欣賞夏日音樂會 / Chilling at a summer concert

在這種炙熱到連柏油路都快融化的夏天，您們會願意站在大太陽底下，聽一場現場音樂會嗎？老實說，如果不是什麼特別的理由，我應該早就躲進冷氣房裡了，不過，當我看見在大太陽底下，有數百人隨著舞台上的音樂聲搖擺時，我想，我應該聽聽看。

我抬頭一望，在舞台上站中間那位彈著吉他的短髮女生，應該就是音樂會的主角吧？不過，我完全不認識她，應該是新生代歌手吧？果然，那位短髮女生不但彈著吉他，也是主唱，和她周邊的樂團，表演了一首接著一首的動聽歌曲，舞台下的數百位群眾，應合著她的美妙音符，搖擺著身體，有多少人是她的粉絲？還是大多是像我一樣的一日歌迷？隨著音樂聲，我腦中，蹦出這些某名其妙的問題。

待表演告一段落之後，舞台的大螢幕亮起，打出了歌手名字，原來歌手叫做魏嘉瑩，我心想，應該是從某個選秀節目出道的歌手吧，畢竟能在這種地點辦音樂會，沒有點知名度應該也不太可能，於是，我忍不住好奇，上網一查才發現，原來她的出道之路並不是走傳統的比賽或經紀公司包裝，而是靠著募資平台，一點一滴集資才發行了自己的第一張專輯，還真是特別啊！可以感覺，她為了她的音樂夢想，也吃了不少苦，敖了很多年。

在回家的路上，我又想到了一千個鐵粉理論，就是說，創作者，如藝術家、音樂家、攝影師、工藝師、演員、動畫師、設計師、影像製作者或作家等，只需擁有一千名鐵粉就能餬口，所以，這位歌手，雖然不是走傳統的比賽或經紀公司的方式出道，但她可能透過種種曝光機會，如自媒體經營，找到了一千名鐵粉，支持她的創作，如此，她就能維生，或許可解釋，為何她能辦自己的音樂會，

Would you be willing to stand under the blazing summer sun — the kind of heat that feels like it could melt the asphalt — just to catch a live concert? Honestly, if it weren’t for something special, I’d probably have hidden away in an air-conditioned room. But when I saw hundreds of people swaying to the music out there in the heat, I thought, maybe I should give it a listen.

I looked up and saw a short-haired girl in the middle of the stage, strumming a guitar. She had to be the star of the show, right? But I didn’t recognize her at all or maybe a newer artist? Sure enough, she was not only playing the guitar but also singing lead vocals, performing one catchy song after another with her band. The crowd, a few hundred strong, swayed along with her beautiful voice. I couldn’t help but wonder: how many of them were loyal fans? And how many were like me, just casual listeners who stumbled upon her music for the first time?

When the performance reached a break, the big screen lit up and finally revealed her name: Wei Jia-Ying. I figured she must’ve been on some kind of talent show or had some big media exposure and after all, being able to hold a concert at a venue like this means you must have some level of fame. But out of curiosity, I looked her up online lately, and to my surprise, I found out she didn’t come up through traditional routes like competitions or record labels. Instead, she crowdfunded her debut album by one step at a time through a fundraising platform. That’s pretty unique. You could tell she’s been through a lot, working hard for years to chase her musical dream.

On my way home, I thought of the “1,000 true fans” theory. It is the idea that creators like musicians, artists, writers, filmmakers, and designers only need around a thousand loyal fans to make a living. Maybe that’s the case with her. Even if she didn’t rise to fame through mainstream channels, she might’ve slowly built up a core fanbase through self-promotion and exposure on social media. And with that kind of support, she’s able to keep creating and even hold her own concerts.

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