1978 KISS concert - the guy in full Gene Simmons gear and a can of butane blowing flames in the middle of 10,000 people crushing each other on the floor at the Pontiac Silverdome.

/I like to pull out the BIC and yell "Freebird" at high school graduations after the choir and band performs the alma mater.

You know what I hate at concerts? People who wear the shirt of the band they are going to see! Don't be that guy!

McGrits:

I wish more bands would heed this. Every Tool show for the last billion years has been the same with maybe one or two songs different, and nothing from Opiate.

I hope you're kidding...I've seen them many times and I don't think I've ever seen the same set twice - including back to back nights in different cities.

I went to see Van Halen in Dallas over the summer and had nose bleed seats. I didn't mind because they were $70 and I felt like sitting thru the show. The problem was that my buddy and the guy next to me are farking fat asses. I'm 5'8" 150lbs. I had to sit on the edge of my seat and lean forward the whole time to be comfortable so these two whales wouldn't place their fat laden extremities on me. About 45 minutes into VH, I couldn't take it anymore. I went and stood in the aisle. I was there for about 15 minutes when an usher told me to take my seat. I told her"I'm between two fat guys and I have no room to sit". She scowled at me and said"SIT DOWN!"
On a related note, I bought some plastic flasks from amazon and snuck in some delicious Crown. I bought one 8$ diet coke and was good to go throughout the night.

demonfaerie: What I hate at concerts (at least metal shows) are the hardcore straight edge kids or whatever the fark they are that do those breakdown ninja dancing shiat. They do these stupid as kids in the air in the farking pit. I hate when I am in a circle getting kicked in the stomach by those dumbasses. Why would you just start kicking randomly at a show anyways? Also I really hate when people can't properly start crowd surfacing; especially if you are in the front, because 9/10 you will get kicked in the head. Not fun.

I agree. Went to see Dillinger Escape Plan and the opening band was some hardcore/punk band hybrid and all the punk hipsters were doing it. Im all about moshing but those farks are just dangerous. I didn't even enter the pit and just stayed on the outside perimeter and had 3 random peoples blood all over me less than a minute after the concert started.

And like a kid on a candy rush, less than 2 songs in, all of them were *Poof* gone sitting down tired or seeking medical attention.

Annoying things bands do at shows
#1 turning the mic and letting the crowd sing the entire song chorus instead of actually performing

One night my fiancé and I were at a tiny local restaurant when two guys came in with acoustic guitars and began playing. I was slightly embarrassed for them as we were the only two customers there. They were good though, doing 90s alternative covers (my favorite). I yelled out, "Freebird!" The two guys looked at me, looked at each other and busted into the most awesome acoustic cover of Freebird I've ever heard. I sat there aghast, mouth gaping, and immediately burst into enthusiastic applause and cheering at the end. Just wish I could find those guys again.

feanorn: Shouting "Freebird!" isn't always bad. A buddy of mine got a big smile out of Suzanne Vega with it. That was a great show...

8/10. Subtle yet believable.

W.C.fields forever: I was at a Fleetwood mac concert in Vegas.One of the dudes we were there with
was singing along with Stevie Nicks,We ditched him immediately...

I got all vomity at a Rush concert back in the 80's....I hate Geddy Lees' voice.
Neal Peart was the best drummer I ever saw with one eye open.

//And so it begins with the Rush fans.

Rush is a great band, perhaps one of the best. Until the vocals come in.

Stimied in a Rut: If you are tall and push up in front of some girl that is 5'7" or tinier, you are a dick.

5'6"

best concert of my life was seeing The Who at Glastonbury in 2007 (and I'm not even a big Who fan, it was just epic for me).

Had great vantage point right at the second barrier until three guys drinking Pims sidled up next to us, and then plopper their girlfriends in front of me. (I was newly dating my SO and didn't want to seem like a complete biatch by telling them to farking move, nor did I want to start a fight)

Watched most of it on the jumbotron.

Still best concert ever

megalynn44: maxx2112: FTFA: 10. Yelling "Sit down!" at people who are standing up.


Sit the fark down . . . you gain nothing by standing up for entire farking show.

/ of course I'm old . . . I'm a goddamn Rush fan

FTS: some of us like dancing to music.


I smoked a lot of pot when I was a kid, but I don't think I ever smoked enough to dance to Rush, even at a concert.

ModernPrimitive01: I go to lots of heavy metal and punk shows and I completely agree with not taking pictures/video the whole time. Nothing is worse than watching the band play through the view finder of the person in front of you. Drunken idiots pushing their way to the front and getting pissed at you when you won't let them through also need to stop being pieces of human garbage, I had a guy almost take a swing at my wife because I wouldn't let him push past me to the first row. That shiat is redicilous. The worst are guys that try to cop a feel when people get smashed together. Women deserve to enjoy a show without being molested. I've seen that happen before and when I see it, things get serious real quick. The world would be a lot better place if crowds started policing that behavior themselves.

Most of the metal shows Ive gone to have been pretty good about people cycling through the first front rows. It literally takes less than 5 minutes to get back up to the front of the stage, especially if people are rowdy and theres alot of crowd surfing going on. Yeah I finagle my way up there, but im not typically aggressive when i do it and make sure to liberally toss around "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" and most people aren't annoyed.

On the other hand, I see plenty of assholes who violently shove their way though like people actually have the audacity to be in their way in a farking jam packed concert.

Thankfully Ive never witnessed a groping (Thou Ive heard about it from friends) cause that would send me in to a violent rage. Not cool no matter what the situation.

Electric_Banana: You know what I hate at concerts? People who wear the shirt of the band they are going to see! Don't be that guy!

Especially if it's the Melvins.

i've seen some Monsters of Rock concerts turn into Puke Fests. it aint' pretty and really distracts from some of the terrible music.

Cewley: #11 - Chicks who constantly go "woo".


that's chicklese for 'i love penis'.

feanorn: Shouting "Freebird!" isn't always bad. A buddy of mine got a big smile out of Suzanne Vega with it. That was a great show...


i bet he was ready to bust a nut.

acad1228: #12 The idiots who do the ear spliting whistle throughout the show.


because they know how much you crave their unique sound.

W.C.fields forever: I was at a Fleetwood mac concert in Vegas.One of the dudes we were there with
was singing along with Stevie Nicks,We ditched him immediately...

I got all vomity at a Rush concert back in the 80's....I hate Geddy Lees' voice.
Neal Peart was the best drummer I ever saw with one eye open.

//And so it begins with the Rush fans.


if you can puke in sync with the drum beat, you've got a great concert.

Peaceboy: Ah, vomit.  I saw Queen in '82 at the L.A. Forum, sat a million miles away.  Four guys showed up late, missed the opener completely (Billy Squier), and stumbled to their seats right in front of us, reeking of booze.  One dude passed out right away.  It was one of the loudest shows I've ever seen, and he's sleeping it off.  About 15 minutes later, he stirs, leans forward, drops his head between his legs, and pukes.  They eventually left, nobody came along to clean it up, and we had to deal with the aromatic aftermath the rest of the show.

Upside: saw Queen.


that is a Quality Evening Show there. that guy knew your concert evening wouldn't be complete without the stench of fresh vomit.

Lith: Puke ain't nothing. Try Woodstock 2000 (what a clusterfark of organization that was,) naked chicks walking around covered in what they think is mud but is actually overturned porta-potty ooze, that'll make you think.
And more annoying than any picture taking, wooing, non-booby flashing girl is $7 for a small bottle of water, $10 if you want it cold, and $!5 mystery meat taco/gyro/kebab pita thing, I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't iguana or maybe a really meaty rat.


the naked chics, minus the poop, would be nice at a concert. i enjoy the female form. the rest of it is no good.

Peaceboy: puke


also, be thankful he didn't spray the back of your head. he made the effort to make you comfortable.

Ross E. Krushan: vomit


be the piss guy! i saw one dude stand there in awe of his Rock Heros and piss his pants. he didn't miss a beat.

Stimied in a Rut: As a 20 something who attends a lot of shows, mostly of the indie-rock/electro variety, I would like to add a different view from most of you who have already posted.

I agree a lot with what the author said. People who push up close after everyone has packed in for a show and many showed up early to get their spot are terrible aholes. I am 6'2" and make sure that I get to a show early because I know I will be blocking people behind me, but since I got there early they cannot complain. If you are tall and push up in front of some girl that is 5'7" or tinier, you are a dick.

Generally though, the most annoying people are drunk females. I was up close for a Fleet Foxes show, the second time I've seen them live, and these two horribly drunk 30 somethings and their drunk boyfriend push up close just before they go on and then proceed to talk during the songs. While there was a great soundsystem, Fleet Foxes play the type of music that is enjoyed most when everyone is quiet and the audience can hear every note. They got the message eventually, but ruined the first few songs.

The other annoying thing 20 something females do is show up to the show, but then decide to take pictures of each other with flashes with their backs to the stage. They pratter on about whatever and ruin it for everyone else. Why you would pay money to be able to show off to your friends that you were at a show that you don't even care about I'll never know. Those of us who are there to enjoy the music think you are inconsiderate assholes.

Based on the comments the rules for metal shows/arena shows are different but my comments pertain to shows at clubs that have 1100 or fewer people (the places in DC I go to shows have 1100, 750, 300, 200, and 150 person limits).

Agreed. I go to a lot of smaller-venue shows in san francisco, and lately they seem to be overrun with these self-absorbed idiots. You want to stand up front? Then shut the fark up and put away your farking phone you twat!

AcesFull: It seems odd that any local band playing a 75-100 seat bar,has a P.A.system with more power than the Beatles used at Shea stadium....

Why? The Beatles sucked.

As mentioned upthread, the farking first verse sing-along followed by 'WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!' makes me want to pull a Carrie on the concert hall.


I am not much of a fan of the band Live, but I recall that their unplugged concert/video thing they did in the mid-90's, was rendered unlistenable by the tools in the audience going WOOOOOO the whole effing time.


I was at a small-ish show a few years ago at a PAC (few hundred people) to see a local guy who was backed by some really talented musicians. Everything was plugged in for most of the show, but at the end the singer stepped to the mic and said 'We want to try something with you, we're all going to turn off, come to the front of the stage and just play acoustic.' Everyone applauded, then they unplugged and the singer started thanking the audience, who nearly all went silent to hear him. Then some ahole near me starts yelling over him 'WE WANT TO THANK YOU TOO DAVE, YOU ARE THE BEST' blah blah blah. All at once everyone around him went ''Hey stupid, shut up for second!!'. The guy looked like 'what? everyone wants to hear what I have to say don't they?' just another ahole who thought the world revolved around him.

Crewmannumber6: gunther_bumpass: AcesFull: It seems odd that any local band playing a 75-100 seat bar,has a P.A.system with more power than the Beatles used at Shea stadium....

Why? The Beatles sucked.

I like when people say this. It's like a face tattoo, it means I never have to consider their opinion again.

Personal taste.. how does it work?

Stimied in a Rut: Generally though, the most annoying people are drunk females

now that I think about it, pretty much every negative concert experience I've had involved drunk women. They seem to be the most likely to try and claw their way forward, talk during the music, and generally just act retarded. The worst ones were during the Flaming Lips when a group of them started sumo wrestling or some shiat. (though I also think The Flaming Lips attracted a lot of outside, non-fan attendees who were there for the show rather than the music; thus attracting a lot of really annoying people.)

KwameKilstrawberry: /I like to pull out the BIC and yell "Freebird" at high school graduations after the choir and band performs the alma mater.

Nephew graduates in May; I put a reminder in my calendar. My sister will try to kill me when I do this.

Marshmallow Jones: As mentioned upthread, the farking first verse sing-along followed by 'WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!' makes me want to pull a Carrie on the concert hall.


I am not much of a fan of the band Live, but I recall that their unplugged concert/video thing they did in the mid-90's, was rendered unlistenable by the tools in the audience going WOOOOOO the whole effing time.


I was at a small-ish show a few years ago at a PAC (few hundred people) to see a local guy who was backed by some really talented musicians. Everything was plugged in for most of the show, but at the end the singer stepped to the mic and said 'We want to try something with you, we're all going to turn off, come to the front of the stage and just play acoustic.' Everyone applauded, then they unplugged and the singer started thanking the audience, who nearly all went silent to hear him. Then some ahole near me starts yelling over him 'WE WANT TO THANK YOU TOO DAVE, YOU ARE THE BEST' blah blah blah. All at once everyone around him went ''Hey stupid, shut up for second!!'. The guy looked like 'what? everyone wants to hear what I have to say don't they?' just another ahole who thought the world revolved around him.

I was at Silversun Pickups a couple months ago, at the end of the song the lead singer goes "we hope you're enjoying yourselves" and some guy in the audience goes "YOU farkING ROCK" not missing a beat, the lead singer says "Thanks Dad, means a lot that you still come to all of my shows"

RickN99: KwameKilstrawberry: /I like to pull out the BIC and yell "Freebird" at high school graduations after the choir and band performs the alma mater.

Nephew graduates in May; I put a reminder in my calendar. My sister will try to kill me when I do this.

Throw her a spare BIC and make her a co-conspirator. I swear there were people, numb with boredom, who stared wistfully, wishing they were sitting with our family.

Biggest tool I ever met at a concert was this guy who kept giving me shiat for (get this) cheering too loudly after songs.

Finally he gestured me forward, grabbed my shoulder, and screamed "SHUT UP" full volume into my ear.

Mind you, this was a guy pushing 50 and I was not quite 30. I shoved him away, then grabbed his shirt and screeched (in my best heavy metal vocalist roar) "Go home and listen to your 8-Tracks, old man!" into his face.

Then security showed up and while they were sorting it out, I quietly poured my entire drink onto his seat (and coat), so when he sat back down to get organized (the other folks backed me up and he got ejected) he had to walk out of the place with his pretty khaki pants soaked. I yelled something about needing Depends at him and he flipped me off.

The best part of this? It was at a Moody Blues concert, during Nights in White Satin. RIOT MUSIC! FARK THA POLICE!


/Cool story, sis ... I know.

Attention whore chick sitting on boyfriend's shoulders.

T.M.S.: We're the fark are they seeing concerts? I never found too much of any of that.

They're going to see bands that other people have actually heard of.

titwrench: SubBass49: Soulcatcher: My brother was at that concert. I don't care what Wiki says, it happened because they initially only opened ONE door to let the 4000+ people who were waiting outside in (people that got in line early). The crowd surged and people got trampled. My bro (who was 6' and 180 at the time) got lifted off his feet and carried across the floor. He saw people fall but couldn't even move to do anything.

Happened to me at Coachella one year, when Bjork (of all people) performed. I was about 6'1" 190 lbs at the time...lifted right off my feet and carried forward at about a 70 degree angle...was farking terrifying.

I quit going to Coachella partly because it turned into a corporate festival where the celebrities go to be cool and partially because I was just about crushed during Tool's performance. I am 6' 1" and at the time was about 190 and I was trying yo protect the girl I was with that was 5' 2" and 85 lbs. The crowd were absolute assholes I had waited years to see Tool reunite and I ended up leaving because my friend was so scared she was nearly crying and I could barely move and at times couldn't breathe.

Props to you, seriously.

/5'2''
//been to many concerts
///after almost crushed at one, I learned to stake out my space and GTFO if I saw danger signs
///also if you're being a dangerous dick, my elbow can and will accidentally jab you right in your side
////if you're just excited, I give you a *much* bigger pass even if it's annoying

T.M.S.: We're the fark are they seeing concerts? I never found too much of any of that.

So, wait... You found just the right amount?

:)

#11 People who incessantly offer ecstasy, coke or any other drugs the designated driver repeatedly refuses.
#12 The people who accept said drugs, then lose their shiat jumping around and head-butting the designated driver directly in the mouth, only to turn around to try and start a fight with the designated driver.

/Lupe Fiasco concert

Solid State Vittles: The only thing worse than someone ironically screaming "Freebird!" is when the band actually decides to ironically play it.

I've born witness to multiple bluegrass versions of Freebird as a result of this.

As far as TFL goes, some hits and misses....

3. Incessantly talking to your friends.

Depends on the show, and where you're at. If you're at a small venue, STFU. If you're in the nose bleeds at the Coloseum while DeathRawk McBloodyPants is on stage dodging their fireworks show, well, it's probably OK to chat a bit if you want.

6. Pushing your way to the front.

Fark off, you giant pussy. The people that are at the front are the people that can get there. If you stood in line for seven hours to be on the gate, and can't manage to hold it, then you get what you deserve... Hauled over the gate by security. Being up front at a generall seating show takes skill and strength. It's not for everyone. You especially.

7. Getting so drunk you puke.

This is true of any location.

10. Yelling "Sit down!" at people who are standing up.

Entirely show dependent. Are you at a general seating show in a big arena? Yeah, then STFU. Are you at a small venue where people are actually, you know, seated? Then sit your ass down. I saw Dick Dale in Portland a while back. The venue has a lowered section up front for standers, and a seating section towards the back for drinkers. It is overall a great setup as it meets both needs. But it doesn't work when you are a douche bag and decide to stand right behind the rail of the elevated section, at which point Mr. Grumpy McOnionbelt tells you to sit down you farking moron.

/ Mr. Grumpy McOnionbelt

PanicMan: The only place to be on a concert is front row in the pit. Everything else is boring.

Man I need to find some good live music.

Back in the good old days, the Grateful Dead put a secondary PA on the concourse for people who wanted to dance with reckless abandon. Most shows I never even bothered to find my seat.

11. Singing the wrong words poorly during the quiet, brooding piano-driven song.

/stupid hippie biatch

peewinkle: W.C.fields forever: I was at a Fleetwood mac concert in Vegas.One of the dudes we were there with
was singing along with Stevie Nicks,We ditched him immediately...

I got all vomity at a Rush concert back in the 80's....I hate Geddy Lees' voice.
Neal Peart was the best drummer I ever saw with one eye open.

//And so it begins with the Rush fans.

Rush is a great band, perhaps one of the best. Until the vocals come in.

Until the fans arrive.