A decade and a half ago and a country away, a man I greatly admire came and spoke to my group of missionaries for several hours.
His words, although prose, approached poetry, and I knew this ahead of time.
His topics were divine in nature and raised my sights greatly.
Believing I would benefit greatly from being able to relisten, I woke early, traveled to the store–before the very early start of the meeting–to purchase a data card on which to store the recording I wanted to make of his extended set of speeches.
I also took notes, so his topics would be more indelibly impressed in my memory.
In theory this was a good idea.
In practice, it was not.
My recording device was a cell phone. My recording area, a large auditorium with poor acoustics.
In 15+ years I had not tried to listen to the recordings.
They are faint. If I struggle, I can make out 70% of his words at full volume on my playback device.
I have no idea where my notes on the meeting are currently stored (although I’m nearly certain I have them). But I haven’t read them since.
What is my point?
Savor the moment. When attending any live performance, whether a play, a symphony, a concert, or a speech, focus on the performance. Don’t waste time or energy trying to record it.
The quality will be poor, and you will not appreciate what you have done. (In many cases in modern times, your phone screen as you take video will offend everyone behind you.)
Appreciate a live performance for what it is: a fleeting, single performance of art. Live in that moment with the performer and give all your energy to it.