I have to add that the smoking ban in Boston/Cambridge has added immeasurably to my enjoyment of going out to clubs.

While I certainly don't enjoy it, I can't imagine going to my favorite jazz club without there being a thick haze of smoke covering the room by the end of the night.

Is anyone *not* a fan of live shows, in general? Any venue -- coffeehouse, huge arena, 300-seat theatre.

Me.

It's a rare act that can overcome my dislike of shows.

One more reason I love Plei.

I can't imagine going to my favorite jazz club without there being a thick haze of smoke covering the room by the end of the night.

I thought I might miss it too -- the ban has only been in effect for a year or two. But the part where you leave the club and don't stink? More than makes up for loss of "atmosphere".

I think I see where you're coming from. You want something from the music that you can't get by listening to the CDs? I've been to plenty of rock shows that give me that, though obviously the more a band utilizes improvisation, the more that need is satisfied.

Tom Waits live is so amazing - the songs are very different from the CDs. Also, the musicians he tours with tend to be very good. If you ever get a chace to see Mr. Waits live, kill everyone who stands in your way of tickets.

I have to add that the smoking ban in Boston/Cambridge has added immeasurably to my enjoyment of going out to clubs.

It's only a partial ban here, you're sooo lucky.

I love live shows. I love rock shows in bars, coffeehouses, folk festivals. I am not impressed with arena/stadium concerts. Too big and cold. Maybe if I was in the front row...but I don't think they are for me.

But then again, I don't go to many live shows these days. Mostly because the clubs where bands I like play start the show at midnight at the earliest, and I am becoming an old fart. I have to know it's going to be good to come home tired and smoky.

If you ever get a chace to see Mr. Waits live, kill everyone who stands in your way of tickets.

That's a given ;>

But, for me, there's also an immediacy I get at live shows that can't be replicated in a recording studio -- it's that connection between artist and audience. The live bands I like the best are the ones where 1) you never know what you're gonna get and/or 2) the live versions of the songs have an emotional presence lacking on the CD. Bands that don't have either of those things? I'll see 'em occasionally, but won't go out of my way for them.

What Jon said. I really feed off the energy in the room, and I appreciate the connection with the artist and other fans.

But I don't like shows just because they're shows. If I'm not a fan of the performer, or they're playing a lot of songs I don't know/don't like, I often find concerts really boring and unpleasant.

If I'm not a fan of the performer, or they're playing a lot of songs I don't know/don't like, I often find concerts really boring and unpleasant.

Wrod. It's especially bad when you've been dragged there by someone who LOVES the band, so you can't even bail early.

Sometimes, though, I have gone to shows where I had no idea what I was getting into, and really enjoyed them. Despite myself. Little Feat and LL Cool J, to name divergent (if not opposite) ends of the musical spectrum.

For me, whether or not I enjoy a live show depends on a number of things.

How does the artist play off the energy of the audience? Also, does the artist manage to connect to the audience in some way?

Is the venue itself pleasant? If the place reeks, or I can't hear properly, or I can't get comfortable...

The kind of music makes a difference, as well. Jazz is often better live, as are both opera and folk music, but for wildly different reasons.

I'm not a huge fan of live shows, though I've seen some great ones. The whole club scene is not conducive to anybody whose back gets sore after standing for an hour. JZ and I go out to shows where we're more likely to find a seat, so it tends to be oddball jazz/cabaret things. Or I pick by the venue - Bimbos and Cafe Du Nord both have seats.

I'll go to see a few acts though - I'd love to see Tom Waits but he sells out within an hour up here. Seeing The Cramps at the Fillmore on Halloween is always fun. But it really needs to be a killer combo of venue and act to make me go nowadays.