Tahd Frentzel

TLDR: DON’T TALK DURING THE PERFORMANCE!

1. A CONCERT IS A SHARED EXPERIENCE. BE COOL! You have one thing in common with everyone else in attendance. You all like this band enough to pay money to buy a ticket and spend time listening to them perform. Assume everyone is your friend and don’t get hung up on differences. This includes people in obnoxious political hats or T-shirts that say ‘I ❤️ TO FART.’ This is an event where you have to put your “Live and Let Live” vibe into action. Do it.
2. DO NOT SPEAK DURING THE PERFORMANCE! The band is here to entertain you. The audience is here to be entertained. If you want to have a conversation with your friend, go outside. Or go into the bathroom where nobody can hear you. Or, simply face your friend, put your index finger in front of your mouth, and point to the band. Then ignore them if they start jabbering.
3. RESPECT THE SUPPORTING BANDS! You may not like one or more of the bands that support the artist you’re there to see, but maybe the person next to you is a huge fan, and this is his or her first opportunity to see them live. Maybe they work 60+ hours a week and this is an incredibly rare night out for them. Let them enjoy it. No booing, gagging, “Oh gawding” or indicating anything but respect for them. That means, yeah, you should also clap after songs. You don’t have to pretend you love them, but show some respect. Oh, and absolutely NO talking over the performance (see rules 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10).
4. ONCE THE MUSIC STARTS, SHUT YOUR MOUTH! People are there to hear the music. They don’t care about ANY of your stories no matter how entertaining you’ve determined them to be. And if you’re talking, you may safely assume that the looks you’re getting from people are like daggers, wishing you nothing but ill-will.
5. DON’T GET SLOSHED! Yes, it’s a night out. Sometimes music sounds better in an altered state. Fine. Get a little loaded, but pace yourself. You — and especially your friends — don’t want the night to end with you passing out or getting sick.
6. WHEN THE BAND BEGINS, LISTEN! This may sound repetitive, but if ONE person reading this recognizes that they should be QUIET during the song, it’s a win. Yes, you can sing along. Yes, you can “whoop” if the musician plays an astounding solo, or the singer sings a favorite lyric. That’s just enjoying the show. If you decide to dissect the lyrics of the song during the song, then it’s already surprising that anyone hangs out with you, but you should close your mouth anyway.
7. ONLY GET UP TO MOVE IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST! If your bladder is saying “Yo, I’mma gonna pee if I can’t get to the bathroom in 240 seconds!” then go. If you suddenly have a craving for a snack, wait until the song ends. If it’s not your favorite song and you suddenly have the urge to call a friend where it’s quieter, just don’t.
8. IF THE MUSIC IS PLAYING – DON’T BE BRAYING! If you absolutely HAVE to tell your friend something… yell quietly directly into their ear. NOBODY but you cares that this is your favorite song and that you can’t believe they’re playing it.
9. DON’T FEED YOURSELF DURING THE PERFORMANCE! You all know better than to bring a stinky meal (right? RIGHT?), but please do your eating before the show if you can. Save the garlic, onions, and fish tacos for another night. If it’ll give you bad breath later, it stinks right now.
10. IF YOU WANT TO TALK DURING THE PERFORMANCE, REMIND YOURSELF WHAT STFU STANDS FOR! And stay quiet! For the last time: talking during a performance is the height of rudeness. You show that you have NO regard for your fellow concertgoers, and while you’ve been gleefully flapping your lips, your soul is being hit with murderous glares by those around you. You may even be responsible for ruining someone’s evening by talking over their favorite song. If you went to this concert as some sort of social group that has little interest in the performing band – LEAVE! No one will miss you.
11. DON’T BE A ROCKSTAR BLOCKER! That means: don’t be obnoxious with your phones; don’t get on someone’s shoulders so YOU can see better; and don’t wear a big old hat that will block someone’s view. And if you happen to have crazy big hair, recognize that some of us might be jealous, while others are angry because they have to try to look through it to see the stage. Tie it down! Wear a ball cap! Or a headband! Your hair should not be more than 2 to 3 inches above your head. Back to phones for a second. PUT THEM AWAY! Okay, if you absolutely MUST catch 90 seconds of your favorite song performed live, we get it. But if you’re intent on filming the whole concert, ask yourself why. If you think that watching a live show on a screen is equal to seeing the band live, then you should have stayed home with YouTube. SOMEONE will undoubtedly record the show and THEY will upload it. Let THEM be the obnoxious one. You can watch theirs. Heck, download it and tell everyone YOU shot it!