Olivia Ground is a third-year advertising major and writes “Liv, laugh, love” for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
I absolutely love concerts.
From stadiums to small bar venues, nothing fills my soul with pure bliss like live music does. The feeling of bass reverberating through my body and shaking my bones is a constant reminder for me that life is beautiful and I am happy to live it.
What I don’t love is the way people are acting at concerts in a post-pandemic world. Now, more than ever, videos are floating around on social media of artists having dangerous objects like cups of beer and phones thrown at them, having to stop shows to address rowdy crowds, and walking off stang mid-set because of the dangerous conditions fans put them in.
I was fortunate enough to attend a concert at the Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis a few weekends ago. The venue only has room for concertgoers to stand and it, in theory, fits around 2,000 people.
This was not my first standing-room-only show. And I’ve attended a few different ones both before and after the pandemic.
However, before the pandemic, I never was worried for my own safety, oddly enough. I was never really worried about someone hurting me, passing out or getting sick.
But while standing on the floor of my most recent concert, I noticed that something had changed.
There were two half-hour sets by the openers then a one-hour-long set from the headliner. But before the headliner even got on stage, at least three people that I could see passed out and one person projectile vomited all over the pit’s floor.
I am empathetic to those individuals and I genuinely hope they are okay. In saying that, I also think that what happened there was a result of a lack of understanding of concert etiquette.
Concert etiquette is the way one should act when they are at these concerts and is relatively simple:
- Don’t film the whole show. Take a few photos and videos. I do! We all do, but don’t film the entire time. And certainly don't hold your camera above the crowd, blocking the view of the people behind you the whole time.
- Don't crowd others and don’t rush the stage. I know it’s a pit, I know we’re going to be close, but there is no reason to be touching hip to hip. It’s gotten to the point where I cannot put my hands to my side or even move my feet without feeling someone's elbows digging into me. That is dangerous. And I really emphasize this: don’t press towards the stage. No one wants a recreation of what happened at Astroworld. Let’s just remember to keep a mindful distance from those around us.
- Be mindful of the people around you. Don’t talk through the whole set. Sing along, sure, but don’t talk. It’s disrespectful to not only those trying to enjoy the show but the artist as well.
- Performers do not owe you interactions, so don’t spend the whole show looking for their attention. If you bring a sign, keep it small and don’t hold it up for the whole show.
- Pick up your trash. Cleaning crews at these shows don’t get paid nearly enough to mop up your spilled beer and pick up your Truly cans at 1:00 a.m. when there are about 10 trash cans on the way out of the venue. So please be courteous and clean up after yourself.
Concerts can be an amazing — even life-changing — experience for so many reasons. We’re all there to have a good time, enjoy the music and enjoy those who may have come with us. However, it’s good to be conscious. Be kind and respectful to the humans around you. Be safe, too. But most of all, have fun.
Contact Olivia Ground with comments at olivia.ground@bsu.edu or on Twitter @liv_ground_25.
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