Leaving aside anything related to sound quality, this question is as the thread title, though primarily in terms of music styles rather than individual artists or venues. If so what music, and any idea why?
I have discovered a love of traditional Celtic music, but only live - I haven’t bought any, and doubt I will. My interest, perhaps through genetic memory as I have a fair proportion of Celtic blood, was aroused by Celtic music festivals when I was living in the Isle of Man. I then sought out other opportunities, from various gigs to pubs where people just bring instruments and play. I find the music infectious, and it makes me want to move my body to it. But, so far at least, it is not something that I want to sit down and listen to in the comfort of my own home. i’m unclear why - perhaps it is partly the atmosphere that comes with it, though it doesn’t need a crowd of people for it to be highly enjoyable.
Other folk music is similar, albeit not often making me go out of my way to attend.
Opera, sort of. I do quite enjoy opera on record because the music is brilliant, but for me it’s a theatrical form and I’m getting half the enjoyment. It’s a bit like listening to a read-through of a Shakespeare play, enjoyable for the beauty of the words and the story, but a lot is missing.
I get what you mean about opera: for me very much it is at its best in the theatre/opera house because then you get the magic of live theatre as well as the music. Impossible to beat! Next best for me is video of live performances (e.g “live” streaming), except when the camera zooms in to whoever is singing an aria, and you miss whatever else is happening on the stage – personally I would rather it filmed with full stage view throughout. I do still very much enjoy listening at home on the hi-fi, but much more with the works I have seen performed live because then I will re-live the live performance in my head.
I’m big fan of Celtic female soprano music, with the sadder song the better (much to my wife’s annoyance). Thankfully live Celtic music is easily found, and at a good cost. There are many folk clubs around the UK where you can pop in free and just have a beer and enjoy some great music.
I myself play/sing with a group in a pub most weeks where we sing mostly Celtic. I do lookout for Celtic music being played in small venues, as I enjoy being near the front watching the great skill that these people have (much more than my amateur skills). I’m happy listening to this style of music at home, but with a 60/40 preference to live. I have seen Celtic Women live 3 times, but was put off the last time when I realised they had backing tracks that had a bit too much on them, and I cant now un-hear that. (Backing tracks could be a whole new thread possibly)
Live music has qualities that no hi-fi system, however accomplished, can truly emulate. Some systems do make a much better stab at it than others though, and they aren’t necessarily the most expensive or illustrious ones.
I find that I can listen to and enjoy a much broader range of music live than I could at home. Simply because it’s easier to connect with the music and to be emotionally moved by it. This is surely the key thing that differentiates live from reproduced music. It’s relatively easy, at a price, to equal or even better the tonal qualities and detail of live music at home, but maintaining the essential emotional connection is far trickier.
Whilst true, that is not the point of this thread, which is specifically nothing to do with sound quality, or any other aspect of the difference between recorded and live music, rather about music you go to listen to live but don’t listen to at home.. (Yes, some systems can do better than others at sounding live, my own played at realistic levels can give a pretty good illusion if Inclose my eyes, but that is irrelevant to this thread).
I thought what I said did provide a possible answer. Not really about sound quality as such, but rather the emotional connection with the music which is very hard to maintain with a hi-fi system. That for me anyway is what it’s about, but perhaps not for others.
I have no lack of emotional engagement with the music I play at home. And this thread is not about the difference between live music and playback of recorded, but about whether for others there is music that they like live – that engages them live if you like - but which they have no interest even in listening to at home regardless of how good their hi-fi system or how well it can create an aural illusion of live performance.
Yes in the 70s loved an evening out at Hammersmith with the Quo but rarely played them at home, Wilko J likewise, enjoyed Queen live at Knebworth but rarely played at home, The Blues Band (Paul Jones et co) brilliant in a live venue rarely spun the records.
Just one album - Lindisfarntastic Live. Never played it at home after the first listen. Was given this vinyl album (by the promoters) at a (Lindisfarne) concert in Newcastle sometime early 1984 or 1985? I was only at the concert because my then girlfriend wanted to go. Her family was from, and lived in Sunderland.
I would agree about Opera. I saw lots of Opera when I did performing ats photography back in the day. The whole thing is also a visual extravaganza. I also saw just about every type of music. Experimental Classical sometimes was enjoyable, but I would get bored sitting through it at home. I enjoyed classical music live, but I have very few albums at home. I think the process of exploration of this huge field is too daunting.
I enjoy the concerts my wife drags me along to. She loves Richard Ashcroft as well as the old Prog stuff. I got bored with Prog years ago.
My home listening is Jazz. I enjoy it live as well.
Jazz is one thing I can’t stand, and would absolutely not buy, nor go to listen to it. Most is so excruciating to my ears that I have to turn the radio off or change channels if it cones on the radio when I’m in the car, otherwise exit the room, though unexpectedly I have found on a handful of occasions that a small jazz ensemble playing quietly in the corner of a restaurant or similar can be bearable, adding positively to the atmosphere in the place despite being jazz.
As for prog rock, I don’t know how you got bored with it, as to me it is far from, though of course that is a generalisation. But this is a different subject from the thread theme.
Sort of agree about the Jazz, some can be okay in an appropriate setting, it would never get a listen at home, I can just about survive one song any more, and I change radio stations. Tend to disagree about prog rock, though. I have prog albums from the 70s that never get played these days. However, hearing the occasional track on "2XS” I am rediscovering a few gems, not enough to encourage me to dig out the album, though.
Earlier this week went to David Byrnes show in Cascais. It was a musical and visual extravaganza. A mix of new music and Talking Heads hits. I bought the new music CD at the show - Who Is The Sky. Back home and listened to the CD. A few ok tracks but unlikely that I will play it again for a long time.
The CD music fails to match up to the live show experience imo