Your Ideal Music Listening Experience - Club, Gig or Bedroom?

the only answer i can give is that it depends. the live experience of loud, viscerally intense, physically produced music can't be completely captured in a recording, and for some artists it's the entire point. this is especially true when the primary appeal of the music is physical and even brutal, as with metal and punk, spazzy weirdo stuff, noise rock, etc. studio recordings of certain artists or styles can be quite tiresome to listen to, even when the live show is thrilling. context is everything.

if i'm listening in a private space, my choice of album vs mixtape will depend, again, on context. if i want "background music" while my attention is on something else, then a mixtape, radio show, varied playlist or randomizer might be preferable. if i'm listening closely as my primary activity, then i'm slightly more likely to prefer an album or single-artist collection.

i don't go to dance clubs, so i can't really comment on that.

So many options that could be included:

Headphones while working out
Headphones while commuting
Carrying boombox on shoulder
Portable speakers on backpack/bike/motorcycle
Headphones at work
Speakers at work
Headphones at home
Live outdoor concert/festival
Live at small club (< 500 capacity)
Live medium club (> 500 to 1,000 capacity)
Live at large club (> 1,000 capacity)
Live at super large venue/stadium/arena (> 10,000 capacity)

Carrying boombox on shoulder

^only way i listen to music

*boombox option can include walking, rollerblading, rollerblading wearing nothing but thong. Yes, I have seen it. I cannot unsee it.

Ned, were you hanging out with yr box on Chicago's lakefront last summer? ;)

Railway station buskers
Through the wall from the next apartment
Supermarket PA system
In my head
Personally singing and/or playing an instrument
In church
In the style of the Romans

I'm not Ned but I do go rollerblading in my thong sometimes, yes.

Missed this. Car--not even close.