Prepare for a brief rant.
What the H is wrong with people? My wife and I went to a concert last night at the Bijou theater and I have something so say in response.
Keep Your Butt In Your Seat!
Perhaps this an effect of the fact that the theater is a rare event these days and perhaps people just don't know how to behave. I don't want to spend my whole evening watching you or your friends getting up to get a drink, go to the bathroom, or answer a call. It is incredibly rude and distracting.
I was sandwiched in between two pregnant women, one, Mrs. The Pol, is 38 weeks pregnant and made it through the ENTIRE CONCERT without getting up. If your bladder is so small that it can't hold the PBR tall boy that you bought before the show don't buy it. Try to show some respect for your fellow concert goers and for the artists. I really hope that the Civil Wars couldn't see all the movement because it was constant and showed a huge lack of interest in their performance which was incredible.
One more thing, put your effing phone away. I saw 20 LCD screens either filming or checking twitter. Again, not ok. That is really distracting to those behind you. Stop being an inconsiderate jerk and just spend 1 hour of you life enjoying being witness to art and not fiddling with some gadget you have.
Knoxville, please try to step up your game on the spectator side, perhaps you're accustomed to the Ice Bears and Lady Vols, but not all entertainment is created equally. We're better than this and if we want world class shows we need to be a world class audience.
That is all.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Come on Knoxville, be classy please.
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9 comments:
Agreed. My wife and I had season tickets to the symphony last season. One evening, we sat next to a couple with a child about 10 years old. The child brought in some sort of handheld game and played it the whole first half of the show. During intermission, we politely told them the game was distracting with all the flashing and stuff. They seemed quite offended, but the second half of the show, the child didn't play the game. You're right, some people just don't know how to behave in certain circumstances.
What about the concert phenomenon that, two songs in, it's okay to jump to your feet for the rest of the show? The last time this happened to me it was not an over-the-top rockin' show, we had reserved seats in a theatre type of venue, and the person in front of me stood up. He was about 65 by the way. This meant I had to stand as well, if i wanted to see. I tapped him on the shoulder and told him I didn't pay $35 to look at his butt, and he went and found the usher/security guard (couldn't quite tell which) who told me "they're allowed to stand up." ? We're "allowed" to do all kinds of things but that's not the same as what is the considerate thing. This kind of "Me me me" attitude is killing live art of all kinds and that just might kill me.
I went to the West High School Christmas concert at St. John's downtown last week. It was really lovely- the space was beautiful and the kids did such a great job.
BUT, the couple and their kid behind us made noise the WHOLE entire time.
The lady took about a thousand pictures, so through the whole concert, I heard the shutter sound and beeping. I wanted to turn around and ask her if she knew she could turn the fake shutter sound off on her digital camera, but I didn't. Their child moved around the whole time, but the couple didn't stop it because they were too busy whispering to one other.
It was beyond frustrating, mostly because they were oblivious to how rude they were being to the performers and everyone around them.
I can't count how many times I've been to the Bijou and witnessed the awkward experience of hearing someone ask another person to be quiet or quit kicking their chair, etc. I chalk a lot of people's rudeness in these situations to too much alcohol and/or too little intelligence.
during It's a Wonderful Life at the Tennessee Theatre some idiot was taking pictures of the screen with their phone. it makes me want to stay home more than i already do
I am not familiar with the artist, but is it weird to stand up at a concert? I can understand a play or a movie, but a concert?
Who sits at a concert? How lame is that? Stop talking, stop playing with your phone, get up and dance. And if you tell me to sit down, I'm going to tell you NO.
Play = sit down
Symphony = sit down
Concert = do whatever the music makes you feel. If you can't deal with the surroundings, might I suggest a live DVD.
Are you becoming the person you always promised yourself you wouldn't?
I feel I must clarify. I agree some shows demand an active audience, this was not that type of show and that is not the type of standing up I was referring too.
What i was saying is that people were getting up and going in and out of the theater the entire time. Not expressing excitement abotu the music, but going to get a drink or go to the bathroom.
That is the type of up and down that I dislike and feel is totally disrespectful.
And honest_d, if you met me, you would know a cantancerous old man is all I ever wanted to be when I grow up.
Great article, completely agree. I teach chorus here in Ktown and even though we preach concert etiquette like it is gospel, the audience is AWFUL. So, I feel your pain and I'm trying to help by teaching our kids what's rude and what's ok!
Secondly- it is not always okay to stand at a concert! Take a cue from the rest of the audience- if you're the only one standing, it would be polite to move to a side aisle or the back where you're not disrupting everyone else.
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