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Post by itrainmonkeys on Jan 15, 2013 11:40:58 GMT -5
Going to rock concerts has always meant dealing with a bunch of unruly people, many of them very drunk – but it seems like lately things have been worse than ever. Attention spans are at an all-time low, and the ubiquity of smartphones has resulted in a huge percentage of the audience at any given show barely paying attention to the action onstage. Here are the 10 most annoying behaviors at rock concerts:
1. Taking pictures the entire freaking show.
I get it. You want to show all your friends on Facebook and Twitter that you saw a cool concert. Fine. Take a photo. Take five if you want! But please, don't take 77. You always manage to hold your camera right in my line of sight. You don't even look like you're enjoying the show while you're doing this. All your attention is on the photos. And you know what? Those photos are all going to look like shiz. Every single one of them. You're too far away. You'll probably never even look at them. Also, you see those guys right in front of the stage with the giant cameras? They're taking great professional pictures. There's really no need for yours.
2. Checking e-mail, Facebook and Twitter every couple of minutes.
Unless you're a surgeon or a firefighter, everything can wait. Live in the moment. Enjoy the show. You paid good money to be here. You can e-mail your friends when you get home. Also, that cellphone emits a very harsh and distracting glow. For the love of God, just turn it off.
3. Incessantly talking to your friends.
You might not like whatever song is playing. You may be bored with the show in general. You may have been dragged here against your will. But you've been chattering the entire show, and I can hear every word. It's driving me crazy. Please shut up. Please. I can't tell you how many shows I attend where the two people in front of me are yelling in each others' ears the entire night. Not only is my sightline blocked when their heads come together, but I can hear them. Maybe go to a coffee shop when the show is done. Lie under an oak tree and talk until the sun comes up. I don't care. Just quiet down so I can enjoy the show.
4. Yelling out requests.
Look, I hope Morrissey plays "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" also. That would be cool – but stop screaming for it. Most of the time the set list is pre-determined, and you're screaming in my ear. They're going to play what they're going to play. Go along for the ride. And to the guy screaming for a super obscure B-side from 15 years ago? Nobody thinks you're cool.
5. Yelling out "Freebird!"
This request deserves its own subcategory of irritation. This joke has never been funny. Not once. Just stop. It was lame in 1981. Now it's just infuriating.
6. Pushing your way to the front.
If a concert is general admission, the people in front earned their spots. They got there early and laid claim to their space. The people all the way in front might have even spent all day camped out by the doors, so when the lights go off and you shove your way to the front, you're being a huge jerkstore. Don't do that. If you show up late and there's only room in the back, you've just gotta deal with it.
7. Getting so drunk you puke.
At pretty much any big concert, you'll see a janitor emerge after a couple of songs with a big broom and a bucket of sawdust. It means somebody puked. It's a bummer for the puker, but the people all around have to deal with the aftermath. Don't be the vomit guy. There's no worse kind of person to be at the concert.
8. Loudly complaining after the show because the band didn't play your favorite song.
Not all artists take the Rod Stewart/Billy Joel/Tom Petty approach of "nothing but the hits." Performers like Neil Young or Van Morrison are unpredictable. This is actually a good thing. Try to enjoy the show you're getting as opposed the one you wish you were seeing. Besides, haven't you heard "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Southern Man" enough?
9. Filming the entire show on your iPhone.
This distracts people even worse than taking pictures, and usually results in an equally horrid product. The sad irony is that people tend to film their favorite songs, but the smiles on their faces are gone when all their concentration goes into capturing these moments on film. Tomorrow morning, YouTube will be cluttered with crappy cellphone videos of every song from whatever show you're seeing. There's no need to add to that. You paid good money to see a show, and you're joylessly watching it through a tiny screen on your iPhone. It just doesn't make any sense.
10. Yelling "Sit down!" at people who are standing up.
This is a real problem at theater and arena shows that attract fans over the age of, say, 40. Nobody can quite agree when to stand or when to sit down. Inevitably, there are some people standing right in front of people that wish to remain seated. Between songs, someone will scream "Sit down!" The stander either obliges, or yells back something like "Go quack yourself." The person in the seat just seethes with rage, and the tension seeps through the whole section. Often the person is standing only because someone in front of them is standing. It leads to chaos, and grumpy old people spending the entire show miserable. This has to stop. Here's a simple rule of thumb: If you can't see, stand up. It's very easy. Inversely, if everyone in front of you is seated, sit down. Go with the flow and just relax. We're all in this concert together.
One thing I really enjoyed about the YMSB show Saturday was that was the first in a while I'd seen where nobody was watching the show through their cell phone's video camera. Refreshing.
Totally agree with everything in this article. I particularly enjoyed the first comment from a dude saying that he can push to the front as much as he wants with a ga ticket, so fuck off. Yeah dude. You are the asshole on every one of these lists.
This request deserves its own subcategory of irritation. This joke has never been funny. Not once. Just stop. It was lame in 1981. Now it's just infuriating.
At age 19, some friends and I managed to get luxury box tickets at Philips Arena for a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic, and we all got hammered drunk. Jars of Clay played a post-game concert, and we stuck around to continue drinking free booze. The lead singer was in the middle of giving a Jesus devotional between songs, and I yelled it, prompting him to say "No, we're not playing Freebird."
I particularly enjoyed the first comment from a dude saying that he can push to the front as much as he wants with a ga ticket, so quack off. Yeah dude. You are the jerkstore on every one of these lists.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Some people have still not learned that lesson.
Can we add "Screamers" to the list? I remember being at a John Butler solo acoustic show and this girl near the stage wouldnt stop screaming! We get it, youre excited, but shut the hell up!!! I think John at one point even wanted to stuff a foot into this idiots mouth. In my opinion, certain shows (or parts of certain shows) need the crowd to sit back, shut the f*ck up and enjoy what is happening in front of them.....
Post by Delicious Meatball Sub on Jan 15, 2013 11:54:38 GMT -5
I have a very small amount of sympathy for "pushing your way up" because although its a dick move, people thinking they're entitled to 50 sq ft per person just because they got there early is almost as bad.
I have a very good friend who turned out to be a concert talker, really bummed me out.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jan 15, 2013 11:59:10 GMT -5
I'm guilty of recording a song or two at concerts. If it's a Felice Brothers show I tend to take a few more videos (for my website and because I've seen them a shitload of times). I've learned that a lot of shows that I go to there will be other people recording songs as well so I tend to just download high quality versions off youtube and just enjoy myself at the show. At My Morning Jacket in Port Chester they seemed like they'd be strict about video so I didn't take any and it was nice to not hold my arm up in the air for 3-5 minutes.
But yea, most of this other stuff bugs the hell out of me. The talking and checking facebook/twitter/texts all the time really bugs me. The last Avett Brothers show I was at I actually had a few songs where NOBODY talked or did that junk. The slower ballads were given the respect they deserve....bunch of true fans.
I have a very small amount of sympathy for "pushing your way up" because although its a weenie move, people thinking they're entitled to 50 sq ft per person just because they got there early is almost as bad.
I have a very good friend who turned out to be a concert talker, really bummed me out.
I hate pushers when everyone is already packed in tight. If there is a bunch of room, sure, all you have to do is ask and I will be more than happy to let you move up. There's no need to bull rush me.
I have a very small amount of sympathy for "pushing your way up" because although its a weenie move, people thinking they're entitled to 50 sq ft per person just because they got there early is almost as bad.
They can both be annoying. I do think the person who waits deserves their spot more but I don't think they should expect people to give them tons of elbow room. I've had people give me dirty looks just for standing next to them.
Pushing through is the worst when they bring more people. One person is easily forgettable....a line of four pushing to the front is terrible.
Post by Dave Maynar on Jan 15, 2013 12:03:57 GMT -5
This reminds me of the great debate on people sitting on blankets under tents at Roo and how crowded does it have to be for those people to stop being reasonable and start being a-holes.
I have a very small amount of sympathy for "pushing your way up" because although its a weenie move, people thinking they're entitled to 50 sq ft per person just because they got there early is almost as bad.
I have a very good friend who turned out to be a concert talker, really bummed me out.
I hate pushers when everyone is already packed in tight. If there is a bunch of room, sure, all you have to do is ask and I will be more than happy to let you move up. There's no need to bull rush me.
This is what I mean, one person's getting a decent spot where there's plenty of room is another's being a pushy asshole and stealing my spot. Shades of gray.
Post by Dave Maynar on Jan 15, 2013 12:09:08 GMT -5
It's an issue for me based off of concentration of concert goers. If you're way up front and have 5 ft around you, you don't need to be getting pissed about people moving ahead of you. I would just prefer not to be shoved when I will let you past without a problem. If the venue is packed and somebody shoulder checks you out of nowhere so him and his 5 friends can get closer, that's a d*ck move.
when you push through with a chain of 7 people behind you holding hands without an excuse me or because you think "dancing" through an already packed crowd entitles you to a spot up front, I will probably happen to swing my feet at your feet as youre walking past me, making this journey as difficult as possible for you. After all, you'll appreciate the spot alot more when you have to work to actually get it. The rest of us just stood in our spot since before the opening band.
It's an issue for me based off of concentration of concert goers. If you're way up front and have 5 ft around you, you don't need to be getting pissed about people moving ahead of you. I would just prefer not to be shoved when I will let you past without a problem. If the venue is packed and somebody shoulder checks you out of nowhere so him and his 5 friends can get closer, that's a d*ck move.
Right.
If a group uses their meat locker-sized friend to bull through the crowd and get super duper close when the show is 5 seconds from starting and the "push forward" thing already happened? I hope they contract SARS and their tent is quarantined with them inside of it.
If the show doesn't start for 10 minutes? Do whatever the hell you want, I don't care.
And if you're at another show and HAVE to be in the front for a show at a different tent/stage? Leave the show you're at. Otherwise, don't shoot me dirty looks for not moving my spot to allow for 10 people to come and stand in the spot that previously held me, a backpack and my friend.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jan 15, 2013 12:16:30 GMT -5
One of the great courtesies that I enjoy seeing is when someone packed in tight up front is when those people need to go get a drink or hit up a bathroom they will sort of announce it and let the people around them know they are coming back so please don't be upset when you see them pushing through. It's small stuff like that I enjoy at shows.
This reminds me of the great debate on people sitting on blankets under tents at Roo and how crowded does it have to be for those people to stop being reasonable and start being a-holes.
These people are the most annoying to me since they make it impossible for me to enjoy whatever set I'm at, since I'm constantly looking at the ground worried I'm accidentally going to kick them or step on something breakable. Drives me up a wall.
I don't usually have an issue with people squeezing up front as long as, like Dave said, they don't do it violently and at least say, "excuse me." Even if I've waited longer, I have no problem with others wanting enjoy the show as much as I'm about to, as long as they're true fans and aren't squeezing up front just to talk or be on their phone the whole time (a combination of two of these annoying behaviors).
I went to the Art Vs Science secret show last year and people literally grabbed the chair backpack I was wearing and pulled me off the rail then got in front of me and beside Nature Boy where I had been standing. It took some maneuvering to get my spot back and these people kept on pulling on me for like ten minutes until some toes accidentally got stomped, then they calmed down.
I am guilty of taking too many photos. I don't keep it up the entire time of course, but I know I take a lot of crap shots. Going do better from here on out.
This reminds me of the great debate on people sitting on blankets under tents at Roo and how crowded does it have to be for those people to stop being reasonable and start being a-holes.
These people are the most annoying to me since they make it impossible for me to enjoy whatever set I'm at, since I'm constantly looking at the ground worried I'm accidentally going to kick them or step on something breakable. Drives me up a wall.
Nah, don't feel bad. Waiting for a show is one thing. When the band starts playing...if someone is sitting on a blanket on the ground they need to expect their blanket will be stepped on or that some sand may get on it or whatever.
I get that they're waiting for a show after this one....but that doesn't mean they control that area and nobody is allowed to invade. If it's before a show...just try and avoid stepping on it. During a show...they are the one in the way.
I am guilty of taking too many photos. I don't keep it up the entire time of course, but I know I take a lot of crap shots. Going do better from here on out.
Unless you’re blocking somebody’s view, it’s incredibly petty for someone to be upset about someone who constantly has their phone/camera out. Who cares how other people are enjoying shows as long as they’re not affecting someone else’s enjoyment.
I am guilty of taking too many photos. I don't keep it up the entire time of course, but I know I take a lot of crap shots. Going do better from here on out.
My best strategy is doing the "Burst shot" function on my camera. I hold down the button and take a bunch in a few seconds. Most of them are garbage/blurry and can be deleted but there's always a few perfect "In the moment" shots.
Post by A$AP Rosko on Jan 15, 2013 12:26:38 GMT -5
Also I've found that if you're feeling extra grumpy or stubborn or whatever and REALLY don't want anyone pushing through to get in front of you at a show that is packed pretty tight, just plant your shoulder to where they can't get through and when they make contact with your shoulder, don't budge and act like you don't see them at all. They will act confused/bewildered for a second and then stop and stay where they are. It usually works.
Post by Dave Maynar on Jan 15, 2013 12:27:02 GMT -5
That reminds me of when Abra and I saw The Strokes on their first tour at The Cotton Club in Atlanta. We were relatively close in a packed club. This couple behind us tried to shove past us three seconds before the Strokes came on. We moved together to keep them from doing so. We hear them get pissed and start a countdown to their coordinated bum rush. When it came, they learned that you don't try that on people that primarily went to metal shows in those days.