The people I feel sorry for are the ones that are unable to evolve and continue learning and exploring. Most of the time we are unable to fully appreciate the era we come of age in until we have the perspective of years and the context of history. I’ve been to a lot of shows, and yes, there can be something about that interaction with the crowd and the collective energy. But for the most part they’re all a blur. And just to be clear, there were only a very few shows that I attended “altered”, so that’s not the reason.
Having hundreds of years of music at your fingertips is amazing. Having it catalogued and annotated and cross referenced is even better. There’s new music coming out all the time too. This isn’t meant to be a static hobby. You’re only shortchanging yourself. I’m envious of the kids being born today and all the new music they’ll be able to hear long after we’re all dead.