I gave up on what they, today, call "country music" roughly 30 years ago. Same goes for nearly all pop music and pop culture. IMO, our culture entered a sharp nosedive beginning in the late 80s or early 90s.
I think many people fixate on a time when they thought music was good and stick with it. We find new music we like all the time. I wouldn’t go to Steve Earle concert today - too many drugs, listen when he’s been cleaned up for recording. However, my husband and I saw the Gipsy Kings and the Steeldrivers this fall, and we have tickets for the Infamous Stringdusters next month.
There are plenty of good bands playing for affordable prices. The Gipsy Kings were a big pricey, $60-ish, but the Steeldrivers and a good opening act were only about $30, and the Stringdusters were $14 before all the fees tacked on to buy the tickets online. If we were young, we could get cheap tickets by showing up at the door.