I stood at a concert

[MangosteenSoda]

Went to a concert and had a seat to the side of the stage. In my experience, everyone stands when the act comes on. This didn’t happen universally, but probably around a quarter of the crowd started by standing. I was a little in front of most of the other ‘standers’ and sort of leaned on my seat a bit to minimise myself I suppose, but wanted to enjoy the songs and not sit.

A few songs in, a lady behind me tapped my arm and asked me to sit because her boyfriend/husband (sitting next to her) couldn’t see. I just said, ‘I’m sorry, but this is a concert’ and carried on standing. I’m pretty small and there were massive screens and a stage. I don’t think I blocked it all out.

A few songs later, the ‘very popular and famous’ song was performed and everyone stood up including the woman and her boyfriend. After that, most of the crowd continued standing and a bunch of people were dancing like windmills and nobody bothered them. The angry man and his girlfriend stormed out at this point.

I don’t have a particular aibu, but I felt that I was only asked to sit because I looked like an easy target to ask. It annoyed me that the woman had to ask for the guy and that it was put to me that I should sit because this guy’s preference was all important. I also felt sad for the woman because she was wearing the band T Shirt (so I assumed she was the fan) and this guy seemed to ruin her night with his moans and complaints while she just seemed to want to dance and enjoy the concert like everyone else.

So, should there be areas at concerts where everyone has to stay seated? I don’t think all the seating areas should be this way because they outnumber the floor and it would make for pretty sedentary concerts but maybe a compromise somewhere?

I used to love taking my teens to see bands at the Cardiff motorpoint arena (can't remember what it is called now)last one we saw Paramore and Bring me the Horizon ... a bit shouty, but they liked them...

The ground floor was all standing. Much dancing and moshing down there. Balcony was all seated (only a few rows up there anyhow), full of us middle aged mum chaperones. Sat next to a lovely lady who was doing her crochet. (Had to bring a bamboo hook - metal not allowed).

So yes, I do think there should be stay-sitting zones. It was nice to see the show without feeling weary after.

You are not being unreasonable.

Yes, I think we should make concerts more accessible for people with disabilities (as you say, designated seating only spaces or just way more accessible seats), but making all able-bodied people sit to accommodate those who cannot stand up and dance the whole time is ridiculous, especially at a concert like the Eras Tour. All those girls don't go there to sit and listen to the music. They don't even really go to see the artist; there are plenty who are willing to pay hundreds of pounds for obstructed seats. They go there to scream along to the lyrics, dance, do all the movements and choreography & have that massive collective experience with other fans with their idol right there making it possible. That's what they pay all that money for. If you ask them to sit, you are ruining their experience. So who's entitled, really?

This from a middle-aged lady who had seated tickets to the eras tour and definitely lacked the stamina to dance all the way through. So at times I had to sit down and could not see. But I actually enjoyed seeing all the young girls dance around and jump up and down and would not dream of raining on their parade.

And yes, of course there are concerts where sitting is the norm. It's all about reading the room.

I think you need to attend some more rock concerts to burn off all that angry energy!

You had your answer beofre you posted then. What's the point of this thread? Did you not get enough attention at the gig?

I have not been thrilled about attending the TS concert with my child. I now have a project. Watching to see how many seated people stand up. That will kill some of the three hours I hope. Ugh and then standing in the queue beforehand and queuing for the tube after.

My daughter owes me. I love sitting down. In fact, if there was a nice bed area, that would be even better.

It’s created an interesting discussion though?!

The point of the thread was to see if people thought there should be designated sitting only areas at concerts then it descended into people insisting that seating tickets should be seated and no one should stand ever.

Of course if you bothered to read the thread you would have known that, rather than implying the op simply wanted attention.

YABU - fine if you are in the back row, you shouldn't stand if the people behind you are sitting down. I can understand why they were annoyed, they have paid for a seat and then either remain seated but can only watch the show on a screen because you are in their way or they have to stand.

I always choose seats because I don't want to stand for 2 hours, if I didn't want to sit down then I would purchase a standing ticket, or if only seats were available I'd get one in the back row.

This! I have a disability that means I am unable to stand for more than a few minutes at a time. Many is the time I've been sat behind someone who has booked a seat then stays standing the entire time, ensuring that I can see nothing!

Most concerts I've been to you can only see the performers on the screens anyway because they are so far away!

It's more about hearing them live and the atmosphere around you than seeing them

They didn’t pay to see you dance. If you bought a seat and didn’t use it - therefore you had an invalid ticket and should have been evicted from the venue.

If they wanted to watch it on a screen, they would have sat on the sofa.

When I see a concert, I go to see them - not them on a screen. That’s the whole point.

Even though the majority of venues in the UK state in their terms and conditions and even print on tickets and have it on posters at venues "be aware that people around you may stand"

Check out the ticket. Most say people may be standing around you.
If it's on the ticket then it's on you to either accept it or not go.

'I think you just have to be mindful of others around you. If everyone stands up then fine but if the people directly behind you are sitting, I think it's rude and selfish to block their view.'

'But if the person behind cannot stand and asks you nicely to sit down then you should oblige. Or if there were small kids behind you then surely you have to have a bit of cop on.'

I agree that in most situations it would be good manners to sit in either of these circumstances but it would still not help the person behind. If the two people next to the person and the three people in front all sit down the person who needs to sit or 'small kid' will still have their view obscured by those standing elsewhere in the arena/stadium. As someone else has said 'It would need everyone in the block to sit to accommodate that, which would take stewards to intervene to enforce that - which they won’t because it’s not the venue’s policy that being seated is mandatory.'

I think a lot of people are being very unrealistic about large venues - apart from those at the front everyone is watching the big screens and glancing occasionally at the band. You really cannot see the band very well from most 'seats' in a large stadium.

So yes perhaps allocated 'seated, standing and dancing forbidden blocks' are needed.

YABU - I'd expect people who want to stand to buy a General Admission ticket not not a seated one.

'If they wanted to watch it on a screen, they would have sat on the sofa.

When I see a concert, I go to see them - not them on a screen. That’s the whole point.'

And the standing, singing dancing fans could just as easily say 'I went to stand, dance and sing and engage as fully with the live experience as I could, otherwise I might as well have stayed at home and sat on the sofa.'

It really does seem to come down to two very different expectations of how people will behave at a concert at a large venue and regretfully I feel that the conclusion from this thread would seem to be that the two types of people should be segregated at the venue so that neither adversely affects the others enjoyment.

You're rude to stand and block people's view. Selfish too and I'd have been very pissed off if you did that in front of me.

Since my view is always blocked perhaps we should allocate standing and seating not just on who wants to dance but also by height

It's music it's made for dancing not watching

I love to dance, despite being old. I will try and buy tickets to the side so I can dance without blocking the view. All standing concerts are a nightmare for me as I’m too short to see anything unless I get front row. I’m surprised other women don’t have this problem? If I’m more than 2 rows back I spend my time bobbing left to right trying to see the main act.

Seems like a boring project since 99% of people will stand.

You can still sit if you don't care anyway. No one is making you stand. Or send someone with your daughter who will actually have a good time.

Another major aspect of live performance is the atmosphere, which is why restricted view seats still sell. And at a lot of concerts, the atmosphere is created by everyone in the venue singing and dancing along to an artist they love. If I wanted the perfect view of Taylor, I’d watch it on Disney Plus. But part of the joy of Eras was being part of a shared experience: everyone waving their hands in front of your face in YNTCD or being part of a crowd yelling the bridge of Cruel Summer, or all realising as a venue what your surprise song has been mashed up into, or seeing everyone’s heart hands in Fearless 🫶🏻

I don’t think you get that atmosphere by having the large majority of the crowd who want to be standing, compelled to remain seated. I support having some seated only blocks, but people dancing at concerts is normal and permitted by venues.

I don’t understand those who are saying they might as well watch on TV if they don’t have an unobstructed view of the stage.

i watched some of the Glastonbury coverage on TV. Perfect view of the artist but it was so dull! I didn’t get the atmosphere or the extra loud sound. There was no sense of a shared experience or excitement.

The view from most concert venues is dreadful anyway as you are so far back. I recently saw Ricky Gervais from the rear of a balcony floor and all I could see was a figure dressed in black. I had no way of telling who it was until he started to speak

I know it's a minority view because I've, y'know, been to concerts but I hate it when people buy seated tickets then stand throughout.

If I bought a standing ticket and then went around trying to force everyone to sit down, I'd be laughed at, but it's totally fine to buy a ticket for a seated area and then turn it into a standing area so that nobody who wanted to sit can see.

Everyone just handwaves away accessibility requirements with "bad atmosphere, boring blah blah blah" but they don't seem to care about the bad atmosphere for the person that can't stand and chose to buy a seat, only to be blocked by someone who bought a seat when they actually wanted to stand.

Why do people ever post on MN? To get help, to ask for others’ opinions (like my post) etc etc. I got called a c*nt a few pages back, not sure if that’s the kind of attention anyone wants 🤷🏻‍♀️ I also don’t want attention at gigs. I want to enjoy the music and the atmosphere, hence my question about having separate sitting only areas.