Audience behaviour

[Rich]

"three guiding principles... need to be inscribed on the wall of every live venue: 1. Shut Up. 2. Put Your Phone Away. 3. Don’t Be a Richard."

Amen to that.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/14/behaviour-music-gigs-live-shows?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1Xr7PF_feLvx8VI4eE7eg1rR5V2BxVtOigsvCxFuKg5VPkg2r7CU6Rf4M

 

[neepheid]

It's the whole "going to something you don't really want to be at, in order to be seen to be there" thing that really has me scratching my head.

[casapete]

11 minutes ago, neepheid said:

It's the whole "going to something you don't really want to be at, in order to be seen to be there" thing that really has me scratching my head.

Me too, I’d be happy if phones were banned at gigs TBH. That ‘in the moment’ feeling of being there

is just lost on many people these days, especially those who have to ‘check their socials’ every 5 mins.

At my band’s gigs in theatres, I see people’s faces light up in the dark when they’re on their phones.

Must be really annoying for people sitting nearby. 

[TimR]

Some of these artists need to do a gig at the Dog and Duck where the audience is either a man and his dog, or the entire pub empties as soon as your drummer starts sound checking because it mean the football has definitely finished.

 

If someone is videoing your show, it's free advertising, unless it's theatre and then it should be all phones off as you enter. 

 

Not sure where I stand on the talking part. If you're there to chat to your mates with some live music, stand at the back. Although I've done enough jazz gigs, dinners and fetes to realise that sometimes you're just background music. 

 

All gigs are different. 

 

 

[Doctor J]

An occasional swoosh across the crowd from a giant blade like the one at the end of Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade should keep the phone-holding hands down.

[toneknob]

Also the whole "phone locked in a bag" thing as reported for Ghost recently: https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/ghost-mobile-phone-ban/

 

Agree endless phone use, photos, videos etc is stupid - watch the gig. But I don't need my phone locked in a bag. (Some do mind you)

 

[BigRedX]

Maybe if you've had a couple of million selling albums, then you can afford to try lay down the law about how your audience should behave...

 

I realise perfectly well that at the majority of gigs I play, my band are probably not the one most people have come primarily to see, and therefore it is unrealistic for me to expect them to shut up and attentively watch/dance (as appropriate for the music I'm playing). I'll settle for them not leaving while we are on and hopefully by the end of our set we'll have made some new fans. Also at the sorts of gigs I do anyone with their phone out is just as likely to be taking photos and/or video which will be posted on social media, hopefully with a few kind words about how much they enjoyed the band, as they are to be scrolling through Facebook. Many of the live shots I post in the "How was your gig last night?" thread are courtesy of someone in our audience who happened to think the band worth worth photographing and then posting and tagging. I'm not complaining.

[Krysbass]

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

It's the whole "going to something you don't really want to be at, in order to be seen to be there" thing that really has me scratching my head.

Agreed - and that too often manifests itself as people constantly squeezing past everyone in their row of seats during the performance to go to and from the bar ( and presumably therefore, the toilets).

 

I find this as puzzling as it is annoying, as, although I enjoy an alcoholic drink (or 3) as much as anyone, I prefer not to experience a gig through an alcohol-fuelled haze.  Apart from anything else, ticket prices now are so high that the last thing I want to do is miss even a couple of minutes of the performance I've paid for.

[Musicman666]

maybe venues could jam mobile phones ...?

[Japhet]

Quote

Somehow, proving that you were 'there' has become more important than being there. Weird world we live in now where people are so obsessed with bragging.

 

[Japhet]

3 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

maybe venues could jam mobile phones ...?

 

Jam them where exactly? I have ideas on that.

[Newfoundfreedom]

6 minutes ago, Krysbass said:

Agreed - and that too often manifests itself as people constantly squeezing past everyone in their row of seats during the performance to go to and from the bar ( and presumably therefore, the toilets).

 

I find this as puzzling as it is annoying, as, although I enjoy an alcoholic drink (or 3) as much as anyone, I prefer not to experience a gig through an alcohol-fuelled haze.  Apart from anything else, ticket prices now are so high that the last thing I want to do is miss even a couple of minutes of the performance I've paid for.

 

I only drank at a stadium gig once. I spent the whole night p#ssing my leg off, and by the time the gig had finished I'd pretty much sobered up and was left with a banging headache. 

 

Never again! 😂

[jimmyb625]

41 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

maybe venues could jam mobile phones ...?

Pretty sure that's illegal.

[BigRedX]

43 minutes ago, Krysbass said:

Agreed - and that too often manifests itself as people constantly squeezing past everyone in their row of seats during the performance to go to and from the bar ( and presumably therefore, the toilets).

 

I find this as puzzling as it is annoying, as, although I enjoy an alcoholic drink (or 3) as much as anyone, I prefer not to experience a gig through an alcohol-fuelled haze.  Apart from anything else, ticket prices now are so high that the last thing I want to do is miss even a couple of minutes of the performance I've paid for.

 

I also suppose it depends on what sorts of gigs you go to. 

 

It's almost 10 years since I was last at an all-seated gig and IMO the requirement to sit seriously killed the "vibe" and it would take a VERY special band to convince me to go to another seated gig any time soon. 

 

I suppose I'm lucky in that the majority of bands I want to see right now are on the same gigging circuit as the two bands I play in, and it will only be a matter of time before we're on the same bill and I'll get to see them for free. And other than the previously mentioned seated gig and can't remember last time I paid more than £15 to see a band, and most of the time it's a lot less.

[BigRedX]

4 minutes ago, jimmyb625 said:

Pretty sure that's illegal.

 

It is. Although you might be able to get away with making the live room of a venue a huge Faraday cage.

[Musicman666]

20 minutes ago, jimmyb625 said:

Pretty sure that's illegal.

well not if you say you are doing it ...come to see the band and oh yeah your phone won't work....nobody is forcing you to come. 

[Dad3353]

47 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

well not if you say you are doing it ...come to see the band and oh yeah your phone won't work....nobody is forcing you to come. 

 

Until there's an emergency and no-one can call out. Yes, it's illegal to block 'phone use in that way. 

[SteveXFR]

I only go to metal and punk gigs. No one talks because the music is so loud it would be hopeless. At the front, where I like to spend the evening it would be near impossible to hold up your phone to video it as 50 people slam in to you as they mosh. As for fans getting lost in the music, that's up to the band to take us there, grab us by the throat and keep going until the end.

The only rules in the pit at metal shows are never intentionally hurt anyone and if someone falls down, pick them up (or if they need help then help them)

[BreadBin]

Phones are banned at Puscifer gigs, you will be ejected if you get caught using one.

I approve of this.

[Bluewine]

Phones don't seem to be much of an issue for us. And since we no longer play late night pub/ bar gigs audience behavior is always cool.

 

Blue

[SteveXFR]

34 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

Phones are banned at Puscifer gigs, you will be ejected if you get caught using one.

I approve of this.

 

Same at Tool gigs. From what I've heard, they can be a bit over enthusiastic in enforcement. 

[BreadBin]

4 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

Same at Tool gigs. From what I've heard, they can be a bit over enthusiastic in enforcement. 

Figures. They give you fair warning, I have little sympathy! 

[Jackroadkill]

1 hour ago, SteveXFR said:

I only go to metal and punk gigs. No one talks because the music is so loud it would be hopeless. At the front, where I like to spend the evening it would be near impossible to hold up your phone to video it as 50 people slam in to you as they mosh. As for fans getting lost in the music, that's up to the band to take us there, grab us by the throat and keep going until the end.

The only rules in the pit at metal shows are never intentionally hurt anyone and if someone falls down, pick them up (or if they need help then help them)

 

A man after my own heart, sir.

[FatDrunkStupid]

I'm a jazzer at heart and I 100% agree that (loud, obnoxious) use of phones at small jazz gigs is both offensive to the performers and inconsiderate to other members of the audience. However, I seem to be aging backwards (mentally at least) and over the past couple of years I've been getting more and more into punk, hardcore and (believe it or not), drone/noise/doom. As has already been noted, try using a phone at a hardcore gig - you won't be able to hear anything and if you're trying to film on your phone there's a better 99% chance that you and/or your phone will be smashed. Not intentionally, but either in the pit or by stage divers.

 

Mobile phones aren't going to go away but as with all things, there's a time and a place. These big bands who ban phones at their gigs are ultimately on a hiding to nothing. And good luck trying the same thing with any pop band with a predominantly teenage and/or young fan base.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, SteveXFR said:

 

Same at Tool gigs. From what I've heard, they can be a bit over enthusiastic in enforcement. 

 

Not over enthusiastic - they tell you that is the rule, its written everywhere when you come in, and in the venue, if you break the rule, someone will come and tell you not to break the rule again. If you break the rule again, you get kicked out of the venue. That seems very reasonable.

 

And as a result, having seen tool with my eyes rather than through a wall of other peoples phones, I realise how good it is, and how good gigs used to be