I miss concerts

I miss the build up to the show…the preshow excitement about what’s going to go down…the getting there

Mostly I miss being around people having fun

I particularly miss being around young people having fun…being around that sense of life’s possibilities before life smacks you in the face with responsibilities or I miss that window of time concerts afford you to put life’s responsibilities away and get silly like a kid

I miss the heightened expectations before the band goes on -
and the whole ritual of concerts from the first notes ringing down to the preannounced and often perfunctory encore


I miss the feast of the senses…the libations, sound and lights…even, yes, the voyeurism of looking at the other people that are part of your tribe for that night…the attractive people in their “Sunday best”

I miss staying at the venue until the clean up crew makes it clear it’s time to boogie

I miss the feel of the night air getting outside after the show when your senses seem more keen, the sights and sounds brighter and louder

I miss the ringing in my ears as I put head to pillow

I miss the next day replaying the highlights in my head and the post concert blissing

same brah, same.

yeah…it's been a while and I'm starting to feel it

there was always lots of planing

does the date work (family or othe show conflicts), do I have the budget, do I really like these guys to shell out $20-150 to see them
How were they the last time I saw them, is this a special tour, is this the last tour
Is this the next 'it' band and I will totally regret not seeing them at Ust or the club when they are doing headlining shed tours next year
Is this a nostalgia tour or are they really kicking out the jams on this tour
will it sell out, so do I need to set an appointment for the online sales
do I need to rally some friends prior in case they want tix (that rarely happens anymore)
Once purchased, reading reviews of this tour, checking out setlists and making mixes so I am preped on some of the deep cuts I'd never heard (I know some people it takes out all the fun, but I like being prepared)
Night of the show…what to wear ….T-shirt choice is critical
what the pre-game plan, it used to involve a boat…but that too is now gone …thanks Obama!
what's the status on the sick eds or other consumables
Where will I get a space-friendly preshow beverage (although I'm not doing whole foods man, I have standards)
am I going solo or meeting up with someone…am I now trying to get a ticket for a friend who now wants to join or am I trying to sell my other ticket at a loss

I do love getting in and checking everyone out, what kind of crowd they attracted and what is the male to female ratio
Of course, the merch table, although I'm only buying something about 10% of the time, I still always make a point to check it

The buzz of anticipation on the floor is always just fun to be around

oh, yeah the actual music..that's an added bonus :)

Road trip to Missouri…

Missouri Governor says Concerts can Resume

I do have a good friend that just moved back to St Louis…

Great thread.  So true.

I miss scouring venue websites for shows. I expect there may be fewer of them when we’re ready to go back. Hope not.

StoneTheCrow wrote:
Great thread.  So true.

I miss scouring venue websites for shows. I expect there may be fewer of them when we’re ready to go back. Hope not.

It's seems clear to me that I'll be going to less shows in the future, even if things return to "normal."  Eating out less as well.  I was already starting to get priced out of shows before the pandemic and not having them (plus working 100 hours a week for a month) has been a pretty good reset on priorities.  I got a refund on Bikini Kill and it was an easy call to get $100 back.  I've got different plans for my disposable income.

I miss travel. Between April and August, I had trips, either work or play, planned to upstate New York, Mexico City, California, Philly, and Maine. Three of them have officially bitten the dust and the other two are highly doubtful.

I know, wrong thread. I miss concerts too but i miss travel lots more. Plus, it's only been seven weeks. I often go seven weeks without a concert in normal times.

gavroche wrote:
It's seems clear to me that I'll be going to less shows in the future, even if things return to "normal."  Eating out less as well.  I was already starting to get priced out of shows before the pandemic

I was running into this issue as well, I would easily fit 1-2 shows a month when they were in the $15-45 range.  But when the face value now seems to start at $45 and more than a few times went over $100.  It really made it hard to go to so many shows. 

I barely ate out prior to covid too, there had to be cuts in the budget and that is where I've cut back the most.

but this is all financially related in my position

I've never even remotely been a germ-a-phobe, but this super sensitivity to contact and transmission is our new reality… I'm going to have a hard time adjusting

I miss travel too, but was missing that prior to this too, so can't blame the covid on that one

Blursday, wrote:

I miss travel too, but was missing that prior to this too, so can't blame the covid on that one

This is kind of what clinched it for me.  When I dream about getting back to normal I find myself dreaming about getting out of town and heading somewhere new, not so much going to my next show.

StoneTheCrow wrote:
Great thread.  So true.

I miss scouring venue websites for shows. I expect there may be fewer of them when we’re ready to go back. Hope not.

I had a biweekly task to update my list of shows on all the various venue websites. Now my biweekly task is deleting them or updating to their 2021 postponed dates.

I miss the cathartic experience of live music.  I remember seeing Travis after 9/11, several weeks later I think. And they opened with "Turn."; the whole crowd at the club I think finally exhaled from all the trauma of the prior month. I'm sure many of you were there.

lily1 wrote:
I miss the cathartic experience of live music.  I remember seeing Travis after 9/11

I am drawing a blank on the first show after 9/11 (no doubt in the 9:30)(not the band ND)
But the crowd was was so jazzed to just be out and doing something fun

Space wrote:
I miss travel. Between April and August, I had trips, either work or play, planned to upstate New York, Mexico City, California, Philly, and Maine. Three of them have officially bitten the dust and the other two are highly doubtful.

I know, wrong thread. I miss concerts too but i miss travel lots more. Plus, it's only been seven weeks. I often go seven weeks without a concert in normal times.

This hits me doubly, as I would often travel for the concerts. Had shows to see in Charleston, Nashville, and New York between March 25 and June 5.

Blursday, wrote:
I am drawing a blank on the first show after 9/11 (no doubt in the 9:30)(not the band ND)

Took a trip on the time machine…what a list of shows at the 9:30 post 9/11

9/7 - Luna  - there is a high likelihood was at this, but really can't recall
9/14-15 Built to Spill two-night run
9/16 - Laurie Anderson
9/17 - Nickelback…who was able to see them before they were huge?
9/23  - John Mayer
9/25 - Sugur Ros
9.26 - Wilco - fairly certain this was my first post 9/11 show
9/27 - Rollins band
9/28 - Ratdog
9/29 - David Byrne
10/2 - Travis
10/4 - Joe Strummer  (can't believe I missed this…finished the set with: Police on My Back, The Harder They Come, Yalla Yalla, Pressure Drop
I Fought the Law  Encore:Bankrobber, London's Burning, A Message to You, Rudy)
10/5 - The Donnas (man I wish they'd toured in the last decade)
10/12 - Ryan Adams …gotta imagine I was at this show too

That’s crazy there were shows so quickly


“One of the things that sucks about this pandemic is you can’t get together with others”

- Captain Obvious

hutch wrote:
- Captain Obvious

I think he was promoted to a general

hutch wrote:
That’s crazy there were shows so quickly


“One of the things that sucks about this pandemic is you can’t get together with others”

- Captain Obvious

After 9/11? That's the kind of thinking I don't understand. Those hijackings were isolated events. It wasn't like they were going to spontaneously keep happening.

The pandemic is a whole new ball game. It's not a finite one day catastrophe. Unless we finally say fuck it, all this effort isn't worth it, let's take our chances and try to approximate life as it was before.

Space wrote:

hutch wrote:
That’s crazy there were shows so quickly


“One of the things that sucks about this pandemic is you can’t get together with others”

- Captain Obvious

After 9/11? That's the kind of thinking I don't understand. Those hijackings were isolated events. It wasn't like they were going to spontaneously keep happening.

I think in the days after 9/11 people had no idea what to expect and I do think there was a fear that more was coming
I remember SNL doing a live show was a really big deal and that wasn't until 9/29!
but I agree it was totally different



After Paul Simon did a tear-jerker of the Boxer with the firefighters and police officers standing behind, who had just come Ground Zero, with the dust of the rubble still showing on their uniforms



to think Giuliani had one of the best punch lines of all time

“Can we be funny?” Lorne Michaels asked
“Why start now?” Giuliani responded

fitting article
The Week The Music Stopped