My husband got us tickets to see the Hold Steady in November. He’s seen them live twice. I’ve heard their CDs, but I don’t get out much. This will be the first big (grown-up) concert for us as a couple in quite some time, and it got me thinking about the live music we’ve seen over the years.

If someone knew me strictly by my concert attendance over the last 15 to 20 years, I could easily be mistaken for a Baby Boomer. I’ve seen the Grateful Dead (numerous times), James Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sting, Jimmy Buffet, Nanci Griffith, John Hiatt, Jefferson Starship/Airplane/Whathaveyou, America (that one was FREE, otherwise I would not have gone), the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. Sure, I’ve also seen some artists who would be considered more GenX — like REM, Jill Sobule, the Indigo Girls, Lisa Loeb, They Might Be Giants (a kids’ show, but still…), Everclear — but overall, my concert experiences make me seem much older than I am.

And did I ever tell you about the time I saw the Statler Brothers?

My husband swears that once we find a reliable babysitter, we’re going to make monthly outings into the city to see live music of my choosing. I’ve decided we need to get out and experience “what the kids are into” these days. I told him I want to go to shows where we’re the oldest people there, shows like (and sadly, in an attempt to rattle off some artists and bands we should be checking out, the only name I could come up with was) Panic! at the Disco.

So who do you recommend?