Microstory 2431: Melodome

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Don’t let the name fool ya if you’re interpreting the pun to be mellow + dome. It’s not about melodrama either. It’s the first part of the word melody + dome. This is all about music. Recording studios, concert halls, smaller stages, other interesting venues, and even sports stadiums where no one ever actually plays sports. This dome has it all. You can make music, listen to music, watch music. Every genre, every level of interaction; everything. No place like this exists on Earth. Even the cities known for music, like Havana and New Orleans, still had to leave space for regular living. This is the Music City, no matter what Nashville tries to tell you. There are some things that I’m not entirely sure about, unfortunately. When my great great grandparents were younger, they remember a trend where dead musicians were starting to be resurrected through holograms. This isn’t the kind of volumetric immersion that you’re used to in the present-day. It was very crude, and very obviously fake, even if you didn’t know that the subject wasn’t alive anymore. They recall being quite upset by this, not because it was macabre—which it is—but because it was disrespectful. These were real people who lived their lives, and then those lives ended. Before virtual immortality was invented, that was just what happened. These musical artists were immortal because of their legacy. That was what they were striving for, because they probably didn’t even guess at the future of life extension research. Their flame burned bright, but it was short, and that’s what was special about it. If you missed it, that was sad, but it was sad in a good way. The holograms robbed the industry of these artists’ authenticity, and sadly, that never went away. The technology kept improving, and the industry kept embracing it, despite pushback from the audience. There was evidently enough money in it, probably because of people’s morbid curiosity. Melodome has not shied away from this concept. They’ve brought the dead back to life using realistic androids. Not all of them are even dead, but living performers who just aren’t freaking on Castlebourne. I guess they signed away the rights to their likeness, but that doesn’t make it okay. I’m not going to name real names, but if John Doe can’t be here, then I shouldn’t be able to go to one of his concerts, and watch a convincing facsimile reenact his set from X number of years ago. I get that these are at least historically accurate shows, so they’re not merely contriving something entirely out of thin air. They justify it by saying that it’s like watching a recording, but I don’t consider that the same thing. There’s a lot of great things to see here. If you’re an artist, and you want a venue, they will find you one. I doubt the demand would ever surpass the supply. So if you’re a music fan who wants to discover someone new, you can do that. There’s always something going on, and it’s easy to find new acts on the dome’s prospectus, but there’s also this other side of it. They should really lean into the aspect of originality, because the reenactments are unethical at best. But maybe that’s just my point of view. You have to decide for yourself where your line is.

Microstory 1059: Walter

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Are you feeling okay, Alma? You look a little rattled. I hear you just did several interviews in a row, so if you need some time to process whatever it was those kids told you, I’m fine. My story isn’t going to hurt, I promise. My most profound experience with Viola was quite lovely, actually, though not necessarily all that conventional. About a year ago, we met for dinner and a movie, but halfway through the screening, she suddenly got up and left. I followed her out into the hallway, and asked her what was wrong. She said she had to go take care of something, but that we would reschedule. I didn’t know exactly what went wrong, or why it happened in the middle of the film, but I knew that meant she never wanted to see me again. I wasn’t surprised either, because I wasn’t exactly Prince Charming. She seemed to sense this doubt in me, so she told me to meet her at the laundromat the next morning at exactly 5:13, and we would spend the entire day together. Needless to say, I was excited about that. Don’t worry, my mind was not in the gutter; it wasn’t like that at all. I had heard so many stories of her helping people in really important ways, and I felt like this could be my turn. After all, she asked me out, which was good, because I was too nervous to do it myself back then, especially for someone as great as her. So I go to bed early, wake up, and head straight for the laundromat, where I find Viola stepping out at exactly 5:13. She’s wearing the same outfit as before, but I don’t say anything, because that would be rude. Somehow, it made reminded me that she was a real person, and maybe things didn’t always work out perfectly for her. This kind of helped me not feel so terrible about my own life. Anyway, she takes me by the arm, and walks me down the street, right into the back of a luxury vehicle. I try to ask the driver where we’re going, but the partition is raised, and I assume they can’t hear me. She takes me out to the original gold mines that gave this town its name. They’ve been shut down for years, and were reportedly unsafe, but she said that she would protect me, and I suddenly felt safe. She took me deep into the tunnels, where a secret rock concert was about to begin. It was the best day of my life, and after that, I wasn’t so nervous anymore. I’ve asked out tons of people since then, and I owe it all to Viola.

Microstory 923: Manchester Orchestra and Others

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When I was in eighth grade, I found one of my sister’s CDs, and decided it to play it. It was a band called The Offspring, and they immediately became my favorite. Not long after, my birthday came up, and I was surprised by two tickets for a concert, which included Fenix TX, and Sum 41 as openers. I didn’t like them, because they were taking up time I felt I should have used to hear the music I came for. I later warmed up to Sum 41, but I never listened to that other one. As you might have ascertained, this was my first rock concert. My father went with me, presumably to protect me, which I need. I was a tiny little thing with undiagnosed autism, and I don’t think I would have been able to handle the mosh pit. And I think that because I only lasted long enough to hear one song from The Offspring before I couldn’t take any more of the jostling. The bouncer—who was really cool, and gave me a bottle of water, and a genuine Offspring guitar pick—lifted us both over the barrier, and let us walk around to the back to finish the show. I loved it, though I wish I had learned more the songs. I’m not sure in what capacity Napster existed back then, but we almost certainly didn’t have it yet. Acquiring music was a difficult process that required thought. And money. Flash forward six or seven years, and The Offspring are toppled as my favorite in an upset by contender Muse. They only lasted for a few years before a stray tweet led me to this Vancouver-based group called Mother Mother. I even spent about $800 on a trip to a film festival in the middle of nowhere Ontario to see them live. I wasn’t meant to spend that much, but the cheaper rental car company required a credit card, which I did not have, because I only ever buy things when I have the money for it in my account. Seriously, I once owned a car, and even though I made payments, I could have technically bought the whole thing in cash. Anyway, jump once more to 2017 when my radio station introduces me to Manchester Orchestra, which changed my favorite band list for a third time. I guess liking bands with the letters “M” and “O” is just my M.O. I do like lots other music, too. Here’s a quick list (in no particular order): Imagine Dragons, ABBA, Eminem, Vanessa Hudgens, AWOLNATION, Carla Sendino, Alt-J, Caroline Rose (even her country-rock album), Joywave, Selena Gomez, Misterwives, Brie Larson, Dredg, and almost any disco. My tastes are pretty eclectic, and I still love all my former favorites. I wonder whether there will be a fifth favorite, and what that is.