Laura said:

Before that I never saw anyone, really, taking pics, shouting, talking, throughout a set. Them all of a sudden it seemed, people do it through EVERYTHING I go to. Photos, talking, shouting.. It's fucking disrespectful for the artists, & annoying for the crowd who care. From a metal band at reading, to camille o Sullivan in a little cabaret venue, to Nick Cave at the Dome, to band of skulls at the roundhouse, nothing has been saved from these people ... I go to ANY gig to watch and listen. I might drink a bit but I always shut up and respect the music. And I wish everyone else did too.

DONE.

rewak said:

People who go to gigs with the sole purpose of socialising should be slapped. I mean why, really? The price of entry is expensive and the bar prices in venues is ridiculous, what are your brains made of if not paper mache? People who go to gigs for this purpose AND shove their way to the front should be killed. If you must insist on treating the place like some shitty nightclub event stay at the back near the bar, do not shove your way in front of people who actually want to see and hear the band then do nothing but scream into everyones face to tell your equally vapid friends about the guy or girl you fucked last night. Seriously, i wish venues had some policy against this type of behaviour, proper etiquette or security will drag your ass out.

Much love to both of you - you've saved me having to type such complete and heartfelt sense out and you've both done it so well.

There are some artists for me where you have two parts to the gig experience. One is the bits before and after where you meet friends you've not seen for a while and geek out on stuff about the artist with kindred spirits. Goldfrapp at MIF was a prime example of that 'family meeting up' gloriousness and another might be seeing the same people in the queue going to see Devin Townsend when he passes through the north east.

The other side of things is when an artist takes the music and does something with it live. Can't see the point of hearing the CD being played live. It's all very nice that they can prove they can play it exactly like the CD but what point is that? Give me Goldfrapp with the orchestra, Orbital going way off track with live remixes or artists that build up or strip down to make the live experience something new and deliberately different.

I don;t go to half as many shows as I used to for some of the reasons Laura and rewak mentioned but some of the ones I have in the last few years are still possible to be up there with the best I've seen.

They're what you, and the fellow crowd, make of it - good OR bad.

Well if we didnt drink we would be dehydrated. It's Health&Safety. :D

thathurt said:

May I add pple who stand next to me n try to take photos of THEMSELVES? And do so by leaning all over me n holding their phone at funny angles. Thanks kids. Thank God for elbows.

Sure they're not hitting on you?  ...Or, just dying to get a picture of you?

Testify!

¡Tampoco! I am shier than I appear on line.