Anyone else prefer listening to their system more than a concert?

@hysteve 

I was at that same Stones concert,  way up at the top as well. Had same experience. Which is why I almost always prefer home listening. 

Concert arw fun sometimes, but the only in a small venue.  Arena show are terrible, loud, too many people, sound is bad.  

@eisen0169 - I'd love to go to a show at the Sphere some time - that's a different experience altogether; I just don't know who's big enough that I like that much to get me to go to Las Vegas.... 

As i have been in the music business for over 45 years the only way i would go to a concert is if I am backstage working the show dealing with the crowds is not for me, to many rude people. In my lifetime my father was the Techinical Director for the Chicago symphany so i was exposed to the music world at a very young age as i got older i started mixing moniters for various groups sometimes when the musicans just click it is a once in a lifetime show but for me i would rather lister to them thru my system.

As i am fortunitate to have copies of most of the shows i worked  The newer Line Array systems when used propery by the engineer can sound great, but you have to remember they are traveling from venue to venue and every venue acoustics are different and have to becompensated for during the sound check, now that i am retired

a lot of the musicans i have worked with are no longer around. Paul McCarthy just did 2 shows in Chicago and due to the sound tech's they sounded great.. Besides the ticket prices are so unrealistic that's why there is a lawsuit going on with live Nation over pricing.

I have grown to hate large venues, like arena shows, owing to stupid people who won't stop talking, bad acoustics, etc. I'd generally rather listen at home than go to an arena, unless it's someone incredibly special.

On the other hand, for smaller venues or up close, nothing beats being there in person. Seeing Jorma and Jack, with their intimate level of on-stage communication, honed over 50+ years, from row 2 was priceless. Seeing the interactions between Pat Metheny, Charlie Hayden, and Jack DeJohnette up close from a distance of 20 feet was amazing. Participating in a drum circle with a Bedouin tribal group in the Sahara Desert, despite my mediocre skills, was incredible.

Music is more than just good sound and communication to the listener. It's about the communication between the music makers as well, and how that fosters both creativity and coherence. Seeing that in an intimate setting, especially with high-calibre musicians, is one of life's great pleasures.