Red Mosquito

I feel seen.

I really did not expect this thread to result in RM collectively renouncing live music

All the music I love … few of those bands are still active and the members are in their 60’s at least.

I don’t have time/energy to truly get into anything new. Plus it all sucks.

Getting to concerts is a pain due mainly to family commitments, especially if the show is on like a Tuesday. And then even on weekends I don’t wanna stay up that late, pay $200+, schlep into Seattle.

I’ll start going again when my kids are older. Probably just to see whoever is playing the summer concert series at Marymoor Park.

To answer Jorge’s question, I absolutely love Counting Crows but that would be my answer I guess.

I find something redeeming about most concerts I attend but some bands I like -- not love--that have disappointed are:

-Counting Crows
-Kings of Leon

Man, I didn't realise RM skews so far "old curmudgeon" these days.

I say that and yet I also kinda get the sentiment as well. But then again, living where I do in bum fuck nowhere Australia, I also don't particularly get the opportunity to see a ton of artists in any given year, so I do get a fair whack of FOMO whenever anyone tours near me. Having noted that though, I still don't really hit up a ton of shows though as I do definitely get the whole "expense/time/hassle" aspect too.

At this stage there are a only a very few "white whales" that I want to see (Radiohead, Tom Waits and Colin hay all come to mind) but I will always check out PJ, Brucie and a few others if I spot them. And then something like The Saints "reunion" shows come up and I'm 100% in for that sort of thing.

Funnily enough though I am not always devastated when an act comes to Aus but not anywhere near me. Colin Hay is doing a tour of the East Coast this year and whilst I would dearly love to see him I can't justify the expense and travel, and I'm really not that fussed.

I guess I'm more curmudgeony than I realised.

Well we are all older so it’s understandable. I’m happy we are not like some desperate older guy trying to fit it in the current wave of festivals full of tik tok artists.

But to actually try to answer this thread title I would say I’m ok with

Radiohead
GNR
Cat Power

I want it on the record that my disinterest in going to concerts has absolutely nothing to do with thinking there is no good new music, which is an opinion that is boring and wrong

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I want it on the record that my disinterest in going to concerts has absolutely nothing to do with thinking there is no good new music, which is an opinion that is boring and wrong

The new acts will never make it if you don’t show up and buy a t-shirt

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I want it on the record that my disinterest in going to concerts has absolutely nothing to do with thinking there is no good new music, which is an opinion that is boring and wrong

Im very glad this is on the record

VinylGuy wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I want it on the record that my disinterest in going to concerts has absolutely nothing to do with thinking there is no good new music, which is an opinion that is boring and wrong

Im very glad this is on the record

Thank you so am I

I know seniors who are inspired!

Jorge wrote:I really did not expect this thread to result in RM collectively renouncing live music

To answer your question in the spirit of how it was intended, my answer would be the Decemberists. I saw them a bunch when they were first starting out and it was always so much fun. Venues were tiny, they would come out and socialize afterwards, and I loved the couple albums they had out at the time. I still would consider them a band I like, but it's tough to go from paying $12 for shows in small, intimate settings to paying 5x that for shows in larger theaters, especially when you don't like the recent music as well.

Ledbetterdays wrote:I find something redeeming about most concerts I attend but some bands I like -- not love--that have disappointed are:

-Counting Crows
-Kings of Leon

I've seen videos of Counting Crows live and the guy just fully refuses to sing the melodies as recorded. Must be frustrating

Kevin Davis wrote:

Jorge wrote:I really did not expect this thread to result in RM collectively renouncing live music

To answer your question in the spirit of how it was intended, my answer would be the Decemberists. I saw them a bunch when they were first starting out and it was always so much fun. Venues were tiny, they would come out and socialize afterwards, and I loved the couple albums they had out at the time. I still would consider them a band I like, but it's tough to go from paying $12 for shows in small, intimate settings to paying 5x that for shows in larger theaters, especially when you don't like the recent music as well.

What do you think of my take on EC? Have you observed what I'm describing?

I'm active on a Costello fan group and people are always posting videos from recent performances and man... some of it is real rough

I haven't seen many recent videos but I just searched for "elvis costello live 2024" on YouTube and found a version of "Alison" that was really hard to listen to. The dancing around to stay on key was noticeable, but it was the behind-the-beat thing that made it almost unlistenable. I feel like he has done some degree of that for a while, and I'm never surprised when artists of EC's vintage sleepwalk through the warhorses a bit, but...ouch. Conversely, I thought this version of "Boy Named If" was pretty good. And that Memphis Magnetic EP from a couple years back (which I think was a live-in-studio thing) had some really strong takes on it.


I could see a set comprised entirely of recent-ish songs that aren't too acrobatic vocally being pretty solid. I remember last time I saw him, he seemed to struggle quite a bit with "A Slow Drag With Josephine." (That was 2011 though.)

Yeah curiously it's the ballads that he struggles with, while still sounding pretty good with the shouty/belty stuff

There are several ambient/drone artists/electronic composers that I really like that I’ve seen live, and I think I’m ok saying I can probably write off the entire genre from my need-to-see-live list. Studio albums are just fine.

Jorge wrote:

Ledbetterdays wrote:I find something redeeming about most concerts I attend but some bands I like -- not love--that have disappointed are:

-Counting Crows
-Kings of Leon

I've seen videos of Counting Crows live and the guy just fully refuses to sing the melodies as recorded. Must be frustrating

Legend has it that when fans heckle/complain about this during shows, Adam Duritz retorts “you write the fucking songs and then you can sing them however you want.”

epilogue wrote:

VinylGuy wrote:why ?

Because for a long time I've said how little live music means to me anymore and I've gotten tremendous pushback from users here about that. But low and behold now all these years later all y'all agree!

Well people change. I’m sure it’s not directed to you. We are becoming more mature with time.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:All of them pretty much, not worth the time/hassle/money. Last show I went to was Tool with Killing Joke five years ago

Did you ever get to see Steely Dan?