Concerts

[dotmidi]

Iv been to plenty of small local ones in pubs and stuff; but I've only been to one proper big one! In 2018 when I was traveling around the US I was in Washington DC for my birthday and it was the same day Lorde was playing at a club there - the ticket was SUPER expensive, but hearing Ribs live was worth it  It was also really nice to see how diverse the crowd was, there was just about every age and background represented!

Honestly I don't listen to Lorde but that sounds like a really fun experience. I heard a lot of things about the song Ribs actually so you were in luck to see it performed live
I think I have heard some of her songs but I just can't quite remember at the moment since I don't have my headphones to check some tunes, I used to have a friend who was religiously obsessed with her and was awaiting the day she released a new album, i hope she was happy with the one they put out 2021. Nothing bad happened between me and her we just kinda fell out   

This.. Isn't a concert but I went to a tour Rhett and Link were doing and it was so weird to see them in the flesh. Me and my dad were huge GMM (Good Mythical Morning) fans at the time, but now we haven't watched them at all over the past few years, sometimes I think about them though and watch funny clips I remember!

[Melooon]

i hope she was happy with the one they put out 2021

The 2021 album was honestly really a bit bad.. I deleted it from my iPod The 2017 Melodrama album was a slow burner, but it's a good album (Hard Feelings/Loveless is a really stunning song). The 2013 one though is still completely incredible; it was like an atom bomb of slow-fi anti-pop that hit the whole music industry and left it trying to recover for YEARS!

[dotmidi]

Oh man, Depeche Mode, Black Flag, and The Cure? Someone after my own heart!

Oh, Depeche Mode?... You know, I don't think I'd be too averse to going to a Depeche Mode concert..

I'm quite excited for it , I'm going with a friend and the tickets are.. pricey. I don't even know which area of the stage my friend bought the tickets for but we decided a deal that I'd pay her back $50 a month xDD
We wanted to see The Cure too, and I especially wanted to see them and their opening band for their tour The Twilight Sad since they both seem amazing to hear live.. However there is probably only so many prices i can juggle!! I really really wish to see The Cure though, as decrepit as Robert Smith looks..

I have heard that, for those of us who were talking about how concerts AREN'T overloading, that somehow it being an experience we choose to put ourselves in makes the difference? Like, personally I have fewer issues when it's an event I *want* to be attending, so that might be an interesting thing to think about 

I agree to this sentiment actually, I feel like it depends on your mental health, how attached you are to the band, who you're going with, and whatnot.
Main reason I didn't like Korn was because I was with an ex at the time and he was awful towards me and I'm glad to have him out of my life.. the whole time at the concert he dragged me around and forced us to leave our seats and get constantly scolded by the police for not being at those said seats while also bumming for cigarettes.. yeah. It also doesn't help that I didn't know an awful lot about Korn at the time like I do now! I wasn't as much as a fan back then and I only knew a few songs.

There are a lot of variables as to what makes a concert good and I feel like a lot of people should consider why they don't like attending concerts and find solutions to those issues, I used to have a really bad problem with loud noises so I brought noise cancelling headphones at the time... it also would have helped if I kept in account that the Korn concert was outdoors and it was the middle of summer in FLORIDA. As many people may have experienced something similar, i hate the feeling of sweat and heat. so there are a lot of things to take into account when you do something!! don't let one bad experience discourage you because i cant wait to see more live performances myself now that im in a better headspace, know myself better, and how to keep my sensory issues maintained . i hope some of you who love music but find themselves afraid of going to a live performance give it a chance when you feel ready for it! 

[bugholder's epiphany]

I've only been to one concert in my life, it was one of Slayer's last shows for their final world tour back in 2018. Played alongside Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Tesatament, and Napalm Death. Was really good shit :)

Been planning on going to another concert later this year, this time it'll be Pantera and Lamb Of God!

[doubleincision]

i love concerts! it's funny, i'm autistic as well, but the loudness and rumble of the speakers at a concert is very pleasing 2 me. it's a stim for me, i suppose concerts are also one of the only places i can think of where it's socially acceptable to scream and wave your arms around like a maniac, so it feels great to get all of that energy out in a way that doesn't terrify others around you

the band that i've seen live the most is Ghost— me, my husband, and our friends go on road trips together to see several shows in a row (we literally plan our year around when Ghost is touring) and we're always at the barrier going buckwild. the band finds us very entertaining to watch we started doing synchronized choreography on our last road trip, just to be funny, and they thought it was awesome

my most recent concert was Voltaire, two weeks ago. ever since we moved to Seattle we try to see him every time he comes around because he always plays the same small cozy venue and has a really fun show, and usually the openers are performers i haven't heard of before. my absolute favorite way to discover new music is by going into a concert blind. one of the opening bands was called Sarah and the Safe Word and they were fucking AMAZING, i liked their set more than Voltaire's tbh! it was like...super chaotic pop-punk dark cabaret. they had a violinist who also did screaming vocals, it kicked ass.

my favorite concert i've ever seen, though, was either Mr. Bungle or Danger. Mr. Bungle broke up when i was like...7 years old, so i never thought i would get to see them live, but then in 2020 they did a handful of reunion shows which also just so happened to be a few days after my birthday. it was just a few weeks before the pandemic shut the world down, too, so that was also the last show i saw for a few years and it was just a really special memory of an awesome show. Danger is a French electronic musician that i've been a fan of since 2009, but he very rarely comes to the US and i finally got to see him on his last visit. aside from the straight couple that were literally having sex directly next to me, it was very very good, lmao.

man i love concerts i can't wait for my next one

[brisray]

Love live music. I've never minded where, some dingy horrible pub somewhere or something a bit bigger.

I used to go to 3-day Glasonbury Festival (actually Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset) almost every year in the 70s and 80s. Some of them I can remember almost everything, others not so much 

Around the same decades there were also the Anti-Fascist and Rock Against Racism marches usually followed by a gig in a park somewhere. "Pogo on a Nazi!"

It seemed everyone was playing anywhere they could, the only limit was trying to find the money and transport to get to see them. Queen in Hyde Park, London for free! The Who at Charlton Athletic Football Ground, London - definitely not free and it rained for 6 hours. Pink Floyd at Wembley Stadium, Hawkwind at Bristol Civic Center of all places. The tours by Stiff Records (Wreckless Eric, Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Nick lowe and the others) in some old dockside warehouse optimistically called Bristol Exhibition Center.

Bob Dylan at Blackbushe Aerodrome along with 1/4 million other people and we were somewhere near the back and really needed a telescope to see him.

I've also been to pub gigs and the audience were just 4 people including me.

[doubleincision]

Love live music. I've never minded where, some dingy horrible pub somewhere or something a bit bigger.

I used to go to 3-day Glasonbury Festival (actually Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset) almost every year in the 70s and 80s. Some of them I can remember almost everything, others not so much 

Around the same decades there were also the Anti-Fascist and Rock Against Racism marches usually followed by a gig in a park somewhere. "Pogo on a Nazi!"

It seemed everyone was playing anywhere they could, the only limit was trying to find the money and transport to get to see them. Queen in Hyde Park, London for free! The Who at Charlton Athletic Football Ground, London - definitely not free and it rained for 6 hours. Pink Floyd at Wembley Stadium, Hawkwind at Bristol Civic Center of all places. The tours by Stiff Records (Wreckless Eric, Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Nick lowe and the others) in some old dockside warehouse optimistically called Bristol Exhibition Center.

Bob Dylan at Blackbushe Aerodrome along with 1/4 million other people and we were somewhere near the back and really needed a telescope to see him.

I've also been to pub gigs and the audience were just 4 people including me.

ahhh man those sound like amazing memories. the ones you do remember, that is you were seeing concerts in the golden age of live music, i can't imagine how cool it would have been to be in the crowd for a Queen concert. those tiny dingy venues are definitely the best, though-- the tiny metal bar in my city is such a great place to see music. no evil ticket vendors (i'm shooting lasers out of my eyes at Ticketmaster) to deal with, the security is low-key, being able to just walk in the door and there's a band playing and nobody is running and clawing over each other to hog the front of the crowd so they can stand there and take an Instagram video.

[Badgersaurus]

I've seen a total of three concerts in my life so far: Weezer and the Pixies in 2019 (they were doing some sorta joint tour deal-super cool seeing two of my favourite bands ever in one night!), Nick Cave and Warren Ellis in 2022 (pretty much a religious experience) and the Black Keys that same year (man they are G-E-W-D GOOD. Those guys are SO COOL.)
All were really really fun. I hope to see more (and smaller) concerts in the future!

[ennui]

last concert i went to was pre-covid and it was to see the b-52s, was a fun time. 
there are some other shows i kinda wanna see but sh*ts too expensive now and im also lazier if that's even possible. i can't be arsed to attend an arena show (the cure, like a few others in here mentioned (plus i think my show is all sold out anyway)) by myself anymore!

[cinder]

ive only been to 1 concert in my life but it was really cool!
me, my ma, my sister, and some of her friends went to see gaga! it was so funky and cool i loved it

i do want to go to more concerts though! only thing is most of the bands I like either aren't doing concerts anymore or do them in other countries/regions 

They Might Be Giants are having a concert near me soon so I might go to that one (i really want to)   

[tarraxahum]

My first concerts back in the day were Lindsey Stirling (I still have all the merch I've excitedly bought, including a fake autograph someone hustled to me outside the venue ahaha) and Skillet!

These days I mostly try to catch my fav rock band if I get a chance.

Re: autism and concerts, I am not diagnosed or anything but I have my suspicions, however, concerts, especially rock ones, have proven to be very stumulating for me, like, in a good way? When I went for the first time after a five year no-concert break, I've been calm and anxiety-free for like three whole days afterwards.

There's something soothing about sound vibrating in your chest and the soles of your feet. And screaming your favorite songs at the top of your lungs until you get dizzy while still not hearing yourself and having zero care about how bad you're actually at singing. A lot of pent up shit just yeets out and I love the feeling a lot. The energy exchange between the performer and the engaged audience at such gigs is also magical.

That being said, I don't exactly like moshing and I love seeing the singers clearly  so every time now I show up to the venue multiple hours prior to the doors opening - just to stand close to the stage. So far I am successful in that!

[doubleincision]

Re: autism and concerts, I am not diagnosed or anything but I have my suspicions, however, concerts, especially rock ones, have proven to be very stumulating for me, like, in a good way? When I went for the first time after a five year no-concert break, I've been calm and anxiety-free for like three whole days afterwards.

There's something soothing about sound vibrating in your chest and the soles of your feet. And screaming your favorite songs at the top of your lungs until you get dizzy while still not hearing yourself and having zero care about how bad you're actually at singing. A lot of pent up shit just yeets out and I love the feeling a lot. The energy exchange between the performer and the engaged audience at such gigs is also magical.

That being said, I don't exactly like moshing and I love seeing the singers clearly  so every time now I show up to the venue multiple hours prior to the doors opening - just to stand close to the stage. So far I am successful in that!

yes! this exactly! i mentioned that in my post above, a loud concert is a good kind of sensory explosion to me. i LOVE the sensation when you can feel the bass rattling your ribcage.

and that energy exchange with the performer is why i also always get my chubby ass to the front of the crowd. i'm a short little creature and i gotta be on that barrier so the performer can SEE that i'm having a great time and that i know all the words. it's like giving the performer a tip; they're working their ass off to give me a good show, up there, so i'm gonna work my ass off too to show them that i appreciate it

i also like being at the barrier because you meet fun people up there. the best is when there are kids at their first concert, because me and my usual Concert Squad are always having such a party in the pit that the performer pays a lot of attention to us, which in turn leads to any kids around us also getting that same attention. we always try to hype them up and point to them a lot so the band will throw them guitar picks and stuff like that. we had a mom thank us the last time that happened because she was so happy that her daughter had a good time at her first show, it was so sweet lol

[shevek]

Read this thread silently every now and then but now that the autistic representation is emerging, I thought I'd also chime in

I was at 4 concerts in my life so far (2 with my parents for their fav artists, and one time Birdy and one time Ariana Grande) and I wish!! I enjoyed it as much as you all do here, especially the ones where it doesn't "conflict" with the autism. My girlfriend loves concerts and festivals as well, and not too long ago I asked her what exactly makes it appealing for the average person because I was trying to figure out how to enjoy concerts and what to pay attention to. It sounds so amazing to go to a concert and feel like a unity with the people who came for the same thing, who maybe roughly like the same things you do, to vibe together, laugh, dance, scream .. I sadly cannot seem to feel that way

You're going to laugh, but my idea for most of my life was that people go to concerts to hear the music in a really loud way and that's it, nothing else. Because that's how I always saw it and wanted it to be; you can't get away with blasting music so loudly you feel it in your lungs in an apartment complex and the car is so limiting too. And from this view, you might get what follows next.

My ideal concert idea (that is gonna sound ridiculous, I am warning you) is everyone sitting (seats only, no standing) quietly, not moving, hands in their lap, and listening to music playing. Because if you're yelling and moving around, that's gonna get in the way of hearing the music, and personally I don't wanna move or scream or touch anyone. I don't care for anyone else that is there. The band or singer isn't there live, but instead, the album music is played in concert volume and we're all sitting there enjoying it and no one says a thing. The reason for the album music is that at concerts, I never cared to see the people live and I really dislike when it sounds different than the album and it's not exactly sung the same; and obviously, live always sounds very different. That's also why I don't get the live version releases on albums, they sound so bad to me . And also, this is the fault of the venues I went to and not representative of all concerts, but they sometimes really suck at the mixing and too many times, you can barely hear the voice while the bass is way too high and loud, so it's just sounding like a huge bee hive. So I would love if they just played the album(s).

When my girlfriend first heard that she laughed and suggested an opera, but that's the wrong type of music for me. But yeah, imagine an opera, but instead, they're playing the albums of Depeche Mode and the guys aren't even there. That's my idea of the perfect concert

[Quinn]

OMG YOU BET i have a cool concert story.

i live next to a big stadium. and one night last year, Guns n Roses were playing there. we didn't have tickets, but i kinda wished we did. me and my mum went for a walk round town at night for a bit because we didn't go out for the whole day, and we passed the stadium, so we got near it to hear better. then a couple came out and gave us some tickets that could be used for re-entry out of nowhere!! FREE TICKETS DUUUUUDE!!!! so we went, in, and they were all there: slash, axl, etc. all super old , that was a given, and the air smelled like cannabis, but it was still great!! we hadn't brought our phones or anything to record it tho!!

[malice]

i saw the birthday massacre a couple of weeks ago and it was SO cool! i was right up at the stage and i got to give chibi a bracelet that i made for her :3 she kept holding my hand and stuff it was awesome!

other concerts i've been to are:
- paramore in 2018 (my first concert!) it was fun dancing around and singing along with everyone and i lost my voice the second the show ended lol

- evanescence in 2018. this was when they made that synth/orchestra remake album and it was absolutely beautiful. there was a whole orchestra on stage with the band and right as they started playing i saw a full moon rise right above us. pure. magic.

- evanescence and halestorm in 2021. my fav concert! plush opened and they blew me away, halestorm was up next and woah, everyone should definitely see this band live even if you aren't a huge fan of them. it was insane. also amy lee showed up and sang break in with them, which was so beautiful. and then evanescence did this huge 21 song set to celebrate being on their first tour since lockdown and it was AMAZING. they played a lot of my favorite songs and right before one of them a short video played of the band over the years and showing how far they've come since their first album. i won't lie, i cried a little. and lzzy hale showed up to cover heavy by linkin park with the band which made me cry more haha. overall there was never a bad moment at this and i hope they tour together again someday!

- korn and evanescence in 2022. i was not expecting to go to this at all. i was home from college that weekend and i casually brought up that evanescence is gonna be here that night and my mom got us tickets! really, really good seats might i add! she HATES korn but she was willing to sit through their (FANTASTIC) set with me :) evanescence was awesome as always and i saw one of amy lee's sisters sitting two rows ahead of me lmao. the crowd was kind of dead, but i expected that since most people were there to see korn since they were the headliners. the crowd really picked up when korn played and i headbanged so hard my brain felt like a smoothie at the end of it. amy showed up for freak on a leash and these long strips of confetti were shot out at us and i managed to grab some! it was such a fun night and even my mom said that korn was "better than she expected" haha :)