I‘d say around 4-6 times a year, depends on which bands play near me. I buy merch about 50% of the time, mostly when i really enjoyed a band or wanted a shirt from them for a long time.

I’m a sound engineer, I have to go to concerts, it’s kind of my job.

10-15/year plus 5-10 local band shows. Begrudgingly buy merch and never put them in the dryer!!

Wear earplugs ya dopes. Tinnitus is no fun and never gets better, but doesn’t have to get worse. I’ve found Loop earplugs the most comfortable.

For the last seven months I have been to one concert every month. Before that it was more like one every three to four months. I usually buy shirt and/or patchs, as I usually go to metal concerts. I try to buy as much as possible directly from the bands at their concerts instead of the internet so that the money goes directly to them.

I haven’t been to a concert since COVID.

Pretty much never been except the last two years. Went to the following the last two years:

• Live orchestra of Lord of the Rings music (really nice)
• Eivør (really can’t recommend her enough)
• Heilung (Eivør as foreband, really amazing as always)
• Planned to go listen to the Witcher music with live orchestra later this year.

It seems that once you find your niche and place to look it’s really nice!

Every month or two I’d say, maybe 8 a year? Not big arena shows, usually one multi day festival and a few concerts at smaller venues, and yeah if there is live music at a bar that is always preferable to TVs or recorded music. Generally don’t buy merch, no. My kids sometimes do.

6 gigs last year:
Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Strumbellas
Band of Horses
Paul Weller
Chameleons
Billy Bragg

Also had tix for Jane’s Addiction before the implosion.

I buy merch when the mood strikes, but I normally try to purchase the opening act’s cd.

Also perhaps 10 local gigs.

No gigs yet this year, but going to The Wedding Present in May, and Steve Winwood in September, and ruminating about the Sex Pistols in September too.

A few times a year, probably around 5-6 I’d guess. Some months I end up going to more than one and other months it’s quiet.

Almost always buy merch… I have a lot of t-shirts haha.

About 5 times a year, only classical music. Never bought merch.

A friend always dragged me around to live music events. Never really sought them out myself.

Not often enough

I’m going to sound boring, but never because I’m worried that I’ll wreck my hearing

I work them, so I never just go and attend them - the experience is so much better when you’re “in”. I love the interaction, quite love the babysitting part of it even.

Also when I enjoy it, I will tell them & and it always work because artists know that if the local tech found them good, that same dude who see so much stuff day-in, day-out, it (probably) means something.

You meet jerks, of course. You learn to provide them with minimal service, but clean and decent for the public. You meet fantastic people who fail to make it through to the audience, and that’s heartbreaking. You learn to put 200% of yourself into a musical style you don’t enjoy because the dudes on stage are killing it and the audience is loving it - who cares if Jazz Manouche is the most boring, written down and set in stone style ever.

My most stupid interaction was, at the end of a programme that included both Chopin and Steve Reich, to tell the Reich’ piece clarinetist “sometimes, Chopin is boring. Especially in regard to Reich”. The Guy was in agreement lol.

Local shows. I used to go to 3 or 4 a week.

I stopped doing that around 2017 because I was getting too tired. More like two or three a month.

None anymore though. I have kids now and I moved away, there’s no venues out here.

By “concerts” do you mean a big production in a stadium or theatre/hall with seating and tickets are $80/person, that kind of thing? I’ve never been to one.