The Comprehensive Guide to Concert-Going Part 3: General Concert Etiquette
Hi and welcome to my third installment in my mini-series of information about going to music concerts. I wanted to make these posts aimed towards new concert-goers or for people who are looking to improve their own concert experience. You can check out my first two posts here and here to learn about getting the best spots on the floor and best tickets, and also to learn more about mosh pits and how to be safe around them.
This post I wanted to sum up a lot of little things that go on at concerts and are some things you might not realize happen if you have never been to a concert before.
Merch (i.e. merchandise) etiquette:
Try to find where the line roughly is. Try not to cut, but it does happen. Know what you want before you get up there and have your money ready. (It helps to bring different size dollar bills so that you can do exact money and not have to have change counted back to you.) Merch guys are typically pretty crabby in my experience. It makes me sad that they are usually in a bad mood. They deal with a lot of people every night and have to deal with a lot of stupid questions. Just try to be as efficient as possible, and if they are doing their job well and are friendly, let them know. But don't be surprised if they come off as rude, they have a lot of people to help and don't want to put up with indecisive people.
Merch at shows can consist of tour shirts, specially made concert shirts, hoodies, wall flags, posters, hats, bracelets, CDs, and a few other special items. If it is not the first night of the tour, you can probably find pictures of the merch online before you go so that you know what you want and can bring the correct amount of cash. Some merch people will take credit cards now, but don't count on it. Big venues, like amphitheaters and arenas, will have multiple merch tables, but small venues will only have one designated area for merch. If you are really concerned about merch selling out, get your merch as soon as you get into the venue. Tour shirts tend to sell out, so if you get just a shirt at the beginning, you can wear it over your regular clothes and get other, harder to carry merch later. Some bands will also have the leftover merch for sale online, but don't count on it, so buy what you really want and you won't have regrets
My favorite is when parents or other adults attend concerts with their children or people they are supposed to be watching out for, and they get stuck with merch duty. I love parents who go to concerts with their kids. I think it is great that music spans so many different generations. But on that note, you can always bring a parent or other guardian along who can take pictures of the merch and text them to you if you are running to be on the barricade or a similar part of the venue. They are a great asset to your concert-going experience. Just make sure you leave them your merch money.
Most shirts cost $20-25 dollars, especially the tour shirts, but could be as low as $15 or high as $30-35, depending on the make and cut of the shirt. Hoodies or jackets will be $40-50. Flags will be around $20, bracelets $5, and CDs can range from $5-10, most being $10.
Other tips about concert etiquette:
Cigarettes and vaping: Some venues actually will not let you vape or smoke in the venue. This is something you might want to find out before you go to a concert if it is going to be a problem for you. Most venues will let you back in if you have to go take a cigarette break. If you do choose to smoke in the venue, look out for the people around you and don't accidentally (or on purpose) burn someone else, make sure your ashes are not hitting other people and don't be blowing smoke in people's faces. Vaping releases a lot more "smoke" than a regular cigarette, even if it is not as bad for you as a cigarette. Try your best to not blow smoke into other people. It is annoying, and it sucks having to watch a show through someone else's fog.
Pushing: There will be people who can move from the back of the venue to the very front and somehow end up right in front of you. This happens and you can't avoid it. You will probably move and end up in a different place than when you started no matter what happens or if someone wiggles their way in front of you. Just don't be mean or obnoxious, or overly sneaky about moving in front of people. If you are short, you can literally ask the people in front of you if you can move in front of them. And if they say no, wiggle your way in a different direction. The point is to not be rude when you are sandwiched in between a ton of people, and please don't be a part of the really obnoxious people who start pushing from the back of the venue and make the whole crowd sway around.
Sing off-key: Like if you can actually sing, then do that, but don't be afraid to sing off-key.
Don't just stand there: Jump around, dance, wave your arms, or just bob your head. Make it look like you are enjoying yourself if you have no reason to not be enjoying yourself. And if you are on the barricade, do not be mindlessly on your phone during a band's set. I do not care if you have never heard of the band and they suck. It is unbelievably rude to just be chilling on facebook through someone's whole set. You paid money to suffer through their set. Enjoy it.
If you are waving your arms or clapping to the beat, please try to be on time. Especially when it comes to clapping. It is a sense of accomplishment if you can wave your arms in time to everyone else, even if no one else really notices that you are on the off-beat. You can look around at the crowd to make sure you are with them. Or you can be off-beat the whole time. It really is just up to you.
No flash on cameras or cell phones: This is a really big deal. Don't be that person who accidentally has their flash on. The security guys will yell at you.
Don't sit on someone's shoulders: Depending on the venue, you are allowed to do this, but most won't allow you and the security guys will yell at you. It really blocks the view of the people behind you if you are a fairly full grown human on top of someone's shoulders, but it is not as obtrusive if you are a small child on an older person's shoulders. Also, if you are on someone and they get pushed suddenly, you will probably fall off and get hurt. Use caution if you are too short to see and want to sit on someone's shoulders.
Bring signs, but don't be obnoxious: Don't bring a massive sign and hold it up the whole time of someone's set. Some venues won't let you bring in really big signs. In the past, my brother and I have brought signs the size of regular computer paper and wrote on them in really bold sharpie. If you are in the back of a venue, this might not be seen, but it doesn't block the view of everyone behind you. We also only held up the signs for the duration of one song or so, and the band members did see them in that time frame.
Don't attack people when it comes to "free stuff": When it comes to setlists, guitar picks, and drumsticks, do not attack people for them. The band members or stage crew will throw these items, plus used towels or water bottles.
First of all, if you get a water bottle, pass it around to people around you. Unless you are on the verge of death from dehydration, take a few sips and help the people around you get some water too. Your kindness will go far. I'm actually not a hundred percent sure if people keep these bottles for the sole reason that "so-and-so famous person's lips touched this." Unless that really is your motive, please share the water.
If a setlist is thrown out, you need to remember that it is a sheet of paper, and it will get torn. If you end up in a squabble over the setlist, obviously you have to be a little rough to claim it, but try your best not to rip it, and don't rip it on purpose if the other person gets it. The hardest part of letting go of a setlist is realizing that it isn't worth the struggle, and if you do get it, use caution (honestly) but allow other people to take pictures of the setlist if they ask.
Guitar picks get thrown into the crowd and they can be dropped by the player. If you are on the barricade and one is dropped, you can ask security to get it for you. After the concert, you can look around on the ground for extra picks, especially if the band used confetti until security starts to usher people out. If you get multiple guitar picks, and if they are the same, you could give the extra to someone who looks like they will really appreciate it. I have done this and it really makes people happy.
I have never gotten a drumstick at this point, but try to keep a level head in the squabble over it. Don't be excessively rough and if the other person has "won" it, don't rip it out of their hands.
When you are going to a concert, understand that most people don't get these items, and just be happy that you just watched a sick show. But it is fun to walk away from a show with something from the bands themselves. And you can always grab some merch or go out of your way to get a physical concert ticket to keep as memorabilia.
Let me know if I missed anything or if you think I should add or make a post regarding something you would like to know more about or think a PSA is due for. I am open to suggestions. Let me know about your own concert experiences in the comments or let me know about a merch person who really did a great job or your favorite concert memorabilia.
This post I wanted to sum up a lot of little things that go on at concerts and are some things you might not realize happen if you have never been to a concert before.
Merch (i.e. merchandise) etiquette:
Try to find where the line roughly is. Try not to cut, but it does happen. Know what you want before you get up there and have your money ready. (It helps to bring different size dollar bills so that you can do exact money and not have to have change counted back to you.) Merch guys are typically pretty crabby in my experience. It makes me sad that they are usually in a bad mood. They deal with a lot of people every night and have to deal with a lot of stupid questions. Just try to be as efficient as possible, and if they are doing their job well and are friendly, let them know. But don't be surprised if they come off as rude, they have a lot of people to help and don't want to put up with indecisive people.
Merch at shows can consist of tour shirts, specially made concert shirts, hoodies, wall flags, posters, hats, bracelets, CDs, and a few other special items. If it is not the first night of the tour, you can probably find pictures of the merch online before you go so that you know what you want and can bring the correct amount of cash. Some merch people will take credit cards now, but don't count on it. Big venues, like amphitheaters and arenas, will have multiple merch tables, but small venues will only have one designated area for merch. If you are really concerned about merch selling out, get your merch as soon as you get into the venue. Tour shirts tend to sell out, so if you get just a shirt at the beginning, you can wear it over your regular clothes and get other, harder to carry merch later. Some bands will also have the leftover merch for sale online, but don't count on it, so buy what you really want and you won't have regrets
My favorite is when parents or other adults attend concerts with their children or people they are supposed to be watching out for, and they get stuck with merch duty. I love parents who go to concerts with their kids. I think it is great that music spans so many different generations. But on that note, you can always bring a parent or other guardian along who can take pictures of the merch and text them to you if you are running to be on the barricade or a similar part of the venue. They are a great asset to your concert-going experience. Just make sure you leave them your merch money.
Most shirts cost $20-25 dollars, especially the tour shirts, but could be as low as $15 or high as $30-35, depending on the make and cut of the shirt. Hoodies or jackets will be $40-50. Flags will be around $20, bracelets $5, and CDs can range from $5-10, most being $10.
Other tips about concert etiquette:
Cigarettes and vaping: Some venues actually will not let you vape or smoke in the venue. This is something you might want to find out before you go to a concert if it is going to be a problem for you. Most venues will let you back in if you have to go take a cigarette break. If you do choose to smoke in the venue, look out for the people around you and don't accidentally (or on purpose) burn someone else, make sure your ashes are not hitting other people and don't be blowing smoke in people's faces. Vaping releases a lot more "smoke" than a regular cigarette, even if it is not as bad for you as a cigarette. Try your best to not blow smoke into other people. It is annoying, and it sucks having to watch a show through someone else's fog.
Pushing: There will be people who can move from the back of the venue to the very front and somehow end up right in front of you. This happens and you can't avoid it. You will probably move and end up in a different place than when you started no matter what happens or if someone wiggles their way in front of you. Just don't be mean or obnoxious, or overly sneaky about moving in front of people. If you are short, you can literally ask the people in front of you if you can move in front of them. And if they say no, wiggle your way in a different direction. The point is to not be rude when you are sandwiched in between a ton of people, and please don't be a part of the really obnoxious people who start pushing from the back of the venue and make the whole crowd sway around.
Sing off-key: Like if you can actually sing, then do that, but don't be afraid to sing off-key.
Don't just stand there: Jump around, dance, wave your arms, or just bob your head. Make it look like you are enjoying yourself if you have no reason to not be enjoying yourself. And if you are on the barricade, do not be mindlessly on your phone during a band's set. I do not care if you have never heard of the band and they suck. It is unbelievably rude to just be chilling on facebook through someone's whole set. You paid money to suffer through their set. Enjoy it.
If you are waving your arms or clapping to the beat, please try to be on time. Especially when it comes to clapping. It is a sense of accomplishment if you can wave your arms in time to everyone else, even if no one else really notices that you are on the off-beat. You can look around at the crowd to make sure you are with them. Or you can be off-beat the whole time. It really is just up to you.
No flash on cameras or cell phones: This is a really big deal. Don't be that person who accidentally has their flash on. The security guys will yell at you.
Don't sit on someone's shoulders: Depending on the venue, you are allowed to do this, but most won't allow you and the security guys will yell at you. It really blocks the view of the people behind you if you are a fairly full grown human on top of someone's shoulders, but it is not as obtrusive if you are a small child on an older person's shoulders. Also, if you are on someone and they get pushed suddenly, you will probably fall off and get hurt. Use caution if you are too short to see and want to sit on someone's shoulders.
Bring signs, but don't be obnoxious: Don't bring a massive sign and hold it up the whole time of someone's set. Some venues won't let you bring in really big signs. In the past, my brother and I have brought signs the size of regular computer paper and wrote on them in really bold sharpie. If you are in the back of a venue, this might not be seen, but it doesn't block the view of everyone behind you. We also only held up the signs for the duration of one song or so, and the band members did see them in that time frame.
Don't attack people when it comes to "free stuff": When it comes to setlists, guitar picks, and drumsticks, do not attack people for them. The band members or stage crew will throw these items, plus used towels or water bottles.
First of all, if you get a water bottle, pass it around to people around you. Unless you are on the verge of death from dehydration, take a few sips and help the people around you get some water too. Your kindness will go far. I'm actually not a hundred percent sure if people keep these bottles for the sole reason that "so-and-so famous person's lips touched this." Unless that really is your motive, please share the water.
If a setlist is thrown out, you need to remember that it is a sheet of paper, and it will get torn. If you end up in a squabble over the setlist, obviously you have to be a little rough to claim it, but try your best not to rip it, and don't rip it on purpose if the other person gets it. The hardest part of letting go of a setlist is realizing that it isn't worth the struggle, and if you do get it, use caution (honestly) but allow other people to take pictures of the setlist if they ask.
Guitar picks get thrown into the crowd and they can be dropped by the player. If you are on the barricade and one is dropped, you can ask security to get it for you. After the concert, you can look around on the ground for extra picks, especially if the band used confetti until security starts to usher people out. If you get multiple guitar picks, and if they are the same, you could give the extra to someone who looks like they will really appreciate it. I have done this and it really makes people happy.
I have never gotten a drumstick at this point, but try to keep a level head in the squabble over it. Don't be excessively rough and if the other person has "won" it, don't rip it out of their hands.
When you are going to a concert, understand that most people don't get these items, and just be happy that you just watched a sick show. But it is fun to walk away from a show with something from the bands themselves. And you can always grab some merch or go out of your way to get a physical concert ticket to keep as memorabilia.
Let me know if I missed anything or if you think I should add or make a post regarding something you would like to know more about or think a PSA is due for. I am open to suggestions. Let me know about your own concert experiences in the comments or let me know about a merch person who really did a great job or your favorite concert memorabilia.
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