"And there's a ton of great small venues even in Manhattan."
I'm sure that's true. I only knows what I sees on TV. I've never actually been to New York, but I'm hoping to visit in late summer (visiting New York in a 33' motorhome, however, is expected to be a challenge, so I might have to save the New York trip until after I downsize into a truck+travel trailer, so I can park the trailer outside the city and drive in).
LA, on the other hand, I've visited numerous times. The music scene there is downright bizarre in its crass commercialism, though great bands still come out of LA every once in a while.
> I decided very early on that once the crowd reaches a certain size, the experience is remarkably less satisfying.
Completely agree. And there's a ton of great small venues even in Manhattan.