Things I learnt from Travis gig

1. If you want to sound friendly and honest, speak with Scottish accent.

I love the funny sound of Scottish accent. Very down-to-earth. That's also my overall impression of Travis. ("We arrre from Scotland nee England", as Fran had to stress that during the show.) Polls reveal that people believe those with Scottish accents are more trustworthy and honest. Language reflects culture. Maybe they really are, generally.

One thing bothers me though, why when people sing, accent disappears?



2. Music connects us, emotionally.

I am reading two books at the moment – This is Your Brain on Music and Social Intelligence. Found an interesting correlation. A part of our brain called amygdala which is long considered the seat of our emotion is responsible for both our musical enjoyment and social interaction.

That may explain why music moves our emotion so much and we feel "one" with the band and audience when we are listening it live.

In the middle of the show, Fran did an unusual thing. He said, "it's funny that all you guys, total strangers, come together, standing and touching each other, all because of this same love for a band. That's actually quite amazing. Let's do a social experiment. Turn your face to the people around you and say 'Hi' to each other."...Oh, that's when the embarrassment came in. Our rational side took control. Most people reluctantly did as told...mostly to their own friends.



3. If you are really passionate about something, you'll be creative about it.

Their last song of the show was one of their best hit – Why Does It Always Rain on Me. As soon as the music started, two umbrellas were raised above a sea of heads at the very front row. (see one in the middle of the picture?) It surprised everyone including Fran, who couldn't help but smiled at them. That day was a fine day without rain. Some die-hard fans must have prearranged it. It's a small gesture but made a big impression on me.

Nobody is not creative. Just too many lukewarm souls.