Over at the Whatever, one of Scalzi’s guest bloggers has posted a ginormous list of upcoming live music shows in the DC area. This makes me sad, because when I used to live in the DC area, I was a grad student, and couldn’t afford to go to any of the dozens of great concerts that came through there. Now that I have plenty of money I could spend on live music, I live in Schenectady, where we don’t get anywhere near as many good shows, and I have a wife and child to boot, which makes it difficult to justify going out.
Anyway, whining aside, this seems like a good topic for a reader poll: What do you think of live shows by pop bands (“pop” here encompasses rock, soul, hip-hop, etc.– not classical, jazz, or other art music forms)? If you were in the DC area, and had plenty of cash to spare, would you go out to see live music?
This poll isn’t big enough yet to have an opening act, so you can only choose one of the available options. But if this poll ever hits it big, you’ll be able to tell people you saw it before it was famous.
I saw that list, and at least it inspired me to check local listings. Turns out that I’ll get a chance to see Billy Bragg live next month – for the first time in about 20 years. Should be a hoot!
I mostly only go to small shows any more because the large venues are such a hassle to get into and out of, and I’m so far from the action that I might as well watch a concert DVD. Last arena show I went to was Springsteen, and that was mostly because I felt like I had to see Bruce live at some point in my life. (I think there was a pretty great review of the show right here, too, which helped. I’ll ask the Boss to send you a royalty check.)
I’m not sure “never really know how good a band is” is how I’d put it, but there’s definitely a whole new level of energy and immersion that comes from a live show.
I have a bad habit of seeing the same few bands repeatedly and not really going to a very diverse sampling of live shows, though. (Although I can’t wait to see Janelle Monáe live for the first time.)
I choose my shows carefully, since an evening in Manhattan usually means I don’t get home on the train until after 2 AM, but I DID just buy tickets to the solo/acoustic tour that Greg Dulli just announced. (Bowery Ballroom in October!)
In New York City, where I live now, I find myself mostly going to smaller club (and sometimes ballroom) shows, not necessarily for snobby reasons (though most of the bands I want to see play smaller venues); but for reasons of cost–even a reasonably-priced show at say, Irving Plaza or Bowery Ballroom, will run to $40 or $50 dollars per person when Ticketbastard fees and one or two overpriced beers are added in compared to the same price getting you more beers and a taxi home at a small club–and the fact that I’d rather be closer to the action than stuck farther from the band in a crowd of drunken idiots who think that the Planck space between you and your date is an entirely appropriate area in which to try and shove themselves (and then proceed to scream in your ear and try and become your best friend so you can buy them beer to spill on you). I will shell out for some larger bands, but I have to really want to see them (and the decision tree for this includes whether I’ve seen them before, and how many times, and where the venue is; I skipped Rush this tour because Jones Beach and whatever they’re calling Garden State Arts Center are too much of a pain to get to without a car).
Other than free/cheap outdoor shows (thank you Summerstage and Prospect Park!), I can’t remember the last arena-size show I’ve been to (maybe the Rolling Stones in Phoenix in 2006 or 7); I think the Gov’t Mule New Year shows at the Beacon or maybe the Panic shows at Radio City were as large as I’ve gone since then. I did shell out for God Street Wine at Irving last month (40 bucks plus fees/ticket), but that was a reunion of a band about which I was fanatical when they played regularly, and the price was high partly because it was a benefit show. Also, GSW was always a great live band, and brought more energy after a decade apart than many bands can bring in their prime (there’s nothing like hearing 1,000 people singing along word-for-word to a band which hasn’t played in public in almost ten years).
When I lived in Phoenix, the choices were fewer, so I was less picky (and the venues tend to be smaller); plus, the crowds there aren’t so aggressive about trying to push their way into people-densities that would have Japanese commuter train regulars walking away in disbelief.
I’m not sure “never really know how good a band is” is how I’d put it, but there’s definitely a whole new level of energy and immersion that comes from a live show.
I have a bad habit of seeing the same few bands repeatedly and not really going to a very diverse sampling of live shows, though. (Although I can’t wait