Nathaniel Clark, Features Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu

As the pandemic’s restrictions begin to loosen, for better or for worse, concert and live performances are beginning to go back into full swing. Throughout this summer, countless artists got back onto the road for tours, singular performances, or to run the worldwide festival circuit. While I did not have the opportunity to attend any festivals, I did see a few musicians throughout the summer. After attending shows from the likes of Beach House, Charli XCX, and Metallica, I left these summer concerts with an overwhelming consensus; most people either do not remember or simply never possessed proper concert etiquette.
Throughout these concerts, I noted a variety of behaviors that lessened the overall experience. Specifically, the amount of communication in the audience during improper moments was deafening. Communicating with your friends is acceptable and no one should have qualms with that, but there comes a time when you need to stop talking. Specifically, when any artist (opener or main) comes onto the stage, stop conversing and place your attention on them. At literally every single concert I attended this summer, I heard hordes of people continue to speak as the opener performed. This is, unsurprisingly, offensive and rude to both the rest of the audience and the performers themselves. When performing, an artist is attempting to get a response, normally happiness or enjoyment, from their audience. If all they receive is nothing but conversion between attendants, they may not learn how to develop their performance to become better.
While most people do not attend concerts for just the opener, some fun and enjoyment are gained by watching them. For the layman, an opening act is usually chosen by the main act. As a smaller artist being put on display to a larger audience, serving as an opener is a great opportunity for new and upcoming acts to grow. I’ll never forget when I saw 100 Gecs perform as an opener before they became massively popular. By not delivering your attention to these acts, it lessens the chances of them growing an audience to develop a larger following.
Another behavior that I feel needs to be addressed is the growing amount of individuals who get incessantly drunk at concerts. While drinking at concerts is completely fine, I do not remember seeing this many people get trashed at any concert I had attended before the pandemic. I know a lot of people who like to have a few drinks at shows, but never get obnoxious because of them. At these recent concerts, there were various instances in which I heard the drunken wails of these individuals throughout the middle of the songs. Of course, these would be at the most improper moments, making these people quickly become nuisances to the rest of the concert attendees. These sounds along with the occasional stumbling and pushing make drunks at concerts some of the worst in attendance. Why would you spend hundreds of dollars on a concert ticket only to get trashed and never remember a thing about the event?
In essence, as the months and years grow past the pandemic, I hope that people return to the standard concert etiquette. I would love to attend a show where a tinge of respect is shown to the opener and no drunks begin to heckle the performers.