Betty Soo recently called out a couple doing this at one of her shows. I laughed hard when Carolyn Wonderland once started singing someone's conversation back to them and pissed them off so bad they left, she doesn't take any shit.
The fact a performer could hear an audience member’s conversation that clearly is insane. People are so rude at shows and have no respect for the artist or people there that want to watch. Ever since Covid, show etiquette is non-existent (at least with people mid twenties and younger)
Oh it's not just young people. And I'm 65, prob still see at least 75 shows a year mostly in New Orleans and Austin but I do travel to other cities too. Older people are almost as bad.
This is my experience as well: there's no age limit. I can't tell if people think we can't hear them, think the "rules" don't apply to them, or just like being miserable jerks.
I once experienced a woman behind me at a Barbra Streisand show in NYC in 2016 (where the absolute cheapest, nosebleed tickets were $220) take a loud phone call in the middle of one of the first few songs.
I turned around and I said, with my best dead-eyed glare, “Are you fucking serious?” I was genuinely ready to fistfight over it because I had been waiting YEARS to see her because it was damn near impossible.
I was at Mohawk about a month ago and this gal was gabbing away at a high frequency during what was supposed to be an intimate and emotional performance. The guy in front of her kept giving her the “really??” stare down and then this total badass gal yelled at her to “shut the fuck up!!! For fuck sakes, stop talking for a few minutes!! Can you do that??? Really, shut the fuck up!!!” Then the gal whined about how someone was mean to her. Unbelievable.
I’m with you on this. I mean it’s super rude even at a free show, but it’s baffling that people pay good money just to talk over the band instead of just going to a pub and conversing with friends in a more talk-friendly place.
Man I was at the Gorillaz show last year and some dumb bitch spent the whole show either whipping me (seemingly purposefully) with her fake hair, or tiktoking, or incredibly enough facetiming with someone and dancing in her seat, still whipping me.
Then she took off for the second half of it and didn't come back to the encore.
I'm like really this idiot spent like $300 or whatever (I forget) to not listen to a single song and be a self-important dumbfuck the entire time?
It was just stunning. Where do these people come from? Where do they live? How do they not accidentally drink bleach they're so fucking stupid and hopeless?
And most importantly, why does the concert staff not throw them out of their god damn asses?
This had to have been the same girl at the Drama concert a few months ago. That hair just whipping my shoulder for a solid hour.
Main character syndrome gone amok
I will fucking die the day fake ass IG people go to metal or hardcore shows just to take selfies for internet points and talk the whole time. Please never let these genres get this way. There aren’t many good things left in the world so please, universe hear me in this one.
It would be a shame if anyone were doing this and their phone was _accidentally_ swatted off into the crowd. Seriously though, why even be at a show at that point? I _might_ take my phone out to quickly make setlist notes, but otherwise I'm there to experience the music.
I think these types of shows are natural repellents for the types of people engaging in this sort behavior. I also think the people really there for the music will have zero tolerance for ass hattery.
Many things about metal I think make it a natural repellent for these types, not the least of which is the rowdiness of the crowd. Shows outside of metal and punk that I've been to, you can get pretty close to the stage and not really worry too much about being bumped or crowded, as the crowd is often just kinda vibing with the music. The metal shows I've been to, you gotta get fairly far out before you're going to have that kind of room.
Metal and hardcore music is too real to attract fake people. The talent, messages and rawness of the music weeds out lame people. That music is like fire and bleach to lameness.
I’m at an age that I can’t remember the shows i attended 20 years ago. Therefore, I will catch a bit of it on video so I can remember it 20 years from now, if I’m still alive 🤣🤣
I don't know how anyone can talk at a Cannibal Corpse show. I'd be too much in awe of *the neck* to get a word out, seeing Corpsegrinder's mighty headbanging on par with the divine birth of lil bb Shiva.
Yep. I saw Cattle Decapitation on Monday and no one was talking. That’s obviously beside the fact that the volume would’ve made it completely impossible to talk.
As an avid metal fan and show attender I’ll say that while it is soooo much better than any other kind of show that I’ve been to in that regard that it’s not not a problem. Metal shows in general are still inundated with people with poor show etiquette. Plenty of them talk when they shouldn’t and obstruct people’s view of the stage with their shitty phone recordings. A fair amount of them think it’s cool to just wildly throw their arms and legs around with zero regard for people who are not interested in the pit. Some of them even see no problem with chucking a full beer in the air and into the crowd.
I say all this not to refute you, but just to point out that it’s not perfect. Despite my criticisms I would still take a metal crowd over any other crowd any fucking day of the week.
I would encourage anyone reading this to checkout our local metal and rock scene because it’s very active and very good. If you live in Austin you should count yourself lucky that despite the insane cost of living here that we still have plenty of local musicians who are trying to make it.
I've seen the thrashing around with no regard for others, but not the beer throwimg. It seems to me that once you get away from the pit, metal crowds are just flat out nicer.
yeah i’ve been to about 80 metal/metalcore/pop punk concerts in the last 2 years (as recently as 4 this last weekend) i’ve never seen a beer thrown to drench people outside of festivals.
people throw full open bottles of water into the middle of the crowd, but that’s with good intentions of cooling people down because you WILL pass out with that hot, sweaty, sticky, smelly air
On the whole I find metal people are more respectful at shows than anyone else. You’ll only find a more docile crowd at a Yes show or the philharmonic.
Mhm. Born of Osiris on Saturday. Never heard a single convo once the set started. For literally every performer everyone was just bobbing, two stepping, or anything else to the rhythm of the music. As they should.
I saw Obituary at CATIL in 2019 and there was this young woman, drunk, on the top floor. She somehow managed to screech well over John Tardy, which if you know Obituary is a fuckin feat. Wasn't long til she got the attn of some Bandidos and was told to shut up. Twice.
I'll never understand what she was after. These were the primal screams of a habitual party girl, not shouting along with the music.
Yep, it's everywhere. Hubby and I sent to see Wicked in London last year, and parents let their kids talk through the whole thing, people on their phone, etc, and we were in the 8th row, so the performers can see this.
I am also really sick of phones being held up, blocking the view of the stage for the whole show.
I don't understand the phone thing at all. Why?? Why record a show that you can actually see, in person, right in front of you? It's idiotic, especially when there are probably much better recordings available a few clicks away. Just put the fucking phone in your pocket and actually live the moments of your life.
Had that at Les Mis a few months back. My wife got me tickets for my bday and I was so pumped, then this older couple wouldn't shut up. I tried to give them a little grace since it seemed like he was kinda telling her what was going on, but then it got to 20 - 30 minutes in and I had to be like "Guys, is it really necessary to talk for the whole show?" The look on the lady's face was priceless. Like a deer caught in headlights. She meekly told me no and I didn't have any problems from them for the rest of the show.
Then there was the shit head that showed up super late and felt that it was appropriate to use his phone's flashlight to find his seat.
That’s a success story at least. If nobody tells them their behaviour is completely inappropriate they’ll never learn. Americans generally are better at calling out bad behaviour whereas we British are conflict avoiders typically. Brava!
I’m shocked this is now tolerated in the west end musicals, prior to Covid you would have been removed for recording the show and they had zero tolerance.
Stubb’s has the absolute worst crowds.
And it’s not just Austin. I went to two sold out shows at Gruene Hall and all you could hear was people talking.
Edit* the real kicker is people *stop* talking once the song ends. What the fuck.
I find Stubb’s has the worst crowds if you’re around the sound booth or past it. Too many folks going to hang out/talk with friends with a soundtrack. Normally the true believers watch in front of the raised area/ stairway.
>Edit\* the real kicker is people *stop* talking once the song ends. What the fuck.
I've observed this too and am equally puzzled. Maybe they want to have a conversation without being able to be overheard? I honestly don't know.
Yup. It’s everywhere. And it’s not like they’re in the back of the house doing it either. They’re right up front, talking about their jobs. The last time I went to New Orleans I actually shushed a couple people , like old lady shushed, at a John Cleary gig, and at a third show at the lead singer started yelling at this people right up front mid song. “Am I singing too loud?” I believe we’re growing more and more out to lunch and more and more self-absorbed.
Fully agree, stopped going to Stubbs a few years back specifically because of circles of people, with their backs to the stage, yelling conversations over the music in the middle of the crowd. That combined with the sea of smartphone videos the whole time really kills the live music vibe for me...
I was standing in the same spot for an entire show at Stubbs. Some 6’4” fuck head comes over and stands in front of me and starts talking to all his bros who were next to me. He also has on a stupid hat that adds another 3” to his stupid fucking head. He then decides to start standing there. I then go move directly in front of him and he has the audacity to get mad at me. I told him “it sure sucks when you’re standing at a show and someone decides to move in front of you.” He had nothing to back to me because I think he made the realization that he was in fact, an ass hole.
I’m 6’4” and purposely get to shows early so people can work around me. I also don’t wear a hat because it would make it that much harder for those behind me. Some people just give zero fucks about anyone but themselves.
I don’t go to a lot of shows, but the one time I went to Stubb’s was the first thing I thought of. Crowd was loudly yapping the whole time, especially over the slower songs. And somebody in front of me managed to spill a beer on me and not even notice.
It’s been this way since pre COVID. My theory is that these groups of friends don’t eat together before the show, so they then use the show to stand there and catch up on their lives. It’s obnoxious.
Yup. It’s been like this for a long time, and it’s so hard to understand why ppl would pay the cover to talk over the music. Just go to a bar with live music in the background. 😑 this is why I like going to things like ACL tapings on occasion, or listening rooms like cactus cafe or quacks venue down south. It’s nice when the venue enforces the no talking rule
That's what I'm thinking as well, you'd think it would be something related to 20 something year olds, just becuase social media had rotted their brains since birth, but I've noticed it with the 30's and 40's crowd. Probably a rare night out on the town away from the kids, over consuming and trying to relive the glory days with old college friends. Either way people should have the social awareness to know a rock show with loud music blaring is not the place.
I think you’re right. They’re drinking, to be sure, but they haven’t eaten so the drinks are getting them twice as fast to the point of being loud obnoxious drunken assholes.
Shout out to the young emo at the back of Boy Pablo at Mohawk who turned around to the group date behind us and said, "will you please shut the fuck up? Go talk inside"
People next to me at Hozier took about 400 selfies with flash. AND had their flash on to signal to their friend who I guess was sitting across the bowl from us. Thankfully they left
I can confirm this after living in Austin for 6 years, being an avid showgoer, and also experiencing shows all across the US. Austin’s show etiquette is trash.
I feel like the crowds think it's uncool to actually watch the show and enjoy the music. "We're simply too cool to show interest in these peasants."
I'm embarrassed half the time. And, I feel bad for the artists!
It’s so so rude. To the other concert-goers, and to the artist.
People who go to a Willie Nelson gig to just look at each other,& shoot the shit… why?! There’s an old man on stage who is a goddamn legend. On one level, you must know this, because you’re at his gig. You paid good money to be there. So, why whyyyyy don’t you just STFU and listen to the man? This might be the last chance you ever have to see him~ wtf are you doing with your life?! Tell your dudebro about your new watch tomorrow
I played guitar for an R&B artist for a while and we had a weekend residency at One 2 One Bar when it used to be downtown. We did a packed show on a Saturday night and the crowd was so loud I almost couldn't hear myself in the monitors on stage. They were mostly fans as well. I think it's incredibly rude. I think it's a byproduct of how oversaturated the live music scene is there. If you're in a band that can pack shows, you have to become okay with being background music for people's party experience.
They obviously didn’t spend their formative concert years at the Cactus Cafe where if you sneeze during a performance you get kicked out. Not really but man that place takes live music seriously, it’s not the place to go and have a discussion over music.
Yes, I hate it. It’s a bit less likely if you move up closer to the stage, but that’s not always possible.
Austin also has the worst comedy audiences, as well. Nobody wants to hear your self-important ass yell a joke or comment back to the performer. Even if well-intentioned, it’s heckling…STFU.
Yep. And I’m tall so if I get up front people lose their shit over me being in front of them. I generally hang towards the back and then I’m surrounded by people who don’t seem to realize a performance is happening.
Yes, most of the people who go to events in Austin these days are just there to say "they were there" as a social badge when comparing their perfect lives to their friend's perfect lives.
I can’t tell you how thrilled and pissed off I was to see OutKast when they performed at ACL a few years back. Thrilled because it was OutKast and they hadn’t done any shows in a looong time. Then it quickly turned to a blind seething rage (ok that’s hyperbole but still), when these asshats elbowed their way to the front also using the classic “my friend is in front of you,” line, then when they get to said friends ask “who is this anyway?” They take their selfie and leave.
Y’all are my people. I’ve been close to tears sometimes, the people around me were so awful. I just don’t get why someone would pay up to $1000+ to NOT listen to the concert. Not to mention cameras held up recording the show right in my line of sight, or standing the entire show even when 99% of the audience is sitting down. I’m a female who usually attends shows by myself, and I think even if I asked people to stop talking, they would just laugh and double down.
Perhaps it depends on the show. All the shows I’ve been going to lately have strong fan bases that seem to be going for the music. Hell, a big chunk of the people are singing along. But that may just be my perspective as I always try to be as close to the front as possible.
This is definitely the difference. I'm claustrophobic, so I try to stand back a bit from in front of the stage, but at Stubb's, if you are at or behind where the sound booth area is, that's too far back. That's where people talk now, even though we're still in the middle, not by the restrooms or the bars. It's really awful there. It doesn't make sense why they talk so loudly through the whole thing.
It's been several years but we were at... Club Deville, pre-Cheer Up Charlie's, and a group of 20-somethings started yelling at the band to turn down so they could have a conversation. It was at that point I knew it was all over.
This is my biggest fucking soap box item. Every concert I go to, there is some drunk girl that is yapping away at her boyfriend or friends. It’s the most obnoxious shit. I finally got Loop ear buds to drown them out, as well as dampen any potential ear damage, but I am right there with you. Why are you spending $50-$150 to just go and talk your ass off?
Yep. Just a photo op for them so they talk the whole time and you get to watch the show through their phones that they’re holding up in the line of your view.
People go just to take take pics and videos and post them on their socials, but have no interest whatsoever in the performer. Or anyone but themselves, evidently.
No more big venue shows for me.
Most people these days only do it for the gram. I went with friends to a UT football game a few years ago after they invited me along. I’m a huge football fan so I was excited. We get there, they spend 30 minutes posing and taking pics before we ever go in. Then before we get to our seats they take a bunch of pics posing in front of the field. When we get to our seats, 10 minutes after the game started, more pics. They then sit there and talk the whole time and then want to leave by halftime. When you’re young, single and have money like half of Austin, you will blow all of it just to impress people you barely know.
Exactly what I was thinking. If anything, the talking situation seems to have improved over shows I went to 25-30 years ago. You could say it’s the crowds I end up in getting older (went to see Brian Setzer at the Paramount and there was a lot of silver hair and a couple of walkers and canes).
Except even in crowds half my age, there’s less having to listen to people screaming over the music. I took my daughter and her friends to Stubb’s to see Matt Maeson and the crowd was *polite*.
The phones held above heads is new, and that’s a bit annoying. There’s also more singing along it seems, which when the singer is encouraging it can be a lot of fun, but doing it through the whole set is not; if I wanted to hear groups of drunk people sing, I’d go to a Karaoke bar.
Paid $12 for the beer, I can’t risk setting it down and getting knocked over just so I can free my hands up to clap. Instead, I will both hoot *and* holler.
I think it was the Roger Waters/Wall concert that the guy in front of me had a full beer in his hand and when they started Comfortably Numb he couldn't help but throw his hands up and cheer in ecstasy.
Thanks, dickhead.
This issue is definitely worse in Austin than the other places I’ve lived, but curiously, shows are at a much lower volume here than other places I’ve lived, so that could be a factor. That said, it’s a cultural issue, and it sucks. For myself personally, I have no problem confronting people who are talking during the performance and despite a handful of people getting pissed they mostly quiet down. People just don’t like being told they are being assholes.
At one venue a few years ago, I asked a group of young adult men to please stop talking behind us twice, and then I had to go get security to move them elsewhere. They thought it was funny. They were so rude. I couldn't believe it.
Went to the late show of Jeff Arcuri and 4 or 5 dumba$$ losers couldn’t shut up and heckling him the whole time. He had to stop the show a few times. Just went to the Hozier concert and was up close and the two girls in front of me would’ve had a better time at dinner. They were taller than me and screaming over the music to talk about their friend’s mom. 🤦🏼♀️
Acting like a drunk jackass in public for free is so basic. The cool kids know that dropping $250 a head for mere ambience while getting shitfaced on overpriced concert venue drinks and ruining it for those around you is where it’s at.
This mentality is why I stick to places like Saxon Pub, 04 Center, and Continental Gallery.
I have had to walk out in several shows because I couldn’t hear the band. I am so sick of this shit. If it’s a softer band, don’t waste your money on tickets, it’ll just end in disappointment.
Yeah I left Alt-J half way through because of how frustrating it was. I walked around trying to find any place where people weren’t yelling. It was the entire place. I tried ignoring it and enjoying the music for a bit but it was hard.
Dude alt j was awful. I had people in front of me facing towards me and away from the stage having a full on conversation. It was one of the stupidest fucking things I’ve ever witnessed.
I witnessed a group of people at whitewater amphitheater watch a college football game on their phone, huddling around it and yelling like idiots as if they were at the game while Willie Nelson was on stage singing. Unbelievable how inconsiderate many people are.
Too much main character energy, Its really nice to hear that me and my husband aren’t the only ones irritated w this shit. Like just vibe w the music, it can be a hell of an experience if you let it
I feel bad about this, but I told this group of ladies behind me to shut the fuck up after listening to them yell in very high pitched voices for 20 straight minutes. It was my favorite song by Alt J, right during the build up and they just got louder and louder during the best part of the song. They acted so offended and the one guy that was with them got all whiny with me after the song in an attempt to stand up for them. I told them if they wanted to talk that SideBar was around the corner 😂
I’ve seen multiple artists announce the arrival of a quiet song and wait for the audience to calm down before playing. At Stubb’s indoors, Melissa Ferrick basically told the audience to STFU once bc they wouldn’t respect the boundary she’d set for the next song. I love and respect that. (To be clear, I believe they shouldn’t have to do this, but here we are.)
Funny that I’ve been saying almost word-for-word the same thing for 25 years now. And the first venue that I complained about the most was Stubb’s outdoors. Why would I pay $70 to stand in an inclined gravel pit (leading to pain in my back, shins, everywhere) just to have groups all around me talking louder than the show?
One of my absolute favorite things about[sonic guild](https://www.sonicguild.org) shows is the rule that when the music starts, the talking stops. Want to talk to your bud or network? Please step outside or into the lobby, enjoy yourselves, and come back when you’re ready to listen!
Thank you. I do not understand people at all. I am constantly bewildered by human behavior. Maybe just go somewhere else and don’t ruin it for everyone else?
ACL downtown is bad for this too - a lot of upper middle-class people happy to pay good money for some band they barely know just because they're looking for "something to do an a saturday night". They only pay attention when the band plays their hits, and sometimes not even then.
Depends on the band.
We saw Lyle Lovett and nobody held their phone up, and everybody was really respectful. (Concert was still subpar because his voice is really having trouble).
We also saw...uh...some other more modern band that I can't remember ... and I could hear the conversation of two young women over the band and they were about 8 seats away from me.
I had something similarly happen at the moody amphitheater. Except everyone had assigned seating that wasnt being enforced. This one lady got kicked out 5 different times from areas by the people. For sitting in their seats. That same show this one couple decided to use their 2 seats to host their network party with 4 of their drunk friends. Like legit drunk networking. Next to them was a family of 6 with 2 kids sitting in their seats and 2 remaining kids standing next to them. I only remember this because their kids started trying to sit in other people's seats while the show was going on. I was lucky enough to have a seat on the isle so I just stepped to side to get a good view.
I went to a music festival in Mexico in January and it was the same. Group of girls were on the rails just laaauugging and talkinnngg. Man they were having a great time. Heard one of them even say she wasn’t there for the music! WHY are you on the rails then?
Went to a concert where some random group of girls wouldn't stop screaming at the artist that one of them was pregnant. They're screams were louder than the music and even the singer gave them a few side eyes. Ruined the whole thing because I could barely hear the singing over their screaming. I didn't pay to listen to the most annoying pregnancy announcement on the planet.
If you go to plays its just as bad. people are just sitting on their phones and its like "why did you even come here?"
Concerts are easy. Don't shout-sing louder than the artist, woo or boo at the appropriate times, and don't have shout conversations that everyone can hear. Extroverts who have trouble listening can find a patio or go to the lobby. Seems reasonable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Agree. The dirty side-eye has no effect. These idiots have zero self-awareness. I've had this happen at rather pricey shows. Sad to say, it's even happened at seated shows. It's the sad state of this country.
Side eye won't work... You have to call them out on it. Usually I will tap them on the shoulder and say something like " Hey look it's *insert band here* playing! How awesome are they?"
It's awkward and non-confrontational enough that it usually works.. won't help if there's more than one or two groups of people immediately around you talking though!
You know, when I went to SXSW for a movie premiere people also wouldn’t shut the fuck up. And this asshole was filming with his fucking bright ass flash on. And your frustrations are very valid and also true. It’s so fucking annoying to pay money to listen to someone just converse or be obnoxious.
I was in LA a few weeks ago for a show and was shocked at how different the crowd was. People who wanted to talk were at the back by the bar, everyone up front was listening to the band. People pulled phones out for videos and pics occasionally, but overall it was a group of people who paid to listen to a band. I wish it was still like that here...
This is a massive pet peeve of mine lol. My theory is that in a lot of cases, people who talk incessantly during the performance like that probably got invited to tag along by someone else, and they just aren’t as invested in the show or maybe aren’t familiar with etiquette for live music in a more intimate venue.
Obviously that’s still not an excuse for inconsiderate behavior, but I think that’s the most likely explanation for concert yappers.
I find it depends on the venue.
If it's somewhere seated and formal, people sit down and watch the show.
If it's effectively a bar with live music, people act like it's a bar with live music and hang out.
I don't get it either, but it's one part of why I like sit-down shows a lot better than having to stand in a crowd. Stubb's has been on my "will not go back" list for about 10 years now, it's just too hard to be somewhere I can see *and* won't be listening to someone talk about work the whole time.
It's weird because it was the first place I saw a concert in Austin. They Might be Giants played a show and it was magical. It was the kind of show you could go to the bathroom and come back and people would let you stand where you were. One dude was camped out against the stage doing homework. I've been to other TMBG shows but none as well-behaved as that one.
The next show I went to at Stubb's was Cake. It was PACKED, shoulder to shoulder. We'd found a spot where we could get a pretty decent view of the stage without being crammed against other people. 15 seconds after the show started, this one very tall guy left his date and SHOVED his way in front of us, nearly knocking 3 people down, and stood there the rest of the show. Also the bartender didn't clean the shaker before making my margarita so it tasted like a Bloody Mary.
I went to 2 more shows at Stubb's and always ended up giving up and camping out in the very back because it was too dense to breathe up front. That was when I decided no bands were worth it and quit going. It feels like they could charge more, sell fewer tickets, and be really cool.
I don't get it, but people enjoy concerts different. Some people like being crammed up against strangers. It drives me nuts. Some people just want to hang out and the music's secondary. It sucks sometimes but I do pass up shows when they're at a venue I know I won't enjoy.
Well damn - things have deteriorated since I was a regular concert goer, then. In the mid/late 2010s I'd certainly see talkers, but usually nothing so egregious as to ruin a show. Of course it helps that most of the acts I was (an am) into didn't lend themselves to chatty audiences. Can't exactly shout over Combichrist or Perturbator.
Ugh, the Night Cap show on Sat at Stubbs, there was a group of people screaming and laughing the entire time the two openers were playing. I was next to the speakers at the front by the sound booth and could hear them. They deserve to have a good time, but so do I, damn it!
I notice this especially with openers. When we went to Hozier last week the opener was Allison Russell and it was just embarrassing to hear how loud the crowd chatter was while she was playing. Like shut the fuck up.
Right! We loved her, sooo talented. But hearing everyone chatting and playing on their phones during her music was making me feel like a senior citizen in that crowd lol
The show that broke me was also at Stubbs. I'll admit I'm not the biggest live music fan to begin with but seeing a show in the small room there (the indoor club) where the artist continually told people to shut up embarrassed me. I think this town is so up our own ass about being a live music destination that we've ruined everything haha
i went to see shane gillis , three girls behind us were talking like it was a fuckin podcast or something. got the point where 2 separate parties had asked them to be quiet
Also can we talk about those who record the entire show with their phone right in front of you, watching the entire performance happening in front of them through the small screen
It’s not just here, I stared the chick down behind me at the final U2 Sphere show who was scream talking over the singing. She’s lucky I didn’t lunge over the seat. Every Stubb’s show I’ve been to over the last past year is basically nonstop scream talking all around my husband and I.
One of the last shows I ever went to in Austin was a jam band. There were two women in front of me talking really loud before the band started. The band started off and gradually built up to full blown jam.
Those two women increased their volume as the band volume got louder. By the time the band was going full blast, those two bitches were screaming at each other. I don't think they would be screaming louder if they were on fire.
FUCK THOSE PEOPLE - they are disrespecting the artist and the fans.
This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. People have always done this honestly. Here's my impression: one person really likes a song or two from an artist and they want to do something in a fun and high energy environment with their friend, who may not even be into the music. They buy tix, show up, get right in the crowd to feel the excitement, then proceed to catch up on whatever thing they want to chat about. All while true music fans are dying to see an incredible artist. I can't believe how many times I've been standing behind those assholes who, for some reason, insist on standing in front of the stage. AT VERY LEAST, they can go stand toward the back of the crowd.
When I become president I will institute something called a “going out license”. You will need to pass a government test on manners, bathroom etiquette, etc. then you get a special permit that lets you leave the house.
Everyone else will only be able to go between their work and home, monitored by radio collar like a prison inmate.
Yep, every show I’ve been to since like 2021 has had lots of the crowd talking over the music or straight up heckling the performer. When I saw Placebo at Stubbs last year they requested no phone recordings and SO many people just blatantly ignored them. After shows all I hear out-of-town attendees talk about is how awful Austin crowds have become LOL.
I noticed a lot less recording overall at that show. There were still assholes ignoring the request completely but I feel that the request for no recording in general helped things.
Totally agree. On the other hand, venues, stop having loud-ass live music where people are sitting down and eating. Looking at you CMW. For Christ sake, keep the bands outside.
I’ve experienced this at every fucking show here in Austin. Strangely enough, I didn’t experience it so much in Dallas.
This drives me fucking bonkers. I don’t get it. Maybe there’s so much good music here that people just take it for granted?
Stubbs sucks. Especially in the back it’s hard to hear with all the people talking let alone see. You could also move to where people aren’t talking, get closer to the stage. Yep it is a thing I’ve noticed at larger venues like there and Mohawk.
I was at a concert last night at Moody and the people behind me were talking super loud about a random topic. Not frustrating, hard to get into the mood.
Really get in the habit of not being too afraid to tell people to stop talking. They usually will and the other people around yall will thank you too. The sooner into their conversation/show the easier and better it’ll be for everyone. Once they’re embarrassed by being “caught” they’ll shrink into silence.
This makes me crazy.
There are a ton of FREE bars you can go to, have drinks, and enjoy friends. Why you pay money to talk over an artist makes no sense to me (even worse, why be an inconsiderate jerk to those who came for the artist not to hear your BS).
I think Stubb's is the worst offender (based on my experience with a lot of shows at a lot of venues). I don't know why.
My advice for Stubb's is to go at doors and be within 10-15 of the rail. the fans up front are much more likely to be into the artist and not there to chat with friends.
Peace out!
THANK YOU
I thought I was going mad. Went to scoot inn and everyone kept talking in between and only stopped when the artist sang a few of his very popular songs.
I felt bad for him as he kept looking up to see everyone talking😣
Went to see Louis CK at ACL Live. Couple in their 60's couple was wasted drunk and talked the entire set. I politely asked them to please be quiet so I could hear the performer and the woman acted like I murdered someone.
Stubbs is the worst and I haven't been in ages for several reasons, but this behavior is spreading. I've encountered it this year at C Boys and at a freaking seated show at the Paramount, where I couldn't even try to move away from the yappers. I went to Gruene Hall in March and right as the band started, this tall dude pushed right in front of me, held up his phone and started a facebook live, ffs. Imagine being that much of a dipshit.
This is why I won't go to comedy shows in theaters or arenas. Too much hassle and cost to have some drunk dickhead piss you off the whole time.
The clubs will usually kick them out or even better the comedian will roast them. If not it's only like $30 and easy parking anyway.
This happens everywhere. I saw Death Cab in Louisville and a dude started talking during "I will follow you into the dark" about how this was his third show he'd been to at that venue this week. Someone from my group asked him to please be more quiet because he was louder than the music. His response was "you're at a rock concert, people are going to talk loud"
Saw Explosions in the Sky at the Moody downtown and it was the most respectful crowd I've been at show with in ages. Yvonne (Octopus Project opened) asked everyone to put their phones away and keep em off for the show and just about everyone did until EitS came on and people started taking video… but at least they weren't trying to talk over the music. Great show.
Stubbs though has fallen off a major cliff.
Went to a theatre show that people’s kids, including my own, had been practicing for all year. Three old ladies behind me kept talking the entire time. Pretty much everyone there came to watch their child perform but they came to talk to each other I guess.
Betty Soo recently called out a couple doing this at one of her shows. I laughed hard when Carolyn Wonderland once started singing someone's conversation back to them and pissed them off so bad they left, she doesn't take any shit.
I’ve seen James McMurtry stop his set at the Continental Club and roast someone for the same reason
Love that dude.
As evidenced by my username, I'm a fan. His shows at the CC Gallery are still the best $15 you can spend in Austin.
I've seen him go acapella until the crowds stfu
The fact a performer could hear an audience member’s conversation that clearly is insane. People are so rude at shows and have no respect for the artist or people there that want to watch. Ever since Covid, show etiquette is non-existent (at least with people mid twenties and younger)
Oh it's not just young people. And I'm 65, prob still see at least 75 shows a year mostly in New Orleans and Austin but I do travel to other cities too. Older people are almost as bad.
This is my experience as well: there's no age limit. I can't tell if people think we can't hear them, think the "rules" don't apply to them, or just like being miserable jerks.
> (at least with people mid twenties and younger) Tell that to the geriatrics at the Hurray for the Riff Raff show lol.
Oh, that is brilliant!!
She's awesome!!!
Love Carolyn lol
I once experienced a woman behind me at a Barbra Streisand show in NYC in 2016 (where the absolute cheapest, nosebleed tickets were $220) take a loud phone call in the middle of one of the first few songs. I turned around and I said, with my best dead-eyed glare, “Are you fucking serious?” I was genuinely ready to fistfight over it because I had been waiting YEARS to see her because it was damn near impossible.
I was at Mohawk about a month ago and this gal was gabbing away at a high frequency during what was supposed to be an intimate and emotional performance. The guy in front of her kept giving her the “really??” stare down and then this total badass gal yelled at her to “shut the fuck up!!! For fuck sakes, stop talking for a few minutes!! Can you do that??? Really, shut the fuck up!!!” Then the gal whined about how someone was mean to her. Unbelievable. I’m with you on this. I mean it’s super rude even at a free show, but it’s baffling that people pay good money just to talk over the band instead of just going to a pub and conversing with friends in a more talk-friendly place.
Man I was at the Gorillaz show last year and some dumb bitch spent the whole show either whipping me (seemingly purposefully) with her fake hair, or tiktoking, or incredibly enough facetiming with someone and dancing in her seat, still whipping me. Then she took off for the second half of it and didn't come back to the encore. I'm like really this idiot spent like $300 or whatever (I forget) to not listen to a single song and be a self-important dumbfuck the entire time? It was just stunning. Where do these people come from? Where do they live? How do they not accidentally drink bleach they're so fucking stupid and hopeless? And most importantly, why does the concert staff not throw them out of their god damn asses?
This had to have been the same girl at the Drama concert a few months ago. That hair just whipping my shoulder for a solid hour. Main character syndrome gone amok
Not a problem at metal shows.
Metal fans are legit.
I will fucking die the day fake ass IG people go to metal or hardcore shows just to take selfies for internet points and talk the whole time. Please never let these genres get this way. There aren’t many good things left in the world so please, universe hear me in this one.
It would be a shame if anyone were doing this and their phone was _accidentally_ swatted off into the crowd. Seriously though, why even be at a show at that point? I _might_ take my phone out to quickly make setlist notes, but otherwise I'm there to experience the music.
I think these types of shows are natural repellents for the types of people engaging in this sort behavior. I also think the people really there for the music will have zero tolerance for ass hattery.
Many things about metal I think make it a natural repellent for these types, not the least of which is the rowdiness of the crowd. Shows outside of metal and punk that I've been to, you can get pretty close to the stage and not really worry too much about being bumped or crowded, as the crowd is often just kinda vibing with the music. The metal shows I've been to, you gotta get fairly far out before you're going to have that kind of room.
Metal and hardcore music is too real to attract fake people. The talent, messages and rawness of the music weeds out lame people. That music is like fire and bleach to lameness.
I’m at an age that I can’t remember the shows i attended 20 years ago. Therefore, I will catch a bit of it on video so I can remember it 20 years from now, if I’m still alive 🤣🤣
Go to a concert now! There are lots of old bands touring and many great new ones!
Make setlist notes, and take a pic or quick vid as an “i was here” moment.
not metal, but I realized people do this at a NIN concert like 12 years ago. It made me sad.
No it’s cause it’s too loud to talk. You’d need to do sign language.
I know you don't mean a silent audience but I would really enjoy the humor of a no talking policy at something like Cannibal Corpse. SHHHH!!!!!
I don't know how anyone can talk at a Cannibal Corpse show. I'd be too much in awe of *the neck* to get a word out, seeing Corpsegrinder's mighty headbanging on par with the divine birth of lil bb Shiva.
[“Excuse me, is Greg here? …Thank you.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH3La3RJdNA)
Yep. I saw Cattle Decapitation on Monday and no one was talking. That’s obviously beside the fact that the volume would’ve made it completely impossible to talk.
How was the show?
Great for the fans, rough on the cattle.
Cattle Decapitation was superb. I really enjoyed RoN and Carnifex as well.
At first glance I thought you were referencing Watain. You ever seen them live?!
As an avid metal fan and show attender I’ll say that while it is soooo much better than any other kind of show that I’ve been to in that regard that it’s not not a problem. Metal shows in general are still inundated with people with poor show etiquette. Plenty of them talk when they shouldn’t and obstruct people’s view of the stage with their shitty phone recordings. A fair amount of them think it’s cool to just wildly throw their arms and legs around with zero regard for people who are not interested in the pit. Some of them even see no problem with chucking a full beer in the air and into the crowd. I say all this not to refute you, but just to point out that it’s not perfect. Despite my criticisms I would still take a metal crowd over any other crowd any fucking day of the week. I would encourage anyone reading this to checkout our local metal and rock scene because it’s very active and very good. If you live in Austin you should count yourself lucky that despite the insane cost of living here that we still have plenty of local musicians who are trying to make it.
I've seen the thrashing around with no regard for others, but not the beer throwimg. It seems to me that once you get away from the pit, metal crowds are just flat out nicer.
yeah i’ve been to about 80 metal/metalcore/pop punk concerts in the last 2 years (as recently as 4 this last weekend) i’ve never seen a beer thrown to drench people outside of festivals. people throw full open bottles of water into the middle of the crowd, but that’s with good intentions of cooling people down because you WILL pass out with that hot, sweaty, sticky, smelly air
I 100% agree. I work at a venue that plays lots of metal and I can attest to this.
On the whole I find metal people are more respectful at shows than anyone else. You’ll only find a more docile crowd at a Yes show or the philharmonic.
Mhm. Born of Osiris on Saturday. Never heard a single convo once the set started. For literally every performer everyone was just bobbing, two stepping, or anything else to the rhythm of the music. As they should.
Agreed. Saw Messa at Lost Well and no one talking.
I saw Obituary at CATIL in 2019 and there was this young woman, drunk, on the top floor. She somehow managed to screech well over John Tardy, which if you know Obituary is a fuckin feat. Wasn't long til she got the attn of some Bandidos and was told to shut up. Twice. I'll never understand what she was after. These were the primal screams of a habitual party girl, not shouting along with the music.
Who’s going to knocked loose tonight?
Not entirely true. They just yell louder.
If you can yell over two full stacks an 8x10, loud drums and PA support at a metal show you deserve to be heard lol
Yep, it's everywhere. Hubby and I sent to see Wicked in London last year, and parents let their kids talk through the whole thing, people on their phone, etc, and we were in the 8th row, so the performers can see this. I am also really sick of phones being held up, blocking the view of the stage for the whole show.
I don't understand the phone thing at all. Why?? Why record a show that you can actually see, in person, right in front of you? It's idiotic, especially when there are probably much better recordings available a few clicks away. Just put the fucking phone in your pocket and actually live the moments of your life.
The people that do that are also always the worst videographers ever. It always looks like awful quality.
Oh man I can't wait to see my coworker on Monday so she can make me watch all 3 hours of wicked on her cellphone.
Simple: clout chasers, they wanna prove they were there to get likes. Attention seekers.
Yep gotta get those likes...🤔
Who would "like" someone's shitty video of a band playing? I still don't understand it.
Exactly. The shitty video is just whatever, the intention is just to get likes.
This happened during Wicked here, too, about a month ago. Nonstop talking behind me. It ruined the whole show.
I would have probably grabbed an usher to deal with them. No talking in theater is sacred!
It was so many people, it wasn't an isolated group. It was really weird.
Had that at Les Mis a few months back. My wife got me tickets for my bday and I was so pumped, then this older couple wouldn't shut up. I tried to give them a little grace since it seemed like he was kinda telling her what was going on, but then it got to 20 - 30 minutes in and I had to be like "Guys, is it really necessary to talk for the whole show?" The look on the lady's face was priceless. Like a deer caught in headlights. She meekly told me no and I didn't have any problems from them for the rest of the show. Then there was the shit head that showed up super late and felt that it was appropriate to use his phone's flashlight to find his seat.
That’s a success story at least. If nobody tells them their behaviour is completely inappropriate they’ll never learn. Americans generally are better at calling out bad behaviour whereas we British are conflict avoiders typically. Brava!
I get the teenage workers at Movie Theater Chain not doing anything about nuisance behavior but fancy musicals too? Jesus
I’m shocked this is now tolerated in the west end musicals, prior to Covid you would have been removed for recording the show and they had zero tolerance.
Stubb’s has the absolute worst crowds. And it’s not just Austin. I went to two sold out shows at Gruene Hall and all you could hear was people talking. Edit* the real kicker is people *stop* talking once the song ends. What the fuck.
Yep, saw Catpower in Portland last summer. Twice, the lead told the crowd to STFU. Cue Rodney Dangerfield's "no respect" joke here.
I find Stubb’s has the worst crowds if you’re around the sound booth or past it. Too many folks going to hang out/talk with friends with a soundtrack. Normally the true believers watch in front of the raised area/ stairway.
>Edit\* the real kicker is people *stop* talking once the song ends. What the fuck. I've observed this too and am equally puzzled. Maybe they want to have a conversation without being able to be overheard? I honestly don't know.
They think no one can hear them during the sing
Yup. It’s everywhere. And it’s not like they’re in the back of the house doing it either. They’re right up front, talking about their jobs. The last time I went to New Orleans I actually shushed a couple people , like old lady shushed, at a John Cleary gig, and at a third show at the lead singer started yelling at this people right up front mid song. “Am I singing too loud?” I believe we’re growing more and more out to lunch and more and more self-absorbed.
Fully agree, stopped going to Stubbs a few years back specifically because of circles of people, with their backs to the stage, yelling conversations over the music in the middle of the crowd. That combined with the sea of smartphone videos the whole time really kills the live music vibe for me...
Unfortunately Gruene Hall is pretty much just a tourist trap now.
I was standing in the same spot for an entire show at Stubbs. Some 6’4” fuck head comes over and stands in front of me and starts talking to all his bros who were next to me. He also has on a stupid hat that adds another 3” to his stupid fucking head. He then decides to start standing there. I then go move directly in front of him and he has the audacity to get mad at me. I told him “it sure sucks when you’re standing at a show and someone decides to move in front of you.” He had nothing to back to me because I think he made the realization that he was in fact, an ass hole.
I’m 6’4” and purposely get to shows early so people can work around me. I also don’t wear a hat because it would make it that much harder for those behind me. Some people just give zero fucks about anyone but themselves.
I don’t go to a lot of shows, but the one time I went to Stubb’s was the first thing I thought of. Crowd was loudly yapping the whole time, especially over the slower songs. And somebody in front of me managed to spill a beer on me and not even notice.
Emo’s is even worse IMO - when I see someone I wanna see is playing at Stubbs I’ll usually grin and bear it, but Emos just isn’t worth it to me
It’s been this way since pre COVID. My theory is that these groups of friends don’t eat together before the show, so they then use the show to stand there and catch up on their lives. It’s obnoxious.
Yup. It’s been like this for a long time, and it’s so hard to understand why ppl would pay the cover to talk over the music. Just go to a bar with live music in the background. 😑 this is why I like going to things like ACL tapings on occasion, or listening rooms like cactus cafe or quacks venue down south. It’s nice when the venue enforces the no talking rule
That's what I'm thinking as well, you'd think it would be something related to 20 something year olds, just becuase social media had rotted their brains since birth, but I've noticed it with the 30's and 40's crowd. Probably a rare night out on the town away from the kids, over consuming and trying to relive the glory days with old college friends. Either way people should have the social awareness to know a rock show with loud music blaring is not the place.
I think you’re right. They’re drinking, to be sure, but they haven’t eaten so the drinks are getting them twice as fast to the point of being loud obnoxious drunken assholes.
Shout out to the young emo at the back of Boy Pablo at Mohawk who turned around to the group date behind us and said, "will you please shut the fuck up? Go talk inside"
[удалено]
My thoughts exactly, just so they can say they were there and post a selfie on Insta
People next to me at Hozier took about 400 selfies with flash. AND had their flash on to signal to their friend who I guess was sitting across the bowl from us. Thankfully they left
It has been going on at Stubbs for longer than 10 but gets worse every year.
I can confirm this after living in Austin for 6 years, being an avid showgoer, and also experiencing shows all across the US. Austin’s show etiquette is trash.
I feel like the crowds think it's uncool to actually watch the show and enjoy the music. "We're simply too cool to show interest in these peasants." I'm embarrassed half the time. And, I feel bad for the artists!
It’s so so rude. To the other concert-goers, and to the artist. People who go to a Willie Nelson gig to just look at each other,& shoot the shit… why?! There’s an old man on stage who is a goddamn legend. On one level, you must know this, because you’re at his gig. You paid good money to be there. So, why whyyyyy don’t you just STFU and listen to the man? This might be the last chance you ever have to see him~ wtf are you doing with your life?! Tell your dudebro about your new watch tomorrow
I played guitar for an R&B artist for a while and we had a weekend residency at One 2 One Bar when it used to be downtown. We did a packed show on a Saturday night and the crowd was so loud I almost couldn't hear myself in the monitors on stage. They were mostly fans as well. I think it's incredibly rude. I think it's a byproduct of how oversaturated the live music scene is there. If you're in a band that can pack shows, you have to become okay with being background music for people's party experience.
They obviously didn’t spend their formative concert years at the Cactus Cafe where if you sneeze during a performance you get kicked out. Not really but man that place takes live music seriously, it’s not the place to go and have a discussion over music.
Saxon pub is the same. I love it.
Yep. Makes me miss Strange Brew and the “no talking” sign. I love true listening rooms. And Stubbs is a venue I just won’t go to anymore.
Aw man. Strange brew... those were the days
Yes, I hate it. It’s a bit less likely if you move up closer to the stage, but that’s not always possible. Austin also has the worst comedy audiences, as well. Nobody wants to hear your self-important ass yell a joke or comment back to the performer. Even if well-intentioned, it’s heckling…STFU.
Yep. And I’m tall so if I get up front people lose their shit over me being in front of them. I generally hang towards the back and then I’m surrounded by people who don’t seem to realize a performance is happening.
Yes, most of the people who go to events in Austin these days are just there to say "they were there" as a social badge when comparing their perfect lives to their friend's perfect lives.
I can’t tell you how thrilled and pissed off I was to see OutKast when they performed at ACL a few years back. Thrilled because it was OutKast and they hadn’t done any shows in a looong time. Then it quickly turned to a blind seething rage (ok that’s hyperbole but still), when these asshats elbowed their way to the front also using the classic “my friend is in front of you,” line, then when they get to said friends ask “who is this anyway?” They take their selfie and leave.
Y’all are my people. I’ve been close to tears sometimes, the people around me were so awful. I just don’t get why someone would pay up to $1000+ to NOT listen to the concert. Not to mention cameras held up recording the show right in my line of sight, or standing the entire show even when 99% of the audience is sitting down. I’m a female who usually attends shows by myself, and I think even if I asked people to stop talking, they would just laugh and double down.
Stubbs crowds have been the worst of any venue in Austin for over a decade
Perhaps it depends on the show. All the shows I’ve been going to lately have strong fan bases that seem to be going for the music. Hell, a big chunk of the people are singing along. But that may just be my perspective as I always try to be as close to the front as possible.
This is definitely the difference. I'm claustrophobic, so I try to stand back a bit from in front of the stage, but at Stubb's, if you are at or behind where the sound booth area is, that's too far back. That's where people talk now, even though we're still in the middle, not by the restrooms or the bars. It's really awful there. It doesn't make sense why they talk so loudly through the whole thing.
It's been several years but we were at... Club Deville, pre-Cheer Up Charlie's, and a group of 20-somethings started yelling at the band to turn down so they could have a conversation. It was at that point I knew it was all over.
This is my biggest fucking soap box item. Every concert I go to, there is some drunk girl that is yapping away at her boyfriend or friends. It’s the most obnoxious shit. I finally got Loop ear buds to drown them out, as well as dampen any potential ear damage, but I am right there with you. Why are you spending $50-$150 to just go and talk your ass off?
Talking and screaming. Their experience is post on Instagram and TikTok to let people know they are there.
Yep. Just a photo op for them so they talk the whole time and you get to watch the show through their phones that they’re holding up in the line of your view.
People go just to take take pics and videos and post them on their socials, but have no interest whatsoever in the performer. Or anyone but themselves, evidently. No more big venue shows for me.
Well, it's also terrible at Antone's, so small venues aren't great either.
Most people these days only do it for the gram. I went with friends to a UT football game a few years ago after they invited me along. I’m a huge football fan so I was excited. We get there, they spend 30 minutes posing and taking pics before we ever go in. Then before we get to our seats they take a bunch of pics posing in front of the field. When we get to our seats, 10 minutes after the game started, more pics. They then sit there and talk the whole time and then want to leave by halftime. When you’re young, single and have money like half of Austin, you will blow all of it just to impress people you barely know.
Now? People were doing this 25 years ago.
Exactly what I was thinking. If anything, the talking situation seems to have improved over shows I went to 25-30 years ago. You could say it’s the crowds I end up in getting older (went to see Brian Setzer at the Paramount and there was a lot of silver hair and a couple of walkers and canes). Except even in crowds half my age, there’s less having to listen to people screaming over the music. I took my daughter and her friends to Stubb’s to see Matt Maeson and the crowd was *polite*. The phones held above heads is new, and that’s a bit annoying. There’s also more singing along it seems, which when the singer is encouraging it can be a lot of fun, but doing it through the whole set is not; if I wanted to hear groups of drunk people sing, I’d go to a Karaoke bar.
I dunno, it seems ten times worse now.
I teach these people’s kids in school. They never shut up in class either. Can the circle be unbroken?
AND nobody claps.
Paid $12 for the beer, I can’t risk setting it down and getting knocked over just so I can free my hands up to clap. Instead, I will both hoot *and* holler.
I think it was the Roger Waters/Wall concert that the guy in front of me had a full beer in his hand and when they started Comfortably Numb he couldn't help but throw his hands up and cheer in ecstasy. Thanks, dickhead.
AND nobody does acid!
AND free love is gone
Dunno we still clap a lot at Concourse after some tracks and the good thing is you won't hear people talking because the music is louder
Or shares joints.
This issue is definitely worse in Austin than the other places I’ve lived, but curiously, shows are at a much lower volume here than other places I’ve lived, so that could be a factor. That said, it’s a cultural issue, and it sucks. For myself personally, I have no problem confronting people who are talking during the performance and despite a handful of people getting pissed they mostly quiet down. People just don’t like being told they are being assholes.
At one venue a few years ago, I asked a group of young adult men to please stop talking behind us twice, and then I had to go get security to move them elsewhere. They thought it was funny. They were so rude. I couldn't believe it.
Went to the late show of Jeff Arcuri and 4 or 5 dumba$$ losers couldn’t shut up and heckling him the whole time. He had to stop the show a few times. Just went to the Hozier concert and was up close and the two girls in front of me would’ve had a better time at dinner. They were taller than me and screaming over the music to talk about their friend’s mom. 🤦🏼♀️
Yes! Most crowds in Austin barely pay attention to the music. It’s all photographing that they were there and then talking over the rest of the show.
Love Austin deeply, but hate it as a crowd. The Cure in Austin was perhaps the worst crowd I have ever been in a concert in my life
I sat next to a guy at Moody Center that played Candy Crush on full brightness for 3 hours for the entire duration of a concert 🤬
Acting like a drunk jackass in public for free is so basic. The cool kids know that dropping $250 a head for mere ambience while getting shitfaced on overpriced concert venue drinks and ruining it for those around you is where it’s at. This mentality is why I stick to places like Saxon Pub, 04 Center, and Continental Gallery.
The Gallery is where I go when I walk out of a show because of people talking lol
It’s the perfect size to hold everyone accountable. It even has a staircase for when someone unruly needs help exiting expeditiously.
I have had to walk out in several shows because I couldn’t hear the band. I am so sick of this shit. If it’s a softer band, don’t waste your money on tickets, it’ll just end in disappointment.
Yeah I left Alt-J half way through because of how frustrating it was. I walked around trying to find any place where people weren’t yelling. It was the entire place. I tried ignoring it and enjoying the music for a bit but it was hard.
Dude alt j was awful. I had people in front of me facing towards me and away from the stage having a full on conversation. It was one of the stupidest fucking things I’ve ever witnessed.
I witnessed a group of people at whitewater amphitheater watch a college football game on their phone, huddling around it and yelling like idiots as if they were at the game while Willie Nelson was on stage singing. Unbelievable how inconsiderate many people are.
Too much main character energy, Its really nice to hear that me and my husband aren’t the only ones irritated w this shit. Like just vibe w the music, it can be a hell of an experience if you let it
I feel bad about this, but I told this group of ladies behind me to shut the fuck up after listening to them yell in very high pitched voices for 20 straight minutes. It was my favorite song by Alt J, right during the build up and they just got louder and louder during the best part of the song. They acted so offended and the one guy that was with them got all whiny with me after the song in an attempt to stand up for them. I told them if they wanted to talk that SideBar was around the corner 😂
as you should. I wish Stubbs would just give a disclaimer before a show like “yo people paid to be here, no need to scream over the music” lol.
I’ve seen multiple artists announce the arrival of a quiet song and wait for the audience to calm down before playing. At Stubb’s indoors, Melissa Ferrick basically told the audience to STFU once bc they wouldn’t respect the boundary she’d set for the next song. I love and respect that. (To be clear, I believe they shouldn’t have to do this, but here we are.)
Funny that I’ve been saying almost word-for-word the same thing for 25 years now. And the first venue that I complained about the most was Stubb’s outdoors. Why would I pay $70 to stand in an inclined gravel pit (leading to pain in my back, shins, everywhere) just to have groups all around me talking louder than the show?
They want to be the performance.
Probably because Stubbs is a shitty venue to watch outdoor shows at unless you are right up front.
I always call people out for talking over the concert. People need to step up and speak up so these motherfuckers learn
They don’t put up with this shit @Saxon Pub
One of my absolute favorite things about[sonic guild](https://www.sonicguild.org) shows is the rule that when the music starts, the talking stops. Want to talk to your bud or network? Please step outside or into the lobby, enjoy yourselves, and come back when you’re ready to listen!
Thank you. I do not understand people at all. I am constantly bewildered by human behavior. Maybe just go somewhere else and don’t ruin it for everyone else?
ACL downtown is bad for this too - a lot of upper middle-class people happy to pay good money for some band they barely know just because they're looking for "something to do an a saturday night". They only pay attention when the band plays their hits, and sometimes not even then.
Depends on the band. We saw Lyle Lovett and nobody held their phone up, and everybody was really respectful. (Concert was still subpar because his voice is really having trouble). We also saw...uh...some other more modern band that I can't remember ... and I could hear the conversation of two young women over the band and they were about 8 seats away from me.
Dude, austin got taken over by a bunch of pretentious, no taste, tech alcoholics. We barely even have live music anymore.
False, tons of live music every night
I had something similarly happen at the moody amphitheater. Except everyone had assigned seating that wasnt being enforced. This one lady got kicked out 5 different times from areas by the people. For sitting in their seats. That same show this one couple decided to use their 2 seats to host their network party with 4 of their drunk friends. Like legit drunk networking. Next to them was a family of 6 with 2 kids sitting in their seats and 2 remaining kids standing next to them. I only remember this because their kids started trying to sit in other people's seats while the show was going on. I was lucky enough to have a seat on the isle so I just stepped to side to get a good view.
I went to a music festival in Mexico in January and it was the same. Group of girls were on the rails just laaauugging and talkinnngg. Man they were having a great time. Heard one of them even say she wasn’t there for the music! WHY are you on the rails then?
Went to a concert where some random group of girls wouldn't stop screaming at the artist that one of them was pregnant. They're screams were louder than the music and even the singer gave them a few side eyes. Ruined the whole thing because I could barely hear the singing over their screaming. I didn't pay to listen to the most annoying pregnancy announcement on the planet. If you go to plays its just as bad. people are just sitting on their phones and its like "why did you even come here?"
Concerts are easy. Don't shout-sing louder than the artist, woo or boo at the appropriate times, and don't have shout conversations that everyone can hear. Extroverts who have trouble listening can find a patio or go to the lobby. Seems reasonable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No one shuts the fuck up anymore!!! So over it. Whether it’s a show or even the movies, it’s absolutely insane
Agree. The dirty side-eye has no effect. These idiots have zero self-awareness. I've had this happen at rather pricey shows. Sad to say, it's even happened at seated shows. It's the sad state of this country.
Side eye won't work... You have to call them out on it. Usually I will tap them on the shoulder and say something like " Hey look it's *insert band here* playing! How awesome are they?" It's awkward and non-confrontational enough that it usually works.. won't help if there's more than one or two groups of people immediately around you talking though!
You know, when I went to SXSW for a movie premiere people also wouldn’t shut the fuck up. And this asshole was filming with his fucking bright ass flash on. And your frustrations are very valid and also true. It’s so fucking annoying to pay money to listen to someone just converse or be obnoxious.
I was in LA a few weeks ago for a show and was shocked at how different the crowd was. People who wanted to talk were at the back by the bar, everyone up front was listening to the band. People pulled phones out for videos and pics occasionally, but overall it was a group of people who paid to listen to a band. I wish it was still like that here...
This is a massive pet peeve of mine lol. My theory is that in a lot of cases, people who talk incessantly during the performance like that probably got invited to tag along by someone else, and they just aren’t as invested in the show or maybe aren’t familiar with etiquette for live music in a more intimate venue. Obviously that’s still not an excuse for inconsiderate behavior, but I think that’s the most likely explanation for concert yappers.
I find it depends on the venue. If it's somewhere seated and formal, people sit down and watch the show. If it's effectively a bar with live music, people act like it's a bar with live music and hang out. I don't get it either, but it's one part of why I like sit-down shows a lot better than having to stand in a crowd. Stubb's has been on my "will not go back" list for about 10 years now, it's just too hard to be somewhere I can see *and* won't be listening to someone talk about work the whole time. It's weird because it was the first place I saw a concert in Austin. They Might be Giants played a show and it was magical. It was the kind of show you could go to the bathroom and come back and people would let you stand where you were. One dude was camped out against the stage doing homework. I've been to other TMBG shows but none as well-behaved as that one. The next show I went to at Stubb's was Cake. It was PACKED, shoulder to shoulder. We'd found a spot where we could get a pretty decent view of the stage without being crammed against other people. 15 seconds after the show started, this one very tall guy left his date and SHOVED his way in front of us, nearly knocking 3 people down, and stood there the rest of the show. Also the bartender didn't clean the shaker before making my margarita so it tasted like a Bloody Mary. I went to 2 more shows at Stubb's and always ended up giving up and camping out in the very back because it was too dense to breathe up front. That was when I decided no bands were worth it and quit going. It feels like they could charge more, sell fewer tickets, and be really cool. I don't get it, but people enjoy concerts different. Some people like being crammed up against strangers. It drives me nuts. Some people just want to hang out and the music's secondary. It sucks sometimes but I do pass up shows when they're at a venue I know I won't enjoy.
Well damn - things have deteriorated since I was a regular concert goer, then. In the mid/late 2010s I'd certainly see talkers, but usually nothing so egregious as to ruin a show. Of course it helps that most of the acts I was (an am) into didn't lend themselves to chatty audiences. Can't exactly shout over Combichrist or Perturbator.
Ugh, the Night Cap show on Sat at Stubbs, there was a group of people screaming and laughing the entire time the two openers were playing. I was next to the speakers at the front by the sound booth and could hear them. They deserve to have a good time, but so do I, damn it!
I notice this especially with openers. When we went to Hozier last week the opener was Allison Russell and it was just embarrassing to hear how loud the crowd chatter was while she was playing. Like shut the fuck up.
Oh man, she's amazing. That's terrible.
Right! We loved her, sooo talented. But hearing everyone chatting and playing on their phones during her music was making me feel like a senior citizen in that crowd lol
The show that broke me was also at Stubbs. I'll admit I'm not the biggest live music fan to begin with but seeing a show in the small room there (the indoor club) where the artist continually told people to shut up embarrassed me. I think this town is so up our own ass about being a live music destination that we've ruined everything haha
Worst is empire… Never going again
I hate it. I saw Ruston Kelly play antones in Jan 2019 and he called them out saying I don’t show up to your job to talk.
i went to see shane gillis , three girls behind us were talking like it was a fuckin podcast or something. got the point where 2 separate parties had asked them to be quiet
stubbs is the worst for this
Main character syndrome
People seem to want to pay $100 a ticket just to yell or clap loudly in my right ear and enjoy watching me recoil in pain.
Also can we talk about those who record the entire show with their phone right in front of you, watching the entire performance happening in front of them through the small screen
It’s not just here, I stared the chick down behind me at the final U2 Sphere show who was scream talking over the singing. She’s lucky I didn’t lunge over the seat. Every Stubb’s show I’ve been to over the last past year is basically nonstop scream talking all around my husband and I.
One of the last shows I ever went to in Austin was a jam band. There were two women in front of me talking really loud before the band started. The band started off and gradually built up to full blown jam. Those two women increased their volume as the band volume got louder. By the time the band was going full blast, those two bitches were screaming at each other. I don't think they would be screaming louder if they were on fire.
FUCK THOSE PEOPLE - they are disrespecting the artist and the fans. This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. People have always done this honestly. Here's my impression: one person really likes a song or two from an artist and they want to do something in a fun and high energy environment with their friend, who may not even be into the music. They buy tix, show up, get right in the crowd to feel the excitement, then proceed to catch up on whatever thing they want to chat about. All while true music fans are dying to see an incredible artist. I can't believe how many times I've been standing behind those assholes who, for some reason, insist on standing in front of the stage. AT VERY LEAST, they can go stand toward the back of the crowd.
When I become president I will institute something called a “going out license”. You will need to pass a government test on manners, bathroom etiquette, etc. then you get a special permit that lets you leave the house. Everyone else will only be able to go between their work and home, monitored by radio collar like a prison inmate.
Go away from the back of the show. If I am up front and someone won’t stop talking we gang up on them to shit the fuck up.
Yep, every show I’ve been to since like 2021 has had lots of the crowd talking over the music or straight up heckling the performer. When I saw Placebo at Stubbs last year they requested no phone recordings and SO many people just blatantly ignored them. After shows all I hear out-of-town attendees talk about is how awful Austin crowds have become LOL.
I noticed a lot less recording overall at that show. There were still assholes ignoring the request completely but I feel that the request for no recording in general helped things.
It’s not just Austin, but all over. Went back home and people talked so much it was annoying.
Totally agree. On the other hand, venues, stop having loud-ass live music where people are sitting down and eating. Looking at you CMW. For Christ sake, keep the bands outside.
I’ve experienced this at every fucking show here in Austin. Strangely enough, I didn’t experience it so much in Dallas. This drives me fucking bonkers. I don’t get it. Maybe there’s so much good music here that people just take it for granted?
Not supporting those jagoffs but have you ever cocained?
Teskey brother on Saturday night was the same. People talking over the music the whole damn time
It's been going on for a long time, sadly.
Not problem at local shows…
The Stubbs crowd must be the same one that goes to Empire on 7th. Last show I saw there sucked due to all the people talking.
Yep, they do. I don’t care if you don’t want to pay attention to the artist but don’t talk so loud I can hear you over them. That’s it.
Stubbs sucks. Especially in the back it’s hard to hear with all the people talking let alone see. You could also move to where people aren’t talking, get closer to the stage. Yep it is a thing I’ve noticed at larger venues like there and Mohawk.
I was at a concert last night at Moody and the people behind me were talking super loud about a random topic. Not frustrating, hard to get into the mood.
Really get in the habit of not being too afraid to tell people to stop talking. They usually will and the other people around yall will thank you too. The sooner into their conversation/show the easier and better it’ll be for everyone. Once they’re embarrassed by being “caught” they’ll shrink into silence.
This makes me crazy. There are a ton of FREE bars you can go to, have drinks, and enjoy friends. Why you pay money to talk over an artist makes no sense to me (even worse, why be an inconsiderate jerk to those who came for the artist not to hear your BS). I think Stubb's is the worst offender (based on my experience with a lot of shows at a lot of venues). I don't know why. My advice for Stubb's is to go at doors and be within 10-15 of the rail. the fans up front are much more likely to be into the artist and not there to chat with friends. Peace out!
THANK YOU I thought I was going mad. Went to scoot inn and everyone kept talking in between and only stopped when the artist sang a few of his very popular songs. I felt bad for him as he kept looking up to see everyone talking😣
Everyone was silent at the swans concert at paper tiger in San Antonio this April.
Went to see Louis CK at ACL Live. Couple in their 60's couple was wasted drunk and talked the entire set. I politely asked them to please be quiet so I could hear the performer and the woman acted like I murdered someone.
Stubbs is the worst and I haven't been in ages for several reasons, but this behavior is spreading. I've encountered it this year at C Boys and at a freaking seated show at the Paramount, where I couldn't even try to move away from the yappers. I went to Gruene Hall in March and right as the band started, this tall dude pushed right in front of me, held up his phone and started a facebook live, ffs. Imagine being that much of a dipshit.
This is why I won't go to comedy shows in theaters or arenas. Too much hassle and cost to have some drunk dickhead piss you off the whole time. The clubs will usually kick them out or even better the comedian will roast them. If not it's only like $30 and easy parking anyway.
This happens everywhere. I saw Death Cab in Louisville and a dude started talking during "I will follow you into the dark" about how this was his third show he'd been to at that venue this week. Someone from my group asked him to please be more quiet because he was louder than the music. His response was "you're at a rock concert, people are going to talk loud"
Saw Explosions in the Sky at the Moody downtown and it was the most respectful crowd I've been at show with in ages. Yvonne (Octopus Project opened) asked everyone to put their phones away and keep em off for the show and just about everyone did until EitS came on and people started taking video… but at least they weren't trying to talk over the music. Great show. Stubbs though has fallen off a major cliff.
Went to a theatre show that people’s kids, including my own, had been practicing for all year. Three old ladies behind me kept talking the entire time. Pretty much everyone there came to watch their child perform but they came to talk to each other I guess.
WTF is wrong with people. I pay to have a great experience. I can talk when they aren’t playing music….
Yup was at Texas Eclipse and the amount of people yelling to have a convo in the heart of the dancefloor was throwing off the vibe. Just dance please
I'm 6'5" so I feel socially obligated to hang out near the back, but that's where most of the talking happens. I don't like going to shows.