I went and saw Jeff Martin recently at a small venue. The acoustics were done really well and it was one of the best experiences I've had. Absolutely brilliant, live music all the way!

I've always found, especially with artists like Jeff Buckley and Jeff Martin, that their live performances are so much better than their studio stuff. And that's saying a lot.

So far, I've seen Pearl Jam, Jeff Martin, Something For Kate, Carus, Mick Hart, Tool, John Mayer, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Xavier Rudd, John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, and a few others that aren't so well known. And I've loved every one of them.

My only real annoyance with live performances, is that sometimes you get the occasional drunken fool or three that just ruin it for the rest of the audience and even sometimes the artist(s) playing. That and I really really hate it when the audio engineer's don't know how to set up properly, and the band not knowing how to play a live performance, and it just sounds like a huge mess of noise.

Edit: Unless it's a small intimate gig, I prefer to go to venues that have proper allocated seating, which you get a lot of in Melbourne.