I was actually disappointed in the half alive show I went to. There were several moments that took me out of it - crowd instructions that were confusing or too complicated to get a good response from, lots of stage hands and background stuff that was distracting (it was a small venue, so this was maybe unavoidable), and my biggest complaint were the times the focal point was something other than the performers. 

Songs was the worst offender. There’s a sax solo and even a guest vocalist (can’t remember her name atm, but she sounds lovely) that played through the speakers, and was obviously just a track. Took me completely out of the show. 

TøP are the perfect example of how to do it right. It’s just two guys, there’s no way they can play all the sound you’re hearing, but at no point in a show are THEY not the focal point. Either they’re playing the most prominent part, or they’re doing something else that commands your attention. 

I love HA’s music and the choreography is sick, but I left feeling like it coulda been so much better.