How do you feel about seeing concerts live?
Personally I love it. But it seems it would aggravate some other autistic people. All the loud noise, bright lights, and no personal space. It does not bother me at all. Sure I would like some breathing room like everyone but it's part of the experience. And I have ear plugs but that's just common sense to me. It's not that loud noise bothers me but concerts are VERY loud usualy.
But I have noticed people are always trying to talk to me. Probably because I am alone when I go. I don't let lack of friends stop me. But then I have no idea how to have a conversation and it's akwerd. They usualy assume I am just too high on something I think and eventually walk away. Or maybe they think I am trying to be rude.
I go to a lot of "jam band" type shows that attract friendly hippie types. Sometimes it's sad because it's a very social thing. I always see people hugging and talking around me. Like oh wow I have not seen you in a while how are you? They have so many friends there are friends who were not even in the group of friends they went out with that night. Ah to be neurotypical lol.
I'm working hard on trying to seem more normal because I realize I could make some friends if I was.
I always enjoy going to hear (and see) live music, regardless of the genre or setting. But of course, I get the most enjoyment out of going to see my favorite bands live. And I don't even mind the noise levels in most of them.
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“They laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at them because they're all the same.”
― Kurt Cobain
When I was younger I went to shows; most of the time I went by myself. Yeah, I felt bad that others were there with their friends and I was alone; still, I focused so much on the music, coupled with me drinking like a fish, that I was able to tolerate it. Those days have been over for a few years now. Sigh. Such is life.
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I enjoy live concerts, but they are an infrequent activity for me. I maybe see one concert (popular music) every three years or so. Ones that stuck with me particularly as great experiences were Living Colour in 2008, Stevie Ann in 2010, Melody Gardot in 2010, and JoJo this year. While I have to do a bit of mental preparation before attending any concert, my sensory experience of the event depends a lot on the venue. Living Colour's gig was a rock concert at a large indoors stage. It featured loud acoustics and at one point there was a mosh pit. It was pretty crowded. I don't remember being particularly bothered by the number of people attending, but I do remember my ears had to recover for two days afterwards! I wrote a blog post here on WrongPlanet, when the blog feature still functioned.
Stevie Ann performed at a smaller indoors concert hall that had a very cosy feel. The show wasn't too packed with people, and since the performance was mostly based around acoustic songs of a mid-tempo signature, it wasn't an onslaught on the ears or any other senses either.
Melody Gardot performed at a concert hall that's normally used for performances of classical music. It was very spaceous and everyone had assigned seats. The room acoustics were excellent, and it was very comfortable to be there.
JoJo performed at exactly the same venue where I had seen Living Colour, but since I was nine years older when I saw her, it is difficult for me to compare the experiences. While I normally find it difficult to socialize with other people, I found significant comfort in the fact that I was surrounded by other JoJo fans.
I should also mention that I sometimes attend live performances of classical musicians, which I find significantly more soothing because the focus is so much on the music.
I've seen some outdoors perfomances as well, for example in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. It's nice to be able to walk around a bit, unless you're somewhere in the middle of the crowd and you're basically emprisoned between people. But it rarely actually feels that way, and I think the outdoors experience is really nice.
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clarity of thought before rashness of action
I love going to concerts, but it depends on the type. There's some music I listen to that I wouldn't go to a concert for, because I don't like the 'scene' associated with its genre. Indie or folk music that's not super popular I enjoy going to. I'm not big on going to popular rock or hip hop acts, even if I might like their music, because the crowds are larger and generally more boorish.
The last few years I've not gone to any live music festivals, but when I have gone it's been to small boutique festivals, for the aforementioned reasons. The general trend though is that these boutique festival are becoming mainstream and there's been a corresponding decline in their ambience.
BetwixtBetween
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Age: 41
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Classical music? BIG YES. Only overwhelming in the lobby, and if you ask for somewhere to smoke (I'm not a smoker, but smokers get open space), they'll tell you.
I'd be willing to give an Adele concert a shot, but only because I love so many of her songs. I think it would be a bit much for me though to be honest.
I'm pretty sure I could manage attending a concert for an artist like Tori Amos or Jewel back in the Pieces of You era.
I used to be more tolerant to loudness when I was younger and found concerts of my favorite bands entertaining if they were non-smoking. My sensory issues were more about touch, smell and taste.
However in my current mental state it's nearly impossible to participate in an activity so loud and visually crowded. I can't even stand music played a little louder at home trough speakers now.
Nice of you to give a nod to Jewel. Pieces of You is a great album that aged quite well.
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clarity of thought before rashness of action
I have zero interest in going to concerts. I don't mean that in a cranky way, lol, just being honest. Zero. I don't understand the appeal of it. And I love music - I'm a music person. But if I want to hear a song I listen to it. There's some aspect of the "experience" of going to concerts that my brain just either doesn't get it or gets it and isn't interested. Its very hard to find people who feel the same way I do with this, but I have faith in this forum if anything.
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-Juliet
I like seeing live music, but I can't handle the crowds at popular venues unless I'm with my Dad. The volume doesn't bother me as much as the intensity of contrasting pitch (from the audience and band). What gives me the most anxiety is the lighting, if they use different colors or strobe lights my fight or flight kicks in. It frustrates me when I go to see a band I like live and leave the concert feeling anxious/overstimulated. I really love rock/metal, so I'm gonna keep going to those types of concerts and experiment different ways to enjoy the overall experience without freaking out.
I like it if it's at a small venue, or if I can get right up near the stage. If it's in a stadium and I'm in raised seats that are far away from the stage, though, then I literally don't see the point in being there. I'm actually seeing a punk/metal band called Planes Mistaken for Stars tonight.
Been to quite a few (probably close to 50 or so). I've generally enjoyed it. I haven't gone for a few years but might get back into it. First band I saw was Tool in middle school. Nothing like seeing a band you love perform live, it's a rush. I've seen mostly punk, metal, and classical...with some other random shows thrown in there. I've also passed on quite a few, sometimes I even had tickets already, because I just couldn't be bothered to get myself out there and back, wait in line and do all that stuff. Sometimes they run a little long for me, and it's a lot of standing around, etc., I get tired and bored. Plus if you don't have someone to go with, it can be kind of lonely. I remember one of the best acts I saw was Neurosis (amazing band)...but I was alone for it, and it seemed like every single guy there had a girlfriend. All the guys were seemingly way taller than I was (I'm like 5'10 or 5'11), and they were all there with their hot girlfriends. I had recently been dumped and felt like sh*t because of that. Socially it was not a great feeling. But the band was great.
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