What do you miss the most with your headphones compared to LIVE music experience?

Feeling it.  To feel the air vibrate your body is completely missing with headphones.

The atmosphere. The excitement and expectations of a good time hang so thick in the air you can cut through them with a knife. I prefer some live show recordings I have over the studio version because I believe it captures the energy of the song. In the cases where I have heard the song sung live myself, the above statement almost always holds true.

Generally the guy standing in front of me playing . . . . while I am watching every move he makes.

I usually don't like going to most concerts and prefer music to be a private/intimate experience, but the obvious thing headphones in general lack is a sense of direction other than left/right.

 

For example, when my friend and I compose together in my home studio we experiment with the acoustics of the room a lot, like playing acoustic guitars facing opposite corners at different heights, etc. Headphones ill never allow you to feel sound waves encircling the room and all of those sonic tricks cease to be audible. It's like looking at a 2-D photo of a sunset instead of seeing the depth with your own eyes. External speakers capture this sporadically/unreliably and headphones basically don't capture it at all.

Edited by machoboy - 9/17/12 at 4:03pm

That's not excitement, that's smoke man.

 

But what I like about live shows is the fact that what I'm getting is something unique to that night, something filled with improv that will never be replicated. Especially if it's like an EOTO show where they never play the same song twice.

That and the bass. Can't beat the bass.

The emotion. Screaming the lyrics to your favorite song and never hearing them as they're drowned out by 10,000 people doing the same. feeling them drowned out by the music. It's cleansing. You get to leave a part of yourself behind, and purify yourself with the music as it penetrates your heart and mind

best description of a concert ive ever heard right there

Singing along and screaming "I LOVE YOU" and various band member names until your throat hurts, but don't notice until later. Or having them take notice of sign you made.
Like when I went to the SCANDAL concert last year at AM2 convention. I was in the second row and will never forget it. Then on top of that, getting to meet the band later.

Hell, I flew to California twice just for two concerts featuring Japanese bands. This summer I saw LiSA. (I'm in Louisiana by the way) That's how much it was worth to see them live.
Edited by PFULMTL - 9/17/12 at 4:57pm

Going to an EDM concert can make it hard to breath if the sound system is done well and the song is particularly bassy.

 

With that said, I enjoy relaxed music much more at home where I can lay back and close my eyes. It's really a matter of my mood as to which experience I enjoy more.

not knowing what the next song will be...

Randomize playlist

The smell of dry ice... don't know why but I've always liked it. Might get a machine for my room :)

Sub-sonic bass vibrating my body.

 

Hearing the music in a new and exciting way that is different than the studio album.

 

Being surrounded with people who are passionate about something I'm passionate about.