Current etiquette re choruses etc

Subject: Current etiquette re choruses etc
From: Johnny J
Date: 29 May 26 - 06:00 AM

I'm presuming it's still OK to join in on choruses at folk clubs and sessions. Or do you have to be invited now?
Verses, of course, are another matter although that's occasionally acceptable especially at significant moments.

How about concerts though?

I went to see Richard Thompson(again, again, again) last night. Suffice to say, it was an excellent concert and he featured many songs from his back catalogue. I couldn't resist sing along on some of the choruses. In fact , he specifically requested us to do so on "Bright Lights".
I was at the end of the row and no one was directly behind me. So, I think I got a way with it. ;-))

However, I thought the audience was generally subdued although they enjoyed the gig(On their feet at the end). Maybe they didn't all know the material or felt it was inappropriate? It's hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere even for a poor old pensioner like me.

One pleasant aspect of this gig was that there were no photographers, phones etc from what I could see.

Anyway, do you take a different approach at a concert, even a folk concert, to a larger gig than you would do at a folk club?

My worst experience was at a Lonnie Donegan gig at The Queens Hall in Edinburgh when an irate customer grabbed me by the neck and told me to be quiet just for singing along in a very well known chorus!

Subject: RE: Current etiquette re choruses etc
From: Johnny J
Date: 29 May 26 - 06:02 AM

"OR" larger gig, I meant to say. ;-)

Subject: RE: Current etiquette re choruses etc
From: Johnny J
Date: 29 May 26 - 09:53 AM

Ah, discussed before I see.. /mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=116333

However, please feel free to add more comments here.

Subject: RE: Current etiquette re choruses etc
From: mayomick
Date: 29 May 26 - 10:11 AM

you were maybe mixing up "Cane on the Brazos" with "cor blimey trousers" ?

Subject: RE: Current etiquette re choruses etc
From: GUEST
Date: 29 May 26 - 11:25 AM

You know, I have been at concerts daily this week, mostly (instrumental) dance music. I knew most of the tunes and would have been well able to pull out a whistle and play along (the audience had a a large percentage of musicians and they could have done the same). Would haht have been appropriate? Turning the whole thing into a big aul session. No ofcourse not. Time and place. Is it different for singers? I don't think so, to be honest.

Subject: RE: Current etiquette re choruses etc
From: Johnny J
Date: 29 May 26 - 11:36 AM

You might have tapped your feet though or "clapped your hands"(I'm not keen on that myself, mind you). That's quite common audience response during instrumental performances.

I'm not talking about sing along to the entire song. Just the choruses.
After all, there is a reason for choruses after all.

By the way, I'm not a singer as such. At least not on a regular basis.

Fair enough, "I want to see the bright lights" was the only song when we were specifically requested to join in but there were many others where it was a fairly obvious thing to do.