Have you been to a concert that had good sound quality?

[yhelothar]

I'm not an avid concert goer, but for the 5-10 I've been to, as well as a handful of clubs, I've never been one that had an even decent sonic experience. They're all way too loud where there's hardly any definition, and have bloated bass that drowns out the music.

A set of $200 speakers easily sounds better in a room.

I realize it must be incredibly difficult to get something to sound good in a huge open field, and have it sound good everywhere. I'm guessing there might be few sweet spots where it actually sounds good, but I haven't had a chance to hear it there.

Of course you can still go for the atmosphere and to see your favorite bands in flesh.

 

[Kaido]

Usually no. Very few have sounded what I'd call "great" (placement, speaker quality, listening location, etc.). But I'm the opposite of most music fans - I'd rather have a cleaned-up studio copy to enjoy listening to in the car, at home, etc. The crowd experience doesn't really do anything for me. But I'm also not an audiophile & don't need lossless music files to enjoy the music and I don't nitpick the music even if it's on FM radio. I really like MOG actually, which streams at 320kbps - pretty good quality & quick access to a zillion songs.

The sad thing is, I think it hurts a lot of smaller & upcoming bands, like when you go to local places and they sound terrible, but only because they don't have a sound engineer or a good speaker system setup for the crowd. Having a good presentation by good sound quality is half of sounding good (other half is actually having good music haha).

 

[Pacfanweb]

Not an indoors concert.

At an amphitheater? Yes. Sit on the grass, and it usually sounds pretty good. But any indoor venue, you're at the mercy of not only the acoustics of the building, but the stage/PA setup, and all the idiots around you screaming.

 

[NutBucket]

Sure. Universal Amphitheater had awesome acoustics. Then again, it started life as an outdoor venue. Otherwise, I would say The Forum has a great design for concerts. Can't wait to see how the remodel has improved the place. Honorable mention to Honda Center. Staples Center is the worst concert venue I've been to.

 

[yhelothar]

Hmmm I could see a well designed amphitheater to have good acoustics, perhaps the Hollywood Bowl. But most concerts I've been to is just a stage set up in a big open field, like in this image. These have never turned out well in my experience.

 

[NutBucket]

The Bowl is amazing...but will never be enclosed

 

[Raincity]

Nope to sometimes, our best venue in Las Vegas is the Pearl in the Palms. The Mandalay showroom or House of Blues being a close second. MGM arena has to be the worst place to see a show on the planet.

 

[JAG87]

Yep, Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto has some of the best acoustics for a concert.

 

[notposting]

It depends on venue, artist, seating location.

Went to the Silverdome a couple times for big all day Metallica-headlined shows. Crap seats up high. Some bands good sound (Linkin Park), some crap (Ted Nugent, guitar was mixed to override everything), and some it didn't matter (Metallica doing Master stands out in my mind).

Saw Def Leppard at the U.P. State Fair, about 20' from stage. They sounded great
Saw them at the Palace, our seats were lower bowl at the far end...not so good. The midrange (ie vocals, guitar nuances) was basically missing.

Saw TSO at the Palace, Van Andel Arena, and Detroit Opera House (8x total I believe), and they uniformly sound great.

Several concerts at Pine Knob (I refuse to call it by it's new corporate name). Generally good. BB King, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Bryan Adams, etc etc. Motley Crue sucked, but that was because Vince Neil kept holding the mic out to the idiot groupies in the front row. I felt satisfied a couple months later that summer when he broke his leg falling off the stage.

Saw the Stones at Comerica Park (lower bowl). They sounded good too.

I think it requires a certain level of knowledge and financial ability to have a good sound engineer who will get your sound right at all the different venues, and not just trot out the same gear and set all the knobs to 11 every night.

Keep going to shows. I haven't been to any since we started having kids

 

[notposting]

I will add that I much prefer when bands play songs basically straight up, and keep the banter to a minimum.

Want to piss me off? Inject some politics into things, interrupt a song to get the audience to sing it for you, etc etc.

Oh yeah, BNL sounded just like their live album when I saw them live.

 

[Imp]

I love live albums and I love concerts...

But the sound sucks, simple as that. It's more about the, "OMFG, the band I love is actually playing the song live right in front of me, OMFG!!!!", than about sound quality. That's why I wear shitty, cheap, earplugs when I go to concerts. They've all been loud enough that I can hear perfectly well through them. The sound is distorted, but if I took them out, the sound will be distorted for a few months following the concert and likely permanently. The bass is always overdone, so I "feel" the music at concerts.

 

[notposting]

Disagree. Have heard well mixed concerts a plenty. No need for distorted sound at a concert.

 

[Gintaras]

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

You cal listen to CD at home but without live concert - you'll miss atmosphere...effects....

About 3 weeks ago I went to Sarah Brightman concert @ Radio City Music Hall...
First, Sarah Brightman is an Icon...a Star...
Second...Voice...not music as in instrumentals is most important at concert like Sarah Brightman - it's about her Voice...

If Antonella Ruggiero(ex-Matia Bazar) would come to US, I wouldn't care what band would come with her and what venue she would perform at...

I guess...it's artist by artist, venue by venue...sound stage by sound stage basis...

Worst ever concert I've been at: Asia in '92/'93...

One of best concerts I've been: Brian May @ Beacon Theater, Heart @ Beacon Teather...
Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ MSG

 

[KentState]

I have and probably one of the best was sitting to the side of the stage with not projecting at us. Recently went to Music Midtown in Atlanta and the bands sounded pretty good if you sat far enough away.

 

[serpretetsky]

Want to piss me off? Inject some politics into things, interrupt a song to get the audience to sing it for you, etc etc.

the only song where I will disagree with you, otherwise pretty much i agree with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsqSNIR5DsU
the magic starts at 3:30.

 

[weadjust]

Best sounding concert I have been to was The Eagles reunion tour in the mid 90s. in a venue that held about 6-7K. Sound was spot on.

 

[JoeBleed]

I've been to a few concerts that were good. last one i went to, "MegaDeath and Iron Maiden" the treble was way too high. mid way through the concert i couldn't understand voices very well and i wasn't close to the stage.

This is one reason i really don't like concerts. that and the crowds.

one concert i've been to that was good was Tori Amos. But that was just her playing the piano. Add that to my symphony experience, i really think it's the type of music or possibly more so the type of instruments being played. I'm sure the venue plays a role, but i can't really say much about it. I've been to indoor, covered outdoor, and outdoor events.

I've really enjoyed the sound when going to the symphony.

As for music sounding better recorded than live, i must agree with this with one exception. It was a metal fest long, long ago and one of the small local bands playing sound great on stage. I bought one of their cds they were selling there and it did not sound well at all. I still have it, but i haven't listened to it sense shortly after buying it.

 

[sushiwarrior]

Opeth live at Guelph Concert Theatre was fantastic. Absolutely mind blowing sound quality, bass guitar that would shake your chest but still very clear high notes (very evident during the acoustic songs they played). Design of the sound system seemed similar to the setup Funktion One uses with their installations. That was the best sound I've heard in my entire life.

Other venues, especially clubs? Hit and miss. Usually EQ/sound mixing is left partially in the hands of the DJ and the majority of the crowd just wants muddy, thumping bass, rather than a balance.

 

[queequeg99]

It really varies. Here in Portland, I love the Doug Fir Lounge and Mississippi Studios. Both are relatively small venues (200-300 max) but they were designed for good sound. I’ve seen CAKE at the Doug Fir twice (just a few months ago most recently) and the sound was perfect. But I’ve also seen some harder stuff there too (Red Fang) and it was great.

For larger venues, the bag is mixed. The most attractive mid-sized arena is the Crystal Ballroom (1,500 capacity). A super cool old school ballroom with a really bouncy floating floor. And generally awful acoustics unless the sound guy is really on top of things. I saw The Shins there once and the volume was just an overpowered muddy mess. But I saw Fun.there earlier this year and the sound was perfect. The Roseland Theatre is a complete dive located in a truly sketchy part of town and getting a drink is painful. But the sound is halfway decent. The larger arenas (Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Garden) are just huge impersonal caverns that have very mediocre sound. I saw The Lumineers at Memorial a couple of weeks ago and you could clearly hear echos. It was embarrassing.

If you’re going to go for larger venues in Portland with decent sound, the Clark County Amphitheater was designed from the ground up to provide optimum sound. I’ve been to shows where I’ve been back on the grass and up close in the seats and the sound has always been great. Edgefield also tends to be good.

And as for interactivity, it really depends. Political rants turn me off. But singing along can sometimes work. CAKE is a band that demands audience participation and it really works well with their simple quirky style. Flogging Molly and Frank Turner as well.

It’s a bit off topic, but what really bugs me about shows these days are multiple opening acts. I’m used to one act. Maybe two. But when there are three damn opening acts and the main show doesn’t start until 11PM, I get pissed off.