After more than five decades on stage, Kim Mitchell says the reason he keeps performing is simple: there is still something special about a live performance that technology cannot replicate.
The Canadian singer-songwriter will play a free-to-attend concert Saturday evening at Meridian Place after inclement weather forced the postponement of his scheduled New Year's Eve show in the city.
For the rock veteran, the appeal of live music comes from the connection between performers and audiences — something he says cannot be imitated through technology. He says every performance is a unique experience and a chance for the band to "spread good vibes."
"It's something real that's happening, organic," he told Barrie360. "It's something imperfect, and it's happening right then in real time... it's a beautiful thing for the human race, still."
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In an age where artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent in the music industry, Mitchell believes live performances provide audiences with an opportunity to experience music in a more personal and immediate way.
He says technological tools have become increasingly common in live performances, but believes they can take away from the authenticity audiences are looking for, especially as fans become more critical.
"This is a day and age of such technology that if a lead singer's voice isn't there, [bands] can use a (backing) track — and they often do," he says. "There's lots of track in live shows now, augmenting the sound of the song."
"If it sounds exactly like the record, it probably is the record."
Musicians across all genres have utilized rhythm tools like drum machines and loopers for years, but unlike previous technological changes in music, Mitchell believes AI presents a different challenge because it can replicate existing styles rather than create something truly original.
"With AI, you will never get a Van Halen, or a U2, or The Rolling Stones, or a groundbreaking record," he said. "You're just not gonna get that stuff because AI is just a mishmash of what's already been done."
In recent years, artists have found the ability to create and release almost instantly, without spending much or exhausting resources.
Despite those concerns, Mitchell says he remains focused on what he has always enjoyed most: what he describes as "customer service and rock and roll."
"We never phone it in," he said, "We always try to grab what kind of energy we're getting from them and get it back to them, times three or four."
While the former Max Webster guitarist and vocalist has been playing for decades, he says one of the most rewarding parts of his career has been seeing younger generations discover his music, whether through radio or streaming.
"I find the younger generation is generally more open and more exposed to all different genres," he said. "They're okay to be at a DJ event or a rave or seeing a hip-hop thing, and then, lo and behold there's a few boomers on stage and they're rocking."
He says he's likely done with writing any more music, with his last album, The Big Fantasize, being released in 2020. With that, the live show remains the focus.
"Recording is a lot of work," he says. It's fun, but it's exhausting...when you give me a stage outdoors on a summer night, that's what I love doing."
