Attending a live concert is an experience that many have been to or would like to go to at least once in their life. People go to see their favorite artists sing and dance live, have interactions with their idols, and overall just have a good time. Concerts are super fun, but sometimes, there’s that one person who unknowingly ruins it for many with their bad concert etiquette. To make sure everyone has a great time, there are a few unspoken rules, whether it is being something as simple as not throwing items at the music artists to trying to keep the same energy as the performers.
Ethan Huynh (10) shares, “Recently, I went to a Mitski concert, and everything about the concert was simply perfect, the lighting effect, stage presence, and everything else. I was a bit scared that there was going to be someone that would ruin the vibe, similar to the videos online, but luckily enough there wasn’t a single person in the crowd that ruined the atmosphere. Not to mention, Mitski sang extra songs during the encore because the audience was great!”
Recently, I went to a Mitski concert, and everything about the concert was simply perfect, the lighting effect, stage presence, and everything else.
— Ethan Huynh (10)
Refrain from Obstructing the Views of Others
A common thing that many people get frustrated over during concerts is having the people near and in front of them blocking their view of the artist with an item. If your section is far away from the artist, it might not be considerate to hold up a poster high in the air hoping to get their attention. It’s important to be mindful of the people that surround you, and blocking their view with a large item might not be the best idea. Overall, just think of it from the other’s perspective, you probably wouldn’t want a poster blocking the way of your performance.
Read the Room/Keep the Same Energy as the Artist
Depending on the genre and artist of the concert you are going to, you should try to read the room and respect the artist who dedicates hours perfecting their performance for fans. By mirroring the music artist’s energy, the overall atmosphere of the concert would be much more positive.
An example of this is the well-known K-pop group, Enhypen, and their concert in Korea. Enhypen is a group known to have more upbeat songs during their concerts, despite this, the K-Engenes, Enhypen’s Korean fans, have always remained quiet in every concert. Even when the members of Enhypen themselves begged their fans to sing or at least cheer, K-Engenes never changed their attitude. Even though Enhypen still tried their best to keep the energy up, the atmosphere of the whole concert just wasn’t the best. Conversely, international fans of Enhypen showed enthusiastic support throughout the concert by chanting, cheering, and singing along to the lyrics of the songs, which enhanced the overall concert experience for both the attendees and groups. Many were able to see a difference in the way the group felt and acted with international Engenes, whether it was with a boost in their mood or energy. These concert experiences with Enhypen demonstrate the importance of matching the energy of the group or artist, which in this case, the vibe of the concert would be lively and you can scream however loud you’d like and those around you wouldn’t be bothered.
On the other hand, for singers like Mitski or Lana Del Ray, whose songs are on the mellow and soft side, screaming loudly might not be the best idea. While softly singing along to the artist is fine, if you are shouting all the lyrics out and hoping the artist will notice you during these laid-back concerts, you could disrupt the experience for others around you. It also depends on the song the artist is singing during their concert, sometimes it can be appropriate to shout and put your feelings into the lyrics, but sometimes it’s not. Many fans have posted videos about how the person next to them was always screaming the lyrics so loudly with no rhythm to the point where they had a hard time hearing the original artists themselves. In such cases, singing softly is more appropriate for this setting, which allows others to enjoy music without unnecessary distractions.
Respect the Artist
Respecting the artist is a very big factor when it comes to concert etiquette. The first step to refrain from doing things the artist specifically asked the audience not to do, such as throwing items on stage. The performer could get hit or trip, which ends up in them possibly getting injured in the end. Another example of what not to do is call the artist something they specifically said that they don’t appreciate in the past. For instance, Mitski stated before that she doesn’t feel comfortable when people call her names like “mommy” or “mother,” yet during the concert some of her fans still did it. They even went as far as to meow and bark to get her attention, which truly isn’t the best idea.
Keep decent hygiene
Last, but not least, try to keep decent hygiene by at least showering or putting on deodorant before the concert. Just don’t try to ruin it for others around you because they could focus on the smell more than the actual singing and performance.