It is apparent to many that concert etiquette has drastically declined after the pandemic. The list of instances in which audience members threw things at performing artists in recent history is extremely long. From Cardi B getting a drink thrown at her to Drake being hit by a phone to Pink being thrown a bag of cremated remains, the summer of 2023 was full of performers being mistreated. However, this disrespect in concerts is not limited to the stage.
Recently, there were many instances of people being overly barbaric in mosh pits. Concussions, fractured ribs, death—mosh pits and concerts as a whole have become incredibly violent.
This is not to say that incidents like this are exclusive to after lockdown—that is anything but true. There’s the Altamont Free Concert’s deaths, The Who concert disaster that left 11 people dead and Bruce Springsteen having a bomb scare show, then getting hit by a lit firecracker just three years later. However, many perceive that since the isolation the COVID-19 pandemic caused, crowds of concerts and other live performances have increasingly been misbehaving.
In a Boston.com poll, 84% of respondents said that audience behavior at concerts is a problem with 59% saying that the etiquette has not always been so bad. Similarly, a No Deposit Fan study found that 33% of Americans perceive significantly worse concert behavior post-COVID with 38% seeing this increase in conduct just in 2023.
Artists themselves have come out against this increase in poor behavior.
“This trend of throwing things at performers while they are on stage must come to an end. It’s so disrespectful and very dangerous. Please just enjoy the music I beg of you” said Charlie Puth on X (formerly Twitter).
“These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song and it’s pissing me off a little bit,” said Miranda Lambert while pausing her concert this past July. “We’re here to hear some country music and I’m singing some country damn music!”
“Stop throwing things at the artist […] these people have lost it. Can you imagine?” said Adele.
Audience behavior must change lest live performances become extinct. In the same No Deposit Fan study, 70% of participants said they would avoid concerts should the poor behavior stay this way.
Besides throwing things on stage, many other audience behaviors must change. These include an exorbitant amount of talking, drinking and phone use as well as safety concerns such as a lack of personal space, littering and ignoring any rules the venue may have.
To combat these issues, artists and the venues they play at should promote better conduct. Similarly, many individuals have recently taken to social media to encourage proper etiquette at live performances. This is not a perfect solution, but as the years pass and the pandemic becomes a more distant memory, all we can do is hope that concerts don’t meet an untimely fate.
