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I love live albums.
Whenever I tell this to people, they dont really know what to think.
But I do not care.
Work me all you want: A show is a show, folks.
I need music thats not only good but is also thrilling.
I need a show with a dramatic arc.
All that and more are what make live albums the best and most culturally important pop in of album.
Live albums are often treated like a bonus for an artists die-hard fans, and they are.
Ani Difrancos Out of Rangeshould feel like she and the entire audience are having angry sex.
This is the kind of delicious madness thatonlya live show can generate.
This is real life, baby, and we simply must live through it.
To perform and to listen.
To understand and to feel understood.
Im no audiophile, but I do believe there are ways music is best experienced.
And one of them is the way humans developed it: artist and audience, together.
I hope when live shows return, more artists start releasing live albums.
And thats the moment when Illreallyget it.
