Hello
I have recorded a outside Jazz Funk concert(festival) +-20 000 people.
Lots of horns,3 guitars,2 back vocals, 30 performers on stage.
Its recorded from my Sony A1u, no soundboard but very good capture
with the cam mic in the middle of the crowd on a ladder(4 feet above the crowd).


The sound is ok but I wondered if putting a bit of reverb would be correct?
Does a outside recording have reverb?
Is it ok since its a rock show?
What is your preference?

I don't know how to explain the question but you probably understand, its more about
ethics or theory than technique.

the ONLY place where you have no reverb is a wide open filed outside with no possible reflective surfaces for the sound to bounce off. So from what I understand you will not have a reverb. Putting one would falsify the perception and most probably make it sound cheap.
If you have a good quality reverb you could try it with some open space presets but I doubt you have such a device.

If it sounds good, it is good.
- Duke Ellington

If it sounds natural... why not just leave it?

It's only after adding reverb and regretting it that one learns to stop doing it. If it sounds natural then it aint broke.. so don't fix it. Reverb is an art form and difficult to use properly when required. Even harder when not.

The only part of the music that might really need verb is the vocals or a snare drum. Putting reverb on an entire mix would be horrible.