Kindness, Honor, Respect, Courtesy, Etiquette…And Fun At Concerts

Concerts. We love them. And, they are expensive: tickets, driving, parking, dining, concessions, memorabilia…many times a hotel stay is factored in. There’s a process to purchase tickets, and you have to be uber quick and oh so savvy to do so – or you lose out. Concerts sell out fast. When you have your ticket, there’s the ultimate excitement and anticipation to see your favorite artists or bands, to be in their presence, to hear them live, to dance and sing along with them, to record snippets or entire songs, to take 200 photos and re-live the experience time and time again.

We go to concerts to enjoy: ourselves, the people with whom we are attending, the other fans, and most importantly – the artists, bands, their music and their show. The artists are performing because this is what they love, what they do, what they’re passionate about, what they live for. It is their happy place. They are onstage to enjoy themselves as much as their fans enjoy their performances.

And then. Someone or some people throw things at or to a musician or band members. The things thrown injure the artist. A “fan” makes their way onto the stage and slaps the artist. They may toss things that make the singer uncomfortable or worse, are vulgar in nature. The artist or band wrestle with whether to leave the stage and disappoint their loyal fans, and/or whether to stop and address the issue, take care of themselves in the moment.

We can do better as humans!

Let’s always show the artists and bands our respect and human decency, while at the same time have fun and make the most of the few hours you’re in a small or large venue enjoying a live concert. Let’s show the other fans we are good citizens and we respect each other.

How to do?

• Be kind: to the artists, all band members, roadies/crew, venue staff, sound and lighting tech, other fans.
• Honor the performers: dance, sing, take photos and vids…and most importantly be present to enjoy their performances. If they ask you to do something, like turn your mobile off for a song, by all means do so.
• Be courteous to other fans: no need to yell, scream, talk over others, block other fans’ views, spill your drink on others, hold your phone up the entire concert. Take your turn and don’t elbow your way to the front of concessions or merch tables.

As Adele said at a recent concert, “Show etiquette.” 🙌