Grimace is right on in my experience. Last year I went to a Mark Knopfler concert at red rocks just outside of Denver. Fabulous venue, visually, but I found the sound at the concert to be total crap. Almost unlistenable, not to mention the thoughtlessness of the crowd gabbing throughout the concert. I was baffled by AudioGoners glowing reviews of the concert afterward wondering if we attended the same event. Aside from small venues I've had it with large-scale music events.
Sounds better at home
Does anyone else think that mic/pa setups at live events are crappy? We went to see Gary Burton at a well respected jazz theatre here in Pittsburgh and the sound quality - as usual - was disapointing. This hall has two large p/a speakers hanging high on the wall and they almost always eliminate any sense of real acoustics in the hall, even when they're being used sparingly. I've even seen artists - most recently Jimmy Heath - turn the system off after a number or two. Looking for a good acoustic experience, the whole thing is frustrating and in general my system at home sounds better.