Not the person you replied to, but I was the same way until I realized all my favorite artists were either dying or retiring and chances to ever see them were slipping away, and quickly. I just go to whatever shows I can and just be present in the moment. Even small local shows. I’ve found a bunch of cool artists by going to shows with artists I don’t even know.

Like, imagine having the opportunity to see a Zeppelin show in their prime, then imagine thinking about going, then saying “meh.” I couldn’t even comprehend the regret I would feel passing something like that up. And it circles back to not knowing you’re in the “good old days” until they’re already past. I just don’t want to look back at missed opportunities and kick myself for the rest of my life.

Like they said, it’s not for everyone, especially not these days. Ticketmaster is a plague, most shows are ridiculously overpriced with food and drink to match, and way too many people are focused on taking a video they’ll never watch. But if things only get worse, I’m going to go down swinging and keep going to shows until doing so would financially break me.