Back in 2014 I got to see Rise Against play at the House of Blues in Boston, which was amazing, and just recently I went to see grandson and K. Flay perform together.

I think these are my two favorite concerts I’ve been to, and the key factor seems to be the energy between the crowd and the band. It’s a thing that’s kinda hard to express in words, but for me that’s definitely what makes a concert go from good to great. It doesn’t need to be a high-energy thing necessarily, either: one of the best moments from grandson’s set was actually a really somber, lower energy song that he came down onto the floor to perform, and you could just tell that everyone was really invested in that moment.

What about you all? What takes a concert to the next level for you?

  • Seungyeon@beehaw.orgEnglish
    5·
    2 years ago

    I might be a bit of an outlier, but I am not at all a fan of crowds, so I strongly prefer concerts with assigned seating. I’m in a relatively small city that rarely ever gets big names, but even when we do, most of our concert venues are primarily standing-only, with very few seats available and even those are first-come-first-serve. So I try to always get there early enough to ensure a seat. I just want to see my favorite artists perform live, not get jostled around and smothered by strangers.

    • davefischer@beehaw.orgEnglish
      2·
      2 years ago

      I mostly like crazy underground punk rock chaos, however… One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen was assigned seating, so I can appreciate both styles. (Diamanda Galas, mid-90s.)

    • hispanicatthediscoEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      For me, that depends on how old the band is. Older bands are just going to have more rabid fans that will push and shove you out of the way so they can see dear leader. Otherwise, I live for GA tickets.

      I love Nine Inch Nails, I love them live, but I don’t think I can tolerate another show with their fans.