Idiots at gigs. When will it end?

Doctor J

Maybe I'm just getting old but the fad for **** quality recordings of gigs on mobile phones surely has to end? I don't understand it. Why would you pay to go to a gig, especially at the extortionate ticket prices of the current era, and spend the whole show worrying about the angle of your phone so you're getting the right shot at a ****ty bit rate instead of actually experiencing the magic of the live music show and just enjoying yourself? Is a **** quality mpeg more important these days than the actual memory?

Case in point, I went to the Cynic/Opeth gig on Tuesday. Up in the second row, great view of the stage until, as soon as Cynic started playing, the schmoe in front of me held his phone up in the air in front of me so he could record a **** video of it. Being a gentleman, I allowed him a couple of minutes before I politley tapped him on the shoulder and, when he turned around, informed him that his phone was blocking my view of the stage and instructed him to get it out of my face. I had waited 15 years to see Cynic and hadn't paid to watch some goon's hand with a phone in it. Being a foot or so taller than him probably helped keep the situation calm and he moved the phone out of my way.

However, he then held the phone right in front of his own face and proceeded to watch the next three songs through the teeny tiny screen of his phone. Is it just me or does that strike you as ****ing stupid? Why go to a gig if you're going to watch it through a ****ing phone screen? The guy was clearly a fan of the band, he had an album cover as his phone wallpaper, so why would someone destroy the live music experience for the sake of a **** quality video? Help me out here, I just don't get it. To me, a gig is all about the intimate musical experience, you get to witness skilled musicians perform the music you love a few feet in front of you, it's just you and the band and the music in that moment, when did human memory stop being enough?

How is a crap quality video better than really experiencing the music?

From now on, I've decided, I'm not going to give a couple of minute's grace to phone lofters. Get your hand and your phone out of my face. If your friend couldn't bother their hole coming to the gig and you want to call them so they can hear the thing, too bad, don't do it in front of me. Do you really think a phone video is going to make you the world champion of youtube or whatever, not my problem, get your ****ing phone out of my face. I don't mind people taking the odd pic or two, it's just these selfish pricks who insist on imposing themselves on everyone else's experience of the gig by continually keeping their phones in the air and in people's faces.

No more, I say.

CiaranC

Nice rant, too true.

Xavi6

I use for my camera at every gig. I like to have photographs and the odd video of maybe one song as a keep sake. I wouldn't have it out for the whole thing but nothing wrong with having a few snaps and a vid to look at later on.

Doctor J

As I said, I don't mind people taking a few pics, it's the gob****es who insist on compromising others enjoyment of a gig over a number of songs that I have run out of patience with.

happyoutscan

I agree with you but unfortunately was guilty myself only a few weeks ago. Seen Carcass in Brisbane a few weeks ago, rocking gig. Did record 1 tune because my memory is crap and coupled with litres of XXXX Gold I figured I would need a reminder seeing as my memories of them in the Tivoli in Dublin in the early 90's is non-existent.

The gig rocked, and my 4 minute recording didn't interfere with anyone elses view (i went to upper level right of stage, no one there). Muse a couple years ago in the Point was terrible and I'm 6'2". Phones everywhere, my missus had a terrible time trying to see. I've got the photos ha ha (only kidding).

Dyr

What's weirder is people treating metal gigs like they're at the bleedin opera, "i cant see the stage"

stovelid

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Anger-Management-for-Dummies/2067422/product.html

insinkerator

i can see where you're coming from but i went to see a certain band last summer, and they put on a lightshow that simply had to be captured on camera, despite the ****ty quality

happyoutscan

stovelid wrote: »

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Anger-Management-for-Dummies/2067422/product.html

Meaning...

Karl Hungus

Bambi wrote: »

What's weirder is people treating metal gigs like they're at the bleedin opera, "i cant see the stage"

Yeah, because who in their right mind wants to actually see the musicians they payed to see? :rolleyes:

happyoutscan

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Yeah, because who in their right mind wants to actually see the musicians they payed to see? :rolleyes:

Deadly

egan007

Was at MGMT in Amsterdam last week, was right up at the stage - somebody to my left recorded about 1/2 hour of the gig on their phone....I was busy enjoying the music and er...other stuff...but anyway - True can't see the point.....although I do have a hazy memory maybe I could get that recording.....

stovelid

happyoutscan wrote: »

Meaning...

Meaning that the OP has a point, but you should be reasonable about it. If they are not in your way, it's none of your business what they choose to do at a gig.

I don't film gigs, but if I did, and somebody got in my face aggressively about it, my reaction would be violent.

pau8lieskins

Whats even worse is those who upload the crappy video onto you tube and the like where it looses quality and becomes an even more crappy video.

Doctor J

stovelid wrote: »

Meaning that the OP has a point, but you should be reasonable about it. If they are not in your way, it's none of your business what they choose to do at a gig.

Absolutely, if they're not in your way, like happyoutscan who made sure he wasn't getting in someone else's way. The problem is he seems to be in a minority, there are plenty of folk who are happy to stick their phone in other people's faces for the sake of a low quality video.

stovelid wrote: »

I don't film gigs, but if I did, and somebody got in my face aggressively about it, my reaction would be violent.

Who said anything about being aggressive?

Karl Hungus

stovelid wrote: »

I don't film gigs, but if I did, and somebody got in my face aggressively about it, my reaction would be violent.

Irony at 11, keyboard warrior tells other poster to buy anger management for dummies. :pac:

engrish?

pau8lieskins wrote: »

Whats even worse is those who upload the crappy video onto you tube and the like where it looses quality and becomes an even more crappy video.

And when you go to search on youtube for an artist you like all you find is ****ty recordings.

Carturo

Can't stand muppets constantly taking photos and videos at gigs. It shouldn't be why you're there! Remember being at Band of Horses in February and there was one guy taking photo's every few minutes! How can you possibley enjoy a gig when you're acting like a 12 year old at a Take That concert!?! You can't possibely experience the band.

stovelid

Doctor J wrote: »

Who said anything about being aggressive?

Doctor J wrote: »

From now on, I've decided, I'm not going to give a couple of minute's grace to phone lofters. Get your hand and your phone out of my face.

Do you really think a phone video is going to make you the world champion of youtube or whatever, not my problem, get your ****ing phone out of my face.

If you intend on actually confronting people about it like that, it's bad form. If you just point it out reasonably, I'd agree with you. Sticking a phone in front of somebody is rude.

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Irony at 11, keyboard warrior tells other poster to buy anger management for dummies. :pac:

Wind it in Karl. I'm not a keyboard warrior. As I understand it, a KW looks for fights, and threatens people online. I'd never do this. If somebody bugged me a gig, I'd ask them to stop, or move way. If somebody was unnecessarily rude or aggressive to me, I'd consider it a provocation.

Fair enough if the OP was just being figurative.

JimiTime

If it wasn't for these mobile cameramen I'd have never seen Noel Gallagher being pushed off the stage in Canada, thats gotta be worth something:)

Smellyirishman

I'd definitely take a handful of pictures and maybe a short video or two if I had my camera (compact, not phone) with me, it's a reminder to take a step back for a bit and soak it in and it's nice to be able to look back on them down the line too.

Of course, recording the entire thing on your phone or watching it through the viewfinder is not so cool .

Dyr

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Yeah, because who in their right mind wants to actually see the musicians they payed to see? :rolleyes:

I though they paid to listen to them but maybe thats just me :pac:

Doctor J

stovelid wrote: »

If you intend on actually confronting people about it like that, it's bad form. If you just point it out reasonably, I'd agree with you. Sticking a phone in front of somebody is rude.



Wind it in Karl. I'm not a keyboard warrior. As I understand it, a KW looks for fights, and threatens people online. I'd never do this. If somebody bugged me a gig, I'd ask them to stop, or move way. If somebody was unnecessarily rude or aggressive to me, I'd consider it a provocation.

Fair enough if the OP was just being figurative.

Doctor J wrote: »

Being a gentleman, I allowed him a couple of minutes before I politley tapped him on the shoulder and, when he turned around, informed him that his phone was blocking my view of the stage and instructed him to get it out of my face.

Politely... kinda different to aggreesively, yeah?

smog

Bambi wrote: »

What's weirder is people treating metal gigs like they're at the bleedin opera, "i cant see the stage"

:pac: brilliant! very true as well

But we are getting old Doc, i actually got seated tickets to Metallica a couple of years back as a favour, and i actually enjoyed sitting back there rattling the jewelry.

Karl Hungus

Bambi wrote: »

I though they paid to listen to them but maybe thats just me :pac:

Seeing the bands perform the music is as much a part of it as hearing them perform it. Why else would the crowd be facing the musicians, or or so many of them queue up early to get closer to the stage? I don't see people staring at their shows or gazing into their pint while a guitarist is cracking out a solo; all eyes are on him. It's live a show, and seeing the musicians do their thing is a huge part of it.

Dyr

Then getting into it is a big part of it too, like going f****in mental as opposed to gawking at some band with your arms crossed, and if cedric the train spotting opeth fan doesnt like it he may stay down the back and gawk away:pac:


This reminds me, me and a mate were at a gig a few years back. Well known band in metal circles that the other lad was good mates with and we're upstairs leaning on the balcony occassionally shouting down at the lads in the band. Anyway some kevin the ponytailed hamster had nabbed two chairs from somewhere and plonked them down to the side if us for himself and his burd, anyway he kept jumping up and angrily tapping me on the shoulder telling me to get out of their view.

I just kept laughing and telling him to stand up then, its not the bleedin proms. He eventually had to be told he was going to be tapped in the head if he did it once more :pac:

The moral here is don't be a kevin, If people wanna rock or take pictures or whatever then let them rock and keep to hamster friendly areas of the venue like i do.

Nightwish

Situations like that described by the OP, is why I rarely go to gigs here anymore. (Also bands I like dont play here) In the past fortnight I have been at concerts in France and the Netherlands and at both, the crowd were friendly, no sh!tty camera phones in your face and no invading your "personal space". I've found that the concert idiot seems to be found at concerts here and in the UK, but manners still seem to be prevalent amongst our continental neighbours.

feylya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clqfjh_TeSU

Hetfield's damn right tbh. Made me put my camera away :pac:

Rigsby

The bottom line is that people can record what they like and for as long as they like................ provided they are not interfering with other people's enjoyment. How to prevent people spoiling it for others is the problem. Even if it was made illegal to use mobile phones at a gig, it would be hard to enforce. The mobile camara phone is todays version of the other old (but still with us) problem of people constantly chattering away at gigs, especially small pub venues. I've had many a good gig ruined for me at JJ Smiths pub this way. People pay in, then talk through the whole gig. Ironically the bar downstairs where they could talk in peace and for free is usually half empty. :rolleyes: It's just down to pure ignorance and a lack of thought for others.

Rigsby

feylya wrote: »

Hetfield's damn right tbh. Made me put my camera away :pac:

That's a great solution !! If more bands did that it would go a long way to solve the problem.

stovelid

A lot of the criticism hasn't been about getting in people's way. It's been about people not 'paying attenton' to the band.

The point is that not everyone has to gaze at the band in reverence if they don't want to. Nothing wrong with taking pictures if people want to.

The problem is when you don't show consideration for others by sticking the phone in people's faces/chatting loudly/dancing into people/throwing stuff. Obviously, none of this is fair to people who have paid in.

Davei141

Ill never understand why people spend most of the gigs on their camera, on the other hand those who complain about wanting to see the musicians and wanting a good view, are usually the ones who complain about people bumping into them.

Seeing the bands perform the music is as much a part of it as hearing them perform it. Why else would the crowd be facing the musicians, or or so many of them queue up early to get closer to the stage? I don't see people staring at their shows or gazing into their pint while a guitarist is cracking out a solo; all eyes are on him. It's live a show, and seeing the musicians do their thing is a huge part of it.

Queuing up mad early and running up to the stage is for teenage girls wanting to see the "hot lead singer like omigod."

I rarely bother looking at the band, very rarely actually. Im there to experience the live show soak up the atmosphere and generally get myself lost in the gig. Standing there just staring at the band with a slight head motion? **** that. If a gig was populated by the majority of them i would cease going. And dont get me started on the people who hate others singing the songs or getting animated. Them lot are the biggest buzz kills ive ever come across.

Doctor J

Bambi wrote: »

Then getting into it is a big part of it too, like going f****in mental as opposed to gawking at some band with your arms crossed, and if cedric the train spotting opeth fan doesnt like it he may stay down the back and gawk away:pac:

Yeah, but holding a mobile phone perfectly stationary in the air isn't exactly getting into it either

People getting into it is the whole point. Getting bounced around with people absorbed in the music is the beauty of live music. It's people who are so detached from it that they're content to concentrate on recording a **** quality video and watch proceedings on a 2" screen, all the while getting in the faces of those who are into it, that's the whole ****ing problem

Dyr

Hey I'm not a camera person at all, we're singing off the same hymn sheet here doctorj, i think people who cant even go to a pub without whipping the camera out for their poxy bebo page or whatever are sad/weird/missing the point.

Doctor J

I hear ya

Rigsby

OK. So has anyone any suggestions as to how to solve the problem, apart from the excellent solution in felya's clip above ?

Nea

I brought a camera to gigs once or twice but ended up getting arse photos and missing decent tunes while trying to get a decent pic. Never again.

What I found was worse was the one or two people I overheard moaning that I was headbanging!

I was at the side, not hitting off anyone at an Opeth gig.
The mind boggles........

DenMan

That's awful dude. I wanted to go to that gig. Uni and work got in the way.

It is so annoying when some git takes his phone out and starts recording. Taking a few shots of the band with your camera is fine. Always try to it quickly so as not to be like a dick with a phone/camera in my hand when it is the gig you go to. It does happen a lot here and in the UK (Manchester Academy, Carling Academy - Birmingham/Newcastle being main culprits)

Regarding the continent they are much more friendly and open (Mantova, Zurich and Barcelona). However, was at the My Chemical Romance gig in Vienna where at least half the crowd had phones and it was difficult to see the gig. That was the only bad exception. Sorry to hear about your experience OP, especially considering it was an awesome gig from what has been heard of it. Heard Cynic were fantastic and Opeth put on a very good performance as well.

AnonoBoy

feylya wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clqfjh_TeSU

Hetfield's damn right tbh. Made me put my camera away :pac:

Never thought I'd agree with Metallica. There you go.

stovelid

Rigsby wrote: »

OK. So has anyone any suggestions as to how to solve the problem, apart from the excellent solution in felya's clip above ?

A special section of the venue for people who want to film or take pics of the gig?

Johnny Storm

Plus, mobile phones are woeful at recording gig-level sounds. Phones have noise cancelling features that cancel out most of the music.

Another thing that REALLY piisses me off is people "singing" along with the band at the top of their voices especially as it always seems to be dip****s who cant sing a note :mad:

me-skywalker

Doctor J wrote: »

Maybe I'm just getting old but the fad for **** quality recordings of gigs on mobile phones surely has to end? I don't understand it. Why would you pay to go to a gig, especially at the extortionate ticket prices of the current era, and spend the whole show worrying about the angle of your phone so you're getting the right shot at a ****ty bit rate instead of actually experiencing the magic of the live music show and just enjoying yourself? Is a **** quality mpeg more important these days than the actual memory?

Spot on!! Cant remember who exactly said thsi or in the exact words but basically, ppl that are doing this are not actually living the experience at that moment, so when someone who does tht says they were there, in fact they are not really there! they are distorting the view and not livign the moment.

IF PPL WANNA WATCH BANDS LIKE THIS JUST GO ONTO YOUTUBE! DONT BUY A TICKET THAT COULD GO TO AN ACTUAL LIVE FAN WHO WILL LIVE THE EXPERIENCE INSTEAD OF LIVING THE VIDEO MEMORY!

Davei141

Johnny Storm wrote: »

Another thing that REALLY piisses me off is people "singing" along with the band at the top of their voices especially as it always seems to be dip****s who cant sing a note :mad:

Who gives a ****? Do you not know the words or something? Do you stand around like a spare plank of wood moaning about people enjoying themselves? Stay at home the rest of the crowd will thank you for it.

Töpher

Johnny Storm wrote: »

Another thing that REALLY piisses me off is people "singing" along with the band at the top of their voices especially as it always seems to be dip****s who cant sing a note :mad:

That's nothing on morons clapping, yes - clapping, out of time. Except, of course, for the hilarity in watching the drummer while they do it!

Davei141

I would imagine it would be quite demoralising for a band to have a crowd of silent planks.

Johnny Storm

Davei141 wrote: »

Who gives a ****? Do you not know the words or something? Do you stand around like a spare plank of wood moaning about people enjoying themselves? Stay at home the rest of the crowd will thank you for it.

Yes sir !

Karl Hungus

Einstürzende wrote: »

That's nothing on morons clapping, yes - clapping, out of time. Except, of course, for the hilarity in watching the drummer while they do it!

Oh yes! The clapping, you're no the only one who doesn't like it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7iU5YwyzA

ZakAttak

The whole 'phone-filming the gig' thing is pretty lame. And as for not seeing the band? Just jump up and down and you'll be able to see all you want to see.

Next time you're at a gig, and you're having a problem with either one of the aforementioned activities, why not try dancing with the girls its this crazy idea I came up with a while back. All you need is a pair of balls, some common sense (which has been destroyed by alcohol) and some hormones; no motherfvckin phones needed!

Some mental folk actually believe that this is the whole idea behind most forms of mass congregation.

Although I admit this approach may prove problematic in the mosh pit.

Davei141

Save the clapping for after the gig i agree, clapping is for the people who dont know any words and are feeling awkward doing sweet fa.

Doctor J

Hey, there's always air guitar :P

Nailz

I agree with the OP, that film the gig and look at it after thing is the type of bullshįt that ruins the the night for you. I had tickets to see that gig (mainly for Opeth though), but my brother and I went to Airbourne the week before and he got the flu so he said he'd give it a miss as he was only recovering. Another thing that gets on my tits (don't take it that wrong, I'm a man) is excessive drinking before and during the concert. I don't mind the lads who can handle it and don't OD it. At a Happy Mondays concert a year before September, the gent infront of me was drinking far too much over the course of the night and IIRC he drank around 7 plastic pints and another pint, which so happened to land on me. He was acting quite the fool, broke a light and towards the end, ending up on the ground and around my knees trying to pull himself up. Eventually he was taken away by security, me gratefull as the prick bothered me up till that point!