As I was doom scrolling on Tik Tok, like I do every night, I came across a particular video filmed by someone at a Lana Del Rey concert. (embed Tik Tok). As you can see a girl is holding up a flag of Lana, blocking the view of everyone behind her. Then comes in everyone’s savior, and the girl behind her snatched the flag right out of her hands.
This video got me thinking about how there has recently been a lack of human decency at concerts. As an avid concert goer myself, I wanted to list some things you should definitely watch out for when attending a concert. Hopefully, this will make your concert experience more enjoyable or make you realize you are that person because self-awareness never hurts love.
Blocking people’s view
Like the video above, blocking people’s view is one of the many annoying things you can do at a concert. Everyone is here to SEE the artist, so holding up a sign the whole show or keeping your hands up the entire time can be aggravating the people behind you. I get it, you want the artist to read your sign, and I get that you wanna wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care, but you need to be aware that you are not the only person at the concert. As a short person, I understand that tall people exist in this world and sometimes you will be put behind them so this is my message to tall people: make a better window than a door. Just be aware is all I am asking guys.
Overly Obsessed Fan Girl
Don’t get me wrong, I am a certified fan girl, but it becomes a problem when you become a RUDE overly obsessed fan. Quick story; My older cousin went to a kpop concert and was verbally attacked by fan girls because she didn’t know all the members’ names. They said she was “too old to be there”, called her a “pick me girl”, and continued to give her rude looks throughout the concert.. My cousin is a fan of kpop music, but not a part of the fandom. This interaction really ruined her whole experience. I understand loving an artist, but when your parasocial relationship makes you ruin other people’s experience, that’s when it becomes a problem.Â
Screaming Over the PerformerÂ
This one I personally have a huge problem with. Concerts are exciting and you want to scream out your favorite lyrics to your favorite song, but sometimes I just want to hear the singer’s voice. It also bothers me when the artist is trying to connect with the crowd and talk into the microphone and all I can hear is “I LOVE YOU” or “MARRY ME HARRY”. For real, they can’t hear you girl. Let them say what they have to say and THEN you can scream to your heart’s content.Â
Having One Too ManyÂ
If you are of age, having a drink at a concert can be fun! Now that I am 21, if I go to a concert, I will usually partake in one of the venues’ horribly overpriced drinks. However, I think that the world can agree that drunk people in a room full of sober people are annoying. People under the influence lack a sense of awareness that sober people have. Drunk people at concerts often spill drinks onto people, get sick, and sometimes get into arguments or fights with people around them. So, I would suggest only having one or two drinks, for the sake of everyone else and for yourself.Â
Not Understanding Personal Space
Lastly, at concerts people tend to lose all knowledge of personal space. I know venues can get kind of packed, especially if you are standing in a general admission pit. Bumping, elbowing, and shoving people is something everyone should try not to do. Accidents happen of course, but a simple apology will suffice instead of not doing anything. No one likes to be pushed around, so just think about how you would want to be treated when in close proximity to people you don’t know.Â
All in all, when experiencing a concert please be respectful. Be mindful that everyone is there for the artist and because they want to have a good time. If we all can just treat each other with kindness, concerts can become a magical sense of community and a night you will never forget!