As a musician, one can appreciate events in a somewhat different perspective than non-musicians.
Allow me to comment about how I "heard" the Republican and Democratic conventions, after the orange "Dal Segno"...
I watched as much of the GOP convention as I could stand, each day, if only to be able to compare their vs ours after this week.
Musical Concerts, like convention events, are best when carefully orchestrated to build over time, exactly like a well-crafted musical work.
What was MOST obvious about the GOP convention was the slapdash way in which is was programmed, and the lack of congruity of the messages.
Ryan's speech earlier in the week bears special mention, as the symphony of lies he recited provided one of the most out of tune moments of the entire convention.
The lack of programming savvy was ESPECIALLY evident on the last day, when the evening's important speeches jerked back and forth from hither to yon, lurching to Clint Eastwood's insane drivel on one side, then jerking back to Romney's speech, in which he gave a boring repetition of tired old GOP platitudes. Not their finest moments.
Now contrast this with the three knockout nights of the Democratic convention.
Tuesday built with symphonic precision to Michelle Obama's VERY effective speech, in which she championed her husband, and gave personal insight into his thoughs as only a spouse can do. One great word to describe Mrs Obama was "genuine".
Also noticed was the complete LACK of B.S. catch phrases as used by the GOP. no "We Built This" B.S. - just speaker after speaker addressing progressive values and issues.
Wednesday was another well-tuned concert, ending on an even higher note than Tuesday. President Clinton spoke with an authority and authenticity that can only come from having BEEN in the Oval Office for 8 years, and having survived all the CRAP the GOP slung at him, including impeachment.
He systematically dismantled all the GOP campaign lies, bringing the intensity higher and higher as the speech progressed, and ending on a fortissimo. The hall went wild, just like a crowd at a rock concert would after the headliner finished.
But Thursday took the cake. Contrasted with the wimpy performance of Former Gov . Romney last week, the appearance of all the warmup speakers, ending with President Obama shows a keen understanding of not only stagecraft, but also concert (er, convention) programming.
Building to a finale of unbridled enthusiasm, and a standing ovation, President Obama rallied the crowd in the hall (and hopefully those undecided voters watching on TV as well) by eliciting all the BEST feelings of patriotism without resorting to any of the maudlin pandering evidenced by the GOP last week.
In purely musical terms, the three days of the Democratic Convention were like a well-tuned symphony orchestra, performing a kick-ass selection of repertoire, planned to build in intensity across all three days, ending with a thunderous finale.
As concert audiences would say, loudly, and on their feet,
"BRAVO"