Concert Etiquette - What Happened?
- Lauren DiGiovanni
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
Post pandemic, more and more people are going to concerts than ever before. With a gathering of people so large, there are some spoken (and unspoken) rules of concert etiquette in place to maintain a safe and fun environment for the performers, fans, and crew. But we’ve seen the videos - performers being hit with flying objects, fans obsessively screeching all night, wild acts of entitlement and disrespect. I’m not going to say that concertgoers were always perfect angels before COVID, but this recent uptick in the neglect of concert etiquette is quite concerning, so let’s dive into the issues of concert etiquette in 2025.
With high prices comes high entitlement. No matter what caliber of artist you are seeing, you are paying more than what you would have 5 years ago, or even a year ago. And it’s not just the cost of the ticket that’s gone up - the cost of transportation, merch, food, and drinks have also gone up too. The struggle of getting tickets off of Ticketmaster too, has created an element of entitlement amongst many concertgoers. Many spend hours on Ticketmaster queues, skipping work or class, with the very real possibility that something will go wrong in the process and they won’t be able to buy tickets. Once you’ve got them, you feel a part of this exclusive club, only one of the few to survive the Ticketmaster war. This leads to a certain air of superiority or entitlement once you get to the venue for some - you paid all of this money, shouldn’t everything go your way?
A neglect of personal surroundings and general lack of knowledge regarding “time and place” is a plight that plagues concertgoers time and time again. We’ve all seen signs that are far too big, outfits too impractical, and cameras held too high. But it’s a tricky situation, though - you paid so much money to see the show, why shouldn’t you take advantage of the moment, or capture as much as you can? I think we’re all sort of guilty in bending the lines of concert etiquette to make our experience more enjoyable. But, I think there’s a line to draw. There’s a difference between standing on your tip-toes and sitting on someone else’s shoulders, or trying to get closer to the stage and violently pushing your way through the pit. You get my idea.
Is there a good approach to fix this problem of bad concert etiquette? I'm not sure. We see this kind of entitlement, selfishness, and rudeness everywhere, not just concerts. You can see it at the grocery store, on planes, in amusement parks - wherever. It’s not a problem of just enforcement; many venues make their policies very clear. But it’s about the culture. This elitist, and at times toxic, concert culture where you have to be doing the most all the time has created an environment that is focused on the individual and harsh to other people. It doesn’t help that many of these concert etiquette fails go viral on social media, only causing more and more people to attempt the stunts that others have performed before them in order to get their 15 seconds of fame.
What should be the general concert etiquette rules then? I think the good ol’ fashioned mantra of “treat others the way you want to be treated” is a good rule of thumb. Don’t want to be elbowed in the face by a stranger? Then pay attention to your personal surroundings while dancing. Don’t want someone’s camera in your view all night? Then don’t hold up your camera too high. If you don’t want someone to be rude and inconsiderate towards you, don’t be rude and inconsiderate towards them. And of course, follow all of the rules set up by the venue and the artists team. And most of all, have fun. Where else can you be with thousands of other people bonding over the exact same moment? Enjoy it!
Written By Lauren DiGiovanni
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.
