Concert etiquette?

[soccerdad72]

My wife and I went to see Billy Joel last night. Awesome concert and we had great seats - two rows up off the floor, just to the side of the stage

Anyhow, the concert gets going and naturally, pretty much the whole arena stands for the first couple songs. The concert goes on and the few rows around us (including the row in front of us) stays up and is singing and dancing along. Well, the women next to me end up getting in a pretty heated argument with the group behind them, an older (70-ish) group of adults who were getting pretty ticked that the women in front of them wouldn't sit down.

At some point, security got called over (I don't know if it was the people next to me or the older folks behind them who got security. I couldn't hear what was being said, but nothing ever seemed to happen. There were times when everyone sat and there were others when nearly everyone was standing again.

So, long story short, who was in the right in your opinion? Do people have the right to be able to watch a concert without having to stand? Or is it acceptable to stand throughout a concert?

 

[kmb584]

My wife and I went to see Billy Joel last night. Awesome concert and we had great seats - two rows up off the floor, just to the side of the stage

Anyhow, the concert gets going and naturally, pretty much the whole arena stands for the first couple songs. The concert goes on and the few rows around us (including the row in front of us) stays up and is singing and dancing along. Well, the women next to me end up getting in a pretty heated argument with the group behind them, an older (70-ish) group of adults who were getting pretty ticked that the women in front of them wouldn't sit down.

At some point, security got called over (I don't know if it was the people next to me or the older folks behind them who got security. I couldn't hear what was being said, but nothing ever seemed to happen. There were times when everyone sat and there were others when nearly everyone was standing again.

So, long story short, who was in the right in your opinion? Do people have the right to be able to watch a concert without having to stand? Or is it acceptable to stand throughout a concert?

I think that if it's a rock/pop/alternative concert it's acceptable to stand. You'll find a good 99% of the attendees on their feet. I've been to well over 500 concerts since I was 12 and the only one I can recall sitting for was Elton John.

 

[snapppyd]

This is a tough one. We go to see Toby Keith twice a year and it's pretty much standing/singing/drinking the whole night.

I find outdoor arenas seem to have more standing and indoors seem to sit more. When we go to Southside Johnny is usually inside and people mostly sit down until the end - when he does "We're Havin' a Party" and "I Don't Wanna go Home" everyone is on their feet.

I think if someone behind me requested I sit down I would try to sit down at least part of the time. I usually look behind me, if the people behind me are sitting I at least fold up the seat on sit on top of that.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I think it really depends on the concert, fans, style of music, venue, etc.

When I go to a Great Big Sea concert (folk rock), the majority of the time, the people on the floor (whether GA or not) stand, while those sitting in balconies/arena style seats sit.

I saw Dio once. Not only did everyone in GA stand, but there was, unsurprisingly, a moshpit.

But than Goo Goo Dolls - everyone sat for the majority of the concert, except for select songs.

Personally, if the majority of the people were standing, than the lady standing wasn't in the wrong. But if everyone around her sat down but she remained standing, then she was being somewhat rude.

 

[Hannathy]

That is why I rarely pay to go to a concert. I'm very short so if people stand I have no chance of seeing. I think if there are chairs you should sit, you aren't the only one who wants to see.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

"Floor seats" in general translates as "standing through the whole concert" as far as I know.

That being said if you are the only one standing and everyone else is sitting you are either rude, drunk, or really high.

 

[3Gsandme]

I don't think I've been to a concert short of seeing the symphony where I didn't stand. I've never been to a pop/rock/contemporary country show where people didn't stand the entire show.

 

[anniemae]

that's a tough one. It is kind of an unspoken assumption that even though you are assigned a seat, people will get up and dance during a concert like Billy Joel, I mean how could you sit down to 'We didn't start the fire" or "Only the good die young?"

If it were me, and I wanted to be up dancing I would probably offer to switch seats with the older folks. 70 at a rock concert? Yeah they are going to need to sit.

 

[cluvsdisney]

My wife and I went to see Billy Joel last night. Awesome concert and we had great seats - two rows up off the floor, just to the side of the stage

Anyhow, the concert gets going and naturally, pretty much the whole arena stands for the first couple songs. The concert goes on and the few rows around us (including the row in front of us) stays up and is singing and dancing along. Well, the women next to me end up getting in a pretty heated argument with the group behind them, an older (70-ish) group of adults who were getting pretty ticked that the women in front of them wouldn't sit down.

At some point, security got called over (I don't know if it was the people next to me or the older folks behind them who got security. I couldn't hear what was being said, but nothing ever seemed to happen. There were times when everyone sat and there were others when nearly everyone was standing again.

So, long story short, who was in the right in your opinion? Do people have the right to be able to watch a concert without having to stand? Or is it acceptable to stand throughout a concert?

I think it should be ok and expected that people stand at certain types of shows, especially for the faster paced songs.

Strangely, of the dozens of concerts I attended, the only time I saw security interaction with people standing/dancing at a show was also Billy Joel. It was one or two sections down from us, there was group of people you could just tell they LOVED Billy Joel and were having a great time while a group of people were sitting behind them called security. After that the ones dancing rotated and took turns dancing. I felt bad for them. They would pop up for some great dance-able song and then they would sort of half sit, stand, then sit. I understand the people sitting want to see the show but at the same time, we were all so far back that we could barely see the stage anyway and there were giant screens showing the stage.

If I am at a show I don't care so much about, I'll sit and not care at all whether people are standing or sitting in front of me. Sometimes, I enjoy the crowd as much as the music.

 

[soccerdad72]

"Floor seats" in general translates as "standing through the whole concert" as far as I know.

We weren't on the floor. We were a couple rows up on the side, up off the floor. I never buy floor seats. If you're more than 3 or 4 rows back, there's no way you can see anything (especially my wife, who's 5' 2")

 

[RadioNate]

I am firmly in the camp that standing is both acceptable and expected at concerts. You *may* get a break during a ballad but I believe that if you need or want to sit for the majority of the show that you should work really hard to get seats in the first row off the floor or the first row of any balconies.

Shows in theater settings should expect less standing but in most cases the artists playing a theater aren't ones who are singing dancing and sing-along-songs. The James Taylor, Bette Midler types.

A Billy Joel show, I would expect to stand the majority of the time, sitting for some of the slower songs and ballads.

 

[mnrose]

Wait....people SIT at rock concerts? Really?!?!

The last couple of concerts I've been to were Springsteen concerts. No one sits.

 

[dawnhaze]

Standing is normal for pop, rock, hip-hop concerts. Especially with floor seats.

I stopped going to concerts because I can't stand for the duration of the show, and I don't see anything but butts if I stay seated, so why even buy the ticket.

 

[luvsJack]

I think that if you are going to see someone like Billy Joel, then you should expect a lot of people to be standing. If you want to make sure that all around you sit then maybe sit a little further back?

But it does seem that in concerts where there is GA, that area stands and the reserved seating sits.

This is why I like small venues. DD is 5'2" and we were in GA to see Adam Lambert. Stood and danced and sang the whole time and she could see just fine.

 

[SC Minnie]

I usually look behind me, if people are standing I'll stand, if they are sitting I'll sit.

We've been to many, many concerts. Last Nov we saw Jimmy Buffett in Las Vegas. We were up pretty high but in the first row of our section. The people behind and around us sat for the whole show. I felt it would have been rude to stand but I so wanted to. We've seen him in Charlotte and there is no sitting by anyone the whole show. The Las Vegas show was completely different and really not as enjoyable.

 

[dawnhaze]

This is why I like small venues. DD is 5'2" and we were in GA to see Adam Lambert. Stood and danced and sang the whole time and she could see just fine.

This post made me chuckle ironically, because one of the reasons I can't stand for long periods anymore is that I was shoved over, kicked, and stepped on in the audience at a GA Adam Lambert show and needed two knee surgeries afterwards.

I'm glad other people have had better experiences though. He really is a great live performer. I think I saw his first concert tour about ten times.

 

[Deb in IA]

Wait....people SIT at rock concerts? Really?!?!

The last couple of concerts I've been to were Springsteen concerts. No one sits.

Standing is normal for pop, rock, hip-hop concerts. Especially with floor seats.

I stopped going to concerts because I can't stand for the duration of the show, and I don't see anything but butts if I stay seated, so why even buy the ticket.

Agree!

DH and I went to see Paul McCartney a few years back. We were in the front row of the seats on the sides, not on the floor. Well, after only 2 songs into the concert, the idiot woman behind my husband starts screaming "SIT DOWN!! WE CAN'T SEE!!" (No one else was sitting.)

DH sits, but I make it a point to stay standing for the rest of the concert, all 2 1/2 hours of it.

The twit-heads behind us? They left in the middle of "Helter Skelter", about 3 songs before the end of the show and the 2 encores.

Now, why would these morons pay $120 bucks to see an music icon and leave with about 1/3 of the concert left?

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

This is so weird you bring up the subject because I have been asked to sit down before. I was at a Katy Perry concert chaperoning three 13 year old girls. We were in the first row of the balcony and Katy walks on stage so we stand. The the women behind me (I would guess mid 30's) taps me on the shoulder and says she and her friends can't see and asked me and the girls to sit down. At this point the music hadn't started and there were about 50% of the people in the place standing so I sat and told the girls to sit down until the music started. We maybe sat for 20 seconds and then music started and we stood back up.

I really hate confrontation so of course it kind of ruined my night. From that point I felt like every time the music stopped and Katy started talking to the crowd, I needed to sit so they could see. I didn't tell the girls to sit because they were having fun and it's a Katy Perry concert, not the symphony.

After that I actually wondered what etiquette was. I truly believe most concerts are free game for standing but I still wonder if you should sit in between set changes so other people can see?

 

[bittybabygrower]

Must be the same group that was behind me and my friends at Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart! The guard told them people can stand. The one guy proceeded to grab my friends shirt and tell her to sit down....needless to say he was thrown out.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Wait....people SIT at rock concerts? Really?!?!

The last couple of concerts I've been to were Springsteen concerts. No one sits.

This. Honestly, I feel bad for the old couple but really, who sits at concerts??? its a given that ppl get up and dance. If you wanna sit, fine. But dont expect to have a view of anything but rear-ends!