I don't go to concerts anymore. I'm probably too old, too crusty, too grumpy. I really dislike people singing along. I dislike drunk people singing along even more. (disclaimer - obviously some songs are meant to be sung along with - at the band's request- but otherwise STFU). The off-tempo "clapping along" that inevitably happens (4:10 in this video) drives me crazy. I don't smoke weed by choice - and going to concerts now basically means smoking weed whether you like it or not. That's not to mention the ticket price, the parking, the waiting in line, the disrespectful folks who hold a phone up in front of you the whole time… At one point at a Raidohead concert at Red Rocks a dozen years ago I thought - "This sounds so much better on the hi-fi at home. I could buy almost their whole collection on vinyl for the cost of this ticket ". And at that moment - concerts kinda died for me. Despite knowing my distaste for concerts, my wife bought a pair of tickets for Broken Social Scene on their tour a few years ago. It was possibly the best concert I've ever been to. They were the opening band at a small venue in town, so only a few other "fans" were there. None of them were drunk yet. Just 50-100 people there to bathe in the music and have a good time. The set was super electric. Toward the end - when Charles Spearin flung his guitar behind him and some one literally threw him a trumpet as the horns section entered stage right - I got that rush you only get when you're 5 feet away from musical genius and they're sweating and giving everything they have- as if pouring their souls into the show. As I howled and screamed and applauded at the end of that song I glanced over at my wife and she was looking at me as if to say "I'm so happy that you're happy". That's when it broke loose. tears of joy. tears of elation. tears of gratitude for my wife. We didn't stay for the main act - I had listened to some of their stuff trying to get excited about it, but it didn't speak to me. Thinking we would save a few bucks on babysitters, we walked out of the venue and made our way to our car. Because of some traffic and weird one-way streets, I ended up turning down the alley next to the venue. As we pulled through I noticed a few of the band members out having a smoke. We stopped and chatted them up and thanked them for the great show. They couldn't believe we weren't staying for the next act - to which I replied "we gotta get home to the kids. you know how it is." The lead singer looked at the ground, took a loooong drag from his smoke, then with a knowing glance, looked me in the eye, and said "yes… yes I do". This was the last show on the road. I could feel his longing for home. I teared up a little as we drove off. What a night. So much energy. So much emotion. Such a human exchange to cap it off. I've all but decided to end my concert going days with that experience - I like to think that was as good as it gets. I still occasionally go to local shows, but I don't do the stadium or amphitheater shows anymore. Maybe I'm just too cheap.