Move in certain circles and you’re bound to hear plenty of griping about arena rock shows. Move in my circle and you may have even heard it from me. The stage is too far away, the tickets are too expensive, the beer only comes in little plastic cups. Up until a week ago, I’d pretty much sworn off large-scale concerts. But I’ve had a change of heart. Actually, I've had two.

The thing that changed my mind about massive shows was itself something I’d been ambivalent about: Coldplay. SPIN’s current coverboys had a handful of songs I dug--"Yellow," "Clocks," "Fix You"--but I was basically simpatico with people who saw the band as Radiohead lite. Then I saw Chris Martin and Co. play last Monday at Madison Square Garden in New York. That's when I realized that what I'd thought were the band's weaknesses were actually its strengths. Neon choruses, lyrics you don't need a Ph.D. to parse, Chris Martin's crooning. These things get better the bigger they are. What might come across as obvious or simplistic on record becomes elemental, even moving, in person. And I wasn't just bowing to peer pressure. (Even 10,000-strong, Coldplay fans aren't the most intimidating bunch.) Hearing anthems like "In My Place" or stompers like "Violet Hill" let loose in an arena was like seeing Big Brown bust out of the starting gate. The band’s songs--so epic, so big-hearted--need a huge room to reach their full potential. I get it now.

Coldplay wasn’t the first band that’s made me into a flip-flopper. Same thing happened with Pearl Jam. Sure, "Alive" kicked butt, but for a long time I lumped them in with STP, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains--all the successful grunge bands that weren’t Nirvana. Then, in 2000, I saw them play. Yowza!

It’s funny when you finally get a band. You hear the old records differently. You’re willing to overlook their flaws. Their fans get way less annoying. Suddenly, it all makes sense. It's like being born again--but with way better music.

I know I'm not the only who’s had a band epiphany. Which bands have dragged you out of the darkness and into their light? But let's keep the discussion away from jam bands. We all know that’s just the drugs talking.