Among the few things I will miss about Boston were all the opportunities my underage self had to go to concerts. I can luckily say that I have been able to watch many of my favorite artists and bands, old and new. As time progresses though, I find that most of the concerts I attend tend to be centered around DJ’s.

Take a few weeks ago. A friend of mine and I decided to see Jai Wolf on a Wednesday night— the perfect way to bid the semester adieu. We were both looking very forward to the show, despite the high number of “I-just-turned-18”-year-olds who showed up to the 18+ event. Being the fashionably late pair that we are, we showed up during Jerry Folk’s set, which was surprisingly still going on even though we were well over an hour late. Thank heavens.

I guess you could say I’m not the best person when it comes to doing my concert research, as I did not look up any music of Folk’s prior to his performance, but otherwise the set was for the most part "cute" if one were to envision one large frat party. It brought a certain nostalgia about me, one that quickly left moments after it hit.

What I thought kept me from further enjoying it was probably the great volume of underage drunk kids bumping into me, but alas, I finally took one good look at his white shirt modeled after a “Compton” tee, which read, “Champion” in place, his obviously effortless hairdo, hunched back, and awkward mannerisms, and realized there was something much greater that kept me from enjoying his set.

You see, growing up in the late 90’s, DJ's were always characters of sorts. Take Daft Punk (yes, the blue alien band, the Crescendolls who sing "One More Time") for example. Two cool French guys who dress up as robots and produce fire tracks, and did so for a large portion of the time as two anonymous men. What makes them particularly unique is their effortless ability through which they managed to create a bond with their fans through the use of a series of characters and "out of this world" themes in their music. Thats not where the creativity ends though, as the duo went as far as pairing up with Toei Animation to create the animated film, Interstella 5555 to debut their Discovery album.

I'll keep the synopsis of the film brief as to not ruin an old favorite for others, but the pair somehow manages to evoke feelings in the viewer of empathy for animated blue alien characters who seemingly have a lot more in common with humans than one might imagine he or she could right off the bat. That's about as far as I'll go. You watch the rest.

This is something you don’t really see anymore in today’s DJ’s.

Back in December, I was granted the opportunity to see DJ Snake, who seemed to have what could only be classified as an extremely captivating, yet casual command over an entire audience, in which he encouraged us to sing along to his songs' lyrics, as though in an effort to foster a sense of camaraderie with over a thousand people. Oddly enough, this method worked, as I personally left feeling a little closer to an artist I knew I would never meet, but felt that he did indeed, want to bond with the crowd, no matter the number of people it meant "meeting".

Having had that experience with an artist to whom I do not really listen often, I’ll admit that I was a bit disheartened when I went to see Kaytranada, perhaps among my favorite if not, my absolute favorite DJ at the moment back in October. He performed a particularly short set at the Paradise Rock Club, which in all honesty was not worth the $80 resale ticket I purchased. Naturally, he showed up in a (you guessed it) T shirt and a MacBook. While the visual performance behind him was indeed, pretty cool, it seemed to demand more attention than he did as a DJ. I was almost insulted when he said goodbye to the crowd before playing his second to last track, making it very clear that there would be no room for an encore. After watching such a talented artist who decided to share no personal anecdote, no dedication, and no will to bond with his crowd, I felt cheated.

Now, one would think that an artist such as himself who has collaborated with numerous artists, such as Anderson .Paak, Mick Jenkins, AlunaGeorge, and GoldLink, in addition to older artists in the game, such as Little Dragon, would perhaps also want to have a social experience with the extremely diverse audience he attracts through his wide array of featured artists from very different musical genres across the board.

At the end of the day, anyone could download Ableton and make an OK remix, track, or set. That is not to say that those who do find success in their talents do not deserve it, but one must note that concert goers go to concerts in the first place to form a better bond with not just the music, but with the artists who produce it too. If I wanted to simply listen to a couple tracks by Kaytranada and get the “full experience” he gave in his concert, I would have better sat at home wearing a piece of his merchandise and played his music videos on repeat.

Art is meant to evoke emotion, a reaction, and in many cases, creates a bond between the artist in its viewer. It is personal in that, it helps an artist share a piece of his or herself with those around them in a way he or she can express it best. When one's art is already widely accepted by a group, one might say the group's purpose of going to see said artist is for the sole reason of getting to know him or her better and form an even stronger bond to both the artist and the music.

That is not to say artists must always give their entire selves to an audience, but in order to make an impression and make an experience worthwhile, one must differentiate him or herself as an artist and have at least some willingness to engage with those who go out of their way to do the same. What makes one want to watch an artist is the experience and to be quite frank, I have seen my fair share of boys who hide behind their computers in t shirts failing to create a interpersonal space in the audiences who attend their gigs to solely appreciate their work. Some might find this crazy, but I too, own many t-shirts and have cool stickers on my laptop.