Kate Bush has long been known as a studio-focused artist rather than a natural live performer, favouring meticulous sound design over touring. Her sole major tour, in 1979, was beset by technical difficulties and safety concerns, reinforcing her preference for the recording booth, though she reportedly did miss the connection with an audience that live performance offers.

Bush cited Elton John's 1970 live release 17-11-70 as a record she loved deeply, praising how it let listeners imagine the atmosphere of the actual show. This admiration later shaped her own 2014 comeback shows, Before the Dawn, where she discouraged phone recordings so audiences would experience and remember the performances through imagination rather than footage, much as she had with John's album.