Concert Etiquette

[Siennaa]

I have spent years going to many concerts, and it's getting shitter and shitter with people killing the atmosphere who just want to film it on their phones. I went to see Pink last night, and I can't believe so many people just want to sit there quietly at this type of concert! Is this just life now? We just accept that atmospheres are being killed so people have Instagram worthy videos?

So in this situation, what do you do? Do you stay seated and quiet so you're respecting the people around you, do you stand anyway and dance and enjoy the show how you want to?

Wouldn't it be better if venues offered areas that you weren't allowed to stand in? So I know you get standing tickets but not everyone can get hold of them, does that mean they should either sit for the whole show, or follow what's happening around them?

filming concerts is like filming fireworks. you care never ever going to watch them ever again.

I’ve watched my concert recordings since

You didn't simply put your opinion forward. You turned it into telling me I must screech at a concert, as if you know what I do at a concert. You told me to do karaoke instead, but clearly don't like it when someone answers you back. You have no idea how I acted last night, and the whole reason I posted was because I acted ridiculously quiet and boring fitting in with the crowd around me as the last thing I am is obnoxious. But clearly you know better, yawn.

Im sure recording used to be banned back in the day then it just seemed to become acceptable, probably when smartphones became an extension of peoples bodies. Im glad theyre theyre still mostly banned in theatres.

My daughter can’t stand for more than a few minutes at a time, we can’t always get accessible tickets as they sell out really quickly. I wish there could be properly seated areas for people like her, I understand totally that people like to dance but she ends up not being able to see much. I wish she could dance the whole time but she can’t .

@GagCityBitch

I really don’t understand how people filming the concert impacts you at all? I mean, unless their phone is blocking your view then what’s the problem? I don’t think it kills the atmosphere at all.

Well for quite a few of the songs last night, literally everyone around me had phones out and recording, all sitting quietly, no buzz whatsoever to what otherwise in the past would have been loads of people singing, dancing, living in the moment. It just seems a shame. The last thing I want to do is be the only one up singing and dancing featuring in loads of people's videos. So yeah, it kills the atmosphere and everyone just follows suit of sitting there quietly. Oh and phones blocking the view too.

I go to 30 odd gigs and festivals a year, from small venues to stadiums. I only ever book standing tickets.

I do record certain songs or certain parts of songs and i absolutely sing along! i can't imagine just standing there bopping a bit and not joining in. Would ruin it for me. People have held signs up in the air at festivals for as long as i can remember - way more annoying than phones.

Off to the Foo's tomorrow night, standing, already planning on the action to get as close to the front as possible!

There is a running joke though. if you ever need to find me at a gig, find the tallest possible man there and 5 foot me will be just behind them 😂

To be fair, I’ve very often been reminiscing and thought, if only I had a recording of that gig on a tiny, wobbly screen with awful tinny sound.

I read somewhere that people who video / photo everything first posterity don't remember as much and don't experience things the same as people who live in the moment

why do you think you can't do both? It barley any time or effort at all to take a photo, or press record continue watching (over my phone, not through it) then stop the recording, it's not complex and doesn't stop you enjoying things in the moment. I love having some of these moments in a form I can revisit and share with others. Isn't that why we all take holiday photos? And when I flick through things come back so clearly with the visual cues.

I find the problem with standing and dancing in seated areas is the space these days. For the sake of extra $$ venues are now designed with seating that would rival even the tightest plane seats. That means when the person next to you starts to dance, unless they are doing a strict up and down pogo movement, their limbs are bound to encroach on your personal space. Even better if they have a drink in their hand and flapping their arms, and sloshing drink everywhere, be it water or alcohol. It was a lot different in the old days but I find any venues still standing have, over time, ‘refurbished’ specifically to cram extra seats in the same space. This just makes it fraught, like on planes where people are jammed in and tempers invariably fray.

I don't know why people can't do both - although multitasking is known to be tricky so it might just be that

I was simply reporting what a reasonable sized study had found

Shooting the messenger ?

I went to the Foo Fighters concert on Saturday and there was a family in front of me, the mum was standing all the time blocking my vision, a lot of the times she wasn't even dancing, just standing there drinking her beer. I think when you have seated seats you should sit for most of the concert, otherwise get standing tickets. If you cannot get standing tickets just sit on your chair like the rest of us. I still sang, clapped and danced (sitting down!), I had a great time!

It’s definitely spoilt concerts for me recently and made me not bother getting tickets for other things. As a 5ft 2inch tall person all I see are other people’s phones as they hold them up. I might as well stay home and watch it on YouTube and save some money! I went to see The Cure 18 months ago, I’ve seen them many, many times over the years since the 1980s. People use to be fully immersed in the music experience & atmosphere, this time the majority watched it through their phone screens so they can post on social media. Seems sad to have your focus on your phone when you’ve paid so much to see an artist.

However saying that I did see Johnny Flynn a month or so ago in Bristol, and it was such a great audience, everyone was totally focused on the music/show and there wasn’t a single phone in sight. So refreshing!!

UK audiences are great crowds at concerts imo. It's about the experience, hearing an artist interpret their songs slightly differently (ideally) and having a give and take with the audience.

It's not meant to be the same as sitting on your couch and hitting play on a greatest hits album...

french Wembley have been fine with people standing and dancing in the nosebleeds at Wembley when I saw HS and TS. Very low alcohol intake and a mostly female crowd probably makes it safer.

I have to sit because I'm disabled, but I wouldn't want to hinder anyone else who wanted to dance. So yes, there should be seated only areas.

As for filming - I would film bits, yes. I only leave my house once or twice a year because of my disabilities. I'd film bits so I could rewatch them when I feel sad.

@toastofthetown what loops do you have please!

lots of artist’s encourage people to sing and dance. I do think a fully seated area would be good … I would not purchase a ticket but it would be good to know that people sat near me accept I can stand and dance as that’s how I enjoy a concert - also I wouldn’t be disturbing anyone

oh and I take very short videos, max 30 seconds and usually one or 2 as I like the memories

Speak for yourself.

I was watching my own footage of a gig in 2019 recently.

I have the Experience Plus, but I didn’t use the mutes in them so the standard Experiences would be fine for most concerts, unless it’s super loud.

being permitted to stand and being a dick preventing the person behind you who may not be able to (and doesn't have to disclose to you) stand and thus miss the gig is a dick move.

Whatevs. I live in a country where if it was an issue for the person behind you, 9/10 times security would eject you.

I have a disability, I can't stand up for any length of time (but I also don't meet any "registered disabled" threshold as my condition is very rare and fluctuating) . Sorry that you find me bizarre

Agree, I would like a seated only area. I have no choice but to sit due to my illness but I still love concerts.

I find constantly filming rather than just enjoying the moment really strange though. Life is for living not just recording

Same . In my mind I am dancing but my body has other plans for me!

I went to pink on Monday with my friend who has limited mobility. At one point she sang a slow song and everyone was sat down except for the very large man in front on my friend. I asked him if he could just sit down for one song so she could see and he told me to f off. then leaving at the end a woman in the aisle refused at first to let us pass saying we needed to wait till she went(we were the only ones leaving the aisle, we went a few mins early so my friend who walks with a stick could try and avoid the rush) and the woman pushed me when she did finally let us passed.