Friday Riffs: What annoys you at a concert?
A few weeks ago, I write a Sunday piece about the newest distraction/aggravation at concerts – people who spend the majority of the show not actually watching or listening, but filming on their smartphones or, yes, tablets.
Now that the summer concert season is winding down, I’m curious about what else drives you batty at shows.
Is it the person behind you inexplicably “whooooo-hooooo”-ing not only between songs, but DURING them, so instead of hearing Steven Tyler or Jennifer Nettles – the artists you paid to see – you’re instead left with nothing but a pierced ear drum?
Or how about when you score those seemingly enviable aisle seats, knowing that at least you’ll have a little breathing room on one side, but forgetting that being on the aisle essentially makes you the gatekeeper for the row?
That was my experience at the Bruce Springsteen show in Philadelphia. Sure, it was great to be able to edge a few inches away from the rest of the people in my row, but it also meant that, at a minimum of twice per song, I was sliding one way or another to let someone in or out from or for a beer run or, later in the show, from or for a bathroom break due to said beer runs.
At the Duran Duran show at Chastain Park Amphitheatre last month, I was fortunate enough to have excellent seats close to the stage, but they were also in the first row of a cut-through lane.
A couple of times during the concert, I tried to take 30 seconds of video to post on this blog to accompany my review (since I was working media, I was able to step to the side to do it). But, as you can see in what I’ve posted below, I couldn’t even grab a 30-second clip without numerous concertgoers wandering by (three in 30 seconds, in this case, and it was during one of the band’s biggest hits, not the usual, “New song – time to leave!” maneuver).
I feel myself starting to sound like one of those, “Back in my day…” people. But the truth is, “my day” wasn’t THAT long ago, but long ago enough that I can remember people attending a concert because they were interested and invested in the artist onstage.
They weren’t carrying on inane conversations better suited for after-work bar gatherings or texting their mother/boyfriend/co-worker/friend/cable guy/hairdresser just to say, “Hey, guess where I am?!”
They weren’t rudely whipping out recording devices and impeding your view of a show (because, um, right, recording devices and cameras were not allowed in venues – my 11-year-old self waited in a very long line after a Rick Springfield concert to retrieve my confiscated camera).
And yes, where there is entertainment, there is beer and I’m all for it. But even the occasional drunken buffoon was guzzling because it complemented the concert experience – it wasn’t an extracurricular activity to trot to the beer line.
So enough from me- I want to hear from you about your biggest concert-going annoyances. Sound off below.
Three people in 30 seconds! Those are some attention spans!
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62 comments Add your comment
brock
September 14th, 2012
7:23 am
Talkers. And the related, people who yell “sit down” over and over. I am not one to stand when no one else is, but if someone ahead blocks my view by standing, I will do so.
Joe
September 14th, 2012
7:43 am
I hate it when I try to light one up to add a buzz to the show and those pesky security staff bust me.
Van Jones
September 14th, 2012
8:23 am
Standers, when nobody in front of them is standing.
Don't Tread
September 14th, 2012
8:48 am
What annoys me at a concert? People like Joe.
I don’t go to concerts for the privilege of going home smelling like your illegal drugs.
blkshepherd
September 14th, 2012
8:51 am
Entirely Too MUCH CHATTERING. Chastain is one venue that if you want to Eat, listen to folks chatting loudly, drinking, stuffing their faces like its their Last meal on earth, uncomfortable hard metal seats. If all of these things are Ok with you, I tip my hat to you and dont go to Chastain Park.. From what I have observed is people come to a concert to socialize rather than enjoy the show, awful place. .
blkshepherd
September 14th, 2012
8:53 am
I meant to say GO to Chastain if your ok with the chattering, a bunch of drunk folks, folks stuffing their faces talking loud, and uncomfortable cheap metal seats.
Dj Smooth
September 14th, 2012
8:58 am
People running the main sound board that have zero clue what they’re doing. The mix is usually horrible with the wrong balance between the drum/bass vs guitars. Depends on the concert but that’s usually the case.
markie mark
September 14th, 2012
9:01 am
People are my biggest annoyance – it would be so much better with just the band and me.
DebbyD
September 14th, 2012
9:17 am
Talkers. Brock hits the nail on the head. People who go to concerts just to socialize with each other should be kicked out and banned from future events.
There are some of us who save our money so we can listen to our favorite artists, only to hear what some idiot thinks of what Norman or Sue did the night before. It’s infuriating and so very rude to the musicians themselves.
Elle
September 14th, 2012
9:43 am
People who sing along to the music so loudly that you can barely hear the artist
Sam-A
September 14th, 2012
9:43 am
First, hate Chastain – the ones I want to see are always in the dead of summer – way to hot to sit outside. And the ignorant people who talk all thru the show there.
Hate the “in/ou/in/out” people who just can’t stay in the row for more than 5 minutes.
Hate the drunks – a teenager threw up big time in the row in front of me at an Elton concert years ago. Real pleasant. And her group blabbered thru the whole show, and NOT about the show.
When the whole audience is standing for an Icon on stage, and some douff behind me taps me on the shoulder and tells me to sit down (went to a McCartney concert at the football stadium in Orlando years ago, and some NERD mid-to-late 20″s with his mother, kept pestering our row to sit down, even though most of the stadium, at least the ones on the ground in front of the stage, were standing)
I spend my hard earned money to actually see/hear the performer, and sometimes that’s quie a feat to accomplish.
Sam-A
September 14th, 2012
9:47 am
“Sorry for several spelling goofs – late in the week
!
Ih8Talkers@Concerts
September 14th, 2012
9:52 am
Chatty Kathys are the worst. I have been to Lakewood, Chastain, Encore Park and all the venues in Atlanta. You cannot escape the Chatty Kathys. These are the people (98% of the time women in groups) who MUST carry on a loud conversation through out the concert. Chastain is the worst venue for this. I am the only person that prays for rain on concert night at Chastain that way the ex-sorority girls from Kappa Kappa Spankme leave or do not show up. I hate being the bad guy who tells a bunch of suburban moms to shut the hell up so I can hear Sting sing “Roxanne”. No mam, I do not care that your daughter made the Westminster cheerleading squad. Please shut the f* up, so I can hear the artist that I paid $$$ to hear sing their songs.
Dave
September 14th, 2012
9:57 am
People who squeeze into reserved seating with their friends.
Aisle seats when there is no crowd control and the aisle is packed with people.
Going to a Pink Floyd concert where 72,000 people are sitting down, enjoying the music, but for some reason 150 seats in our section are “under construction” and we have to stand.
DJ
September 14th, 2012
10:05 am
Chastain Park is like the Olive Garden of concert experiences. It seems nice on the surface, but it actually sucks. The “food” is overpriced, and the “diners” are all totally self-absorbed and they all think they are at a fancy restaurant. AND THEY WON”T SHUT UP.
josie
September 14th, 2012
10:06 am
Concerts where the band introduces a new album and proceeds to play entire album. We did not come to hear the new stuff, we want the old stuff we paid money to hear. If the songs are good the talkers shut up.
markie mark
September 14th, 2012
10:19 am
Josie….why do you think bands go on the road?? Its ALWAYS been to promote their latest album first, and to make cash, closely following behind…..here is a suggestion. Before you go see the concert, buy the bands latest album and get familiar with it. It makes the concert MUCH more fun to see the new stuff played also. I learned this from Pink Floyd shows – I did not buy album that they were touring for, “A Momentary Lapse of Reason”. For the next tour, I bought “The Division Bell” before the concert, and loved watching them play it in addition to their older hits.
Mark
September 14th, 2012
10:25 am
I love live music, but HATE that the crowds think the concert is about THEM. I would rather sit in my seat and see gifted people perform, but I usually find myself crowded by standing and dancing audience members who are singing and waving their hands. This FORCES me to have to stand up to see… and now I’m in the middle of a large performing crowd and not allowed to be an audience member. I came to see THEM… not YOU!
NobodyImportant
September 14th, 2012
10:40 am
Afros.
I’m 5′7″ on a good day. You know that one dude with the huge P-funk afro at every show? I’m the guy standing behind him.
Every. Single. Time.
Sally
September 14th, 2012
10:44 am
My biggest pet peeve is when one person decides to start a mosh pit, regardless of whether the other concertgoers want to join in or not. Bonus points if the song is a slow one, or otherwise “unmoshable.”
Uncle Ruckus
September 14th, 2012
10:44 am
Joe Im with you man….Hell we pay high enough admission prices as it is, they can at least let us enjoy the concert to the max. Legalize it!
RA
September 14th, 2012
10:49 am
Ticket prices
brock
September 14th, 2012
10:58 am
Also, the drunk guy who thinks it’s his responsibility to get people more fired up. Don’t be that guy.
vfp42
September 14th, 2012
11:13 am
I hate it when old people whine and complain about how other people have their fun. If you’re THAT old just get the concert DVD and watch it in your home theater.
ClydeFr0g
September 14th, 2012
11:30 am
I can’t stand when people sit there having a conversation while the musicians are playing. And then they start talking LOUDER so they can hear each other OVER THE MUSIC.
GO
TO
A
BAR!!!!!!!
This happens A LOT at Chastain and the Botanical Gardens. I have gotten up MANY times and confronted people saying “I didn’t come here to listen to your chatter, I paid good money to hear ___________ play music and you are ruining the show. If you want to talk, please go to an area AWAY from the show.”
Usually they get an embarrassed look on their faces, sometimes they apologize. Sometimes others around us clap or thank me. I’ve never been challenged, but if someone wants to try it they will get my beer in their face followed by my fist!
Mike
September 14th, 2012
11:37 am
I tend to get depressed every summer when Chastain announces their shows. Why? I just can’t take it there anymore, for all of the reasons everyone has already stated. A real pity too, because a lot of good groups play there. I’ve been attending concerts there for over 25 years, but I’ve given up. Everytime I go I am so mad by all the distractions I don’t even enjoy the show. It’s beyond me why anyone would spend money to attend something they don’t even care about….Now, most of the shows I attend are in smaller venues. For some reason people that attend shows there are REAL music fans. Not just socialites.
LJ
September 14th, 2012
11:38 am
Drunk ass GROWN men getting into fights over stupid stuff- right beside/behind/in front of you.
Stan Drulia
September 14th, 2012
11:44 am
Wow ClydeFrog – you are really tough. I’m sure those inconsiderate people who were preventing you from hearing your favorite Kenny G tune were really embarrassed. More like embarrassed for the old man in jorts and sandals who is yelling at people at a live music event. As someone stated earlier, stay home and watch the DVD.
concert goer
September 14th, 2012
11:49 am
Honestly, it’s the drink and merchandise prices that drive me up the wall. $10 for a beer at any show is a ripoff, especially after a $30-$50 ticket.
Joe – I feel your pain!
Charles
September 14th, 2012
12:01 pm
Women who think everyone is there to watch them (usually in outfits that are not flattering) – drinkers who are over-served and just cause problems for those actually watching the act – and most of all the way best concert seats seem to always get into the hands of the middle-men (a.k.a. scalpers, illegal and legal (StubHub, etc.).
Carrie Nations
September 14th, 2012
12:27 pm
Enebriated women engaging in ritualist mating dances directed toward singer/band members on stage….And insisting on standing or woowooing and swaying their arms as their plastic cups of booze sloshes on their unfortunate neighbors.
Mike
September 14th, 2012
12:33 pm
I think the problem here is high ticket prices. You pay a ton for a concert ticket and you expect 100% satisfaction. Problem is, so does everyone else. So… there are many ways to achieve satisfaction at a concert. I like to sit, I like to stand, I like to get drunk, I like to sing along, I like to socialize, I like to hear the music, I like to dance, I want to record the show on my smartphone. Hey, I paid my good money and I will get the experience I deserve. So… hard to say who is wrong and who is right. Having said that, my worse is the smart phone recorders. Especially when they stand in front of you with the phone in your way, and all you see is what they are recording. That is ridiculous and I would applaud security for trying to stop that.
Mike
September 14th, 2012
12:34 pm
Enter your comments here
Mike
September 14th, 2012
12:46 pm
The problem is the high ticket prices. You pay a ton of money for a show and you expect 100% satisfaction. Problem is, so do the other concert-goers. And unfortunately, they have different ideas about what their “satisfaction” is. I like to drink, I like to smoke, I like to socialize, I like to stand, I like to sit, I like to sing along, I like to dance. You can’t tell someone how to “enjoy” his or her concert because they paid the same price. Having said that, I do think security should make a stand on the smart phone thing. Having someone blocking your view with their smart phone and all you see is what they are recording is ridiculous. But, I don’t see any way of controlling that in this day and age. I guess we curmudgeons are just fated to stay at home.
blkshepherd
September 14th, 2012
12:50 pm
My first Unpleasent experience at Chastain was Jun 4, 2010 when Diana Ross played there. It was HOT as HELL. Diana was at the venue on time but did not take the stage until 8:50. Mind you most of us were there 630-700pm baking in the heat and Sun. It appears folks took an hour and a half setting up their picnic tables.food and drink to which they sat down like it was the LAST SUPPER. They bought so much food and drink I wondered whether it was a FOOD fest rather than concert to see Diana Ross. at almost 9pm people was sill milling around and coming in. I will wedger to believe although Diana was in the house, she Refused to come out and play to the backs of people setting up picnic tables..walking back and forth and CHATTERING like Hens in a chicken coop. So she didnt come out until an hour later. All the while those of us early just sat and watched people talk loud and eat and drink. Diana Ross was Great. but the venue was the worst. If Diana ever comes back I would rather see her back at the Fox theater which she did come back to this past July 1. It was great, not near as much CHATTER. and the seats were comfortable in a Cool dark lighted Theater. Now thats what I call a concert!
Chris
September 14th, 2012
12:51 pm
Ticketmaster.
If an event’s tickets are sold by Ticketmaster, I won’t even go.
Nika
September 14th, 2012
1:01 pm
I hate late arrivals especially at Chastain. They have to set up their picnic mid show right in front of you.
Blanus
September 14th, 2012
1:28 pm
The music.
david c
September 14th, 2012
1:33 pm
I know this isn’t a bash Chastain article, but it is the worse venue in Atlanta, for concertgoers as well as artists.. My favorite story is when The Mavericks were an opening act over two nights. The first night was the usual boorish picnic crowd who paid no attention to the music.
So the next night The Mavericks , instead of their usual music set, brought out a table and chairs, and proceeded to eat pizza and drink beer along with the crowd.
No one cared.
admiral
September 14th, 2012
1:33 pm
1) I love how this turned into a Chastain hate session.
2) I can’t even concentrate anymore on my initial thoughts after reading josie’s comment above, which is hands down the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard a music “fan” say.
quake
September 14th, 2012
1:34 pm
Jennifer Nettles.
Patrick
September 14th, 2012
1:44 pm
People who complain about concerts
willie b
September 14th, 2012
1:45 pm
Preachy lead singers
Bill
September 14th, 2012
1:46 pm
Lakewood-worst location/biggest dump ever
Deelee0
September 14th, 2012
1:48 pm
I went to the Coldplay show in July and the guy next to me, whom I didn’t know, turned to me at the beginning of every song (and I mean every song) to ask me if I had either heard of it or liked it. They were pretty good seats so odds were that I knew the songs well and loved them.
ClydeFr0g
September 14th, 2012
2:06 pm
Wow Stan Drulia – you are a real moron. As an actual fan of the musicians whose shows I’m attending, and out of respect for those around me that also want to hear the MUSIC, not to mention out of respect for the artists that are performing, I definitely believe it’s inappropriate to have full-voice conversations during a performance. Maybe YOU should stay home and watch the DVD, then you can rewind to the part that you and your ignorant friends missed because you were talking about the latest episode of Big Brother or how awesome you look in Ed Hardy.
And just FYI: I’m not old, I don’t wear jorts, and I don’t wear sandals…further evidence of how ignorant you are. But go ahead, please, continue being obnoxious and ruining other people’s ability to enjoy the show of the artist they paid to see (AND HEAR). Who knows, maybe we’ll get to meet and you can see how tough I really am
JS
September 14th, 2012
2:22 pm
CIGARETTE smokers, drunk people spilling beer and throwing their cups/bottles under your feet. When jam bands get too spaced out on the never ending improv jam. When friends go to the concert with you and get too f-ed up and wind up ruining your time because they act like they have OD.
mystery poster
September 14th, 2012
3:04 pm
Here’s Garrison Keillor’s account of performing at Chastain:
“Saturday’s broadcast from Chastain Park amphitheater was not the show it might have been, and I am awfully sorry. The show (which was taped on Friday evening) was troubled by a large number of loud drunks sitting in the expensive corporate seats down close to the stage. This is an odd experience for me, to be standing on the lip of the stage and telling the news from Lake Wobegon and hearing people yell at me, “Tell the one about the dog” and “How’s the fishing this year?” and so forth. You could hear the wine bottles clanking for two hours. There were six thousand other folks in the audience who seemed to be fans of the show but all I could hear were the drunks snarfling and bellowing down below. And so the show was a joyless affair on stage, and when it was over, I walked off and didn’t return for a bow. I have never felt so miserable as I did Saturday. If Chastain Park were par for the course, I would’ve quit years ago. I apologize to the six thousand.”
EL
September 14th, 2012
3:06 pm
When people behind you get upset because you are standing at a concert! If you want to sit down at a concert – get first row or stay at home. Its a concert! What pisses me off even more is when they throw stuff at you to get you to sit – jerks.
MRK
September 14th, 2012
3:34 pm
Years back, I was at a Wilco show at the Classic Center in Athens, where a guy and his girlfriend insisted on standing and tried to explain that they were only doing “what the band would want them to do”. I think the band would want everyone to enjoy the show, not just a select few who think that standing makes them more ardent concertgoers.
If a band books a show at a seated venue, expect people to sit. In my opinion, standing only adds incrementally to my enjoyment – an unobstructed view and no competing crowd noise are much more important criteria for an optimal concert experience.