Hey buddy! Sit down, I paid for these seats!!

[Velvet]

Inspired by the Levon thread, I'd like you to share your stories and especially your strategies for dealing with the situation we've all had to deal with:

You're at a show rockin' away and the people behind you want you to sit down. How do you best diffuse the situation?

My common response is "Go talk to security." That generally does the trick, but security did make me move to the back once (Ottawa Jazzfest - no standing at the front).

[bouche]

Pretend that I don't hear them. Most people will just be annoyed and live with the situation, move, or stand. Others may start poking. At that point, not sure what ends up happening. I can't remember the last time. But I've always wanted fake deaf. What could they do then?

[Schwa.]

Hope I wasn't the catalyst, although I was the only one bitching there.

Recently was the Black Crowes show. I was 1st row on the balcony, dead center on the aisle. A fella is literally yelling at me to sit down. I turn around mid-boogie and simply smile and shrug my shoulders. He then shuts up until the song is done and asks me where my seat is and I tell him that I'm at my seat. No more words are spoken, he gets security, security looks at my ticket looks back to the dude and shrugs his shoulders. Funny moment. Then a girl from about 5 or 6 rows up abandons her boyfriend, who is sitting, and comes down to dance with me at the railing. She gets some flack from the guy that was yelling at me and totally tells him off. Nice....but then security comes down and forces her to go back to her seat after Josephine. Bummer, she was hot too Buddy then gave up and yanked his female companion out of her seat and stomped off. Angré as could be. Fuck'em. Problem through all of this was that we became the show and sooooo many people were turned to watch us instead of the show which was awesome.

I have several more but I'll let some others chime in

[Freak By Night]

I generally go with the flow in these situations - if the people around me are standing/dancing, I will too, but if nearly everyone is sitting, I'll sit down.

At that Allman's show I went to on Saturday night, we were sitting beside one of the most annoying, drunkest concert-goers we've every encountered. At first this woman insisted that everyone sit down. Then later in the show she stood on her seat and wondered (loudly) why everyone else was still seated!

Then she kept yelling "Get the fuck up the piano" over and over again. Apparently she wanted Greg Allman to get up and walk around, and be front-and-center on the stage! Toward the end of the show this dimwit realized that Dickey Betts was no longer part of the band - "Where the fuck is Dickey" she kept yelling.

[Velvet]

At that Allman's show I went to on Saturday night, we were sitting beside one of the most annoying, drunkest concert-goers we've every encountered. At first this woman insisted that everyone sit down. Then later in the show she stood on her seat and wondered (loudly) why everyone else was still seated!

Then she kept yelling "Get the fuck up the piano" over and over again. Apparently she wanted Greg Allman to get up and walk around, and be front-and-center on the stage! Toward the end of the show this dimwit realized that Dickey Betts was no longer part of the band - "Where the fuck is Dickey" she kept yelling.

Woah.

[Schwa.]

haha, nice one FBN.

Reminds me (srota) of the Neil Young "Greendale" show at ACC. The skids directly in front of us were in the midst of a domestic when the lights were still on before the show prompting everyone to watch them....quite the show. Then when the lights went off and the show began the dude took off and left her there by herself. From the 1st note she was screaming for Cinnamon Girl and Old Man!!!!! Non-stop. Then she'd turn around and kept saying "what the fuck is this?! Seriouisly, what the fuck is this?!?!" My brother finally snapped and told her to shut the fuck up and she did....then the boyfriend got back with two giant beers....she finished about half, they got into it again and dumped the rest on his head.....then the funny shit happened. he went and got security and had HER kicked out. She went batshit crazy and started beating on him and security dragged her out. This all happened during the first 2-3 songs. If you were there you may remember a round of applause completely out of place in the show (mid song) and it was our section applauding her removal.

There was some flack for standing at this show too, but too bad.

[ollie]

Where do you peeps stand on the issue of a girl sitting on a guys shoulders when everyone else is standing? That is one thing I will not tolerate, whether it means moving to a better vantage point or antagonizing the sitter until she comes down.

The only time I've been confronted about standing was at the Ottawa Folk Fest. I refused to move my ground, complainer got security, security threatened to kick me out. I left for one of the side stages. Can you be kicked out of a concert for standing?

[Schwa.]

Next example is Xavier Rudd (a very danceable show) at the Phoenix back in 2006 or so...i forget the date. we were just about gang beaten by a bunch of dudes that were standing perfectly still on the floor. called every sort of slur, name and generally horrible thing so we decided to book it up to the balcony and got ourselves a corner in which to dance. Several friends lives that were still on the floor were threatened by short women that simply couldn't see and people that wanted to stand perfectly still.. Another horrible Toronto experience.

[hamilton]

I'm not sure how anyone can complain about people dancing at a GA show...

[Schwa.]

Next example is the United Steelworkers of Montreal at the Horseshoe a few winters back. Ultimate boogie show...so much energy in the room it was impossible NOT to dance. And yet, there they were again, the snob-a-riffic dicks of Toronto. We had worked our way up to the front (c-clowns and I) and we were totally givin'er not paying any attention to the rest of the folks behind us.....when I turned around to get a beer (I had to go through the entire crowd to get to the bar) I was threatened and told not to try to come back to my buddy at the stage. Seriously, I can't make this shit up. I snicker at the guy and his buddies and of course return with beer. I tried to pass by this guy on my way back with my hands full of a couple beers and i was pushed several times and they actually tried to trip me.

Another horrible Toronto experience. I could tell the band was in a little bit of shock at the complete stillness of the crowd. They kept trying to kick it up a notch and get the crowd into it, to no avail. Not a wonder they love Hamilton so much.

***edit*** I'm assuming my Toronto friends know I'm not including them in these generalizations

Edited November 17, 2010 by Guest

[Thorgnor]

QQC and I drew some nasty attention at a Talib Kweli show a couple years back. We kept responding to each line of the verses with a loud "YO" or "Word" just like Talib does on his albums. We had an awesome time...

No one else thought it was funny.

[Basher]

I think the golden rule applies here. If the majority of people are sitting and I want to stand and dance I will try to find a place where I can dance, enjoy the show, and not impede others enjoyment.

[Kanada Kev]

Where do you peeps stand on the issue of a girl sitting on a guys shoulders when everyone else is standing?

Only tolerable when the obligatory boob-flash is paid up by the girl on the shoulders

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

1989 (I think) CSN at Kingswood. I was there with my, now, wife. Sitting in the 200s off to the side. We were the only ones dancing. Some preppy yahoos (no offence to preppies, but that’s what they looked like) show up, two rows directly behind us, a few songs into the first set and start screaming at us to “sit the FUCK down.†Now, if they had asked us nicely I MIGHT have considered it. But they wouldn’t shut up. After a while one of the dudes reaches over and grabs my shirt and tries to pull me down. I turn around to a barrage of fists at my head and chest. I literally could not lift up my arms to protect myself. My wife gets hit when she put up her hands to protect me. Security comes to break it up and we head off with them. I have a wicked headache, sore ribs (from getting pulled into the plastic seat), and ripped shirt. Cops talks me out of pressing charges (which I regretted afterward). They give us seats 1st (or maybe 2nd) row centre for rest of show. But it was hard to enjoy by then.

When we saw CSNY at the ACC about 10 years later I was hesitant to stand up, but Cinnamon Girl got me to my feet. Actually my wife started dancing first. Couldn’t keep her down to that song.

[Jakis]

At last years wilco show at Massey Hall my friend got kicked out for standing after five songs! They told him he was obstructing the view for others and kicked him out. He was pretty pissed off so he emailed wilco to let them know what happened and how lame it can be at massey. They emailed back the next day and offered him two tickets to a Wilco show of his choice! Great band and organization who looks after their fans. He choose montreal on their next tour and so they put him on the guest list. He brings me and we head down to Montreal for the weekend. When we get to the door we say our names and they hand us two tickets and two backstage passes! It was a awesome surprise. So after the show we show our passes head backstage and end up drinking with the band for an hour watching hockey and shooting the shit. Such a fun night and a great great Wilco show. Here are some pictures!

Backstage pass

Link

Link

[Schwa.]

awesome, Jake!!

[phishtaper]

Hey douche bag! I paid for these seats! Sit Down!

Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?

....

I'm sitting. I'm sitting!

[phorbesie]

that is sweet jakis.

i usually just get beer dumped on my head.

[bradm]

United Steelworkers of Montreal

FWIW, USoM is listed as playing in Montreal on Friday, January 7, and Saturday, January 8, 2011, at La Sala Rossa (one of the venues under the Casa Del Popolo umbrella).

I expect there'll be room to dance at these shows.

Aloha,

Brad

[Hartamophone]

Where do you peeps stand on the issue of a girl sitting on a guys shoulders when everyone else is standing? That is one thing I will not tolerate, whether it means moving to a better vantage point or antagonizing the sitter until she comes down.

This is one of the concert behaviours that annoys me the most. "I can't see very well, so I'm going to make sure that I can see better at the expense of everyone behind me." Pisses me off.

I'm one of those who tends to go with the general atmosphere of a show. No sense being the only one standing and dancing if it's just going to annoy everyone else.

At GA (non-seated) shows I like to be a little bit farther back, as I find the vast majority of the jockeying for position/don't-dance-on-me douchebaggery tends to happen towards the front, and in general I don't find it to be worth it.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

The fact that there's soooooooooooo much chatter at shows in Toronto just adds to the overall negativity

[Thorgnor]

For all the times I've stood and danced, or wanted to, I've also been to more than one concert where some totalfuckhead is banging into, and often hurting anyone around them because they're "Just sooooo into it, man!" Spinning drunken hippie girls punching people by accident, and not apologizing because they don't want to ruin their own vibe... Kicky-leg man antics... I've wanted to deck somebody, but your story makes me sad BWM.

Have you ever had anyone look at you strange for standing too close to the stage, when everyone else was holding up the back wall? I don't get London crowds.

[Hartamophone]

For all the times I've stood and danced, or wanted to, I've also been to more than one concert where some totalfuckhead is banging into, and often hurting anyone around them because they're "Just sooooo into it, man!" Spinning drunken hippie girls punching people by accident, and not apologizing because they don't want to ruin their own vibe... Kicky-leg man antics...

Agreed. That's just as selfish as sitting on shoulders. I remember being at a Greensky Bluegrass show in an old barn last winter - not jam-packed, but a fairly tight space. I couldn't believe it when I turned around and saw a girl using freaking HULA HOOPS inside the venue, to the point that people had to quickly dodge around her to get to the bar or outside to smoke. Fuck's sake. Outside at a festival or on a relatively empty balcony is one thing, but don't bring those things into a sold-out indoor show.

[Hartamophone]

And while we're being grumpy about people at shows, I have often been annoyed at the attitude of tapers who ask people to be quiet, or get pissed when balloons float near their "rig." A show exists for the people who are there first and foremost. I appreciate what tapers do, but don't ask me not to cheer so loudly at a show so that you can get a good pull, ass. I don't want to ruin the night for anyone who is there, but I'll be damned if I'm going to change my behaviour for the benefit of those listening at home. (The exception to this being tapers who politely ask not to talk to them while standing under their mics. That one I don't have a problem with.)

[ollie]

The fact that there's soooooooooooo much chatter at shows in Toronto just adds to the overall negativity

Last time Mule was in Montreal I had to ask the guy in front of me to stop talking while Warren was singing an acapella Hallelujah. His response: "I'm allowed to talk." That wasn't really the point buddy. He did stop though.