Should concerts start earlier?

Marah Eakin explores a modest proposal.

Back in March, out on the press circuit trying to drum up Oscar votes, Jamie Lee Curtis stopped by the Today show. There, her predilection for an early bedtime somehow came up, as did Curtis’s earnest desire for a little more daytime rock. “I’m challenging musicians to do concerts during the day,” Curtis said on the show. “Why are there no matinees? For instance, I love Coldplay. I would love to go see Coldplay. I would love it, but the problem is I am not going to see Coldplay if they start their show at nine and there is an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1 p.m.”

Putting aside the fact that lots of bands play music festivals and outdoor shows during the day all summer long—including Coldplay, though they’re a headliner so they’re typically on after 8 p.m.—Curtis’s plea seemed to strike a chord with a lot of people, who endorsed the idea on Twitter with comments like, “I would do more stuff if stuff happened at 2 in the afternoon,” “Let's bring early-bird specials to rock n' roll. Can we pay with coupons?,” and “Could we also make it no one under 40 allowed?” Fans chimed in with added matinee perks, like potentially lower ticket costs, the ability to see two shows in the same day, no rush hour traffic before the show, and better accessibility for those who can’t or won’t drive at night.

But months later, even with all the “hell yeah” outcry, we’re still not any closer to a world of matinee shows and early bird encores. “Ego wise, you see so many acts trying to hold on to their image and not age,” says Eli Anderson, Senior Talent Buyer at the Seattle Theatre Group, which books the Moore, the Paramount, and the Neptune Theaters. If a show is outside, afternoon hours mean hot sun and diminished returns on whatever light show an artist might have ponied up big bucks for, as well as a little bit less cultural cachet.

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