Concerts may be a person’s only way to experience a live performance from their favorite artist, and while they can be fun, people take it too far. Recently, concertgoers have forgotten how to act civil at these events. Screaming, throwing objects and overall disrespect for other attendees have become common. Attendees also lack consideration for the artist performing, as they have put the person they paid to see at risk of getting injured.
Concert etiquette can be defined as a set of rules that people follow to allow the concertgoers around them to also enjoy the concert. However, in 2023, there has been a recent trend in the number of incidents surrounding poor concert etiquette, whether it is the audience interacting with each other or with the performer. Videos of these incidents are then posted to social media and blown out of proportion.
Numerous situations like this can be attributed to the extremely high price of concert tickets. It is common knowledge that ticket prices are not cheap, which causes some attendees to feel entitled to get as much out of the experience as they can. They decide to act in a certain way or do certain things that can negatively impact the people around them. One example is people screaming as loud as possible and getting rowdy to the point of invading people’s personal space. It is actions like these that cause others to become uncomfortable in the concert space.
These displays of poor etiquette highlight how these people are trying to make themselves feel like they are the center of attention. This specific group of people exhibits traits of Main Character Syndrome, in which they act like the concert is all about them, trying to get a viral or memorable moment to give themselves a special memory, disregarding how it affects others.
Their actions leave other attendees feeling unsafe and disrespected, as their well-being is not taken into consideration. When those uncomfortable people confront the person causing the issue, the accused fails to take accountability, instead trying to justify their actions. The way the situation is handled makes the problem bigger than it needs to be when it could be solved in less time.
One of the biggest cases of poor concert etiquette in 2023 and in years prior has been the mass number of people throwing objects on stage, endangering the artist and making them uncomfortable. Cell phones, bracelets and flowers are just a short list of items thrown at artists when they are performing. People surprisingly throw their bras, like when an attendee threw theirs to Billie Eilish at her concert. Singer and songwriter Pink even had someone throw their mother’s ashes at her at a concert earlier this year. Some venues do not serve drinks with bottle caps in order to avoid attendees throwing them.
A prominent example of this has been Harry Styles’s concerts, in which he has had skittles, a rose and a chicken nugget thrown at him, along with many other objects. In videos posted to the internet, Styles has been shown hurt and having to stop to recover, oftentimes getting hit in the eye. The rest of the concert is awkward from that point forward, as Styles has to continue his show like nothing is wrong.
Another example of the dangers of throwing objects on stage was with Bebe Rexha, as she had to immediately stop her show and be rushed to the hospital after someone threw their phone directly at her eye. Rexha ended up having a black eye and needing stitches on her eyebrow. The person who threw the phone was arrested and charged with assault.
People who try to come on stage as an artist is performing have also been a major issue when it comes to concert etiquette. A similar incident happened with Ava Max, who was slapped across the face and scratched in the eye after someone made their way onto the stage.
Music artists are continuously disrespected while they are working. Concerts allow for singers to perform and interact with their fans in person, but the audience manages to ruin the event by risking the artist’s safety, possibly influencing the artist to discontinue live performances in the future. It is upsetting and unfair that the performers are put in danger when, at the end of the day, they are just trying to do their jobs and make people happy.
Audience members interacting with each other has also been detrimental to the culture of concert etiquette. An unnecessary degree of debate is brought up over fans excessively screaming the lyrics at concerts. While it is normal to sing along to songs, people try to break their vocal chords by yelling lyrics. It leaves others annoyed because they are unable to hear the artist over the shouting, which makes them unable to enjoy the concert. However, this goes unacknowledged by people guilty of doing this; when it is brought up, they defend their actions by explaining that it is normal fan behavior.
Other instances of poor concert etiquette can include recording the entire concert on your phone, being too aggressive in mosh pits, and blocking people’s view with signs and other objects. These instances ruin people’s experiences as they are squished and shoved, not allowed enough breathing room, and unable to see the artist on stage. People may not realize in the moment that they are making the concert unbearable for others, but that is why it is important they have awareness of their surroundings.
There is also the other end of the spectrum, where people get annoyed at others for just dancing and singing at the concerts, even if they are not bothering anyone else. These people act like they can control others’ actions, when in reality they cannot, nor should they be allowed to scold them for doing things that are normal at these events. People should not feel bad for enjoying themselves while not negatively affecting others.
It is cases like these that frustrate people when they are trying to enjoy the experience they paid for. The lack of concert etiquette demonstrates that people who are attending concerts forget how to act in a way that respects the people around them. With major tours such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour, it is imperative that people are aware of how their actions affect others.
While the solution to this issue relies mostly on whether people are able to behave, properly educating people on what is right and wrong at concerts can help alleviate it. Artists can make it clear what they are okay with their fans doing at their shows and establish boundaries that attendees can be aware of. Minor changes at venues, like limiting what people can bring to concerts, can also help subdue the cases of people throwing objects. While these suggestions will not completely diminish poor concert etiquette, they can help reduce the number of unfair incidents, making concerts safer and more enjoyable for everyone who wants to attend.
