The last two concerts I went to (U2 in Dallas, Asia & Journey in Tulsa) were so loud, it was difficult to enjoy the music. On top of that, it made my tinnitus a bit worse. The common denominator was they were both in large arenas. So, I've decided that from now on, all concerts I attend will be in the smaller venues. There are a few in our area that are fantastic with great sound without having to crank the volume. Plus there are no bad seats in those places. I'm too old for that other s**t.
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I'm getting too old for rock concerts
- Thread starter Bullitt5135
- Start date
One of the things that we’ve been doing is looking at sites like Groupon for deals on tickets. Of course, they aren’t always going to have deals for bands that you like, but it’s worth a shot. I think we paid half what we would normally pay for the two concerts we went to this past weekend.
I agree that there’s a lot of hassle in going to concerts, but some of those hassles are not limited to arena/stadium shows with big name acts. I’ve seen fights, drunken acts of stupidity, smoking and drugs, and so on, and some of that happened in places like the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, The Omni in Oakland (gone now), The Warfield in SF and The Stone in SF (also gone). I think I have a few more concerts in me, and I’ve been living vicariously through my soon to be stepson, who loves all these concerts we’ve been taking him to, so that helps.
I agree that there’s a lot of hassle in going to concerts, but some of those hassles are not limited to arena/stadium shows with big name acts. I’ve seen fights, drunken acts of stupidity, smoking and drugs, and so on, and some of that happened in places like the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, The Omni in Oakland (gone now), The Warfield in SF and The Stone in SF (also gone). I think I have a few more concerts in me, and I’ve been living vicariously through my soon to be stepson, who loves all these concerts we’ve been taking him to, so that helps.
Oh Lord have mercy! Never in 10 Million years would I go to something like that unless I won special VIP box seats with a free meet-and-greet after.
Totally agree with the highlighted part of this quote. Ready to pull the plug on my TV. Too many ads telling me what pharmaceuticals I must have to live "happy" as I age
Also the barrage of ads on network TV, meh.It's great to live out on a quiet farm but at our age maybe not running around naked, things might get ugly
But hey... maybe they have a "pill" for that!
Not quite 47 and I love rock gigs no matter the venue size, but the last few years it seems the crowds are anemic from their cellphone addiction.
As someone said before: Rock n roll shouldn't be safe family fun. I wouldn't go to a brothel and wonder why it wasn't adequate for my kids. Drunk people are to be expected where revenue is generated through booze. Been to GnR and Kiss this year aside from smaller local gigs. No issues aside from and unorganized merch stand at GnR. More to come by fall and winter.
As someone said before: Rock n roll shouldn't be safe family fun. I wouldn't go to a brothel and wonder why it wasn't adequate for my kids. Drunk people are to be expected where revenue is generated through booze. Been to GnR and Kiss this year aside from smaller local gigs. No issues aside from and unorganized merch stand at GnR. More to come by fall and winter.
Too many ads telling me what pharmaceuticals I must have to live "happy" as I age
It's not just the drug ads, but the endless litany of possible catastrophic side-effects, that gets under my skin.
But I think that's the point, to keep stoking the free-floating anxiety that "you are going to die." Mix these TV ads
with, say, endless news reports of possible global nuclear war, and it can be pretty de-stabling on the individual psyche.
Which is of course what the machine wants. Can't sell anything to the consumer who does not somehow feel deficient, after all....
As for the rest of this thread -- if you're too old for a rock concert, then you're too old too rock.
My wife and I are going to see Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo with Toto on Friday at one of the smaller venues. I'll give a report next week. 
Amen, brother.
I DO think rock is kind of dead as a cultural form. But the reason for this is not, as this thread would fuzzily suggest,
because some middle-aged man overpaid to take his wife and kids to see a bloated, over-the-hill corporate rock band.
Oh, I still love rock (see my post above). But I'd rather not have my hearing completely destroyed before I hit 60. Plus when the piano is distorting (as it was at the latest Journey show), that's just ridiculously loud. I've seen other shows at the same venue where the sound was great without being overbearing.
As for those of you complaining about cigarette smoke -- 70's L.A. punk shows I attended were marked by "fans"
gobbing spit all over the performers. This went on until '81 or so, even past the point where it was a shameful cliche.
So what's a little smoke.
gobbing spit all over the performers. This went on until '81 or so, even past the point where it was a shameful cliche.
So what's a little smoke.
I appear to be in the minority here - I'm 50 and still love going to concerts. Friday will be my 397th concert (yes, I keep track) and I have tickets for three more this year for a nice, round 400 shows. I'm not a fan of crowds and all the BS that goes along with them, or the high prices for some acts ($255 plus fees for McCartney next week), but my bad experiences at these shows can be counted on my fingers - maybe one hand.
Sorry, but a DVD at home is no substitute for seeing a band/artist live. They are very different experiences.
Sorry, but a DVD at home is no substitute for seeing a band/artist live. They are very different experiences.
I do agree that ticket prices can be risible, particularly to someone as spoiled as myself (e.g., I saw John Lee Hooker from a front-of-stage table for $5, no drink minimum; the Rush 'Permanent Waves' tour from loge for $20; Richie Blackmore's Rainbow at The L.A. Forum on a front-row freebie, and so on).
But there are still good value shows to be had. I saw Silversun Pickups and Garbage a couple years ago from the front of stage on a $25 ticket; likewise bands such as Primal Scream and Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye, all from the foot of the stage for less than $35.
I do agree Ig would be better served to leave his shirt on these days. But at least he's hitching up his pants this tour.
I was done with them by 32, when I saw my last Rush concert. The sound is usually nothing but booming bottom end and ear-piercing highs, sight lines obstructed by people who keep standing up, awful traffic, people who seem to have been raised by wolves and aren't fit to be out in public, etc. And just in general, I find crowds suffocating, so you add in the other cons and it's just not worth it to me.
I went to two more concerts after, only because my better half really wanted to see Madonna a couple of times. I hate to generalize, but it has to be said, with the demographic her shows attract and having WAY less of that chest-beating, alpha male aggressive thing going on, people seemed considerably better behaved and more friendly towards those around them on the whole than you're apt to see at a hard rock show. The atmosphere just felt considerably less threatening and more benevolent.
I remember seeing a Steven Wilson interview where he expressed his distaste for attending live concerts and finding crowds claustrophobic, and people in the comments saying he sounded joyless and antisocial, hypocritical for putting on shows but not wanting to attend them, etc., etc., pretty much the same way some people perceived Neil Peart. It seems like many just can't grasp the concept that a distaste for large crowds doesn't equate to a hatred of people and that joyful experiences can be found in places other than the middle of a mob.
I went to two more concerts after, only because my better half really wanted to see Madonna a couple of times. I hate to generalize, but it has to be said, with the demographic her shows attract and having WAY less of that chest-beating, alpha male aggressive thing going on, people seemed considerably better behaved and more friendly towards those around them on the whole than you're apt to see at a hard rock show. The atmosphere just felt considerably less threatening and more benevolent.
I remember seeing a Steven Wilson interview where he expressed his distaste for attending live concerts and finding crowds claustrophobic, and people in the comments saying he sounded joyless and antisocial, hypocritical for putting on shows but not wanting to attend them, etc., etc., pretty much the same way some people perceived Neil Peart. It seems like many just can't grasp the concept that a distaste for large crowds doesn't equate to a hatred of people and that joyful experiences can be found in places other than the middle of a mob.
I'm going to bookmark this thread and offer a link to it in all subsequent TB threads bemoaning
the difficulty in drawing a live crowd.
the difficulty in drawing a live crowd.
