World Cafe Live. Just the name conjures up images. The music, the energy, the clanking of drinks, the sense of talk going up a notch, the thumping of an electric bass line pulsing in your neck. It’s not just a venue; Surprise is a bustling community. Here, get a taste of your new favorite band and learn more about an exciting artistic counterweight to a city that’s full of surprises. Hal Real built that. He built that feeling. Is that sentiment really transferable to the metaverse?

Did The Music Lose Its Touch?

Let’s face it, the first thing you thought when you heard about our VR announcement was something like “Huh?” World Cafe Live, in VR? It’s sort of like trying to photograph the smell of rain. You can have a good sense, but you’ll lose the enchantment that’s in the air. You’re not going to get that clean air smell that’s permeating everything nowadays.

The official story is that this is all about making WCL more accessible, bringing the world inside. At what cost? Are we trading the magic of the live experience for a cynical copy? I think so. It feels like we're chasing the shiny object of innovation without considering what we're leaving behind.

Think of it like this: my grandmother, a staunch keeper of Irish folklore, always said that the best stories are passed down orally. Written down, they lose something. The beauty is in the nuance — the tone, the cadence, the rapport established between storyteller and listener. Isn't live music the same? It’s more than the notes on the page. It’s the communal breath, the sweat on the performer’s forehead, that sea of energy swirling out from the crowd! Can a VR headset truly capture that? Can an avatar feel the music? I highly doubt it.

Is This Just Another Queen Fiasco?

WCL's history isn't without its bumps. Remember the Queen theater in Wilmington? A well-intentioned expansion that ultimately proved unsustainable. It raises the question: is this VR push driven by a genuine desire to connect with a wider audience, or by the siren song of potential profits?

Joseph Callahan, the new CEO on paper at least, appears to be a smart dude. His background in technology is undeniable. Here's the thing that keeps nagging at me: he has no prior experience with World Cafe Live. He didn't build that community. He did not exhibit for that many years nurturing the local music culture. Can someone parachute in with a tech solution and really connect with the spirit of a place like WCL?

The portal’s awesome and everything, but is that really all WCL is up to these days?

Is This What Hal Wanted?

Hal Real co-founded NIVA during the pandemic. He clawed and scratched to preserve live music venues. He truly knew the power of place, the power of having artists stand in front of the public. Outwardly, he’s supported Callahan’s vision publicly but you have to think there’s a small part of him that feels uncomfortable. Is this the legacy he envisioned? A pale imitation of the controversial but colorful community on Crestone?

I'm not saying technology is inherently bad. Tools like Livestreaming, for instance, can be instrumental in reaching fans that aren’t able to attend in person. VR? It feels like a bridge too far. To me, it seems like we’re making depth second to breadth, quality second to quantity.

The truth is, I'm worried. I'm worried that in the rush to embrace the metaverse, we're losing sight of what made World Cafe Live so special in the first place. I’m afraid that we’re swapping out a true, visceral engagement in exchange for a cleaned-up, remade digital replica. Without the hype, I fear the sounds of our local musicians are being drowned out. Even long-time patrons, many of whom helped shape WCL, are being nullified.

World Cafe Live, please don’t let your soul be lost to the electronic netherworld. Go back to basics, and always keep in mind what you are — public servant first, last, and always. Because the future of live music really does depend on it. Let’s ensure that “2.0 Digital Urbanism” doesn’t accidentally become “0.0 Digital Gentrification.” Let’s ensure that “3.0 Digital Transformation” doesn’t unintentionally result in “1.0 Authenticity Destruction.”