Anyone else find modern concerts a bit depressing?

That would've been a quer racket! Lovely.

I don't enjoy concerts, I just go to them because i watch the footage on YouTube and I like to know that I was in the crowd. Most I have been to sound terrible with the vocals often inaudible.

In regards to phones I have often thought that venues should film concerts on an installed camera and post them online. This may reduce the number of people recording.

People will complain either way, if you stand there on your phone they complain and if you sing loudly enjoying yourself they will complain. I had too much to drink at a recent concert and went overboard with singing the lyrics and I don't think the people next to me were too pleased. Maybe it is only acceptable to sing along if you are near the front.

When we talk about music …. it is the bandwagon stuff I mean …. plus the venue setup does not help ….. 1000s of people crammed into a filthy arena full of discomfort, crowds and Covid to see a dot on a stage plus muck and sh*t if out in the fields ….. no thank you ….. of course there are great unknown music out there …. it does not get a chance …. the powers that be in Ireland anyway won't support anything other than pop or new country …. it is a shame ….

The whole Oasis thing is depressing for another reason …. Oasis are by no means the worst and are quite good …. but the whole ticketing thing is a total downer here …. would not pay €1000 to see anyone …… it is time this type of thing is made illegal …. flat rate prices for the tickets like your example of the Melts is the way to go ….

Yeah there were a lot of late teens / early twenties at Coldplay and decked out in all the merch. I wonder if the internet / playlists has generated an awareness of acts way beyond the original target demographic. There are girls in my office who wanted Oasis tickets who weren't even born when Definitely Maybe came out.

My late mother was quite the raver and used to tag along with me down the decades to gigs. Bowie, Stones, Prince, Tina Turner to name a few. She was a teacher and quite smart at watching the movements of young ones in the crowds. She said most of them were there to try and meet lads rather than watch the act on stage.

The big stadium gigs are sh!t, they always were. Huge queues, rubbish food and drink options and then you watch most of the gig on a big screen and pay €150+. They’re for event junkies not music lovers. There’s no way there’s 320,000 actual Coldplay fans in Ireland. Small venues and festivals are where it’s at.

Fuinnemh Festival this weekend and I can’t wait.

There was a fair old mosh pit at New Model Army at Opium a few months back, with sweaty shirtless blokes pushing and shoving. I watched from the distance.

Nice gig.

I was always attended lots of gigs and still spend quite a bit on entertainment

next few months I have

Comedy - David O’Doherty

Opera - wexford opera

Classical - family concert in NCH

Theatre/ dance - Dublin theatre festival 2 shows

Musical. Mary poppins

All Together Now

none of them anywhere near approaching oasis in prices. Mary poppins is the steepest by far. And I expect every one of them will be more entertaining than a lot of the overpriced gigs.

I tend to agree that you get a better experience at smaller gigs, as more people that are genuinely into it are there.

But gig etiquette in general has gone to the dogs. There's a sizable cohort of people out there that go to gigs and just can not shut up: will actively try to talk over the music.

And it isn't only big events, it happens at smaller ones too - it's a bit of a lottery how a particular crowd will behave. I think there's a sense of entitlement from the money people pay and that manifests itself in obnoxious chattering and the like. And as well, more people are coked up these days - which makes them full of chat, literally and figuratively.

It's not that much of an issue if you're at a gig and getting blasted by the volume of the act - but I find this to be a real blight on quieter gigs these days. I've seen acts recently tell the crowd to pipe down and that's something I never, or rarely, saw in the past.

Obviously phones do rob things of their immediacy. I fully understand people wanting to take a snap or two, but spending the whole thing snapping or videoing away - feels like such a waste.

And I think as well gig going is perhaps more of a mainstream thing these days: certainly for big events, which there seems to be more and more of. I think people have a different attitude at these type of things then your "regular" gig at a smaller venue.

Some of the clubs here (well, what’s left of them) are taking a stand against phones and putting stickers over the flash. I don’t think this is enough, people can still get their selfies and shots from the gig. I’d love to see a harder line taken akin to Fabric and Berlin. Have your phone out?...get the f*** out! I remember security in berghain told me to leave my phone in my pocket and don’t pass out 😊

Manly!

You're obviously female. It's a man thing. There is a sense of satisfaction of flaking the shlte out of each other whilst powerful music is on in the background. I know it sounds barbaric to some, but that is just the way it is. Some people step back cause they are afraid of it. And others look on in jealousy, as they want to be part of it, but haven't quite got the courage for it. Some women enjoy the craic of it too, and get involved.

It's definitely not cringe.

"There's a sizable cohort of people out there that go to gigs and just can not shut up: will actively try to talk over the music."

Totally agree with this. I wonder if they realise they can actually destroy a night out for some of us?

I've witnessed people raising their voices considerably to spout their banal, tedious drivel and then loudly applaud and "whoop" at the end of a song. I remember a particular artist starting to explain the next song and the dreary arsehole in front of me actually started getting annoyed as he was anxiously waiting for the next song to start so he could continue his conversation!!!

Gig-talkers are the scum of the earth.

Are gig talkers mainly a mate or other half who has been dragged to the gig and has no interest, someone who's been slamming pints all day or what. I'd love to know.

Phones are annoying but at least the person is displaying a level of engagement however misguided.

The Smile was the last example of a gig where me and herself had to move because one lad was shouting over the band.

It wasn't a cheap gig... I just don't get it. Go to the pub. Who pays 60 euro to go to the 3arena on a Weekday to talk about what's the best brand of catfood.

Ha ha. I've seen that many times. People chatting, then the song finishes, crowd cheers, and the couple of chatterers roar and holler their admiration for the performance. I'm just there thinking - shure you weren't even listening to the song. And to make it worse, I couldn't hear the bloody song because of their shlte.

But at least I have learned to just move away from talkers and settle somewhere at a venue where it doesn't get on my nerves.

In response to the OPs point, I generally don't find concerts depressing. I have realigned my expectations accordingly. If I am going to the bigger gigs in Marley, Croke Park, Kilmainham etc., I know that a huge amount of people are there for the night out, that the queues are annoying and that the sound may not be great. I go along, and just try to enjoy the evening out and listen to some ,music. For 3Arena, Vicar, Academy, Olympia etc., my expectations of a good gig are higher in the more intimate, smaller setting. And if something like bad sound, talkers, half-arsed band performance happen, then I do get disappointed alright. I know a lot of people are on phones these day. But if you want a good example of crowd engagement, I suggest going to something like of Fontaines, Gilla Band, Murder Capital. Or even the likes of Mary Wallopers, The Scratch etc. All Irish bands too.