Concert Goers

[Surfink]

Went to see Ryo Okumoto show last night. He's a great showman and the backup artists were great, too. The chemistry between Ryo and his wife (trumpet and lead singer) was amazing. How often do you get to see a great player with 5 organs and a Mellotron in a 60 seat theater? Unfortunately, the sound was off, just mixed to sound like noise and you couldn't understand anything the singer sang. But the rudeness of the crowd was what struck me the most. I guess now we are just going to have 10 of the 20 people in front of you holding up phones, filming the show. Its really sad they just can't enjoy the show, because I didn't with all the video screens staring back at me. Is it time to stop supporting live music and just watch youtube? Another interesting fact was that Ryo, pointed out into the audience, to the sound engineer who has worked on all the Spocks Beard cds. And they were sitting right next to us, well the wife/girlfriend was on her Ipad texting the whole show and for half that time she was on her Iphone texting too. Why did she come, why didn't she go to the lobby? Rudeness, just like the others in the room with their phones out, everyone thinks they're the only ones in the place. Its sad but maybe it's time to stay home.

[mogrooves]

holding up phones, filming the show....all the video screens staring back at me..... the wife/girlfriend was on her Ipad texting the whole show and for half that time she was on her Iphone texting too.

Not surprising. Technology is the "new rock", not the music.....

[Progatron]

Rude concert-goers have damn near ruined shows for me in the past, and are the prime reason I don't go to as many gigs anymore. Why anyone would want to forgo the live experience so they can relive it on a three-inch screen afterwards is beyond me. Talking (yelling, usually), texting, drink spilling, shoving... bah. It never fails, there's just always some idiot right near me who I can't stand from the second I see him until we leave the venue. The drunken morons at The Watch gig I attended last November were a disgrace. Fifty-five going on eleven.

[progeezer]

Talking (yelling, usually), texting, drink spilling, shoving... bah.

At the Neal Morse, Gary Green & Malcolm Mortimore Band, District 97 show outside of Chicago in September, I was walking out between sets when some cretin behind me who wasn't looking where he was going knocked me over into the end of an aisle where the metal part of the theater seats badly gouged my right arm and I started bleeding fairly profusely (not a good thing if you've been taking blood thinners to prevent clotting since 1989).

The idiot then looked at me & my arm & said, "Are you OK?". I think the entire theater heard me when I screamed back in his face, "Does it look like I'm OK, you f*****g idiot!". At no time did he offer even a hint of an apology as I was later sitting in the lobby where paramedics were dressing the wound & he passed by, head down & looking away. The only upshot was that the theater manager wanted to avoid a lawsuit (he needn't have worried as I've never been a fan of frivolous lawsuits) so he kept bringing me Jack & Cokes (I think it was about 4, but Kay was the driver that night).

And this was in a beautiful theater with superb acoustics

[ronmac]

Music certainly has taken a back seat. It's seems to be more about being there and, more importantly, being seen there.

[80s were ok]

Music certainly has taken a back seat. It's seems to be more about being there and, more importantly, being seen there.

this is why I avoid the "Big" shows mostly these days. I was at the Who concert Saturday in AC and tons of idiots around but I've gotten used to them. I prefer smaller shows in theaters or clubs or even record stores because for the most people people are there for the music, not to be seen. Worst offenders of idiots at concerts....SHEDS - I avoid them 100%. If they have lawn seating, you couldn't pay me to see anyone at a shed. Having said all that, people have been complaining about other concert goers since the beginning of time. I've gotten used to it. I mean, if you want to cut out A LOT unruly concert behavior, all you have to do is stop selling alcohol but that's not a very popular position to take, is it.

[prglvr]

I actually started a thread about this when I went to the Rush concert last November. People texting etc. during shows shouldn't bother me that much I guess...it's their money they are throwing away if they want to tell their friends what they had for dinner or what they are going to do over the weekend on their phones rather than watch the show. At the Who concert at Staples Center last month we did have a few people in back of us who had to laugh, squeal, and yell over the music. I turned around and looked at them a couple of times and they did tone it down a bit....luckily no bodily harm came to me! My son and I attended the Soundgarden show at the Wiltern...it was a great crowd there...people actually listening/moving to the music rather than talking.

[80s were ok]

I actually started a thread about this when I went to the Rush concert last November. People texting etc. during shows shouldn't bother me that much I guess...it's their money they are throwing away if they want to tell their friends what they had for dinner or what they are going to do over the weekend on their phones rather than watch the show. At the Who concert at Staples Center last month we did have a few people in back of us who had to laugh, squeal, and yell over the music. I turned around and looked at them a couple of times and they did tone it down a bit....luckily no bodily harm came to me! My son and I attended the Soundgarden show at the Wiltern...it was a great crowd there...people actually listening/moving to the music rather than talking.

pretty much proves my theory. The Wiltern is a theater, right? Generally at theaters, people are more behaved because they are their for the band and the music. Shows in Arenas and summer sheds with lawn seating are just there so they can say they went to a concert that night. Most people who go to concerts at Summer Sheds probabaly attend one or two shows the entire summer and talk about it until the next Summer.

[Gruno]

pretty much proves my theory. The Wiltern is a theater, right? Generally at theaters, people are more behaved because they are their for the band and the music. Shows in Arenas and summer sheds with lawn seating are just there so they can say they went to a concert that night. Most people who go to concerts at Summer Sheds probabaly attend one or two shows the entire summer and talk about it until the next Summer.

I would say your theory is unproven. I have toured around the world and witnessed first-hand how it is many times in clubs, theaters, sheds, and stadiums -- it's all generally the same in regards to cell phone/camera usage during the show. For some artists, I have been in charge of security and policing venues looking for people who abuse the privilege. In fact, prog shows in theaters that I have witnessed have just as many fans using their devices in some form or another. Factor in those who use recorders to capture audio and prog shows has the most amount of abusers.

[SteveSly]

Having said all that, people have been complaining about other concert goers since the beginning of time. I've gotten used to it..

Pretty much how I feel as well. I mean, it's only rock n roll right? Yea there are always douchebags at concerts and annoying people, but I guess I just don't let it bother me. The cell phone / texting thing can be annoying, but again, I guess for me it is whatever floats your boat. Everybody has them these days, so it has just kind of become normal to see them for me, and I don't let it bother me.

I agree with you about the shed comment though. I won't go to a shed show unless I have reserved seats. The last time I sat on the lawn was for the Genesis "We Can't Dance" tour and I swore I would never do it again and haven't since then.

Steve Sly

[Stickleback]

people have been complaining about other concert goers since the beginning of time. I've gotten used to it.

Precisely. Roger Waters was moved to write The Wall because of obnoxious concert goers. I've heard the Montreal 1977 PF bootleg and the crowd is just going ballistic and screaming (mostly in French), and you hear firecrackers going off the entire time. Roger sounds audibly pissed off at that show.

Or, going back further, could you imagine being at a Beatles concert where you could not hear anything over the din of screaming girls (psychologists say that the screaming served more as a sociological signal to other girls than for the Beatles)?

[Toothyspook]

Music certainly has taken a back seat. It's seems to be more about being there and, more importantly, being seen there.

Agreed. Taking pictures has replaced dancing and enjoying yourself.

Anyone remember dancing on here ?

[ProgGreaser]

Anyone remember dancing on here ?

Does anyone remember laughter? (Robert Plant, The Song Remains the Same film)

[ronmac]

Does anyone remember laughter? (Robert Plant, The Song Remains the Same film)

Which I always considered a dumb ad-lib. "No, Robert, what exactly is laughter?" Of course, considering the lyrics of "Stairway"...

[ItalProgRules]

Which I always considered a dumb ad-lib. "No, Robert, what exactly is laughter?" Of course, considering the lyrics of "Stairway"...

"Laughter?" Why yes, I do vaguely recall this "laughter." I believe an example of it can be found right next to the real blade of grass behind that pane of glass.

[NogbadTheBad]

Agreed. Taking pictures has replaced dancing and enjoying yourself.

Anyone remember dancing on here ?

You are asking this on a prog board?

[mogrooves]

Anyone remember dancing on here ?

Not since 1966. It all changed the next year......

[Trane]

Music certainly has taken a back seat. It's seems to be more about being there and, more importantly, being seen there.

In the case of the OP, the wife oprobably didn't want to be there in the first place, but was probably semi-forced if she wanted to spend a bit of time with the hubby....

But yeaj, I just don't get it myself.... unless I'd be bored to hell, because I didn't like the concert... and found ways to distract myself.... unfortunately, the audience part of the hall is too dark to read a book quietly

[Gruno]

With me working on stage with musicians... many of the musicians can't stand cell phones/cameras during their show. It is amazing just how many people do not watch the show with their own eyes, but through the eyes of a viewfinder. What is also amazing is the amount of disrespect some fans give to the artist when the artist asks (either during or before via announcement) that they would like people to not use those devices.

[Brian Griffin]

This is why it is important to be in the first row and keep distractions behind you, so to speak

I was down front for The Who Friday night in Atlantic City, what a Strawbs Collection of Antiques and Curios!

BG

[Lebofsky]

As both a performer and fan in the audience, I have to add my voice of agreement about the scourge of cell phones. I'm fine if people need to use them at a show - I admit it's a great way to kill time between boring set changes - but they should turn the brightness down, and never hold screens up in front of anybody else.

I appreciate the fan spirit, but it kinda sucks being on stage trying to be inside the music while somebody (or multiple people) are holding cellphones up at the foot of the stage videoing. It is distracting, knowing that whatever you're doing will show up on youtube tomorrow will some real crappy video and blown out audio. It's worse when people actually use the led lights on their cell phones pointing right at your face as if that will help the video quality.

While I'm at it, I'd also like to make a public reminder that if you left your drink on stage and I knock it over, it's not my fault. Also, if you are sitting on stage while leaning against my monitor and thus pushing it away from me and I kindly ask that you to stop doing that, I'm not being an asshole.

This all said, most people are loving and considerate, and every subset of the population has its own subset that is utterly annoying.

- Matt

[Rufus]

Hate arenas & won't go there . Been to many but never really enjoyed the show !
My concerts are now restricted to theAters & city halls ! I'm glad prog isn't mainstream anymore , i can now see bands playing my favourite music in intimate settings!

[Lou]

when the artist asks (either during or before via announcement) that they would like people to not use those devices.


In this case, the artist should be allowed to have their own snipers strategically placed in the venue who then shoot any cellphones out of the hands of offenders.

[philsunset]

when the artist asks (either during or before via announcement) that they would like people to not use those devices

Last time I saw Jonatha Brooke perform she said take the pictures you need during the first two songs then turn the phones off. Seemed like a good way to handle it. Everyone complied. She seems to have very courteous fans.

[Ten Thumbs]

I'm disappointed with the amount and loudness of chatter going on during shows, a steady din. I notice it at shows of 50 to 200 attendees, community hall and watering hole joints, local artists and lesser known touring acts. I can understand some of it during the lesser known opener performers, but not during the headliners. Maybe it's because people are becoming aware of the shows via social media and this means a gathering with music rather gathering for music. I wish people whould catch up with each other when there's enough time between acts to do your chatter or maybe a quick comment with each other between songs. Saying that, last night with about 350 in attendance at Bend Sinister in a community hall, the crowd was pleasantly respective and receptive. Theatre shows are often a better situation, arena shows can be hit or miss for chatter near my seat. The most annoying thing though is at a show, standing shoulder to shoulder, and late comers start pushing through to get closer to the front, and then you see see them on their way out before the show is close to being over.