Live music disappoints
 

My wife and I love going to listen to live music, be it classical, rock, blues, jazz or something a bit more exotic. However, I've been a bit disappointed at a few local clubs lately with the quality of the PA systems: hums, persistent feedback and volume levels that exceed what smaller venues should play. This isn't a commentary on the musicianship, which generally is wonderful (except the choice once of an electronic instrument that was way too synthesized in its sound, but the musician only played this for a couple songs thankfully).

I don't know if smaller clubs struggle to the point where this is an issue, although it shouldn't be for clubs that have been around for a while and/or charge a cover.

Interested in anyone else's experience. Heck, I may just be getting cranky in my old age or spoiled by my gear at home. :D

A few years back I went to a Jethro Tull concert at a small theater. The opening band was America and the sound was just horrid. Then Jethro Tull came on and the sound was excellent. Both had their own sound engineers. So I think it has a lot to do with setup and the guy running the board.

I was just amazed at Ian Anderson. He was still flying around the stage and dancing on one foot. I hope I am half that spry when I am his age.

My wife and I also attend live music events fairly often (probably about a dozen a year), and most of them are very good. There are a couple of excellent dinner clubs in Seattle with great sound, a winery (Chateau Ste Michelle) that holds outdoor events with a good sound system, and a local theatre near us with excellent acoustics and sound system. Most of our experience is very good, but there is the occasional show that isn’t so good. In a couple of cases in the past year it was the venue, but more often I find that a bad show is due to the engineer on the sound board, the way the band is set up, or just the overall volume level. We saw Los Lobos a couple of years ago in a great club, but the volume was cranked so high it was painful, and we had forgotten our earplugs. I think the sound guy was just deaf.

So on the whole, we find the sound very good in the venues we frequent, with the occasional less-than-stellar event.

Live music disappoints
 

The other day I went to see Chicago at Jones Beach, Long Island, NY.

R.E.O. Speedwagon opened first, the sound was crazy loud an terrible, I told my wife if Chicago sounds like this, we leave.

They changed all the equipment and sound engineer as well, it sounded magnificent!.

Sound engineers can really destroy an open arena much more than I thought possible.

I am going to see next Deep Purple and later Ozzy Osbourne at the same place.

I know, how come they are all still alive right?

Well, thank god they still are!.

By and large I had good mixers in me live music days, some of the amateur open airs were a bit pant's, the worst volume wise was Rhiana, like a jet plane taking off.

You know the old saying, what doesn’t kill you...
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As I get older, I find I appreciate live music less. If it isn't too obnoxiously loud in the venue, then the attendees distract me from enjoyment.

Perhaps this was how it always was, and I am now more picky as I really like what I hear at home. Also, I'm disappointed with how much many folks drink until they are completely wasted when they attend concerts. Maybe I didn't notice as I used to attend concerts, but there seems to be an increasing number of people who get so drunk they cannot function normally, and totally disrupt the ambiance.

I'm not talking about rock concerts either, last time I saw Tim McGraw live it was a horrible experience that made a frat party look sober. (He seemed to play into this and even his commentary was disappointing to us)

Next time I want to hear Tim McGraw, I'll listen at home.

The exception for me was seeing Garth Brooks on his national tour a few years ago. Sound was great, he was every bit the showman you'd expect, and more. He was extremely classy, and really professional. He made the giant venue seem small and intimate.

I'm less motivated to go to concerts as it is very hit and miss for me.

I think the best way to describe the sound quality at concerts today is inconsistent. As others have noted the difference between acts can be significant. Awhile back we saw Sara Bareilles open for Sugarland. Her recordings are well done and she has a good voice but her sound was terrible but Sugarland's was fine.

Most of my recent concerts (non classical) have been at The Ark in Ann Arbor a very intimate venue with good but not always great sound. In fact we are going to see Shelby Lynne there tomorrow evening. I do have a large venue concert scheduled for October not sure how that will go.

My wife and I have season tix for the Summer jazz series at the Hollywood Bowl and the sound is always excellent. I think it's much easier to get great sound at an outdoor venue than an indoor one.

My wife and I mostly attend classical concerts, so sound quality depends on the acoustics of the venue.

For jazz concerts, it depends indeed on the sound engineers.
Sometimes, I prefer the radio mix, that I hear afterwards, to the live mix during the concert.