Life in the 21st century is accelerating with great speed – one can reminisce about pre-email business practices, but it is hard to imagine life or work without the recent technological advances.

Some habits, however, die hard.

Last night I finished writing a new study until 3am, two of my analysts working alongside me on gchat, while conducting Skype video conference calls with Europe and Asia executives. Today the team finished the tables and graphs, I wrote the press release and talked to our PR company, had the quarterly board meeting of our holding company, decided on a the LOI for a potential acquisition, met with clients and journalists and will finish another 100 page client project tonight. None of this would be able without the intelligence of our people and the IT connectivity of Skype, google, Apple, et al.

But before getting back to the computer, I am now writing this post on my iPhone at the MSG to see the Black Eyed Peas in concert and, comparing it to my experience at city center for the kings of dance, am astonished how concert viewing has changed and how ignorant and paranoid “old art/business” is.

Anyone that took a picture of the artists bowing at the end was harassed by the outdated city center employees.

In contrast, we are coming in for the MSG preshow and all kids video text message and are fully engaged with the act (I didn’t know who they were (outdated myself), but later found out their name is LMFAO – if this doesn’t mean anything to you, upgrade yourself).

Ludacris is the second warmup act and unlike city center, he actually tells the audience to get their phones up in the air (in the past those would have been lighters, I guess).

In between warm-up acts (three altogether), the screens display an announcement for the afterparty and the ability to RSVP via social networks and Blackberry announces onscreen that any messages sent to Will.I.Am’s blackberry address might be displayed during the show – ever conscious of bridging old and new school, Will.I.Am ends up freestyling with those messages during one of his solo segments.

The last time we saw them was as struggling artists at SOBs weeks before they blew up in 2005 (with Justin Timberlakde and Cameron Diaz there).

Now they are cultural ambassadors of cool. Will.I.Am as the creative genius and brain trust, apl.de.ap the powerful Philippino force (he rapped in Takalog and his dancers mixed breaking and traditional dance), Taboo representing Mexican and Native American cultures and Stacy Ann Ferguson aka Fergie as the new female powerhouse of the group.

Their futuristic video “Boom Boom Pow” has been viewed over 50 million times on vevo alone and they organized the first ever flash mob dance for Oprah’s 2009 Chicago “block party”.

20,000 people moved in unison live on the show during the BEPs performance – they had learned the choreography via social networks and videos.

Tellingly, the video was removed by outdated industry executives from public sites due to copyright claims, but is of course still floating around on the web.

The peas and this generation of entertainers knows the power of marketing and to not upset their young customers – and businesses should learn from them. Will.I.Am during the concert thanked the fans with “I don’t care whether you bought or ripped our record, the fact that our music gives you joy and is part of your life is what matters.”

While I felt out of place at the concert at times it was a lesson in client centricity and, more importantly, branding.

The tens of thousands of fans were free to record whatever they wanted and will post those videos all over the world to their friends. The Black Eyed Peas always have been futurlogists, while continuing their old school style of using a band, rapping, breakdancing and knowing their dancers by name.

In with the new, while keeping the old.

Welcome to the future of music and branding.