Done it many a time only to wish i had listened more before going to it.

Although sometimes gives the songs more meaning once you listen to them after a seeing the artist.

One of the signs of a great song is when you hear it for the first time live and then listen to the album weeks, months or years afterward and you can still remember every note of it.

In my collection the number of bands I saw live first and then bought albums by outnumbers album first/live second acts by about 2 to 1.

i've seen bands play a new album live before it was released, but had heard the album already and heard the songs before from live recordings, or saw a well known act play without hardly hearing the latest album. if you do know the music better you tend to enjoy the new tracks better, or they turn into "go to the bar/toilet" songs

Once i was dragged to a Big Country gig by my mate,didn't have any albums at all,didn't know what to expect, they blew me away, I bought their album the very next day and became a fan...

Beats me why people need to know the music before they hear it live. Surely the first time you hear it, is the first time you hear it, doesn't matter if it's live or recorded.

I've become a fan of loads of bands that I've seen without even hearing of them, nevermind hearing an album. You've just got to open your mind, open your ears and enjoy the music

you don't need to, but you can enjoy a gig more. if you have tickets for a gig it's better to get the album and familiarise yourself with it first

it's not like going to a movie where the first time you see it is almost always the best, as the story is out the bag after then. but with songs, particularly good songs, once you know the lyrics and chorus and can sing along, the listening experience can improve

Nope, sorry, got to disagree with you there. Sometimes you can hear a song for the first time live and fall in love with it way more than you would if you were listening to the recording. Live music is more passionate than recorded.

I enjoy gigs more if i'm at least partly familiar with the artists' material. Otherwise it can sometimes wash over you.

One of the first gigs I went to, right at the start of the New Romantic era, was Devo. All I knew of them was their hit Whip It (actually non-hit as it flopped in the UK) but they had such a strong image I wanted to give it a go.

They were brilliant.

After that I saw a lot of bands I hadn't bought the music of - Squeeze, Altered Images, Kraftwerk ... no expectations, no "when are they gonna play their big hit song". Just live music - great.

I watch a lot of unsigned bands so I never have this problem. Doesn't matter how you hear a song first, if it's good, it's good.