Conversations at Gigs

deviladvocate

Has anyone else noticed an increasing trend of people having full scale conversations almost the entire way through a gig? To the point it's very offputting and can even ruin a good show?
I can't tell if I'm just getting older and grumpier, or it's because I'm now going to more "lighter" music where background noise can be heard easier as opposed to louder rock gigs, but it seems like more and more people are showing up at gigs for the sake of being there, rather than for a genuine desire to see the band perform!

lertsnim

Too many people going to concerts now only because other people are going.

hynesie08

It's simple, people are *****.

vicwatson

This is now a disease and puts me off going to gigs, people should just stay at home or go to the pub if they don't want to hear the act, selfish gits ruining it for others that are into the band

HeidiHeidi

*rant alert*

Went to a Leonard Cohen (RIP) concert a few years back at the O2/Point, and nearly lost the head at the carry-on of others around me - you're allowed bring drinks in to the seats these days at most gigs, and the amount of pissed eejits stumbling up and down mid-song to go to the loo/bar drove me nuts. Making everyone along the row stand up and let them past, and then trying to figure out where their seats were when they eventually staggered back.

Then, to add insult to injury two ushers stood on the stairs nearby and held a full-scale, full-volume conversation as if they were in a noisy pub :mad: :mad: Now if this had been an Iron Maiden or AC/DC concert, maybe it wouldn't have been so noticeable. But poor Leonard whispering away on stage trying to compete with those antics was never going to win.

And don't get me started on the ones who insist on watching the entire thing through the screen of their mobile phone or ipad :mad::mad:

/rant

milehip

It's nothing new OP, seems to be worse at large outdoor summer gigs where people are just out for the craic on a warm night.
sucks and really annoying especially during quieter sings,but what can you do,tell them to shut up?Move?

some performers do take it in themselves to shhhh a crowd, was in the Rosion dubh at a Wallis bird gig when she politely asked the people talking in the crowd if they'd like to leave and have their conversations elsewhere cause those conversations were obviously more important than her music.

Robotito

Wear earplugs.
I started wearing them regularly at gigs about 3 years ago because I was concerned about my hearing and how important music is to me.
Apart from not detracting at all from my live music experiences I noticed that they (earplugs) are great at blocking out talking etc around me..and also shield very well against the loud, unexpected, ear drum shattering "woo hoo!"s that happen at gigs.

Xenji

Too many people going to gigs these days just to be seen and take pictures for social media than to actually see the band themselves.

johnnyskeleton

Went to see Badly Drawn Boy in the Bowry in Rathmines before xmas. Really bad venue for a gig. Its a long narrow pub and the speakers were set up badly so only the top half of the pub could hear him. The other half of the pub seemed like they genuinely wanted to hear him but just couldnt and so had to either have chats or just stand there straining to hear.

Ive also been to a few gigs recently where people go into the pit and dont dance dont sing dont do anything but stand stock still, sometimes taking out their phones or pulling their earplugs out long enough to exchange a few words. I find this baffling. If you want to stand and enjoy a gig, you can do so at your leisure at the back. Why go into the pit and just stand there like a decommissioned robot. These were young people too, like guys in their 20s and such.

Arghus

Seems to be something that's always been a feature of gigs to be honest. It is infuriating though, no doubt about it. It's particularly ignorant at quieter events.

cruhoortwunk

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Ive also been to a few gigs recently where people go into the pit and dont dance dont sing dont do anything but stand stock still, sometimes taking out their phones or pulling their earplugs out long enough to exchange a few words. I find this baffling. If you want to stand and enjoy a gig, you can do so at your leisure at the back. Why go into the pit and just stand there like a decommissioned robot. These were young people too, like guys in their 20s and such.

I think that's fair enough though, people are entitled to stand at the front for the best sound, less chatting and good view. They don't necessarily have to be the dancing type. Maybe they are up there to avoid the aforementioned chatting which almost always happens at the back where people are less arsed.

Alicano

Agree with the OP. And although it's not a library and can't be helped. Its folks (usually with some drink in them) signing along terribly and out of key etc that gets me mad. More so if the artist is particularly vocally talented and has great range/dynamics etc. Leave them alone to sing it please. Stop trying to scream along with it
But like I said. It's a gig. They have paid in and are free to enjoy them selves. And if I/we ever said anything you're mocked for being a stiff or a buzzkill. I don't drink at gigs and prefer to really watch/listen closely. Especially in the smaller venues, for the intricacies going on. Be it a drum/bass thing etc. For me that's what separates the gig from the CD at home..
Sorry for rambling.

Former Former

lertsnim wrote: »

Too many people going to concerts now only because other people are going.

Xenji wrote: »

Too many people going to gigs these days just to be seen and take pictures for social media than to actually see the band themselves.

machiavellianme

Going to a gig is a night out. Entertainment, no more, no less.
Last time I checked, people were free to talk in bars, pubs and clubs.
After all, its a social event, its not supposed to offer some existential and deep meaning to an attendees life.
If you aren't in assigned seating, you are free to move if your surroundings bother you. If you are stuck in a seat, then you can either ask the loud folks to quieten down or suffer in (non) silence.

GLaDOS

machiavellianme wrote: »

its a social event

Is it?

I disagree, gone to plenty off gigs by myself.

There can be a social aspect to it sure, but I wouldn't consider it a social event.

greenspurs

Really ???!!!
PEOPLE SINGING AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE !!!
PEOPLE THAT DONT DANCE AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE .......

My god , what is happening!?? Its a free country (ish) , if I can get my hands on a ticket to any gig, I will bloody well do what I want to when I get inside!
I don't dance, so i will stand there and listen , and that's how I enjoy the music of a band I pay to see.
If people are "talking!" I just move elsewhere ..... Flipping heck...
The "Outrage Generation" just always on the look out for things to be outraged at .......

Arne_Saknussem

greenspurs wrote: »

Really ???!!!
PEOPLE SINGING AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE !!!
PEOPLE THAT DONT DANCE AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE .......

My god , what is happening!?? Its a free country (ish) , if I can get my hands on a ticket to any gig, I will bloody well do what I want to when I get inside!
I don't dance, so i will stand there and listen , and that's how I enjoy the music of a band I pay to see.
If people are "talking!" I just move elsewhere ..... Flipping heck...
The "Outrage Generation" just always on the look out for things to be outraged at .......

Alicano

greenspurs wrote: »

Really ???!!!
PEOPLE SINGING AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE !!!
PEOPLE THAT DONT DANCE AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE .......

My god , what is happening!?? Its a free country (ish) , if I can get my hands on a ticket to any gig, I will bloody well do what I want to when I get inside!
I don't dance, so i will stand there and listen , and that's how I enjoy the music of a band I pay to see.
If people are "talking!" I just move elsewhere ..... Flipping heck...
The "Outrage Generation" just always on the look out for things to be outraged at .......

Please-read my post. Thanks.

Birneybau

machiavellianme wrote: »

Going to a gig is a night out. Entertainment, no more, no less.
Last time I checked, people were free to talk in bars, pubs and clubs.
After all, its a social event, its not supposed to offer some existential and deep meaning to an attendees life.
If you aren't in assigned seating, you are free to move if your surroundings bother you. If you are stuck in a seat, then you can either ask the loud folks to quieten down or suffer in (non) silence.

It's a performance. Bad analogy, but would you have a problem if people were chatting all the way through a play?

Birneybau

greenspurs wrote: »

Really ???!!!
PEOPLE SINGING AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE !!!
PEOPLE THAT DONT DANCE AT GIGS ANNOY PEOPLE .......

My god , what is happening!?? Its a free country (ish) , if I can get my hands on a ticket to any gig, I will bloody well do what I want to when I get inside!
I don't dance, so i will stand there and listen , and that's how I enjoy the music of a band I pay to see.
If people are "talking!" I just move elsewhere ..... Flipping heck...
The "Outrage Generation" just always on the look out for things to be outraged at .......

I'm about twice the age of the "Outrage Generation" and I have always thought that people that chatted throughout entire gigs are up-their-own-hole cnuts.

Lotus Flower

People who see no problem with going to a gig and talking their whole way through it, would you go to the cinema and have a full-blown conversation there? To me, they're in the same ballpark

And the "move elsewhere" argument isn't helpful. I've done it but it's a pain to have to manoeuvre around because some self entitled folk ruin it for others. And its not always possible anyway

Just go enjoy the show you (and others) have paid to see and leave the conversations for the pub

blastman

machiavellianme wrote: »

Going to a gig is a night out. Entertainment, no more, no less.
Last time I checked, people were free to talk in bars, pubs and clubs.
After all, its a social event, its not supposed to offer some existential and deep meaning to an attendees life.
If you aren't in assigned seating, you are free to move if your surroundings bother you. If you are stuck in a seat, then you can either ask the loud folks to quieten down or suffer in (non) silence.

They are, so why don't they fcuk off to a bar, pub or club and talk if that's what they want to do? I've paid for the gig, I'd like to actually hear it.

Say Your Number

The majority of gigs I go to are loud rock bands, so doesn't affect me that often, but I went to Rodrigo y Gabriella in Limerick and half the crowd had effectively turned their backs to them and were talking away, if I knew it'd be like that I would have just stayed at home, it was a complete waste of time when the tools in the crowd were making more noise than them.

Also saw Black Sabbath last month and during the song Black Sabbath (a quiet and atmospheric song) there was these three gimps near me having a conversation basically ruining the sinister air of the song. I'm repeating what's already been said but I can't get my head around people paying up to 100 Euro for a ticket and taking the time to travel to a concert and then ignoring the band when they come on stage.

Also wish they'd close the bar during gigs, cos nearly every gig I go to I have some eejit trying to barge through me nearly every minute, it's so distracting, it's another I don't get, people missing a good chunk of the concert to go queue up for some overpriced pisswater.

greenspurs

Alicano wrote: »

Please-read my post. Thanks.

I did......
Whats your point now? Arent we agreeing? kind of?

PTH2009

Say Your Number wrote: »

The majority of gigs I go to are loud rock bands, so doesn't affect me that often, but I went to Rodrigo y Gabriella in Limerick and half the crowd had effectively turned their backs to them and were talking away, if I knew it'd be like that I would have just stayed at home, it was a complete waste of time when the tools in the crowd were making more noise than them.

Also saw Black Sabbath last month and during the song Black Sabbath (a quiet and atmospheric song) there was these three gimps near me having a conversation basically ruining the sinister air of the song. I'm repeating what's already been said but I can't get my head around people paying up to 100 Euro for a ticket and taking the time to travel to a concert and then ignoring the band when they come on stage.

Also wish they'd close the bar during gigs, cos nearly every gig I go to I have some eejit trying to barge through me nearly every minute, it's so distracting, it's another I don't get, people missing a good chunk of the concert to go queue up for some overpriced pisswater.

remember at Bruce Springsteen in Croke Park last year i went out to toliets and the amount of people who were out in the drinks area chatting away and not giving 2 ****s about the gig was amazing, Same with a lot of gigs i was at. I even went to see Des Bishop in Waterford once and there was a drunk couple next to me who started fighting

talking/drunkeness at concerts/shows are just one of those things but if someone has no interest in the gig why pay for a ticket just stay in the pub or have a party and play whoever on the stereo ??

greenspurs

if someone brought me to a Des Bishop gig, id fight with them too !!!

Alicano

greenspurs wrote: »

I did......
Whats your point now? Arent we agreeing? kind of?

I'm not making another point? I asked you to re-read my post correctly. You fabricated things from my post that weren't typed. Simple.

threein99

Noticed a lot at gigs the last few years. In the Academy for Ham Sandwich it wrecked my head, we moved about 3 times. It's like once you notice the hum of conversations you can't tune it out again

greenspurs

Alicano wrote: »

I'm not making another point? I asked you to re-read my post correctly. You fabricated things from my post that weren't typed. Simple.

Get over it Butterfly, I wasn't specifically singling out you post......
But if the cap fits......
(you should go to bingo instead of gigs maybe...) :pac:

seachto7

Gig etiquette...

People talking at gigs annoys me. I've had it at acoustic gigs, but you can't police stupid all the time.

rubadub

machiavellianme wrote: »

Last time I checked, people were free to talk in bars, pubs and clubs.

Whats the relevance of saying that? Have you heard of people pissed off since they went into a pub/bar/club and people were chatting?

The only instance I can think of is people chatting over the national anthem if played in pubs, which I have not seen happen in years.

"Last time I checked" it was frowned upon by many to be chatting away, obviously taking away from the experience or respect of others at cinemas, theatre, gigs, study libraries, at a funeral mass. You can call them social events but the majority seem to think it is antisocial to be knowingly spoiling it for others, especially if they have paid €100+ to be there, and when the performance is only lasting an hour or so.

milehip

machiavellianme wrote: »

Going to a gig is a night out. Entertainment, no more, no less.
Last time I checked, people were free to talk in bars, pubs and clubs.
After all, its a social event, its not supposed to offer some existential and deep meaning to an attendees life.
If you aren't in assigned seating, you are free to move if your surroundings bother you. If you are stuck in a seat, then you can either ask the loud folks to quieten down or suffer in (non) silence.

.

You're one of them aren't you?

Choochtown

Went to the Conor Oberst gig last week in Dublin. Before the gig there was an announcement asking punters not to use their mobile phones during the performance.

I don't know if this is coincidental or not but the atmosphere during the gig was superb. Nobody (yes absolutely nobody) was being a c.nt and talking through the gig and it was bliss to be able to watch the show without having it simultaneously broadcast through a hundred mini screens held up in front of me.

An all too rare occurrence. If I spend my hard-earned money to go to hear a band play live I expect to hear them play live and not have to listen to some twat discussing where he parked or what he had for dinner.

Saw the Waifs a few years ago in Galway. One of them thanked the crowd for paying €15 to come in and see them. The group beside me who hadn't shut de feck up all night cheered at this. The Waifs singer looked straight at them and said "those of ye who have paid €15 to come in and have a chat, please feck off to the bar"

More of that from bands/security/fellow punters please.

DC10555

Selfie squads..

PTH2009

Christy Moore always demands quite at this gig and he wont even allow the bar to be opened either. I saw him last year and as much as i enjoyed the gig, i would of loved a couple of drinks while the show was on as its drinking music imo. It was in Woodlands Hotel In Waterford, the bar in the room was closed but we could bring drink in from the main bar until the performance started and we were not allowed head out and bring a drink during the show

A few ***** in front of me prob drinking all day were talking for most of the gig and one of them talked over 'the voyage'. They sneaked a few bottles in there handbags cheeky feckers

Didnt The Dubliners and irish trab bands play late at nights so people would be tanked going into the gig ???

scruff monkey

Choochtown wrote: »

Went to the Conor Oberst gig last week in Dublin. Before the gig there was an announcement asking punters not to use their mobile phones during the performance.

I don't know if this is coincidental or not but the atmosphere during the gig was superb. Nobody (yes absolutely nobody) was being a c.nt and talking through the gig and it was bliss to be able to watch the show without having it simultaneously broadcast through a hundred mini screens held up in front of me.

Don Henley pulled the same thing in the Point last year (announcement before hand and then he asked at the start of the gig) and it made the gig a revelation as to what a large gig can be like, music only, no flashy lights or c.nuts on bookface.

(he allowed it for 1 song towards the end so people could get their social media karma whoring in/ant stands on stage photos)

seachto7

scruff monkey wrote: »

Don Henley pulled the same thing in the Point last year (announcement before hand and then he asked at the start of the gig) and it made the gig a revelation as to what a large gig can be like, music only, no flashy lights or c.nuts on bookface.

(he allowed it for 1 song towards the end so people could get their social media karma whoring in/ant stands on stage photos)

I was at that gig, and the woman beside me never stopped moaning about how disgraceful it was that she couldn't use her phone during the gig.
I have a bad habit of always checking irrelevant rubbish on my phone, so welcomed the 2 hour ban.
Can people no longer just sit for a few hours and not be on some device?
How did we survive pre mobiles phones!

scruff monkey

seachto7 wrote: »

the woman beside me never stopped moaning about how disgraceful it was that she couldn't use her phone during the gig.

seachto7 wrote: »

Can people no longer just sit for a few hours and not be on some device?

No, they need a good solid kick in the nethers.

zoobizoo

Having seen people both take and make calls while at the cinema, nothing surprises me any more.

I run comedy gigs and surprisingly, some people don't realise that it's a performance that you're meant to sit and listen to. Yes, you can turn to your friends for a brief question ... a "wasn't that hilarious" but if someone is having a full on conversation while an act is on, I ask them to stop. If they continue, I ask them again and warn them that the next time I'll have to ask them to leave.

Some people get really offended "We were just talking" .... "we weren;t talking loudly" ... "we've paid our money"....

The bigger the gig, the worse it gets. Sat at many gigs in Vicar St, where people paying a fair amount of cash chat throughout the gig, and just clap when everyone else is clapping.

Then there's the whistlers - when everyone else is laughing, some cock will start wolf whistling.

I've no issues with hecklers as long as they're not ruining a show.

bodhrandude

I've mentioned this before but the Bat For lashes show at Electric Picnic in the Electric Arena in 2012, the audience was a pure buzz kill, songs with mellow startings like Siren Song and Laura were ruined by gabbing voices.

machiavellianme

Birneybau wrote: »

It's a performance. Bad analogy, but would you have a problem if people were chatting all the way through a play?

Its not a bad analogy at all. There can be such a thing as a different etiquette in a different scenario such as at theatre, cinema, opera etc.
This is historical as the medium is more submersive. Furthermore, most theatres kindly remind the audience to switch off their mobile phones etc. beforehand - thereby suggesting that talking or added sounded effects is not acceptable. I've yet to hear such an announcement before a gig.

Plus alcohol is freely available within the gig venue in most cases, furthering the notion that it is not some sort of existential experience. Its just something to enjoy while on a night out. Heck, even the "artists" might partake in the occasional tipple themselves and god forbid, might even interact with the crowd. Whereas at theatres, alcohol is generally only available pre and post show or during the intermission and is typically forbidden within the auditorium.

Similarly, there is an understood etiquette if you go to a place of worship, a library, a museum etc., you adapt to the situation of your surroundings. Theatres don't generally encourage audience interaction, but it in some cases it may be perfectly acceptable to sing along at a musical or pantomime if it is suggested by the performer/venue.

milehip wrote: »

.

You're one of them aren't you?

Nope, I don't go to stupid acoustic plinky plonky woe-is-me type gigs where you need to hush so that the all important warble in the "artists" voice is fully audible and oh my god, exactly like listening to a LP/CD at home. Christ, if its the 320kbps or better experience that people want, stay at home and listen to the album. I want to hear loud music, bands playing for the audience and some fun - even if god forbid they aren't CD quality or pitch perfect or play a duff note.
If people want to sing along to Slayer/Carcass/Pig Destroyer/whoever, let them at it. They can even air guitar if they like. No different to the folks down front moshing in the circle pit. It wont ruin my enjoyment.

languagenerd

I was at a musical recently enough where a gang of women on a hen party talked and shouted and heckled the whole way through the 2nd half - no-one could hear any of the dialogue and any time the ushers approached them, they just got louder. How do you legislate for people who are just arseholes??!

Similarly, I ended up near the back of the 3Arena (standing) at a gig because we'd come straight from work after doors opened. So many people just ignoring the band entirely, talking/shouting over them and pushing in and out to the bar. Why the f did they pay €55 each to do that?! Not to mention ruining it for everyone else.

PTH2009

When the pdc darts are on in the citywest and 3arena are fine examples of people not giving a toss what's happening on the stage. Although it's a completely different event than say a concert/play as its a very alcohol dictated event but people constantly going to and from the bar/jacks, ignoring the match and only paying attention when the entrances are happening.

The darts is a glorified piss up but quite a few actually enjoy the sport and actually go for the sport not the drink

Rothko

languagenerd wrote: »

Similarly, I ended up near the back of the 3Arena (standing) at a gig because we'd come straight from work after doors opened. So many people just ignoring the band entirely, talking/shouting over them and pushing in and out to the bar. Why the f did they pay €55 each to do that?! Not to mention ruining it for everyone else.

People like that just baffle me.