Yeah... sadly, I've been to my share of miserable sounding shows too. That's what happens when you try and play music, invariably at absurd volumes, in a facility that was designed for basketball and hockey, lol... don't think the architects pay much attention to acoustics.
One of the best sounding shows I ever saw was Dream Theater @ Irving Plaza in NYC about 20 years ago. They called it "An intimate evening with DT" or something... stripped down set-up, smaller drum kit, amps, etc., everybody up front, using only about half the stage. What really stood out was the volume... more than sufficient, but not the "scream to be heard by the guy standing next to you" levels typical of most shows. Sounded great no matter where you were standing...the "louder is better" philosophy really needs to go away.