The Diffraction

Interview

Sound Mind Festival Centers Mental Health With BØRNS, American Authors Performance

In its seventh year, The Sound Mind Festival continues to break the stigma around mental health while putting on an amazing show

Essays

The Venue Hierarchy of Responsibilities

Music venues hold obligations to multiple parties - the people they sell tickets to, the bands and their staff they hire to play, the communities they serve, and, of course, the owners that bankroll the whole thing. This is the one person's ranking in a cascading order.

What is Coachella?

It is abundantly clear in the year of our Lord 2025, Coachella is less a capital F festival and more a maximalist carnival. It's hard to argue against the value of the experience - you pay for drama - but also less likely that the actual acts are

A sort of requiem: SXSW

SXSW was truly ahead of its times, then it wasn't. So it goes. News that SXSW is abandoning ship paring down its music program, saving its energy for film and technology is not, on one hand, surprising news. The rise of independent and corporate festivals throughout the country

The Blueprint for How Alabama’s Largest City Became a Live Music Destination

Let’s get this out of the way - 2020 - 2022 were not especially bountiful years for cities and their cultural apparatuses. Live music venues closed for a long time until local governments and venues could figure out how to keep the party going while keeping bands and attendees

Essays

Live Music Must Support Our Trans Family

The Diffraction wholeheartedly supports trans people and is filled with absolute disgust at the brazen quest from The Trump Administration to erase their existence.

Essays

How Long Should a Show Be?

I have seen shows where the band was clearly running on fumes towards the end of the set. I have seen amazing shows that brought the energy from start to finish; but I was the one wishing the set ended 25 minutes earlier.

A Night in Ahmedabad

One of the reasons why I am so insistent that this publication does its best to avoid material judgments on the merits of individual acts is because a) there are tons of venues for music criticism and b) the reason why live music draws so many people in is almost

In Conversation with: Andy Cohn

I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Andy Cohn, who is co-founder and CEO of Shadrach, a music-focused boutique consultancy. He also served as president and publisher of The Fader, during a time period when it pioneered many live music/brand activations like the Fader Fort and long-term relationships with

What to look forward to in 2025

If you only looked at the top touring acts, you could be forgiven in thinking the state of live music is robust and well-off. Unfortunately several significant acts had to cancel their tours - or punt on America and keep their European legs - and several festivals kicked the can

Essays

Live music is a last defense against AI slop

I've yet to see a compelling case for how musicians or creative-curious entrepreneurs are going to replace the visceral thrill that is live music. While AI may thrive on order and a pursuit of perfection, live music will always be uncertain and chaotic.

Unsolicited Advice: Don't injure your favorite artist

While we acknowledge part of the appeal of attending a live concert is the chaos they bring and the uncertainty of the proceedings, we here at the Diffraction have some simple rules we recommend concertgoers follow. There are several you can quibble with, but, unless you're going to

Sort of Review

James Murphy is having the time of his life

The band, as is de rigeur these days, played a setlist of 80% similar songs with a few rotating in and out. While I forever say Nancy Wang is the engine of the band, her laconic presence providing an anchor to the proceedings, the shows live and die by James Murphy's showmanship.

Essays

Secular church

Streaming killed the recording star, and bands need to hit the road to make the money they previously got through their albums and singles.

The Year in: Live music

We are fast approaching the end of 2024, and, live music remains a thing. Good for this just-launched blog. It was a pretty eventful year with reunions. Oasis Reformed The biggest news of the year is for a tour that has yet to launch. The lads from Manchester buried the

The Year In: Taylor Swift

Zero mentions of Travis Kelce (save for this one) contained within The two-year juggernaut Eras tour had a hold on the public consciousness unlike any other pop cultural phenomenon in recent memory. That we are still discussing her and her tour in year two - when it was mostly international

Welcome to the Diffraction

This is Keith O'Brien, proprietary of one or two newsletters you previously subscribed to. What you're about to read is a full-speed-ahead publication, of which I hope you will stick around. The Diffraction is a newsletter/publication about live music. Sound diffracts as it encounters objects,

Essays

Live Music is the past, present, and future

Live music, on the other hand, rekindles the connection between bands and audiences. It pays bands (relatively) well. If you are getting the door buster for pennies, you are hopefully buying the other stuff (going to shows, buying merch) for appropriate prices.

The Year In: Combatting scalpers

What is up for debate is whether the ticket companies actually do enough to combat the scalpers or whether they are earnestly trying to win and are failing desperately. Neither bolsters the reputations of Ticketmaster and the competitive set.

Unsolicited Advice

Unsolicited Advice: Remember the village

Have fun at shows, but not at someone else's expense. And do not be an irresponsible burden to the band or the people working the venue.

Unsolicited Advice

Unsolicited Advice: Let bands play what works for them

When it comes down to it, complaining about album-specific tours is just arguing about sequencing.

News Featured

No mirage - the Oasis reunion

Oasis or mirage. Time will tell, but I'm confident the lads will put on a show.

Requiem For

Requiem for: Pitchfork Music Festival (in) Chicago

Pitchfork Festival leaves Chicago (for good?), but could something beautiful and new spring up in its wake?

Unsolicited Advice

Unsolicited Advice: Clearly communicate your show times

Venues and concert promoters should provide clearly available intel for those who disregard the above and just want to see the headlining band. It's not a lot of work! There's only two steps.

Backyard Coachella Featured

My Backyard Coachella: Keith O'Brien

If you had the power to throw a backyard Coachella with six bands, who would you pick?