I’ve always loved watching live performances. Whether it’s straight plays or musicals in the theatre, intimate classical music concerts or big pop gigs, there is something about watching people performing live that I find utterly exhilarating. I think it’s much more impactful and emotive than watching something on screen or listening to something on any of the myriad of technological methods that we have available to us nowadays.

This week I have experienced two very different live performances which really showed the amazing effect that performers can have on an audience.

Firstly, I went to the theatre with a group of friends to see Miss Saigon. I had last seen this fantastic musical over 20 years ago during its first run in the West End and I completely loved the show then and have raved about it for years. So it was with some trepidation that I entered the theatre as I really didn’t want to be disappointed by the show this time around. What if it wasn’t as good as I’d remembered? What if the production or the lead actors weren’t as great? What if it turned out to be the theatrical equivalent of re-meeting an ex-boyfriend who completely broke your heart many years ago, then realising that he’s turned into an unattractive, overweight bore and you can’t work out what you ever saw in him?!

Thankfully Miss Saigon didn’t disappoint in any way at all. The whole cast put in extraordinary performances and the production, which was rather more solemn and raw than the original, created such amazing emotional sentiment that the six of us got through the European tissue mountain by the end of the show. And looking around me, I could see that the rest of the audience felt the same. I highly recommend this amazing theatrical treat.

(Note: I almost started the next paragraph with the line: ‘And from the sublime to the ridiculous’, but I decided against it.)

And so, to my second live performance within 7 days. On Saturday night I took my life in my hands and accompanied my 12 year old angel and her best friend to Wembley Stadium to join 80,000 screaming kids at a One Direction concert. I have to admit that I was somewhat sceptical before the gig as I really wasn’t sure that spending a Saturday evening watching 1D and their support act 5SOS was my idea of a fun night out. (By the way - or should that be BTW - why do all bands nowadays have to have shortened versions of their names?)

The people-watching at the gig was, of course, fantastic. Clearly there was a distinct lack of testosterone around the stadium, with only a few rather miserable looking Dads accompanying their female family members. And in the main of course, the place was filled with pre-pubescent girls with 1D written on their t-shirts, faces and various other body parts. The shock to me though was how many adult women were there who were clearly fans in their own right - ladies in their 30’s and even 40’s, with ‘I Love Harry’ tops on? I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t seem right at all.

I was very lucky that thanks to my lovely cousin Alex who works in the music industry, we had seats in the VIP area, which meant comfortable leather seats, and a very close proximity to both a bar and some toilets. And maybe these simple pleasures enhanced the evening more than they should have, but I have to say that the concert itself was far better and much more enjoyable than I’d expected. The production was great, the songs are on the whole good, and the five members of the band really can sing. (Honestly, there truly was not one bum note throughout.)

But of course what really got me was the effect that this live performance had on the crowd. The audience screamed and shouted, danced and sang, and screamed some more. And I know you may think that was purely about young girls screaming because they were breathing the same air as their heartthrobs, but I think it’s more than that. I think it’s the same reason that I cried at Miss Saigon. Because when you hear and see something that you love in a live environment, it really is the most thrilling and exhilarating experience. And clearly the 80,000 people in Wembley Stadium agreed with me. I know, because I had tinnitus the next day to prove it!

NOTE TO SELF: Keep experiencing live performance of all kinds, there really is nothing like it.