How much podcast homework should I do before a live show with a fan?

My friend sent an eighteen-episode playlist after we bought tickets. 'These are the essentials. You'll miss half the jokes otherwise.' Each episode was about an hour.

I'd heard two episodes and liked the hosts. When he asked me to the live show, I said that was the extent of my listening. He said it would be a fun introduction. Now he wants to compare notes every few days and is disappointed when I haven't reached the next episode.

I can listen to a couple more, but I don't want eighteen hours of preparation for one evening out. How do I say that without making him feel silly for being excited? I want to be his company at the show, not his project until the show.