The steady decline of proper concert etiquette
Photo courtesy of Knight’s Life Editor Regan Russell
Concert etiquette should be normalized to ensure a pleasant and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends.
Concerts have always allowed people to bond over their love for an artist or band and enjoy their live music. Over the years, popular artists have booked stadiums, selling thousands of tickets for each tour date. Naturally, this has decreased proper concert etiquette, yet people still preach how they are the “perfect attendees.”
The term “concert etiquette” used to refer to people not holding up posters or fist-fighting each other, but it has now expanded to much more than that. Throughout the years, I have seen over 70 concerts, and I have to say that there has been a spike in inappropriate concert behavior, especially in large venues.
One concert I attended took place inside an indoor stadium, and I sat in the very last row of the entire venue. The stairs were incredibly steep, and as someone with a fear of heights, I was very nervous walking up the flights of stairs. With a venue this steep, one would hope those around them would respect each other's space, but sadly, this was not the case.
Although every person had assigned seats, there was abundant pushing and shoving while the band performed. Another problem arose when large groups of five or more people constantly tried to enter and exit the aisles throughout the show. Having to leave a few times for a bathroom break or to buy food is expected, but for a show less than two hours long, you do not need to leave your seat more than once or twice.
The majority of the inappropriate behavior I have witnessed stems from people being selfish and not considering the people around them. People pay anywhere from fifty to thousands of dollars to see their favorite artist perform, yet sometimes, it is impossible to hear anything but the screeching singing of fans. Singing along to your favorite songs is an appropriate concert behavior, but often, people trespass from singing territory into screaming.
Another issue is the recording of concerts on phones or other devices. Recording is a great way to document a precious moment or send it to another fan, but the entire concert does not need to be recorded. When someone is holding up their phone for the entirety of a concert, it not only disrupts the view of those around them but also distracts people and takes away from living in the present.
Some artists and bands have even stated that they hate when they can see fans in the first row recording the entire show. It can be distracting for a singer to see rows of flashlights in their eyes for the whole concert, especially when it comes to artists performing in smaller indoor venues where everything is much more up close and personal.
Line-cutting is a massive issue for these smaller venues. Often, the only tickets available are general admission tickets, and your view of the concert will depend on how early you decide to wait in line. Because of this, people will spend hours waiting in line to get close to the stage only to have their spot stolen by a line cutter at the very last second.
General admission areas of venues often cause people to be shoulder-to-shoulder for long periods. One problem with this, which has been prevalent in recent years, is the nonconsensual posting of other people in line on social media, often painting them negatively. Tension can arise when standing in such a small space with hundreds of different people.
I have seen many videos on social media of someone recording someone around them and claiming that they either said or did something negative. While these situations may be entirely true, it is rarely necessary to embarrass someone on social media for something that they may not have intended to do.
A concert is an activity that should relieve stress and annoyance, so it is important to keep it that way. Mindfulness and proper concert etiquette should be normalized in our society to make concerts an enjoyable experience for everyone.