█
▓
▒
░
▓
▒
░
A friend of mine saw Faye Webster in concert recently and remarked that 5-6 people had fainted during the performance. With a little research, they found that this has become more common post-COVID.
His findings are confirmed by this excellent essay Falling from May of 2023; in which author Max Levin recounts numerous fainting experiences at concerts and the phenomena that may cause it. One such name for this happening is "Stendhal syndrome" - defined in Wikipedia as:
The essay goes on to speak on the shared experience of concerts and art viewing; how that can impact us both mentally and physically. I've not witnessed any bouts of fainting at concerts recently but I certainly can attest to the intense tuned in experience that comes from a particularly good show.
TLDR: good read. Thanks Steve!
His findings are confirmed by this excellent essay Falling from May of 2023; in which author Max Levin recounts numerous fainting experiences at concerts and the phenomena that may cause it. One such name for this happening is "Stendhal syndrome" - defined in Wikipedia as:
...a psychosomatic condition involving rapid heartbeat, fainting, confusion, and even hallucinations, allegedly occurring when individuals become exposed to objects, artworks, or phenomena of great beauty.The name goes all the way back to 1817 when French writer Stendhal was overcome by seeing works of "painted frescoes and the tombs of Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michelagelo." Similarly, Lisztomania is the name for the intense crowd reactions at Franz Liszt concerts in the 1840s in which the audience would become overwhelmed with hysteria (and a helluva Phoenix song).
The essay goes on to speak on the shared experience of concerts and art viewing; how that can impact us both mentally and physically. I've not witnessed any bouts of fainting at concerts recently but I certainly can attest to the intense tuned in experience that comes from a particularly good show.
TLDR: good read. Thanks Steve!
Comments