Audiences vary from one performance to another--sometimes the crowd can be very responsive, other times, they pay no attention at all, and sometimes they can be hostile. I have been told, by older performers, that this has always been true.

In the past, audiences actually seem to have had a much wider range of responses than they do now--certainly a lot of the negative stuff is rarer than it used to be--booing and catcalls do still happen from time , but, apart from some sporting events, you rarely see stuff thrown(dead cats, for instance, and perhaps for the best, exist now only in urban legends)-Standing ovations, on the other hand, seem to be expected, even for mediocre performances--

Still, as mentioned above, there seem to be a lot more of the "corporate comp" audiences for big events, and also "season" and "package" ticket holders who are just there because they got the ticket free or as part of something else, and who aren't really engaged in the event--

I am particularly annoyed by the folks who start filing down the aisles before the show ends, so they can avoid the parking lot traffic--