Quite possibly the most in-demand tour ever to come to these shores is finally here. Taylor Swift’s Eras tour sold out multiple shows at the MCG and Accor Arena instantly as more than four million Australians attempted to buy tickets. We were reflecting on the amount of effort and money people were expending to try and see Taylor Swift, and one of my family members piped up saying, “It’s so stupid, why would you want to spend so much to see her when you can just buy a speaker. You can listen to her music on Spotify for free!” He raised a very good point. Why are people spending a fortune to go and see a singer in person when it’s never been easier or cheaper to listen to music online?
Fans have queued for days, spent thousands on tickets and accommodation. Many who are planning to go to the venue even without a ticket! It’s estimated that there could be some 30,000 people ‘tailgating’ (or Taylor-Gating): holding parties outside the concert venues. It seems a little irrational. But perhaps this ‘frenzy’, as some have called it, reveals that more is going on here than just the desire to listen to some music?
IRL: the Human Impulse
Perhaps the clamour to see Swift live demonstrates a human impulse to see things for ourselves? In real life (IRL). This embodied experience is far more profound than just listening to a recording. Social researchers agree. In a recent article, Milad Haghani and Amanda Krause identify a number of reasons behind the appeal of live music events. They highlight the community aspect, but also,
the thrill of sharing the same physical space with the musicians adds an exciting, palpable dimension to the experience, further distinguishing it from home listening.
Studies demonstrate that it’s being in the presence of the singer, not just the music alone, which makes live events so attractive. Haghani and Krause describe this heightened enthusiasm as “fan worship, where attending concerts serves as a way to express support and admiration for the artists.”
In this sense, live music events are a ‘worship experience’. Fans can see the object of their ‘worship’ in real life. So perhaps the almost irrational enthusiasm of people flocking to see Taylor Swift demonstrates that we are creatures who especially love immanent, embodied worship.
Another Example of Extravagant ‘Fan Worship’
This brings to mind another example of extravagant ‘fan worship’. In the first century, a group of Magi (wise men or astronomers) from the East travelled a massive distance and spent a fortune to worship a baby, the one they had learned was born to be the promised king of the Jews. When they reach the goal of their quest:
they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)
At one level this was stupid, irrational and disproportionate. These men travelled for hundreds of kilometres, over many days, risking bandit attack and absorbing significant expenses of food and accommodation. Given all these risks and expenses they gained an experience, which would have possibly lasted no more than one hour. Surely the news alone of the birth of a king of the Jews would have been sufficient? They saw the signs in the star. Why was that not enough?
Surely it was because the Magi also wanted to see the baby for themselves. They wanted to worship the baby Jesus, king of the Jews, in person, ‘IRL’. Their almost irrational enthusiasm to worship in person perhaps reflects this deep, and arguably perfectly rational human impulse to worship in the flesh.
The Word Became Flesh
Christianity is an incarnational religion. Christians believe that in Jesus Christ, God really came to us in the flesh, in real life: “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14). The Christian faith is not a disembodied philosophy or merely a code of ethics. It is trusting in the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. The incarnation is central to the Christian message.
The incarnation helps us understand and know God. It was also in the human nature of Christ that God achieved our salvation from sin and death. The incarnation also demonstrates that the ultimate object of worship is real. We are not worshipping yet another created thing, but the Creator himself. Jesus coming in the flesh as the object of our worship fulfils our deep human desire to worship.
The Concert of the Era that Will Never End
Most Christians never had the chance to meet Jesus during his time on earth. But one day we will. The Bible teaches that eternal life is a physical, embodied, perfected experience. Then we all will see Jesus’ face (Rev 22:4) and for all eternity will be able to worship Jesus IRL.
