Hey!

I was recently at a Death Spells gig (Frank Iero and James Dewees) and if I'm honest, it's the best I've ever been to. I came out with a few battle scars, it was a rather rough crowd.

I was wondering, what was the best gig you have been to? Was it in a small venue or a stadium?

In my personal opinion, smaller gigs are always better as they can generate a better atmosphere. Thoughts?

Taking everything into account, my three 'best' gigs would probably be Springsteen at the old Wembley Stadium in '88, Mary Chapin Carpenter at Hammersmith Apollo in 95 and The Corrs at the o2 earlier this year. Over the years I've seen some great small club gigs and some shit small club gigs, just as I've seen some great theatre-size/arena/stadium gigs and some shit theatre-size/arena/stadium gigs. That said, I've seen Taylor Swift play to 400 people in a packed out club, and I've seen Taylor swift play the o2, and the club gig was definitely the better one.

Oh, nice!

Best big gig - Muse earlier this year at Manchester Arena. Epic in every way imaginable.

Best small gig - Ash in York in front of about 300 people. Really intimate and the atmosphere was electric. Got front and centre and managed to get my photo taken with Tim Wheeler too.

I don't have a preference on large or small but I hate very large ie Stadium gigs, no atmosphere the band are specks and the sound just doesn't carry just awful.

The best gig I find are indoors but they can be large like king tuts tent T in the park which is awesome.

Best ever small gig Joint equal Airborne Toxic Event and Hope Of The States

Best medium The Sundays or The Cure

Best large Depeche Mode or Arcade Fire

Best festival Blur or The Killers

I agree that gigs like that are bad. I've seen some huge names and 90% of the time, I would've had a better time at a £10 gig than a £50 gig.

I've no idea why anyone would prefer bigger gigs, the smaller the better for me. I'd have the band in my front room if I could. The biggest I like is Academy sized venues. I like to be able to get nice and close, even if you get to the front at a stadium/arena/outdoor gig you're still a long way from the stage. To get me to an arena or stadium it's got to be someone that I really, really love and that I've no chance of seeing in a smaller venue.

It's very hard to pick a best as I go to lots of gigs but a standout was Pulp at Brixton Academy in 2011.

My best big gig was probably also Pulp at Sheffield Arena, they actually succeeded in making an arena seem intimate, which isn't an easy thing to do.

To me, while playing a bigger place may mean that an act has made it, in my opinion, the smaller places are the better ones to see them at because the shows there are more intimate.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

I've seen many amazing gigs at Wembley Arena and the O2 Arena, many truly glorious gigs that I just couldn't fault. Also been to many festivals with anywhere between 20,000 and 100,000 people and had an absolute blast

But yet, my top 3 gigs all happened this year, which was the first proper year I went to gigs at venues smaller than Shepherds Bush Empire:

1. The Amorettes - Our Black Heart, May 2016, London. (Capacity: 100) which I was smack bang in the middle of the front row for, constantly getting guitar solos played right in front of my face, was truly amazing and the atmosphere was just mental as it was an exclusive show to promote their (as of then) upcoming album.

2. Black Stone Cherry - The Borderline, January 2016, London (Capacity: 240). Again, front and centre, this was a band that headline festivals and arenas around the UK playing a tiny club in London, and the place was just crazy. Treating the lucky ones who got tickets to a "best of" set but also throwing in some true deep cuts that they'd played a maximum of 8 times, this was a band on absolute top form.

3. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - Genting Arena, June 2016, Birmingham (Capacity: 15, 700) I was actually only a couple of rows back for this one, which is probably why I loved it so much. This was the first UK gig (and potentially the last gig ever, period) for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow since the 90s, and the atmosphere was just unbelievable, never experienced anything like it before at an arena gig. For me this had all the intimacy of a small gig, with all the energy of an arena gig, but again, I think it helped I was near the front.

Honourable mentions to Judas Priest, ELO, Airbourne, Steel Panther, Slash, Iron Maiden and Nightwish.

One thing I will say is, even if it's a big outdoor gig, I think it really does help to be as close to the front as possible, otherwise if you're too far back, I believe there ends up being a fair disconnect between the band on stage and the audience who are further back. It pays to be up near the front for the bands you want to see, as the difference in atmosphere is like night and day most of the time.

I saw Jai Waetford and there were only 20 people there at a special gig at a record company, guest list only, it was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.

Depends completely on the artist you are seeing.

all my best gigs have been in small venues, such as seeing prince at ronnie scotts or cafe de paris. i'm not a fan of huge gigs where the stage can be the size of a smaller venue and sometimes the space between the stage and the front barrier can be bigger than the distance between the stage and the back of the room in a small venue

in a large venue unless you are front row you often can't see the artists eyes unless you watch video screens, and if you are having to watch on video screens i would prefer to sit at home watching on tv instead. the atmosphere at big gigs also changes depending on where you are sitting or standing. if you are at the back the atmosphere can be dull, whereas in a small venue theres a closer connection between artist and punter

i saw u2 a few months ago in what was supposed to be a smaller than normal venue for them, presale tickets for both nights, i didn't bother going the second night, that's how bad it was

smaller surely.... although ive never been to a 'big' gig (never wanted to see anyone that big) i liked to get into the crowd at the front and get really involved. i was quite frequent at rock city, nottingham, in the early 80's. had some great times with squeeze, hazel oconnor, teardrop explodes and the jam at derby.

Saturday night, Anne McCue at Camden Green Note, small restaurant/bar type venue, probably around 100 or so people there, superb performance and atmosphere.

I think that is the point, to be honest.

A band with a huge show, such as Iron Maiden, Muse, or Rammstein can easily play large venues because the spectacle of the show is very much part of what you are going to see.

One of the most spectacular shows I've ever seen is Roger Water's playing The Wall at Wembley Stadium a venue notorious for poor quality sound. Roger shows with the right equipment it is possible to have perfect sound in the venue and the show was simply jaw-dropping.

But at the other end of the scale I saw Sons & Daughters play at The Louisiana in Bristol, which is a tiny venue, and it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to. Because I saw them every time they played Bristol I got to become acquainted with the band members and they always said that was one of their favourite gigs as well!!

The best atmosphere I experienced was Linkin Park at Download a few years back, the most insane was Rage Against The Machine again at Download. We had to get carried out of our section as were getting crushed and walking up the hill and watching everyone was just unreal.

I don't agree that it depends on the band. I don't really "get" big shows, if I'm going to see a band, that's what I'm going to see, the band, playing their music, I don't want fireworks, 800 dancers and animatronic monkeys. There isn't a single band that I'd choose to see in a big venue over somewhere small. A while ago I was dragged to see Take That by my wife and a couple of friends. I can't stand Take That but I figured I'd put up with them for a weekend away and a couple of nights out. Everyone said to me "Oh, you'll really enjoy it, they do a great show". I ended up standing there just thinking "Yeah, some of the special effects are quite good but I'm stood here basically watching a circus show set to sh*t music." I didn't enjoy it at all.

Plus, I think big shows take away a bit of the spontaneity of a gig. It all feels a bit false when everything is choreographed. If it's just a band on a stage, they can do whatever they want, they can play whatever they like, they can improvise etc. When there's a big show it's all a bit regimented.

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed it when I've seen other bands in arenas, stadiums and big outdoor gigs but I've always come away thinking "I wish I could see them somewhere smaller" and it's got to the point now where I've got to really love someone to consider seeing them at a large venue.

I saw Rammstein on the Mutter tour in a smallish venue and they were amazing

I have seen them 3 times in total all indoor gigs.

It does depend on the band because some bands make the transition from Academy-sized venues much easier than others. However if a band sells out Wembley Stadium, for example, a big show is always going to be part of the package, it is what fans expect.

Not at all. Plenty of bands play huge venues and don't have a travelling circus. Probably the band I've seen most in huge venues is Oasis and there wasn't a space rocket in sight. The same with Arctic Monkeys, the most I've ever seen them have is a confetti cannon. A few video screens and that's about it.

I'm not really a fan of the three bands you mentioned although Muse have a few good tunes. I'd never go and see Muse at an Arena or stadium though, I would however go and see them if they played at my local Academy. Even if a band puts a great show on at a big venue I'd always rather just see them playing the tunes in a small venue, that's why I say I don't agree that it depends on the band. No matter who, I would always choose small over big.

the cost of going to an arena gig is almost beyond a joke now, I'm not sure I could afford to go and see the people I saw just a few years ago, whereas the small venue gigs, apart from being more affordable are more intimate and fun.
I love going to see Ezio at a small venue, they make it so personal

it depends on the artist really. obviously an artist with a smaller fanbase will need to play smaller venues

remember it's not artists who book venues usually, it's the promoter who pays the band and pays for the venue and advertising and distributes tickets to ticket sellers and looks to make a profit. if an artist plays a bigger venue with larger capacity they can split the cost between more people. obviously bigger venues usually cost more than small ones but the costs are split over more people. with smaller venues you have less tickets to spread the cost over, so sometimes seeing artists in smaller venues means the ticket price can be £100-£200 for that "intimate" show in a theatre (not my idea of intimate, but compared to an arena it's certainly "more" intimate)

so you end up either struggling to get tickets and paying a lot of money for a small gig, or paying less, but still a fair chunk of cash for a ticket for a large less personal gig. and on top you got travel costs, drinks, sometimes accomodation and if you are a fan you may want merchandise, so either way it can be an expensive business. so with ticket buying stress and the cost and hassle it's amazing so many shows sell out so often

What has a space rocket got to do with anything?

Good luck with trying to see a band like muse in a small venue, those days are long gone.

You don't like big shows then that is fine, it doesn't mean everyone has to agree with you. But a "big show" doesn't automatically mean "space rockets, fireworks, 800 dancers and animatronic monkeys". But even then it is still about the band and their songs, if a band doesn't have the songs they are never going to be in a position to play arenas or headline festivals. That doesn't change no matter what sized venue they play.

That is why, to me, it does depend on the band. I saw Black Stone Cherry headline Ramblin' Man Fair last month. Because they flew over from America just for the show their backdrops and everything else were lost in transit so it was just the four of them on stage but they still put on a storming headlining set. A good band can still do that.

I find it is the other way around.

Arena sized gigs have gone up disproportionately over the last 10 years. If I go to see a band in a small venue in Bristol or Cardiff I would expect to pay in the region of £10 - £20, but go to see a band in the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and it is rare to pay less than £50 now.

However I certainly wouldn't by merch from an Academy-sized venue or above these days as that is a rip-off because of the markup a lot of venues have introduced for their cut. I would rather buy directly from the band themselves.

Best stadium gig was Coldplay at the Etihad this year, just awesome!

Best "small" gig has to go to Yellowcard at Leeds 02 Academy.