Ethnography is a research method widely used by anthropologists to study cultures, mainly by going into the field and observing human behavior. The goal is to identify patterns and practices within a natural habit. I am no anthropologist (I’ve heard that dj’s and anthropologist are basically cousins though) but I do love people watching, so I decided to do my own little ethnographic study—sans notebook or any formal methodology—at one of the True/False film festival’s many concert offerings.

Saturday festival festivities culminated with a showcase of regional rock talent at Cafe Berlin. Tri-County Liquidators, Kids, and David Nance and Mowed Sound all performed, promising a dynamic yet satisfying night for rock fans. And what is more of a natural habitat for a Columbia music lover than an establishment with a small stage of semi local bands and a bar that serves beer on tap?

So people watch I did! Here are my findings:

Let me first set the scene: Cafe Berlin; tables pushed to the walls, lights dimmed with only colorful spotlights illuminating the space in a fiery red haze. People gathered in clusters at two places: the stage and the bar. I nestled myself in the corner by the bar to start my observing. Right off the bat, I scoped out many rolled up beanie wearers and nose ring havers. The concert’s target audience had been reached.

As the night progressed, behavior of research participants (concert-goers) shifted as different bands took stage and more drinks were consumed. The difference in the crowd during each set reminded me of the three states of matter. 

The crowd started as a solid. People unknowingly arranged themselves in almost perfectly ordered rows for Tri County’s captivating set, creating semi-circles radiating out from the stage. It’s almost as if the crowd was welcoming them back to Columbia by giving them their undivided attention. Movement was isolated to the head, but almost every person was nodding to the rhythm of Tri-County’s dynamic set that seamlessly switched from shoegaze to country rock to psychedelia.

Once the post-punk band, Kids, took the stage, the crowd seemingly melted down to a liquid and loosened up. Rows staggered slightly and bodies moved more fluidly. Sounding similarly to Parquet Courts, I sensed that people were feeling a little bit more angst in their pants during this set. Not only were heads banging, but now shoulders moved along as well.

Lastly, the crowd became gaseous as the last band, David Nance and Mowed Sound took stage. More people had trickled in at this point, causing a disturbance in the orderliness mentioned previously. However this did not hinder the crowd’s devotion to the sound. David Nance provided a more mellow feel to round out the night, with a bit of twang on the side. By the end of the night, the crowd was more relaxed and their music hunger was satiated. 

Here are some uber scientific diagrams of the phenomena I observed throughout the night:

Through my very real and rigorous ethnographic exploration, I came to the conclusion that Saturday’s energy wasn’t just influenced by the music, but by the shared experience of being in a sweaty crowd listening to some good ol’ rock music. On a larger scope, I observed this feeling throughout the entire festival weekend. So, was my research successful? Not sure, but I did get to write a blog post about it 🙂