Mike Doughty has some ideas about what might get people over 30 to go to music shows.¹

immutableinscrutable:

If shows were at 7:30 pm sharp, adults might go.

If everybody got chairs, adults might go.

If everybody got treated with unceasing respect, and didn’t have to feel like they were uncooler than some snooty-kid hand-stamper, they might go.

If shows were shorter—two hours, from sit-down to paying the check, adults might go. (I hate saying this, because I love to play song after song after song)

If the headliner’s ACTUAL stage time were posted, more people might not feel going out was a dice-roll on how long they’d have to sit there waiting. I think, if opening acts were three songs long, people might actually become interested in opening acts, but it’s a terrible that people adjust to the fact that they’re usually being conned into sitting in a bar longer.

I’ve pretty much stopped going to shows for all the reasons listed above.