am i the only one here who doesn't enjoy live music? i find it too loud, and too expensive. i go home smelling of cigarettes and various other unpleasant odors and on the rare occasion that the show is better than that CD, it's not by much. some people make such a big deal about live shows. i wish i understood what the fuss is all about. i haven't been to a live show in almost two years now.

I like the festival atmosphere but I really don't like going to clubs anymore. Actually, I think smoke is a big part of going and seeing a show and we have a smoking ban in our state so that doesn't exist anymore. Now it just smells like sweat and beer and some kind of device to neutralize those smells. It's gross; way worse than cig smoke.

I enjoy good live music, but I'm entertained mostly by watching skilled musicians rather than listening to the songs they're playing.

I'm NOT a fan of rock concerts; haven't been for the last three or four years.

It all started after I went to see a show by a really huge band, and they played for only an hour. I remember walking out thinking "did I just pay $60 for THAT?!" That sort of began a trend of me going to less and less shows.

It even got to the point where last year, one of my favorite groups came through town (we're talking about one of the biggest bands in the world), and I didn't go. I briefly considered it, only on the basis that it would likely be my only opportunity to see them, but it still wasn't enough to sway my decision. The bottom line was, the amount of the ticket didn't seem to be representative of the perceived "entertainment" I'd be getting in return. I was better off staying at home and throwing on the record, which I did. Saved me cash AND my hearing.

I really like seeing bands at small clubs. I hate it when people around me are smoking and can't get away from it, so I welcome smoking bans. The only time I've had problem with cigarettes though is the time I went to Bonnaroo. Otherwise I've found other than the occasional marijuana smell the places around here don't have much smoking.

I find I get something different from the studio recordings when the band is seriously talented with their instruments and isn't just playing their albums note for note. I love hearing really talented guitarists like Jack White railing off solos. And I find the smaller the venue, the more energetic the crowd, and it's awesome to just be ten feet away from the stage when the crowd is going insane.

A few of the really small venues are way too loud (Like in the Boston area, the Middle East Upstairs and TT The Bears). So I tend to avoid those ones.

The only issue I have is, when I'm standing straight up for hours on end it really starts to hurt my lower back. I sometimes try to get to shows really early just so I can lean against the stage.

Huge auditorium shows I'm not as much into. I'll only bother with them if it's the sort of band I might regret not seeing before they die (Like Dylan, Stones, The Who, Neil Young, etc).

I don't enjoy going to concerts, but that is mostly because I am a geek.

Agree 100%. I used to be able to get into shows around the Twin Cities for free and didn't care that they weren't good or that it was crowded with people. But, it's hard to toss out 40 dollars+ for my wife and I to go to a show when I know that it's not going to be all that great since it rarely is. I went and saw Bob Mould the other week and it really confirmed that I don't like going to shows anymore. The songs are good, but I really didn't enjoy it in a crowded theater.

I find I have the opposite feeling of a lot of you about huge concert crowds.

I was at Woodstock 99. I got down near the stage during Korn's set, and moshpits started forming. I had never experienced anything like that, and suddenly everybody was crashing their bodies against each other and going freaking insane. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then during Red Hot Chili Peppers people were jumping through bonfires. If I was confident in my ability to make the distance at the time I might have done it too. The energy of the crowd was just freaking amazing.

Then two years ago I saw the Thermals at a tiny venue, where people were packed so tight and moving around so much it felt like being pushed around like tidal forces. It made me think about being more confrontational just so I could get in the 5th layer of Dante's inferno. (Of course that was one of the way too loud ones where I realized all the vocals were starting to sound buzzy and indistinct and I got the hell out of there to stop from going deaf.)

I normally have little tolerance for huge, noisy crowds. But for some reason, when everybody is focused on music being played and they're all caught up in the same energy, I find it irresistible. (And yes, I am just as big a geek as you. )