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 mean less important as you're going for your child. But those tickets are expensive and there's loads of standing tickets. If only people were respectful then everyone would get to see the artist they've paid a huge amount of money to see

Getting mad about people enjoying themselves because they cannot manage it is such an uptight British thing 😅 Recently went to a (heavy rock) gig in Spain and it was full of normal people, the huge majority of seated fans were standing the whole time including us, dancing, laughing and drinking. No trouble that I saw, just people joining together to soak up excellent music. It was one of the best nights. Messy, life affirming, loud, wonderful.

It was fucking amazing. Two short hours of our lives to bond anonymously as a huge amorphous crowd, all loving the same thing, all dancing unselfconsciously, all soaking in the atmosphere and cutting loose away from the responsibility of daily life. Enjoying music as art and therapy.

Life is short. People need to chill out, it's a sad day when we can't share the infectious enjoyment of a crowd, even if standing for too long isn't doable. Those people should just do what they can for the greater love of the band, and their own positiivity! Instead of seeing people enjoying themselves as some sort of personal affront...

OP you did NOTHING wrong.

ABBA voyage is - I think - different from a normal concert because the standing tickets are actually cheaper than the seated ones, plus they are readily available. So yes makes total sense to keep seated ones properly seated.

So you're assuming none of the Spanish people wanted to sit in the seats they'd paid for? I'm sure they did. It's not a British thing to have disabilities.
Why does enjoying the band have to mean standing and blocking people's view?
You can have fun and relax not doing this.
It's odd you think your idea of fun is the only 'normal' one and that it's more important than other people being able to see and enjoy the band they've paid to see.

my opinion is based on my experience at the concerts i’ve been to. The majority of the venue were up dancing. Its personal preference. I wouldn’t want to go to a take that or taylor swift concert for eg without being able to get up and dance. I appreciate it’s not ideal for those not wanting to stand, however we’ve all paid for the tickets.

Because I go to relive my youth and enjoy myself. I'm not being mean to take that, I love them, and Gary especially has a nice voice, but on the whole they're not really the type of band I go to just to hear the music.
I don't get drunk, I don't bash into the people around me, but I do dance and wave my arms about at times and whoop and clap. If I had the energy of teenage me I'd likely still jump up and down a lot like I did in 1994 but I don't.
I just honestly cannot imagine watching take that jump about to a fast paced song like relight my fire or could it be magic and just sit there staring at them without moving. (Admittedly they don't do as much jumping these days as they're getting old like the rest of us).
So if I was forced to sit throughout I just wouldn't bother wasting the £100+.

I wonder if people might actually stay seated. That would be a dream for me! I could give my child the ‘look’ and tell her she has to sit down too. Excellent!

Seems like they should be doing more standing venues if that's their fanbase.
I feel sorry for the people that also paid 100 for their seat and now couldn't see as they seem to matter less.

I feel sorry for you that you have to belittle people who have a different opinion to you - "miserable soulless thing to do". In your opinion. You don’t get to decide what others do. The world is definitely a selfish place.

If you want to stand up and dance, you should buy a standing ticket. It's not unreasonable for her to want to sit in a seat she's paid for and enjoy the show.

If you have seats on the floor and are either short or a child and get a giant person in front of you you still can't see. This is the problem generally with large crowd events. It's not restricted to whether people stand or not. I went to a theatre once and had a very very tall person in front of me with a big almost marge Simpson style hair do. I couldn't see most of the stage. But what could I do? It is what it is.

Hang on...so you're saying that you can't go in the standing area because you wouldn't be able to see past taller people in front of you, but that anyone who isn't able to see because you are standing in front of them in the seated area should just put up with it? All ticket holders are entitled to enjoy the concert but some are more entitled than others it seems 🤔

You clearly haven't been to a concert recently. It comes through with allocated seats if you refuse those ones and try to find others often you end up with none as it sells out !

This backs up another poster's view that those voting and commenting simply haven't been to a concert recently.

No she is saying that she is better off standing in the tiered section of the stadium where most and by most I mean the vast majority of other people are also standing too. From another short person.

Most of the time I'm happy to stand and sing along or whatever. The one time it really pissed me off was when we were all standing anyway at an indoor gig and the woman in the row in front but a few seats along decided to stand up on her chair. The people directly behind her quite rightly asked to get down - she refused so they had to get stewards involved and it all got a bit nasty and spoiled our enjoyment of the concert.

I go to 5 -10 concerts a year, from huge stadium gigs to smaller concert venues. I don’t book seated tickets because I want to dance.

On the rare occasion that I do book seats because there is no standing area I will stay seated because I’m not a twat and I’m aware that people around me have also paid to watch the artist(s).

And? Who wants to only see a screen?

Why? She was only enjoying the show, if other people were struggling to see, they should have stood on their chairs too.

I go to a similar number but fortunately for me everyone else seems to be standing and aren't killjoys. I am wondering what are these concerts where everyone wants to sit. 🤣

Do you actually think everyone is physically able to stand up on a concert seat? That’s ridiculous.

Ahh, but I'm not "normal" myself so it's also bold of you to assume that I am.. Lol. I am disabled. Full on blue badge crew here. There's a disabled section for people who need it. I can get away with being in a regular seat due to the nature of my disability. Maybe your ire should be aimed at the venues who cram so many shitty seats in, on too shallow tiers, no legroom, so that no one can stand without blocking others? To maximise their profits and presumably ruin it for the sitterdowners.

I absolutely assure you that the vast overwhelming majority of people at that gig, of all ages and lifestyles, were loving the shit out of it, standing. Sitting and dancing in the aisles, sitting in their seats when they needed a break ,going for a break to get a drink, dancing, standing some more.

Not clamped to their seats, po faced at the merriment 😅

This is why I go to as many outdoor gigs as possible. At least I can move away from any entitled assholes.

To be honest, I dislike / feel very awkward at concerts for this very reason.

I can't imagine going to a concert and sitting serenely in my seat, nodding along to the music - if everyone is sitting, that's got to be weird for band, belting out their hits to a sea of people just sitting there. And if some people are standing and some are sitting, the people sitting are just going to be sat there looking at the backs of the people in front of them.

Likewise, I don't have good rhythm and don't have the confidence to stand up and bop around.

I guess it's different at a standing only concert, because you are just one in a sea of standing / dancing people. But in a seated area, I feel very exposed standing up dancing, it just makes me cringe and want to go home.

Of course I don’t, but I’m applying the same logic to this situation that others are applying to justify standing up in seated areas.

They're only enjoying the gig, anyone who doesn’t want to enjoy it in the same way or is physically unable to stand up for long periods should get over themselves and stop spoiling the fun for everyone else.

No. I’m saying i wouldn’t buy a ticket in the standing area because i know i wouldn’t be able to see anything other than the person in front of me, therefore wouldn’t waste my money buying in that part of the venue. . I’ve previously nit bought tickets cos the venue was standing only or because all seated were sold out. Thats my choice, i also wouldn’t buy a ticket at a venue and expect everyone around me to stay seated just because i do, the majority of the people in the seating areas at concerts i have been to stand/dance.
Like you said all ticket holders are entitled to enjoy the concert.
It doesn’t make me more entitled anymore than it would the person not standing but expecting everyone else to do the same as them. The seated tickets do not state no standing allowed. I did state in my original post that i probably wouldn't stand if others didn’t.
Insinuating i think i’m more entitled than others is quite frankly rude and not necessary. I wouldn’t go to a concert personally and expect everyone to do what i wanted, all the concerts i’ve been to, the majority have stood up in seating areas and danced, yes i’d be pissed off if i couldn’t see the concert but unless the tickets state no standing thats the chance taken when buying a ticket.