edit: to clarify, I don’t agree with any of this, I just thought it was funny.
this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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Well there is the classic "Drums set the tempo" style of time keeping, the conductor is more a necessity in grandiose melodious works where tempo isn't easily kept from the percussion alone.
Rock Bands, some Marching Bands, and arguably a bunch of Jazz Bands considering how much those conductors tend to devolve into just dancing around on stage like a possessed Muppet, are able to keep time without the visual cue the conductor provides in a less rhythm intensive composition.
Not to mention that developing an accurate internal metronome for others to build a song off your cue is a skill unto itself, as well as being able to read every part of the song at once to be able to properly rehearse the combined ensemble and tell if someone needs an adjustment.
Conductors (drum majors) are absolutely vital in marching bands. Marching bands (both traditional military style and modern style) use formations so large that the speed of sound is a significant factor - trying to keep tempo based on listening to e.g. drums simply won't work, because different positions will hear the beats at different times (and that's not even considering issues like echoes, or the auditory dead zones that closed structures have). Having visual cues for keeping time is a necessity.