Today’s fan culture has slowly built a normalization of obnoxiousness and disrespect at concerts. A night for one to admire, dance, and connect with their favorite music played live has become less enjoyable as concert etiquette seems to have been forgotten by many. No matter the genre of music, artists on arena tours consistently seem to have at least one disruption throughout their many shows. Of course, there’s so much excitement around concerts, but that shouldn’t take away fans’ ability to be respectful to the artist and fellow audience members.
Laufey and Hozier, two artists who have music on the quieter and calmer side, both recently went on tours that had several outbursts from the audience. While performing emotional, soft sets, one or two people would scream very unnecessary things. While the middle of a song is definitely not the time to make a scene needlessly, it should be common decency not to scream at all at a show besides cheering in between sets. Other fans expressed annoyance at it taking away from the moment.
Similarly, Billie Eilish is currently on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour and performs “when the party’s over,” which uses a vocal loop to record her harmonies live. To do so successfully, though, the entire stadium must be silent for a few moments. And in 2023, Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour included the “mute challenge,” which also required the stadium to not say a word. Before each of these shows, fans make a big deal about “winning” the challenge for their city, which adds to the built-up excitement. It’s a very fun addition that can be a great moment and memory for fans if done right, but most time it’s not.
Apart from rude interruptions, bad concert etiquette can make fans miss out on other aspects of the concert. Many singers structure their shows to include a portion for connecting and interacting with the audience. For many fans, it’s the highlight of the night. There’s the anticipation of possibly getting chosen for a bit, the artist coming closer to the audience, or pulling a lucky fan onto the stage with them. These all add to the magic of attending a concert. However, with how out of hand these moments have gotten for some, artists are starting to pull back on that portion of their sets. Beyond making noise, it threatens danger for the artist. Using Billie Eilish as an example again, a moment walking along the barricade that is supposed to be sweet and simple has been turned into a moment likely stressful due to people dragging and holding on to her hand.
The main purpose of attending a concert is to listen to music and have a good time, and I think this can be done easily while still respecting those around you and the artist performing for you.