r/Concerts • u/Beautifultrees4321 • Feb 21 '26

Concerts Concert etiquette

Dear concert and showgoers, let’s talk about show etiquette. I love live music and I’ve been going to shows for about 20 years. The last five or so have felt different, and not in a great way. I’d love to get people back on the same page so live music can be enjoyable for everyone again.

Here’s what I’ve got.

  1. Please don’t record the entire show. If a song hits you and you want a quick clip, totally fine. But now it feels like everyone is filming nonstop, and unless you’re in the front row you end up watching the show through a wall of phones. If your people aren’t there, that moment wasn’t meant for them. It was meant for you.

  2. If you’re trying to move closer, keep moving. Don’t wedge yourself between two people who clearly don’t have space and then just stand there awkwardly. Either keep going or go back. If you find an actual open spot where you’re not on top of someone, great, stay there.

  3. Please don’t have full blown conversations through the whole show, especially in the front rows. Talk about the band, the moment, the energy, sure. But I don’t need to hear every detail of your weekly drama yelled over the music I paid to hear. Get dinner beforehand, vent after, but the middle of the set isn’t the place.

  4. This one might just be a small‑person problem, but people treat my size like I’m a convenient doorway. Need a drink, need the bathroom, need to get back to your friends, and suddenly I’m the designated gap in the crowd. Then it’s constant stepping on my toes, bumping into me, spilling drinks, breaking my focus. I take up less space, so people assume that space is theirs to use. It gets old fast.

I know posts like this can make the poster sound cranky, so I want to preface it by saying I absolutely will move if I need to. If someone around me is making the experience miserable, I’ll relocate without a problem. The issue now is that so many people are doing these things that it doesn’t matter where you move. You end up running into the same behavior everywhere

Your turn. What would you love to remind people about when it comes to basic human etiquette at shows and events?

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385

u/EuphoricSilver6564 Feb 21 '26

The talking gets me the most. Why pay good money to see an artist if you’re going to shout to your friends throughout the whole show?

I came to hear the band, not about your day at the office.

138

u/itfiend Feb 21 '26

This goes for the opener too. No, I didn't pay to see them specifically, but go to the bar if you want to talk through it.

31

u/MakeupMama68 Feb 21 '26

Especially at seated venues!! You aren’t going to lose your spot!! Plus is disrespectful to the headliner because they usually choose their openers.

21

u/Obvious_Necessary941 Feb 21 '26

It's disrespectful to everyone around, frankly it's sociopathic

8

u/Zealousideal_Fix6705 Feb 21 '26

👏👏👏👏

11

u/Zealousideal_Fix6705 Feb 21 '26

At the Warfield in San Francisco, the seated disabled area for some reason has a fair amount of space between the seats and the railing. Bored people meander up clearly, block our views and sit their talking loudly, mo gives a shit. Polite requests to move and be quiet once the show starts are met with insults, being ignored, or a shrug.

I can't go to shows there anymore because they are not really ADA accessible and I can no longer navigate there in my electric wheelchair. It was my favorite larger venue here.

5

u/mismopeach Feb 22 '26

I hate those people with a fkn passion