Concert Etiquette

Subject: Concert Etiquette
From: Folkie
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 08:23 AM

I went to a concert in a village hall yesterday evening to see the Mellstock Band. There was a group of about 10 of us who regularly go to folk events sitting together and we were joining in at appropriate times but the rest of the audience did not join in. After a while, the lady sitting next to me said "Please would you NOT sing". I said "I'm very sorry". She said "I paid to listen to the band not to listen to YOU sing". I felt rather upset because I had only been singing quietly, not with gusto as I would at Whittlebury. I kept quiet during the rest of the concert. Was that the right thing to do or should I have continued singing regardless?

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 08:28 AM

If you had carried on it would have caused a bigger argument. My take on concerts is that you only join in when invited.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,maple_leaf_boy
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:14 AM

I would have moved to a different seat, if it was possible.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:33 AM

the only "appropriate time" to join in is when the performer specifically invites invites participation.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Rasener
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:37 AM

Agree with MM

Its not a singaround and people have paid good money to listen to the performer. If the performer asks you to join in with the choruses, then fair play.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: BillE
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:38 AM

This is such a sad reflection on modern concert audiences. Been there and got the T-shirt several times. A couple of years ago the Waterson (Family / Carthy - can't remember what configuration) came to the Early Music Centre in York. Come chorus song time Norma says "Please join in". Some 8 - 10 of us - old buddies from the Lowther Hotel Folk Club 30 years ago - did just that. You could cut the sneering stares from the very silent majority with a knife! Encouraged by Norma's arm waving we carried on.

As recently as last Sunday at a Kate Rusby concert in York the audience were invited to join in many of the songs / choruses. Very few did so.

Although folk music is a participative thing, there is sometimes a wrong time to join in audibly. But if we start to say never join in, and widen the distance between singer and audience, then IMHO we have lost it. Kate and Norma instinctively seem to recognise this. But perhaps they are singers first, performers second.

Bill

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:39 AM

You were right to take the line of least resistance and not cause a confrontation - but the woman was rude to continue complaining at you after you'd already apologised. She's obviously not a folkie, so I suppose the commonplace practice of the audience joining in is unfamiliar to her.

It might have been an idea to move to another seat IF a decent one was available (which would send a message as well) but in saying Sorry and then keeping quiet you did the best thing under the circumstances. Anything else could have marred the concert because it would risk becoming aggressive. It takes all kinds, I suppose. Maybe she'll discover that she likes this sort of music well enough to want to join in herself...

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 10:40 AM

Locals paying for their tickets for a show at the *village hall*, may well not be familiar with accepted norms at a *folk club*.
The lady who complained would no doubt be similarly annoyed by someone next to her speaking along with the words to the local Am-Dram production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" or singing along to the local Operatic Societies production of "My Fair Lady", or similar stuff. Panto excepted of course. I think when in doubt concerning what it's aproppriate or not to do in any social or group circumstance, taking note of the unspoken consensus of behaviour, has got to be the most useful guideline. When in Rome and all that.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,Betsy at Work
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 11:03 AM

Sleeping Rosie - I can't fault your comments.
I love chorus singing - they ( choruses ) brought me to and kept me going to Folk clubs - but as you so eloquently said, "When in Rome ... "
What a pity I do like a good chorus.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Marje
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 11:41 AM

This has raised an interesting point - perhaps any concert performers reading this will take note, and ask the audience to join in if that's what they want. I suppose otherwise people have to be prepared not to join in, which is, I agree, a bit of a shame, but it's the way things are going. There was a time when even at huge concerts, groups like The Spinners would actively encourage or even demand audience participation.

I don't think you'd get that reaction at a festival, would you? I saw the Young Coppers at Dartmoor Festival and people were joining in then - the group didn't suggest it, but then they said how much they enjoyed it when it happened. I caught the eye of the girl singer, Lucy, at one point and she looked genuinely moved to see us all singing along. I think they hadn't expected that people so far from their home ground would know the songs so well.

But nowadays concerts (away from festivals) attract a whole cohort of people who wouldn't dream of going to a club or a festival, and are not familiar with the idea of joining in. Whatever their reasons, I suppose they have a right to ask to listen to the performer without a surround-sound singalong taking place, but I feel that's their loss.

Marje

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 11:55 AM

And a Les Barker 'Concert' wouldn't be the same if people didn't join in (or even Barrack!)

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 12:10 PM

Quote: "But nowadays concerts (away from festivals) attract a whole cohort of people who wouldn't dream of going to a club or a festival, and are not familiar with the idea of joining in"...

Or conversely, specifically go to concerts rather than clubs because they are listeners not participators and are actually consciously trying to avoid the joiners inners!

Look, you lot (the folk club folkies) have got your extensive network of venues where you set the rules. There are many of us who like folk music who don't tend to go to folk clubs because its not our scene, or who go to folk clubs for one sort of experience and concerts for another.

What I know is that if I pay a tenner or more to see an artist, I don't want someone sat next to me belting it out: I didn't come to hear them or pay to hear them! Wanting to get what I paid for does not mean I'm missing out on something - or should I say it doesn't mean I'm missing out on something I want.

What I suspect the problem is is that some folk club folkies think they have special privileges and sole ownership of folk music in all contexts. This means they think their rules of etiquette should apply to non folk club venues, and the rest of us, who haven't paid our dues at the local folk club for 40 years should shut up and put up.

I therefore salute the opening poster for not doing this. Just as I wouldn't take my hammer and chisel to a sculpture exhibition and try to "improve" the exhibits... Conversely, I may take them along to a sculpture workshop or club...

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 12:20 PM

Good points there Spleen Cringe. You sometimes can see such attitudes (of "ownership" of folk music) in the occasional post in some thread or other. We would all do well to be respectful of other's wishes, needs and interests if we want to attract them to (or not repel them from) the music we love.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 01:31 PM

Thank you George. And thank you for some wonderful songs.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: bubblyrat
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 01:36 PM

Yes,it's fine if the performers have ASKED for it,but otherwise not really.In my experience,most artists will say something like "please feel free to join in on this one if you like", or " I /we could do with some help in the chorus " , or whatever.What I hate is when a bunch of prats get up and start "dancing" in front of the stage and block one's view.-----And why oh why do some people have to yell and shriek and whoop at the end of each number ??It's supposed to be a concert,not a f----king Comanche war-dance!Gives me the shits..

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Rasener
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 03:51 PM

>>shriek and whoop at the end of each number ??It's supposed to be a concert,not a f----king Comanche war-dance!Gives me the shits.. <<
Better than doing it during the song.

Basically, if you go to a concert event at a Village Hall, the organisers should treat it like a theatre. You won't get on the rural arts scheme unless you don't act like a theatre.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Don Firth
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 04:33 PM

I am of the opinion that, folk concert or not, audience members should not join in unless the performer specifically asks them to.

One thing that really gets me grinding my teeth is when a particular song has a strong beat and some audience members feel impelled to start rhythmically clapping.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Deckman
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 06:21 PM

I'm going to jump in here, right after friend Don, with a comment. I agree with others that the audience, in public concert, should NOT join in on the singing unless the performers invite them to do so. Performers put hours and hours of practice and planning into their performances. Sometimes songs change over the years ... new aspects arrive ... and audiences' chorus singing can spoil that.

Leave it to the performers to entertain you ... NOT the other way around. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Nov 08 - 07:06 PM

Roman Catholicism or Weslyanism?

In this context I'm a Weslyan.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Barry Finn
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 01:01 AM

A well seasonded performer I know hates in when he hears the crowd at a concert joing in, me I'm tickled to death when they join in, we nearly twist arms for them to sing along & are as pleased as can be when they do

But I can't dispute that if you're not asked then don't join in

Barry

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 04:02 AM

"In this context I'm a Wesleyan."

What? Grim little chapels and no booze?

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 09:11 AM

I agree that the audience should join in when asked.

Here are other forms of behavior that I object to:

People clapping for short solos at the ballet. Bad for the orchestra. Besides, those who start dancing next deserve our attention.

People clapping for solos at ragtime concerts. Somebody doing a section alone is just not that big a deal. Besides, it masks the next person's entrance.

People who want everybody to know how knowledgeable they are, so they start applauding one nanosecond after the last note of a piece, before the musician has let it come to an end.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 09:22 AM

No, no priests interposed between me and my interpretation of the scriptures.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Folkiedave
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 09:39 AM

And on the latest Lau Live record - applauding as Hiba starts.....

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Leadfingers
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 10:29 AM

Personally , I would never dream of joining in a Chorus with Coote Boyes and Simpson ,as their harmonies dont need anything I can do !!
But an 'Ordinary' chorus DOES need participation !

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 10:59 AM

I seem to remember Jean Redpath saying something like:

"If ye don't wish to sing, I can't force ye...and if y've a mind TO sing, I canna stop ye...so do as ye please."

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Tyke
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 07:31 PM

I read it in a Newspaper were at a George Formby Convention the Audience were searched to stop them from smuggling Ukuleles in to the concerts.

Oh yes they did!

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: ChillToad
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 01:24 PM

As a concert goer I only join in when invited.
As a singer at the 'Irish session' in our local pub, usually unaccompanied, I think its down to me. Sometimes the joining in puts me off: as the beer goes down around me so does the tempo, and I'm trying to move on to the next verse while the audience is still on the last line of the chorus. Still, everyone seems to have a good time and in that context its fine. I go elsewhere for a more 'respectful' audience.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 02:28 PM

Two days ago, I presided over a board meeting of our local folk song society, discussing this very subject. It has become quite an issue at our showcase concerts and circle presentations. Until three or four years ago, the society's policy was "no singing by the audience unless requested by the performer", whether the "performer" was "on stage" at the front of the room or sitting and taking his turn to sing in a circle format. This prohibition included humming, even under one's breath. All singing was to be done during the jam-session period of the society's meetings, which occurs after the formal presentation (showcase/circle) period.

Some society members couldn't keep themselves from singing or humming; others (mainly newcomers) didn't understand the policy since singing is allowed at meetings of other local clubs; still others were offended at the idea of being silenced. So the society took the if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em view, and changed its policy to "singing along is allowed unless the performer requests you NOT to sing".

Well, THAT doesn't seem to be working out too well, either. Increasingly, performers are drowned out by the audience, and the audience often sings a familiar song the way they think it should go, which is not necessarily the way that the performer is interpreting it. One board member in particular is incensed about the situation, and at the board meeting she made some points with which the rest of us had to agree: that singing along too exuberantly is unfair and rude to the performer who has selected (and perhaps just learned) a song to present at the meeting; that it's unfair and rude to the listener who wants to hear the performer's take on a given song; that some performers may consider it too rude to tell the audience not to sing along (due to peer pressure and all that). So the decision has been made to revert to our old policy of "no singing along unless requested".

Ah, but how to enforce the new/renewed rule? How to put folks back down on the farm now that they've seen (or sung) Parree? According to the board, the onus is now on me, as current President of the society, to:
-- Write up an article for the newsletter detailing the board's policy revision and the reasons for it (without sounding dictatorial);
-- Write a short reminder of this decision, to be placed in the newsletter before every meeting;
-- Open each meeting with a reminder not to sing along (along with the reminders to turn off cell phones, to leave and enter the room quietly, to refrain from chatting during a song, etc.);
-- Re-announce the no-sing reminder when latecomers wander in;
-- Interrupt the meeting's program if singalongs occur unbidden, and say "naughty members, you mustn't do that" (but not in the middle of a song) without alienating the "offenders" or causing them to drop out of the society in a huff.

*groan* Can't wait to see how THIS is going to go over with the membership.

It was suggested at the board meeting that I fashion a sign that I could hold up if singing occurs; the sign would say "Shhh!" I sincerely hope it won't come to that.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Elmore
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 03:20 PM

As a long time member of the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, I don't recall this ever being a problem. Pete Seeger did a concert for us and recorded it as an example of how people should sing along.When I moved to New Hampshire I was amazed to find that artists like Bill Staines, John Mccutcheon and Tom Paxton had to beg the audience to sing. At Old Songs this year, some poor, tone deaf woman told me I had a beautiful voice. Either she or I had had too many beers. I would never knowingly sing loud enough to bother anybody.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: John P
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 03:50 PM

As a performer, I'm always put off when people start singing along uninvited. Or clapping!! If I'm playing a concert, I want to present the music in my own way. Some songs are better with audience participation and some aren't.

As an audience member, I REALLY don't want to hear anyone singing except the person I came to hear, again, unless the performer asks the audience to join in. I've always thought that uninvited singing is the height of insensitive egotism. If you want a participatory experience, go where that is offered, or make your own.

It may be worse at rock concerts than at folk concerts. I remember seeing Jethro Tull a few years back and trying to hear Ian Anderson, who has one of my favorite voices. I had to ask, multiple times, for the donkey seated behind me to stop braying along.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Maryrrf
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 04:03 PM

Hmm Sharon, I must say I don't envy your position.

I would tend to agree with the "Only sing along if invited group." Especially if the audience drowns out the performer in some cases - that's a problem. I've also seen instances such as you describe where the performer is trying to do a version other than the usual one and is consistently thrown off by the audience who's singing it like its "supposed to be" sung, as a matter of fact that's happened to me. I tend to only join in on choruses if invited and if they really are singable - like sea shanty type choruses. Otherwise I prefer to just listen closely to the singer's take on the song, without joining in. I find it excruciating when the performer insists repeatedly that the audience join in, to the point of treating them like kindergarteners. As in "Let's try that again, I couldnt' hear you...".   A simple invitation to join in should be enough, and if the audience doesn't want to then so be it. In the case of your club it sounds like you have some very enthusiastic singers!

In your case you'll have to be extremely diplomatic to avoid upsetting either group - the joiners in and the non joiners. Good luck!

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Taconicus
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 04:08 PM

There are different levels of sensitivity and courtesy. I stopped going to rock concerts for several years after an incident in 1972 at an outdoor concert at Randall's Island in New York. My subsequent tip for being courteous at concerts is, "when you feel the need to relieve yourself, no matter how stoned out of your gourd you are please try to get up and make your way to the nearest port-a-potty rather than just opening up your trousers and letting fly onto the back of the guy in front of you." ;-)

In comparison, I don't think you need feel bad; singing along is common and more often the rule than the exception, unless it's hard to hear the entertainer,but it varies with the type of concert and the venue (and perhaps, how badly the audience member is singing). It was courteous of you to stop singing when you were asked, and rather discourteous of the other person to gratuitously add the "I didn't pay to hear you sing" comment.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 04:22 PM

I'm sure that in folk music payment is not the key.

On the rare occasions that I am a "leader" in anything, I will point out the key in case anyone wants to join in, and warn if I am about to do anything that differs from custom or conventional practice - so my version of "Blackleg Miner" I point out that I use an unusual bridge (I once nearly had to stuff an insensitive fiddle player's fiddle somewhere the tuning pegs would have been an impediment before she understood) and I point out that if (as I do) you play "Famous flower of Serving Men" (in abbreviated form) the count is

ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR and ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR
AND one AND two AND three AND four AND one AND two AND three AND four and


ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR (and so on)


Likewise I do some shanties in off-timings - and crap as I am and unfitted as I am to lead other musicians or singers - I will TELL people if I want something different from normal joining in - and also EXPLAIN so they don't think I am being a prima donna (or uomo)


In general the synergy is better than the solo.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 04:53 PM

I think people and performers (who can be one and the same) are of two different camps. I am of the sing unless they tell you not camp and would go to song circles and camps and concerts of that persuasion. There are frankly few people I want to hear solo but that is my preference. So why not just have whoever is the leader of the event do it her way, whichever, and others will say when Susan is the leader we can all join in and she is a regular the first weekend of the month and Joe wants us not to sing along and that is the second weekend etc. And if you have a circle where you introduce poeple and you are the leader, just save them from having to announce their preferences by just telling you ahead of time and you can say here is Juan from Calixo and he invites you to all sing along. Here is Paddy from Cork and he wants you not to sing along.

It is preference only. Some people like it one way and others another and just find a way to inform them of the preferences, preferably in advance, by writing it on your posters or on your website or whatever and then make announcements if it is a concert.

But I for one, aprticulary in somethin like a song circle or pub settng, do not buy the fact that I am supposed to listen adoringly just because someone has practiced. If the person wants that, and I am informed, I probably won't bother, but I could possibly. So just make preferences known in advance, and don't start with the assumptio hat others with different cultures etc. are wrong and you are right. If you like it one way, seek out those experiences, and vise versa. mg

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Don Firth
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 07:37 PM

Pete Seeger wants people to sing along. That's very much his thing, and he is a master at getting a whole audience sounding like a trained choir. It's an exhileration experience, and it's a lot of fun. Nobody does it better than Pete.

But—I also remember taking in a Peter Paul and Mary concert, in which Peter Yarrow would sometimes suggest that people could join in on a particular song if they wished. However, they did some songs with a very tight arrangement, or a version that was somewhat different from the one popularly extant, and before they began, Peter would say something like, "Now this may sound familiar to you and you may feel impelled to sing along. But—please don't."

Once they launched into the song, it became evident why. There was one Christmas song they did that started out with a very familiar refrain, but within a few lines, it switched. It was actually a well-crafted madrigal arrangement of several Christmas songs. Any attempt at audience participation would have completely screwed up a very nice arrangement and nobody would have been happy.

Let the performer guide you.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Joe Nicholson
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 07:39 PM

can't be doing with concerts anyway I always go to sleep.
Joe N

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Deckman
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 08:06 AM

This is a very good topic ... I'm glad it got re-started! Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,Neovo
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 08:26 AM

There is a world of difference between joining in on what is obviously a chorus (although on invitation would be preferable) and singing with gusto over what is clearly intended as a solo verse or chorus-less song - even worse a sensitive and softly sung ballad.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 08:31 AM

SharonA,

You've been given a very dirty job. Don't envy you.

But...

You report that a board member claimed that "some performers may consider it too rude to tell the audience not to sing along..."
Even if that is the case,
Why does your group NOT think that it is the performer's call?
Why does your group NOT simply tell performers that if they a preference they had best express it or live with the consequences.

Russ (Permanent GUEST and occasional song leader)

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 08:44 AM

as the beer goes down around me so does the tempo, and I'm trying to move on to the next verse while the audience is still on the last line of the chorus

"If you want to come in on the refrains, please do, but I'm not hanging around so don't drag them out"
- me, the other night

Mind you, that was among friends - in a bigger or more mixed crowd I would probably just put up with the dreaded* Choral Dirge Effect.

*Not invariably dreaded, I have to say - there are songs where a kind of slow-motion pileup of voices, in a spirit of never mind the tempo, feel the harmonies, is just what you want. But a lot of the time it's just down to people taking their cue from each other, so that everyone slows everyone else down.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: foggers
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 08:58 AM

Yes this is an interesting topic. At a regular weekly sing around I attend the emphasis is on everyone joining in, so we all tend to choose well known stuff, or songs with easy choruses. It is in a pub room with quite a bit of background noise from the other side of the bar, so group singing rather than sensitive solos do work best, in my view.

At concerts as an audience member I do have a habit of at least humming along, but I try to keep it in check (for all the reasons stated above) and I prefer to have the performer be explicit about joining in in certain places and just listening to other numbers. So when I am performing a support slot at a concert that is exactly the approach I take; I will put some songs in with easy choruses and invite participation, and I will introduce the songs that I have worked on specific arrangements for with a polite request to listen (and hopefully enjoy!)

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Folkiedave
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 11:25 AM

"If you feel like clapping - don't".

Mike Harding

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: John P
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 05:23 PM

I'm astonished that anyone would think it appropriate to sing along during a performance without invitation. As a performer, I arrange music in very specific ways to enhance the song. People singing along or clapping usually ruin that. When I do sing-along songs, I arrange them with that in mind. I also don't want to be the one to tell people to be silent -- I don't want to insert negativity into the evening by telling audience members what not to do. I'd rather assume they are polite adults, and depend on the person who hired me to ask the non-polite to be quiet or leave.

As an audience member, I want to hear the performer, not a self-appointed singer sitting next to me. If that person wants to sing in public so badly, they should work up an act and get a gig. If they want to sing along with their favorite folk songs because folk music is participatory, they should go to or create a participatory event. I've sometimes had the idea that people have a philosophical preference for folk music as completely "of the people" and participatory, and are willing to intrude on others to get their point across. Like, "Don't tell me not to sing along. This is Folk Music!" The fact is that folk music ain't what it was in our grandparents' day. The origins of this music may be community based and participatory, with people singing as they work or relax in the evening, but our society has changed. That's not generally the way folk music is played, listened to, or learned anymore. And I suspect that even in the old days a performance was treated as such.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 05:35 PM

Don't worry..I wouldn't sing along during a performance. But if I had a choice between going some place where I could and where I couldn't I would choose where I could, and as an audience member, my preference, and that is all it is for either of us, is to hear the performer and the person sitting next to me both, with certain exceptions, in which case hopefully I can move.

And lots of people, myself included, do not have a desire to sing in public as an act, but as a part of a group. We like it, and again, it is a matter of simple preference.

I tend to like the beer glass thumping kind of music anyway so the chances of me ruining one of your events is fortunatley pretty small. mg

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 05:45 PM

I guess it's horses for courses.....

Any performer worth their salt has learned to "read" an audience. As a very wise lady told me once......If they want to join in....let them! It's a compliment to your engagement with the audience. If they don't want to join in....don't force them and go all happy clappy. If you tell them not to join in you risk alienating your following...however many there be!   And they must be listening to you for a reason?

Are your audience listening to you in respectful silence, or have they gone to sleep?

The same goes for an audience.......you must be listening for a reason, or joining in for a reason?

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: John P
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 06:10 PM

Respectful silence is not that important to me. It all depends on the setting. A coffeehouse or pub would feel odd without folks talking sometimes and listening sometimes. A sit-down concert would feel odd if people weren't paying attention. A group of friends sitting around enjoying music together would be odd if no one was singing along.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Maryrrf
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 08:47 PM

Waddon Pete summed it up nicely, I think.

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: harpmolly
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 11:44 PM

John P...oh God, that Jethro Tull concert. I remember that, and remember wanting to throttle the guy. Of course he blathered all through the ACOUSTIC set. Big jerk. ;)

At the much-anticipated Roy Zimmerman house concert last weekend, in someone's living room with about 25 people attending, a man right behind us during the last few songs started humming and muttering along in what he probably thought was an undertone (NOT). It was rather excruciating in such an intimate setting, but Roy was far too civilized to call him on it, so just soldiered through anyway. Neither I nor my friends had the nerve to say anything about it, both because we didn't want to cause a scene and because frankly, we weren't sure what his mental state was...merely obnoxiously oblivious, or possibly "not all there"? (in which case it would've been even more embarrassing for Roy). Luckily, Roy's charm and charisma carried the day and we were able to mostly ignore it.

Hmmm...this seems like a really good time to solicit people's opinions about an experience I had a few years ago. I went to a Bruce Cockburn concert with some friends, and we were sitting in the third or fourth row, near the side aisle. One of our party (who might've had a wee dram or so before the show...unconfirmed) was enjoying herself to the point where she felt compelled to get up and dance in the side aisle, occasionally wandering down to the foot of the stage where she was bathed in residual stage light. Now, this was a very simple concert, just Bruce with his guitar and one or two backing musicians. I was completely horrified by my friend's actions, because I felt that in this situation (no one else was dancing or moving out of their seats) she was in danger of pulling focus from Bruce and becoming a major distraction. Eventually it bothered me so much that I actually asked her to sit down, which she did with rather bad grace (she later said she felt "shut down" and I wanted to say, "GOOD!").

Recently, however, I was listening to Bruce's live "Circles in the Stream" cd, and towards the end he says to the audience, "Is there a reason why the people dancing in the aisles can't keep dancing?" At which point I felt a wave of shame wash over me. Ouch.

What do my fellow 'Catters think? Was I, as usual, being a big wet blanket, or was I justified in "shutting her down"? I, for one, was VERY distracted by her dancing and did feel it detracted from the focus of the concert. Then again, as we know, I'm a huge worry-wart. ;)

Good God...my first post to Mudcat in months, and it's a humdinger!

Subject: RE: Concert Etiquette
From: Deckman
Date: 07 Aug 09 - 11:56 PM

Molly ... good post! Again ... it's up to the artist to set the rules! (there, that didn't hurt, did it?) Bob(deckman)Nelson