photo credit: Savanna Smith
Flashing lights. The screaming of fans and ringing pounds in my ears. I can feel the tears streaming down my face while hearing an artist sing my favorite song just a few feet away from me. The adrenaline rush that comes with attending a concert is a truly unbeatable feeling.
The post-pandemic world has seen a surge in concerts and their attendance. I’ve found myself dropping everything to go to concerts with my friends, no matter the time, cost or distance. I saw 5 Seconds of Summer in Cincinnati last month, and I’m still chasing the high of that experience. I love the feeling of community at concerts and creating fast friends while waiting for a show to begin. The thrill and fun of experiencing live music is addicting. But although they are a lot of fun, some concert goers’ behavior has become disrespectful and harmful.
One of the worst things that is starting to be seen at shows around the world is concert attendees throwing items at the artists. Why would one go through all the trouble of paying for a ticket and getting to the concert, just to harm an artist that they are supposed to be supporting? It’s disrespectful and downright foolish. What happened to singing along and dancing within one’s own personal space?
Another aspect of concert-going that has grown in intensity is camping. With general admission tickets, fans are racing to be front row with the hope of being as close as they can get to their favorite artist.
It’s understandable that fans are going to line up hours early to beat out other fans in line, but some fans are willing to wait an absurd amount of time; days or even a week before the concert will take place. Besides the fact that these fans are sometimes quite literally sleeping on the side of the road, not everyone has the luxury of waiting out for days. Some fans have jobs, school, or other priorities that prevent them from camping out.
While it may just be a sucks to suck situation, it can be very stressful for people planning to get there early enough to be close to the stage the day-of or the day before.
Personally, I haven’t slept on the sidewalk overnight for a concert, but I have camped out early in the morning for a show. It was a very organized and fun experience camping, but I know from learning via the internet that fans had already been camping for the past day whilst knowing I still had to drive two hours away to the venue was very stressful.
The ability to have the knowledge that other fans are already waiting in line at the touch of our fingertips can make fans panic and all want to line up super early. While it’s nice when it is organized well, sometimes camping can be messy with fans having to make their own lines until the venue opens. Fans will sometimes cut in line or decide to form a new fan line to get themselves a better spot. It can also be a safety hazard, especially in busy cities.
With wanting to be as close as one can be to the front, fans will often be dehydrated or not take care of themselves in fear of losing their spot in line. This idea of doing whatever it takes to be close can be harmful to concert goers’ health and hygiene.
Overall, there’s a huge lack of respect when going to a concert. Oftentimes it even feels as though people will go to shows as a sign of status or to try and get a viral video. It’s important when going to watch an artist or someone perform that people respect the artist and other people around them and try to enjoy themselves no matter the view.
