Tall fat bastards who push to the front so they can block the view of as many people as possible. If you’re tall, stand at the sides so the normal folks can see!
(Except for Big Jeff, obviously)

Fortunate enough to get to see Kate Bush in 2014. A big announcement at the beginning about not using phones during the performance. Not a phone in sight during and such a delight not be distracted by the bright glowing screens.

Mind you, seems like everyone there was a huge fan. I do wonder if people go to gigs just because their mates are going. They may have never heard of the band?

TM

I tend to agree, society in general seems to have an overblown sense of self-absorbedness now. Just ask TINAS

I’m far less miserable in real life, honest.

The reason I remember ‘that’ guy is a misspent youth sound and light engineering. He was always the one who tried to make conversation, and was always, without fail, the most boring person there*. You’ve paid to be here, I’m paid to be here, go have some fun at the front and pull an indie chick, it’s where we’d rather be!

*no, no I don’t think they were better before they were famous, no I haven’t heard their limited release B-side cover of Adiemus, yes, if i wanted to hear your opinion I’d read it myself in NME rather than get it second hand from you.

haha, fair enough.

Fortunate enough to get to see Kate Bush in 2014

Lucky sod. That gig and Zep in 2007 will probably always be the 2 that got away..
Tell me you also got to the Zep gig and I shall have to stop being your friend.

I forgot to add: people wearing huge silly hats to block the view.

FLAGS AT FESTIVALS! ARRGHHH!

Last gig I went to was Motorhead about 7 years ago, before Lemmy got old.
People talking over the band was not an issue.

The reason I remember ‘that’ guy is a misspent youth sound and light engineering.

slimjim – That makes a lot more sense now, I’d been slightly puzzled by the gig since it happened!!
I would’ve given anything to be at the Led Zep reunion as well. As soon as it was announced as a raffle system I knew that I had no chance though. I think raffle tickets are put in the bin when I buy them rather than in the hat.

The answer to the last one is always yes, vast amounts, however asking to ‘borrow’ another mans gaffer tape is like asking to ‘borrow’ his girlfriend, get yer own!

That and where’s the official uniform of fleece and shorts? Clearly not a pro :-p

Blocking other folks’ view by filming with a smartphone.

On more than one occasion now I’ve seen people doing this with full-sized iPads. Get in the sea.

Through my gig going life (35 years) ‘ve got further and further back from the front.

This has been helped by better sound and ‘light/screen’ shows

I think bands used to play mostly live. I dread to think how much trickery and tracks are used these days

It used to be entertainment by personality – for those ‘rockstars who actually had one.

That’s what I cant stand the most.

When I’m in the band and people are annoying me I play a semi tone flat until they stop, the number of times that’s had zero effect is astonishing 🙂

Interesting one from Moses about tall people and to an extent I see his / her point.

However, just because I’m tall doesn’t mean I always want to stand right at the back or sides. Maybe on the odd occasion I go out I want to stand near the band and get a bit of noise and action?

Maybe the shorties could bring a box to stand on?

vickypea – Member

Blocking other folks’ view by filming with a smartphone. When I last saw the Temperance Movement, the woman in front of me did that persistently until (thankfully) her battery ran out.

I saw a really odd thing at a biffy gig a while back… They had live screens, and a big promontary stage thing so they could get out into teh crowd. At one point, Simon Neil (singer/guitarist/tramp/inexplicable sex symbol) comes out on the sticky out stage thing and ended up about 3 metres away from where I was standing… and the girl beside me was filming him on the big screen, on her phone, watching the gig on a screen on a screen when he was barely more than an arms length away. So weird.

But if filming on a phone is bad, what do you call it when the ipads come out?

Fortunate enough to get to see Kate Bush in 2014
Lucky sod. That gig and Zep in 2007 will probably always be the 2 that got away..
Tell me you also got to the Zep gig and I shall have to stop being your friend.

Didn’t see Led Zep. I did see Fat and Frantic play a church hall in Hastings though. (who remembers them?)

Re: KB, yes, consider myself very lucky. It was an extraordinary experience. Standing ovations from arrival on stage to the end. We were all stunned at the interval really. Remains the finest musical show I have seen. The lack of phones was a very unusual occurrence.

TM

I expect with the average age of the Kate Bush audience, smart phones are few and far between 😉

stick_man – Member
Interesting one from Moses about tall people and to an extent I see his / her point.

However, just because I’m tall doesn’t mean I always want to stand right at the back or sides. Maybe on the odd occasion I go out I want to stand near the band and get a bit of noise and action?

Maybe the shorties could bring a box to stand on?

I’m tall. I arrive early and pick a spot to stand early on. That way other people won’t be surprised by a 6’4″ obstruction appearing once they’ve found their spot to stand. People who arrive late then decide it’s their right to barge to the front of the crowd and invent a space to stand when it was already crowded annoy me a bit.

I’ve given up going to gigs with allocated seating so it’s -20db musicians’ plugs in the ears and move around to where there’s space to dance and the people are neither statues or overly aggressive. I’m happy to sing along, clap and join in as the front man requests – because good front men/women get the audience joining in.

Good experiences generally though some of the later punk gigs were dire. The Damned was dreadful. The playing was dreadful, the singing was dreadful, the audience rained the band in gob and behaved dreadfully – I suppose that was the idea… .

thisisnotaspoon – Member
And talking. We all like to share the moment, but why pay good money for a ticket to stand in a crowded space facing your mates/s and shout each other dull life affairs at each other for the entire time? WTF??
Because it’s a social event?

But it’s not a social event for them, because they’re so immersed in their own selfish little world, oblivious to just how much they’re pissing off everyone else around them. I was at a John Martyn gig in Bath once, one where he wasn’t too pissed to perform, and there was a little group of four who stood in a square facing each other talking for the entire gig.
On my way out, I asked them if they’d enjoyed it, to which they said yes, it was great! Really, I said; that’s amazing, considering you’ve talked all the way through and ignored completely the person on stage: why didn’t you just stay at home with a stack of his albums and some booze, then you wouldn’t have pissed off everyone in earshot!
They just stood with their mouths open as I walked off. I felt better for venting, though.

twiglet_monster – Member
Fortunate enough to get to see Kate Bush in 2014. A big announcement at the beginning about not using phones during the performance. Not a phone in sight during and such a delight not be distracted by the bright glowing screens.

Mind you, seems like everyone there was a huge fan. I do wonder if people go to gigs just because their mates are going. They may have never heard of the band?

I did wait until the encore bit before sneaking my phone out at waist height and grabbing several photos, most a bit blurry. Helped having front row centre seats!
I also saw Zeppelin, but that was in 1972, at Earl’s Court, on the Physical Graffiti Tour. 😀

People who stand at the barrier and don’t like getting barged and squashed.

People who stand around a mosh pit and like to do all the pushing back in but don’t like getting pushed themselves.

People who stand around a mosh pit and don’t like their toes getting stood on.

People who stand around a mosh pit drinking a beer and don’t expect to get their pint spilled.

Over aggressive mosh pitters, who are there to shove and ignore the music.

Bring on Saturday!!!

Whathaveisaidnow – Member
People who stand at the barrier and don’t like getting barged and squashed.

People who stand around a mosh pit and like to do all the pushing back in but don’t like getting pushed themselves.

People who stand around a mosh pit and don’t like their toes getting stood on.

People who stand around a mosh pit drinking a beer and don’t expect to get their pint spilled.

Over aggressive mosh pitters, who are there to shove and ignore the music.

What about those at the front who are there when a mosh pit spontaneously breaks out when nobody is expecting it, like at a Half Man Half Biscuit gig at Bath Komedia?

What about those at the front who are there when a mosh pit spontaneously breaks out when nobody is expecting it, like at a Half Man Half Biscuit gig at Bath Komedia?

join in or move?

But i do enjoy a good old mosh about, so I am somewhat biased in my views.

Whathaveisaidnow – Member

People who stand around a mosh pit and like to do all the pushing back in but don’t like getting pushed themselves.

Why? They’re kind of an essential part of a pit, otherwise you’re just constantly steaming into innocent bystanders and having it close up and that. Always strikes me as weird when people try and throw or drag the wall into the churn.

Over aggressive mosh pitters, who are there to shove and ignore the music.

This happened at the Afghan Whigs gig last year at Manchester Cathedral. A guy was dancing aggressively in between songs, Greg Dulli spotted this going on and said ” buddy, I appreciate your enthusiasm – I really do, but if you start a fight – I’m going to jump down there and ****ing end it. Be cool”. sometimes a quiet word from the right person does the trick! 🙂

Highlights include:

Arcade Fire Nottingham , man throwing a shoe at the band.

Beautiful South Sherwood Pines, fight starting at front but band wading in.

Various James concerts: lots of shirtless idiots generally pushing you about. And yes the aforementioned James cancer reference happened at Leeds too.

I don’t think it is about the music any more – it’s the raucous drunk types that want to party with no respect.

Hate it, puts me off completely.

Go to less trendy bands like OMD and you don’t get this 🙂

CountZero – Member
What about those at the front who are there when a mosh pit spontaneously breaks out when nobody is expecting it, like at a Half Man Half Biscuit gig at Bath Komedia?

As a veteran of many HMHB gigs, I cannot believe that the polite, embarrassed, middle aged frugging at the front could ever be described as a ‘Mosh Pit’.
Although I did once get a nasty friction burn from a pair of oven gloves.
Should have used Lenor.

It’s more like an outbreak of muttering in the pension queue.

Mosh Pit Etiquette:
It’s not a ‘mosh pit’. We’re British. It’s ‘down the front’.
No spitting, scratching, gouging, fondling, groping, kissing or biting.
If someone falls over, pick them up.
Take all of your jagged, sharp edged jewellery off first.
Non players off the green.

I don’t think it is about the music any more – it’s the raucous drunk types that want to party with no respect.

Hate it, puts me off completely.

Yup, absolutely spot on.

It’s one of the reasons why I rarely go to gigs these days….. I prefer to set aside a Friday evening every once in a while, get a few beers in, then spend it listening to/watching a band on my home entertainment system (it helps if you’ve got an expensive one).

You’d be hard pressed to be able to distinguish it from a real gig, especially if it’s a band like Radiohead et al.

I think this is probably the way it’s all going to go anyway. Perhaps a “pay per view” service for gigs?

It’ll be a bit like the Boiler Room/Mixmag setups I imagine. Obviously you’ll get a few mugs paying forty quid a pop to actually go to the venue (just so they can say they’ve “seen them live”); but us sensible one’s will be able to “stream” it to the comfort of our living rooms.

on that note, Radiohead at The Roundhouse goes on pre-sale this Friday…

CountZero – did we just become best friends?!

rone – Member

Arcade Fire Nottingham , man throwing a shoe at the band.

Hah. I remember snow patrol at t in the park- no, steady, I’m not really a fan but they were great that night. Someone chucks a shoe at the singer. He picks it up and goes “I’m just wondering how quickly it becomes apparent to you that you’ve ****ed up. Is it when the shoe hits the stage? Or does it kick in immediately after it leaves your hand? That realisation that you need to walk around the rest of the festival with one shoe. Or, maybe you’re only realising it now? Hey- shoe for sale, £1000”

Then someone threw another “What a waste, it’s not even a pair! Anyone got a size 9 black Vans, right?”

ajantom – Member
From a musicians perspective –
Stage invaders – you’re the crowd, we’re the entertainment.

Sign me up for ticket now 🙄

You need to get yourself a gig with the Aberdeen crusty punks! We always loved playing for them you never quite knew what was going to happen. We’ve had human pyramids being formed on stage, guitarists being carried off. And general tomfoolery. Its part of the fun.

I got passed overhead onto the stage at a Ramones gig in Manchester a few years ago.

Stood up and prepared to dive back into the crowd.
I was a big lad back then and the gap between the stage, barrier and audience seemed a bit ambitious from up there.
The prospect of being landed on by a fat lad had thinned the crowd right at the front out a bit too.

No backing out, so I prepared by taking a run up, only to be rugby tackled by security before I’d taken flight.

Probably for the best.
🙂

Sign me up for ticket now 🙄
You need to get yourself a gig with the Aberdeen crusty punks! We always loved playing for them you never quite knew what was going to happen. We’ve had human pyramids being formed on stage, guitarists being carried off. And general tomfoolery. Its part of the fun.

You didn’t quote the second part of my sentence 😉
I’ve actually got no issue with people coming and dancing on stage. It’s when they try and mess with the instruments or the amps, or grab a mic. If as a band you aren’t the most fun thing on stage and your music isn’t keeping them dancing, then you have a problem. If people feel the need to try and be entertaining instead of enjoying the show then your not doing your job.

We’ve played to some pretty boisterous crowds – even though we aren’t a punk band we’ve been put on plenty of bills with punk/ska outfits. Never had any problems, they’re normally too busy pogoing around.

It’s drunk tossers who think they’re the life and soul who are the problem.
Though the scouse junky who tried to stage invade and then fell asleep in front of the drum kit sticks in my memory. We woke him up at the end of the gig and tried to sort him a taxi home, but he just swayed off into the night.

You’d be hard pressed to be able to distinguish it from a real gig, especially if it’s a band like Radiohead et al.

First time I saw Radiohead live was at Glastonbury in 1997. Thom Yorke spent a lot of time talking to the crowd (and moaning about the brightness of the stage lights)and they were playing No Surprises just as the Festival fireworks started.

It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Don’t think I would have got the same emotion listening to a CD indoors.

A bit like watching live sport instead of televised, it’s all about the atmosphere…..

Man 😉

I’ve been to a few Zero7 and Bonobo gigs where people having been gently swaying a bit too much.

I thought this was a load of moany old sods venting until last night… I don’t go to ‘gigs’ very often and my taste is ripe for taking the piss. But last night, the ferking feckers would not shut up. Between the screamers and whoopers behind and the yakking morons in front, I don’t think I heard too much of Post Modern Jukebox.

There, any residual credibility gone… 🙂

Radiohead at The Roundhouse goes on pre-sale this Friday…

I really want to go to this but at £65 it’s a bit steep. I could only go to the Thursday night show too as I’m off to Shindig Weekender on the Friday which was £100 for two days of music. Going to the Roundhouse would make it a very expensive few days.

boblo – Member

I don’t think I heard too much of Post Modern Jukebox.

I was tempted to go to the Glasgow show but I had a feeling the crowd’d be absolutely full of arsepieces tbh. Not me obviously, I’m sound. Everyone else though. Bieber covers + youtube….

speaking of poor crowds, I was at a NIN set at a festival (Frequency) in Austria back in 08 and the crowd were really subdued in general.

It was one of those sun coming down sets that has a real electric buzz in the air, but Trent was so pissed off with the crowd not reacting to the performance that he stopped a couple times to ask what the hell was going on. He second guessed that NIN were booked between two german acts and he was right – so proceeded to continue the set super angry syle, throwing things, smashing stuff – It was awesome!! Me and my pals were right in the middle going nuts.
So I suppose a bad crowd can occasionally have its advantages.

Beer, pretzels, Nine Inch Nails, Interpol, Juliette and the Licks. Happy days.

I went to Sonisphere basically because it was to be the last NIN gig in Europe. Trent threw his toys out of the pram at playing a metal festival, exact words “**** Metallica’s crowd”, and they did a set full of dreary shoegazing ****, then left the stage early. Maybe the worst bit of gig etiquette I’ve ever seen. Oh and then obviously they did some more tours anyway. ****.

(later in the day, I climbed in the window of a limo on the offchance it’d be him, but it turned out to be Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich. I apologised for intruding and explained that I was hoping to find Trent Reznor and call him a ****… they were very understanding, like having random scottish people climb in a moving car’s window on a mission to insult NIN is just something that happens all the time if you’re in Metallica.

OTOH they were absolutely godly at T in the Park a few weeks before so in my head, that last show was basically some Reznor art college side project.