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Music: The 10 Most Annoying Concert Behaviors
Members of the audience hold up their cellphones while Nicki Minaj performs at HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London, England on June 24th, 2012.
Music: The 10 Most Annoying Concert Behaviors
By Andy Greene
January 14, 2013

Going to rock concerts has always meant dealing with a bunch of unruly people, many of them very drunk – but it seems like lately things have been worse than ever. Attention spans are at an all-time low, and the ubiquity of smartphones has resulted in a huge percentage of the audience at any given show barely paying attention to the action onstage. Here are the 10 most annoying behaviors at rock concerts:

1. Taking pictures the entire freaking show.

I get it. You want to show all your friends on Facebook and Twitter that you saw a cool concert. Fine. Take a photo. Take five if you want! But please, don't take 77. You always manage to hold your camera right in my line of sight. You don't even look like you're enjoying the show while you're doing this. All your attention is on the photos. And you know what? Those photos are all going to look like shit. Every single one of them. You're too far away. You'll probably never even look at them. Also, you see those guys right in front of the stage with the giant cameras? They're taking great professional pictures. There's really no need for yours.

2. Checking e-mail, Facebook and Twitter every couple of minutes.

Unless you're a surgeon or a firefighter, everything can wait. Live in the moment. Enjoy the show. You paid good money to be here. You can e-mail your friends when you get home. Also, that cellphone emits a very harsh and distracting glow. For the love of God, just turn it off.

3. Incessantly talking to your friends.

You might not like whatever song is playing. You may be bored with the show in general. You may have been dragged here against your will. But you've been chattering the entire show, and I can hear every word. It's driving me crazy. Please shut up. Please. I can't tell you how many shows I attend where the two people in front of me are yelling in each others' ears the entire night. Not only is my sightline blocked when their heads come together, but I can hear them. Maybe go to a coffee shop when the show is done. Lie under an oak tree and talk until the sun comes up. I don't care. Just quiet down so I can enjoy the show.

4. Yelling out requests.

Look, I hope Morrissey plays "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" also. That would be cool – but stop screaming for it. Most of the time the set list is pre-determined, and you're screaming in my ear. They're going to play what they're going to play. Go along for the ride. And to the guy screaming for a super obscure B-side from 15 years ago? Nobody thinks you're cool.

5. Yelling out "Freebird!"

This request deserves its own subcategory of irritation. This joke has never been funny. Not once. Just stop. It was lame in 1981. Now it's just infuriating.

6. Pushing your way to the front.

If a concert is general admission, the people in front earned their spots. They got there early and laid claim to their space. The people all the way in front might have even spent all day camped out by the doors, so when the lights go off and you shove your way to the front, you're being a huge asshole. Don't do that. If you show up late and there's only room in the back, you've just gotta deal with it.

7. Getting so drunk you puke.

At pretty much any big concert, you'll see a janitor emerge after a couple of songs with a big broom and a bucket of sawdust. It means somebody puked. It's a bummer for the puker, but the people all around have to deal with the aftermath. Don't be the vomit guy. There's no worse kind of person to be at the concert.

8. Loudly complaining after the show because the band didn't play your favorite song.

Not all artists take the Rod Stewart/Billy Joel/Tom Petty approach of "nothing but the hits." Performers like Neil Young or Van Morrison are unpredictable. This is actually a good thing. Try to enjoy the show you're getting as opposed the one you wish you were seeing. Besides, haven't you heard "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Southern Man" enough?

9. Filming the entire show on your iPhone.

This distracts people even worse than taking pictures, and usually results in an equally horrid product. The sad irony is that people tend to film their favorite songs, but the smiles on their faces are gone when all their concentration goes into capturing these moments on film. Tomorrow morning, YouTube will be cluttered with crappy cellphone videos of every song from whatever show you're seeing. There's no need to add to that. You paid good money to see a show, and you're joylessly watching it through a tiny screen on your iPhone. It just doesn't make any sense.

10. Yelling "Sit down!" at people who are standing up.

This is a real problem at theater and arena shows that attract fans over the age of, say, 40. Nobody can quite agree when to stand or when to sit down. Inevitably, there are some people standing right in front of people that wish to remain seated. Between songs, someone will scream "Sit down!" The stander either obliges, or yells back something like "Go fuck yourself." The person in the seat just seethes with rage, and the tension seeps through the whole section. Often the person is standing only because someone in front of them is standing. It leads to chaos, and grumpy old people spending the entire show miserable. This has to stop. Here's a simple rule of thumb: If you can't see, stand up. It's very easy. Inversely, if everyone in front of you is seated, sit down. Go with the flow and just relax. We're all in this concert together.

Post Comment
I hollered Freebird in church once. Just once. But, it WAS funny.
Posted by Riker May 21, 2013, 10:55 pm
Also, when did crowd surfing from the back become cool? Work your way up and THEN surf backwards. All you are doing is annoying the **** out of everyone who really wants to see the band, and causing injury to those who don't realize your fat a$ is about to land on them.
Posted by KLewis March 29, 2013, 7:38 pm
If people are complaining about singing along to the band.........don't go to a concert!! I have news for you.......musicians feed off that energy
Posted by NJAZrael March 20, 2013, 9:09 am
If people are complaining about singing along to the band.........don't go to a concert!! I have news for you.......musicians feed off that energy the crowd energy has a lot more to do with the set list than you think. I know firsthand. We have a minimum amount of songs we play but if the crowd is into it, that determines if we play the full list or not length of any encore. If the crowd has no energy, the bands cut the set short. A lot of the article is right though. Don't come to shows be a d I c k. I've stopped shows have thrown people out. We don't need your bull$hit ruining everyone else's night.
Posted by NJAZrael March 20, 2013, 9:09 am
I completely agree! Don't get me wrong,I have taken pictures and even video but I assure you only enough to look back and see how crazy fun it was! I took one of staind once and I captured crowd surfers biting it and people having fun along with a calm song...I read some of the other comments and was surprised...I'm guessing that it didn't sit well with those that do the exact behavior mentioned haha, but this whole post was about relaxing a bit and having fun...not some strict set of rules! I've always loved live shows because I felt like thousands of people were there for the same reason I was and we could, in a sense, get lost in the wonder together, but there are always a hand full that, to me, just never seem to get it..the one I will say that I was on the fence about was people pushing their way to the front...now pushing can be rude, and it depends on how you go about this, besides those that waited up front all day could have had to go to the bathroom and are desperately trying to get that spot back, but I go to rock on the range and it can be very difficult to stay up front because you want to see other bands...I did it only once for a perfect circle..and I didn't push...about six bouncers were walking through the crowd to go up front, everyone parted for them to come through, so I simply walked right behind them hah..and some followed in my footsteps..I was by myself, for that part so I didn't think it was too jerk like..anywho,I enjoyed the article, thanks for the grin this morning :-)
Posted by imagine February 17, 2013, 9:01 am
I actually think it's pretty cool when the whole crowd songs along at times, and I think the bands enjoy it too. I've been to plenty of shows like Jack White, Black Keys etc where they actually ask the crowd to clap. I completely agree with the cellphone problem. PUT THEM AWAY!!!
Posted by MCostaNYC February 8, 2013, 5:30 pm
Clapping along to the music! Live shows aren't going to be recreations of studio-recorded tracks, let the band jam. Similarly, singing along when vocals matter. That one ballad that everyone loves so much? Don't want to hear it sung off-key by the drunk girl swaying next to me.
Posted by SweetRay January 21, 2013, 9:08 am
If it isn't Lynyrd Skynyrd and you yell that you are not cool you are a f u cking pain in everyone's a s s.
Posted by Erib January 18, 2013, 1:11 pm
FREEBIRD!!
Posted by Teeye January 17, 2013, 10:29 am
Seriously, i thought concerts were a time to have fun and let loose a little bit, not stand with your arms crossed scowling at everyone who doesn't live up to your idea of what proper concert behavior is. And also, if i pay $60 plus to see some classic rock stalwart live Van Mo or Neil Young, you better believe i expect to hear the hits out of those dinosaurs. Your article and attitude suck all the fun out of music, typical Rock Journalist
Posted by mikey.b January 16, 2013, 12:41 pm

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