Why did the author use past continuous in that sentence

Question

I came from a scene that is more punk than the garage scene. The first concerts I was going to were punk, like at the MIROITRIE.for a year Then I went to Canada for a year

Why "was going"? Why past continuous? Was it a "habit" he used to have? in this case, he would not have written "the first concerts". If it were his first concerts it could not be considered as a "habit".
Maybe, using past continuous the author wants to show that this period lasted a long time.

But in fact, I think this is because he still goes to the concert so it is still an ongoing situation.

Answer 1

Past continuous can be used for a temporary habit, past simple is more appropriate for long-lasting habits, but in this case past simple would be fine, I think. The first concerts I went to were punk. Sounds good to me.