@barter said:

I'm not sure that couchers should be reviewing 'shows'. recordings sure, but shows? seriously. I've been to MANY shows that were horrible in person and fantastic upon re-listen. so much more goes into a 'show' review than the music played. what about the crowd, the lot, enforcement, ticket availability, vending success, that one hot chick you met page side high.....a recording is just a show with the subjectivity removed.

LOL. A lot of people would actually prefer a review "with the subjectivity removed." Look, I understand why people say that you can't review a show unless you were there. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. I would rather hear an honest appraisal of the music they played than a lot of the other stuff you allude to (which will be different for pretty much every person in attendance).

Note that I am not at all saying that listening on couch tour is any substitute for the experience of being at a show. It's not even in the same ballpark. But we're talking about reviewing the music and, for that, a good stream and/or recording will generally suffice. $.02