Standing at gigs - finally some sense!

[StacksOfSnacks]

I love live music and frequently attend concerts and have been utterly baffled in recent years that people behave as they would in the cinema - plonked on their backside, mutely watching. For me it’s all about the immersive experience - dancing, screaming, swaying, singing, waving my arms… But not only are more people staying seated, but I’m actually seeing discourse where people such as myself are being criticised for acting exactly like a typical concert goer - singing and standing.

I went to a show last night and noticed this little note on my e-ticket “People around you may stand!” though I think it should go without saying, finally some sense is prevailing and those whingers can keep schtum now (which they advocate for at gigs anyway 😂).

Disclaimer: I know people will pile on saying that not everyone can stand, and no they can’t and I understand that. I’d support if they wanted to have a section where people stay seated if there’s demand for it. However, I have observed a change in behaviour that is out of proportion even when considering that.

I’ve always stood at gigs too. This seems like a recent thing, people getting arsey about us wanting to actually enjoy ourselves. Who goes to a gig and doesn’t dance?!

I don’t have a particular issue with standing and dancing.

Singing is annoying. I snagged Radiohead tickets and half the time Thom’s subtle performance was being drowned out by the group of 20 something blokes behind me who seemed to think each song was a football chant and were bellowing it out en masse.

Mind you if it was Louis Tomlinson being drowned out I wouldn’t mind so much.

Omg I would have very directly told her to shut up! Why would she do that?!! Some people are so self involved it’s ridiculous!

I've always found standing to be more readily available. It's the diehards/enthusiasts who want to stand. Many of us want the option of a seat

Oh my god, the hair! I always get a woman with smelly hair who works her way from the back to stand in front of me and throw her hair about in my face.

Yeah me too. I always avoided standing because I'd rather have an allocated seat so I know seats tend to be hard to come by in comparison to all the standing. Grinds my gears that some people are buying them all up and then not even using them.

No one minds when everyone stands for a particular lively number but it's about being a bit mindful of what everyone else is doing. I went to a concert a few years ago where some prick stood the entire time the artist was on stage. He was the only one in our block doing this. I had too much self-awareness to do the same thing so I missed seeing most of the show as he was directly in my line of sight no one else's. I complain about it every time one of these threads comes up as it still annoys me now lol.

At a concert last year the guy next to me remained seated but kept punching the air with his fist in time to the music right in front of my face.

Very annoying.

Yes you are so cool wanting to get up and dance.

What about the 2 blokes 6ft, full of beer and barging through? A young girl (14) next to me last night with her dad and I pointed to a sweet spot with 2 small women where she got a great view

What? 😂

Well you are calling everyone who wants to sit boring so you must be cool and edgy right?

If dancing is that important to some people stick em on the back row where they can't block anyone's view. Other people actually want to be able to see the artist.

People who stand for the whole gig piss me off!
I went to see Linkin Park at Wembley last year( after a whole day in London so my fee were sore) really great seats- in line with the stage. the really tall idiot in front stood the entire time but stock still. Couldn’t peer through a gap. That created a chain reaction of more people needing to stand.

cheer- yes
stand when the band encourages it- yes
have no consideration for others around you when you could have just purchased a standing ticket- you’re a twit

Why not stick all the people who want to sit down for an entire gig together in the boring arsehole section?

I'm really baffled by a lot of the replies you're getting OP. I go to multiple concerts every year and literally no one sits down?! As soon as the act comes on everyone is up out their seats singing along and dancing. I've never known anyone actually use their seat 😂

These are big acts/stadium gigs though, maybe for quieter singers at smaller venues who don't do anything upbeat it might be different, but otherwise, nope, I'm on my feet with everyone else in the stadium!

It doesn't matter where I stand, I always seem to attract them 😆

Suits me! I think that's the idea of people saying if you want to dance get a standing ticket...

Conversely put all the wanna stand people in the large space specifically meant for them

Where in Birmingham? There is no issue in standing up and dancing at your seat at Utilita Arena, nor the one near the NEC. The aisles maybe different due to access, and I suspect if you went to one of the first gigs following Covid they may have had special rules in force.

See I’m baffled as I have never seen everyone just stand up for a whole concert and I’ve been to hundreds. Most bands are not dancing bands 100% of the time. When I saw Oasis for instance, no one stood up. Why? Because it is isn’t band a band you dance to. You sing along as great tunes, and some of the tunes lend themselves for jumping up and down, but the vast majority are not dancing tunes. Even the people in the stand section were just standing and not dancing for most of it. Just singing along. We saw Imagine Dragons a few years ago. Again everyone sat and enjoyed the show. Justin timberlake. Everyone sat. Springsteen, everyone sat. Yes, everyone got up for the big tunes but I was with my kids and we definitely were not standing the whole way through.

In a massive arena, most tickets are seated. Everyone stands! Yanbu.

Birmingham Utilita has overbearing staff. Went to see Texas and had to leave to get last train home. On way out they play Inner Smile( my favourite) so we stand to the side on way to the exit. Not in anyone’s way. Got told we had to leave. Morons.

This.

The idea of an entire stadium of people standing for the full gig is just absurd tbh.

Active - swaying, clapping, singing, standing for short appropriate periods, yes. Leaving your paid seat unused whilst you stand for several hours just in front of it...nah. Odd behaviour tbph.

Hahaha I knew this wouldn’t go well ! I have the same issue with my DD. She is 12 loves concerts. Disabled.
she can not at all go to standing as she is too young and does need a seat to rest.
we go to normal seats.
she likes to stand when she can, dance and she finds it impossible to sit still to music 🤣
the last concert we went to at the 02 she was told off after someone complained to the staff that she was dancing. She spent the rest of the concert in the tunnel thing so she could dance.
I think the only way to really solve this is to have sections like they used do for restaurants and smoking and non smoking 🤣🤣

referring to it as a paid seat is a bit strange though. Most tickets are seated - I’m not paying for the chair I’m paying for the music