We’re big believers in everyone being able to enjoy any concert in any manner they’d like. That said, there’s one stipulation: Your enjoyment of a concert shouldn’t directly interfere with someone else’s enjoyment.
That’s it. It’s pretty simple. There’s only one rule of this concert-going Fight Club, and it’s basically “Don’t be a dick.” Here are ten things you should do your best to avoid doing at concerts of any kind.
10. Wave your smartphone as if it were a lighter. We get it: You look at those old photos from shows of decades past and see everyone holding up their lighters during a slower song, and you get all nostalgic for a time when you weren’t even old enough to go to concerts (or maybe weren’t even alive). The fact is, the light from your iPhone/Galaxy (or whatever soon-to-be-irrelevant phone you have) just isn’t the same as the tiny flames of yesteryear. If you have a lighter, wave it. If you have a smartphone, keep it in your pocket. Otherwise, you’ll look ridiculous.
9. Wear the band’s merch. Want to show everyone that it’s your first concert? Then go ahead and wear the band’s T-shirt (or hat, jacket, etc.). If not, wear anything else and you should be good. The only time it’s acceptable to have the band’s name or logo on your clothing is if it’s a super-awesome old vest/jacket with a ton of patches on it, including one for the band you’re seeing. Bonus points if you wear an awesome band shirt from a totally different genre.
8. Stick your elbow into someone else’s spine/kidneys. If you ask us, whoever gets to the venue first deserves to be in the front row. It shows dedication, and the lack of a full-time job you can’t ditch. In the event that you feel the need to push your way past those who arrived before you, try to remember that you’re the one who’s probably being a jerk, and do it in the politest way possible. Regardless of whether you’re trying to push your way to the front or just cram into a tightly packed crowd, keep your bony joints out of the delicate spots of other people’s bodies as best you can. Sometimes, you won’t be able to help where your elbows, knees, hands and feet land, but just don’t do it on purpose and we’ll try not to hate you.
7. Pretend to sing along when you don’t know any of the words. Don’t be that one guy (or gal) at the concert who thinks he knows a lot more songs than he actually does. You know who you are: You know the two or three songs on the radio, and you’ve maybe spun the album once (on iTunes), but that’s not going to stop you from singing at the top of your lungs to every song played that night. You probably figure you’re close enough, or that other people won’t notice if you’re just mumbling gibberish, but it’s painfully obvious when someone is just belting out nonsense. Keep your dignity and keep your mouth shut when you don’t know the lyrics; you can still have plenty of fun just singing the parts you actually know.
6. Go against the vibe of the mosh pit. The type of mosh pit that’s likely to break out at a show is entirely dependent on the concert itself. While some bands/genres are more prone to intense and violent mosh pits than others, pits for the toughest hardcore group playing for a crowd full of fifty-year-old accountants are going to be tamer (or shorte- lived, at least) than those for a pop-punk band playing for high school and college students. There’s always that one guy who doesn’t want to go home with bruises from a pit at a Sick Of It All show or does want to legitimately deck people while New Found Glory is playing, and everyone else in the mosh pit tends to hate him. Don’t be that guy. If you don’t want to participate in the type of pit that’s occurring, then don’t take part in it. Express yourself in other ways, and don’t even get us started on going the wrong direction in circle pits.
5. Scream into strangers’ ears. By all means, sing as loud as you’d like to your favorite songs. As long as you know the words (see number 7), we have no problem with you screaming until your voice is gone. That said, we’d really like to still hear the actual performer over the sound of your angelic voice. Assuming they have a decent PA system, that shouldn’t be terribly difficult…unless you’re screaming directly into someone’s ear. Sure, if two people are really close friends and that’s “their song” (in which case, we kind of hate them already), then maybe it’s kind of understandable, but there’s never a reason to scream your favorite song into a stranger’s (or acquaintance’s) eardrum.
4. Act like you’re too cool to be there. Most people blame hipsters for being “too cool” for everything these days, but there have been jaded and ungrateful concert-goers for as long as there have been concerts. From hip-hop to metal, EDM to country, it doesn’t matter what genre of music you’re into: There will be people at every show you attend who look like they don’t want to be there. Whether it’s the “I got dragged by my significant other” glazed-over stare or the “I’ve seen so many bands better than them” grimace, they’re easy to spot. Just look for the person who looks like he or she is waiting in line at the DMV instead of in the fourth row at a Calvin Harris concert.
4. Act like you’re too cool to be there. Most people blame hipsters for being “too cool” for everything these days, but there have been jaded and ungrateful concert-goers for as long as there have been concerts. From hip-hop to metal, EDM to country, it doesn’t matter what genre of music you’re into: There will be people at every show you attend who look like they don’t want to be there. Whether it’s the “I got dragged by my significant other” glazed-over stare or the “I’ve seen so many bands better than them” grimace, they’re easy to spot. Just look for the person who looks like he or she is waiting in line at the DMV instead of in the fourth row at a Calvin Harris concert.
3. Get sloppy drunk. It’s totally cool to have a few brews over the course of a concert. Hey, who are we to judge if you want to get drunk? Just don’t lose control. You don’t want to be that person who passes out, vomits, gets kicked out, wakes up with a cast or doesn’t remember any of the show. Of course, one of the worst concert crimes is the ol’ spilled/dropped drink, which rarely happens when you’re sober. We still have scars from the time that a belligerent chick dropped a beer bottle in front of us during an Everclear show and it shattered all over our shins.
2. Capture the entire show on your smartphone. The most heinous of smartphone offenses is also among the most common. While it’s perfectly understandable to snap a quick photo when the act walks on stage or during your favorite song (either for social media or to make your few friends in real life jealous), let’s lay off the hour-long videos, all right? There’s no way you’re ever going to go back to look at that, and even if you did, the sound and lighting would be undoubtedly terrible. Take a few photos and then put the phone back in your pocket, for all of us. Concerts are better when they’re seen in person rather than through the screen of a smartphone.
1. Interact with the act(s) while they’re performing. This goes beyond yelling “Free Bird” at the opening band. It doesn’t matter if it’s drunk guys answering rhetorical questions from their favorite rapper or teenage girls screaming and waving to try to get Pete Wentz’s attention (no, really, have you ever been to a Fall Out Boy show? It’s truly incredible), it’s pretty much always the worst. Do you really expect an artist to respond to whatever some frat boy is yelling at him from the crowd? Like he hasn’t heard that sexually explicit pun made of his name before. Next time you’re thinking about calling out to the people on stage following anything other than “Any requests?,” do everyone a favor and keep your mouth shut instead.
By Josh Chesler | Westword
http://www.westword.com/music/ten-things-you-should-never-do-at-concerts-7017030