Gig Etiquette
Gig Etiquette
An article by Oli Gonzalez
Some of you may be familiar with the ‘Old Man Yells At Cloud’ meme. A reference to the classic animated series The Simpsons wherein Grandpa complains about something seemingly so trivial and meaningless, making headlines for this. In some ways, what I’m about to discuss feels the same. In other ways, I think this is a topic that needs addressing because it’s only getting worse. Gig etiquette.
Imagine it. You’ve waited years for a band to finally make their way on a tour to somewhere slightly close to your hometown. You beg your boss for the time off work to attend, you’re finally there, in the crowd, waiting for your favourite moment from the band’s back catalogue. You’re beyond excited. Only then though, you’re granted with the privilege of having to watch this once in a lifetime moment through someone’s smart phone that’s obnoxiously raised in the air right in your eyeline for an equally obnoxious amount of time! Frustrating! Trust me, nobody wants to watch your full concert video you recorded through your smartphone and uploaded to YouTube! Nobody.
Ghost reportedly took more drastic measures to tackle this problem by forcing concert attendees to place their smartphones in storage. On the surface, this seems like an ideal solution but there may be genuine reasons why someone needs access to their phone during a concert. Is this a step too far?
Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe has recently voiced his frustrations on the topic stating that he would “bring a stool, and I’m gonna set it down in the middle of the stage after a song or two, and then I’m going to turn on my phone, and I’m gonna point it at the audience” before asking if the experience would be enjoyable for those in attendance. This is if phone usage becomes unacceptable for him. Surely this would NOT be a good experience and a middle finger to those who are already paying insane amounts on ticket prices in a cost of living crisis. However, this could be the cognitive dissonance inducing moment to shock the world into changing their collective attitudes on the topic of smartphone use and bring about a change that we sorely need. Depending on your point of view, of course.
Personally, I have no issue with someone wanting to take a sneaky photo or two, or discretely capture a short 20 second video clip for a band they genuinely love. Just don’t take the piss. What I do take umbrage to, however, is people who feel the need to talk through large parts of the performance! I had such an experience at a recent festival, during Explosions In The Sky’s set. An instrumental band who need gentle delicate passages to build anticipation and tension towards their numerous cathartic crescendos and climaxes. I found it extremely distracting and it took all my willpower to avoid confronting the exceptionally rude person who had his back to the band and was chatting unreasonably loud to a friend about… I don’t even know what! Fortunately, I was able to move to a different area and actually ended up with a much better view. If that wasn’t on the cards in a smaller venue, what would have been acceptable? To hush loudly in this person’s direction and make it iconic? To assertively instruct him to be quiet? This is the kind of behaviour that would get you kicked out of a cinema, so why is it different at a concert? Maybe this is easier to police in a cinema. Maybe. Samhain Festival in the Netherlands have introduced visual aids advising fans to respect the artists (i.e. to shut the fuck up) but do we really need to tell people how to behave?
So, am I just an angry man yelling at a cloud, or is there genuinely a problem with gig etiquette?
Disclaimer: This article is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this article unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
