Why do people like concerts? (2014, bon jovi, pearl jam, hendrix)

[Sonic_Spork]

Originally Posted by thefragile

Yeah, that throwing urine is an English thing.


So you don’t like them, fine, don’t go to them.
I saw my favorite band Foo Fighters 6 times last year. 2 of those were on rail, my first rail experience being at Wrigley last summer. The best experience of my life. The energy of the band, having Dave Grohl sweating on you, just being that close & then having a second of eye contact.....there’s nothing better than that for me. I can’t wait to see them this next year for their 25th.

Eye contact with Dave Grohl?

I got flirted with from the stage by Oderus Urungus, aka Dave Brockie!

Actually not as awesome as being carried across the stage and fed into the "meat grinder" once and the "world maggot" once, which I also have done...

OP would be so horrified by what attending a GWAR show entails. I mean, beyond "ugh, concerts"...

Though even I, veteran of 37 of them, has her limits and draws a line somewhere.

I draw it just this side of Insane Clown Posse. They spray Faygo soda all over everybody. The idea of being sticky for the duration of a concert is enough to make my skin crawl. *very dramatic shudder*

[trlhiker]

I have no more interest in seeing any bands live. Many butcher their songs while singing live. I have seen some very good concerts mostly back in the 80's and 90's when I paid less than $20 to see big names like Springsteen, Rush, Styx, and others. Got no interest in paying $100+ to see anyone.

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by trlhiker

I have no more interest in seeing any bands live. Many butcher their songs while singing live. I have seen some very good concerts mostly back in the 80's and 90's when I paid less than $20 to see big names like Springsteen, Rush, Styx, and others. Got no interest in paying $100+ to see anyone.

The bands I’ve seen are better live.

[Amelie90]

Originally Posted by eddiehaskell

What do people like about them? I know of people paying $300++ for a ticket. Celebrity worship?

I couldn’t care less about seeing the actual celebrity/performer in person. I certainly wouldn’t want to stand in a crowd watching them on a big screen.

If I like a song - I just want to HEAR the damn song! And after I hear it about 100 times I need my distance...might enjoy it only occasionally if it pops on the radio.

I feel like people think I’m weird when I say I don’t care for concerts.

Concerts are my favorite! I wouldn’t say you’re weird for not liking them because not everyone is passionate about live music. I went to four concerts in 2019, and I’ve already bought tickets for two more concerts in 2020. I tend to go to small shows though, so it’s not like a huge stadium where I can only see the performers on the screen. Nor am I spending $300+ for tickets. Here are some highlights from the 2019 concerts and why going to the shows was better than just listening to the music at home:

Concert 1: I had front row, so that was awesome! And the opening band (who I had never heard of before) was really good, and they ended up becoming one of my favorite bands.
Concert 2: I’ve seen this band lots of times, but I still had fun. They performed a song that I love, but I had never seen them perform it live before. I also made a new fan friend who loves the band too.
Concert 3: I got to talk to the lead singer after the show and I took a picture with him.
Concert 4: I caught a guitar pick that was thrown out into the audience, so that was cool. And it was just a really fun show.

[burdell]

Originally Posted by Joey2k

I avoid big arena shows because I hate crowds and I hate spending the ridiculous amounts of money such events usually entail.

I do enjoy going to smaller venues and seeing bands I like play live. I do enjoy watching them play, but I have to admit I also do it at least in part for the photos I can post on Facebook later

I've never been to an arena/stadium concert but the ones I saw years ago in smaller venues like Fillmore East and the Capitol in both Passaic NJ and Port Chester NY give you music like you'll NEVER hear from a recording.

[Amelie90]

Originally Posted by clawsondude

My post assumes it is a band that actually plays live

I love attending concerts for several reasons. While the band may play songs I've heard many times, it's exciting for me to hear them recreate them live and in the moment. It isn't the same exact performance I've heard at home, I'm watching a unique performance of that song. Maybe the band will decide to play it differently, or maybe the lead guitarist will improvise and take an extended solo. Sometimes you hear notes flubbed here and there or a wrong lyric which I enjoy. Maybe the band will play a song they rarely put in their live set and you'll be there to see it.

There is also a social component. It's fun to see a band you love and be around others who feel the same way. It's a shared experience and there is a real energy being there live.

I am a huge fan of live music. A live concert is the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience. To me music is the only real magic that exists on Earth.

Yup, the bolded pretty much sums it up! That’s how I feel too. Also, I just like to support the bands I love so it’s important for me to go to their shows whenever I can.

But a downside to going to concerts is “post concert depression” or PCD. It can occur when you go to a show and have the best time ever, and then the next day it’s all over and you have to return to your normal life. It sucks, but the way I deal with it is by going to more shows. I am lucky that my favorite bands tend to tour a lot, so when one of them isn’t on tour, I can at least go see the other ones and rotate between them.

[2x3x29x41]

I think Kramer says it best:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd1nZAwaqcs

[kygman]

I haven't been to a concert since the mid 80s when I went to see Chicago and the Beach Boys in Evansville, In. We (wife and I) were in the nosebleed seats that we paid $20 each for. In 1978 I saw the Doobie Brothers at Murray State University (Ky.) and paid $18 for second row seats. The cost is one of the reasons I haven't been to a concert since, plus my wife's health. But for all the people who want to pay the big bucks to go see a live show, more power to you! Go for it and take plenty of pictures!

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by eddiehaskell

What do people like about them? I know of people paying $300++ for a ticket. Celebrity worship?

I couldn’t care less about seeing the actual celebrity/performer in person. I certainly wouldn’t want to stand in a crowd watching them on a big screen.

If I like a song - I just want to HEAR the damn song! And after I hear it about 100 times I need my distance...might enjoy it only occasionally if it pops on the radio.

I feel like people think I’m weird when I say I don’t care for concerts.

I doubt celebrity worship has much to do with it. I have always thought the the prices were overpriced too, and for the most part out of my price range. But when I was younger I went to a lot of free concerts at festivals and stuff. They were definitely not the biggest name acts. That was the 1980s, and the performers were mostly lesser known acts from the 1960s and 70s, who at that point were somewhat irrelevant. Most of the people at the concerts were just there for the same reason I was. Because it was free entertainment. But there were also a few big fans of the performers mixed into the crowd. I enjoyed it. It was a very unique experience to see performers, on stage singing hit songs that I had only heard sung before.

I can imagine if you paid a lot of money to see a very popular music group, and everybody there is a superfan of the musicians, it could be quite an experience. I probably wouldn't pay that much for it, but I can see where it could be a very special experience for many people.

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by Sweet Like Sugar

Yup, the bolded pretty much sums it up! That’s how I feel too. Also, I just like to support the bands I love so it’s important for me to go to their shows whenever I can.

But a downside to going to concerts is “post concert depression” or PCD. It can occur when you go to a show and have the best time ever, and then the next day it’s all over and you have to return to your normal life. It sucks, but the way I deal with it is by going to more shows. I am lucky that my favorite bands tend to tour a lot, so when one of them isn’t on tour, I can at least go see the other ones and rotate between them.

That post concert depression is a real thing. I actually cried the next morning after my first rail experience with Foo, lol. I’m a super fan.