California residents have begun to see an increase in concerts, especially in Los Angeles venues, after the lift of the Covid-19 regulations. Concerts can be enjoyable or frustrating due to fan behavior, phone usage, or obscuring one’s view. This brings up the question of whether the use of phones should be allowed at a concert. A no-phone policy allows for a more intimate experience with the artist. At the start of 2020, there was no conflict with other attendees at concerts because there was respect for one another, but that has changed in recent years, which has caused a stir in concert culture.
Concert etiquette must be established and discussed with fans before a concert so everyone can enjoy them. In 2023, the concert culture of making posters has become a trend. To get noticed by artists, many fans put up their posters and block the view of the person behind them. For example, when attending a concert, most want to cherish those memories. There is a sort of tendency to record most of the concert but this comes at a cost. The temptation to record causes a disturbance to the people behind, due to the phone blocking their view.
Conversations have been brought up at concerts that have caused concern, from positive and negative comments, regarding the fans’ concert experience. Good or bad insights into how fans feel are essential to finding a solution on how to not ruin a concert experience.
College student, Ailee Won flew out from Australia to attend a concert in Los Angeles, and said, “The people in front of us were holding up their phones the whole time! They ruined my whole experience.” which expresses the frustrations of some fans at concerts. Most fans would have waited years to finally see their favorite artist, or have traveled far, so having phones in front of them the whole time can be very frustrating.
To help others, fans need to listen and see what people around them are doing. Respecting those around, by placing phones at an eye level, so others can enjoy the concert and make memories. Another way would be to give space for others to see the artist and to take in that moment in time.
The complete elimination of phone usage at concerts should be limited to the phone being placed at a certain level and not be raised to the point where you obscure someone’s view.
Ailee Won said, “ The posters that other fans made were cute and had funny memes, but why are they such big posters? I wasn’t able to see the performance.” expressing concerns about the use of the different posters at concerts. The use of posters can be distracting and alter the experience at the show due to other fans’ choices to put up their posters.
Videos have surfaced online where people snatch a poster out of a person’s hand because they cannot see the performance. Wanting to be noticed by our favorite artists is exciting, but once again, the holding of posters could alter everyone’s experience. The artists may notice people in the audience, but what about those behind them? They also want to be able to see the artist.
If you have the opportunity to be close to your favorite artist, keep in mind that they are also human beings. Another fan at the concert, Genesis Gutierrez, a college student and a resident of California, states that she was terrified of how fans reacted when the artists came close.
Before the artists walked out to the crowd, they had asked all their fans to stay in their seats so everyone could have a good time. Instead, fans ran from their seats to get closer to them and reached out to touch them. Like a mob of people, the fans were following the artists, and not everyone had the opportunity to see them up close because of a certain section on the floor. They cut their walk around the floor seating area due to fans not staying in their seats.
Most times, artists take off this concert segment due to their first experience, so other stops would not be able to experience this. This shows us that we need to be more considerate of our actions so that everyone else can participate and have this moment with the artist.
A concert is supposed to be a fun experience, so some points must be considered when attending a concert. Not all concerts will be the same, which can be difficult to navigate. Concerts can be enjoyable and frustrating due to fan behavior, phone usage, or obscuring one’s view that may occur. It considers not only yourself but also others so that everyone can have fun together.
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