As I write this, I’m in the middle of a game of concert chicken with StubHub in the hopes of seeing Brad Paisley live today. Paisley is playing my city, with Blake Shelton opening, but he’s chosen a venue I hate and the prices are way too steep.

I’m not big on concerts. They’re expensive and uncomfortable and often less enjoyable than the same music heard on record. I don’t want to hear drawn-out jams, I don’t want to wait until 8:45 for a show that was supposed to start at 8. But at the same time, a good concert can be a transcendent communal experience if you’re willing to put up with all that other stuff.

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