, we’re all just humans enjoying life together right now.” It’s like a natural high. And for the artist, it’s a chance to turn someone who got dragged to the show into a lifelong fan.

So, to the artists—keep rocking the hell out of that stage. And to the fans—keep showing up.