Should the audience shut up so the singer can sing?
By Dan on Nov 19, 2007 in Blog, Music
I think so.
Now this is the kind of between song banter that I can condone. In case you’re not inclined to watch the video, I’ll give you a brief summary.
It was taken from a Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo) acoustic show. You know, one of those intimate affairs that tend to attract an artist’s most ardent and appreciative fans. Only at this show, there were apparently some people who thought the music was just a backdrop to their conversations. Between songs, Tweedy unloads on these concert disturbers with a lecture that is funny, angry, profane, desperate, and just a little bit pissy and tortured. It also unites the audience across partisan lines and against those chowderheads who can’t keep their big yaps shut.
When I saw Wilco at Mississippi Nights back in ’95 or ‘96, Tweedy did an acoustic encore. Standing directly behind us was a group of frat-variety guys who must have wandered over from Sundecker’s and who talked loudly through a passionate rendition of Gun. I imagine that Tweedy’s frustration must have started brewing that evening and had been building up ever since.
I should mention that my sympathies here aren’t really with Tweedy. I can understand how an artist would be upset by being interrupted at work, but that’s not why people should hush up. It’s the other concert goers, who paid to hear the music, who are slighted when the sounds of senseless chatter compete for auditory dominance.
In a couple of weeks, my wife and I will be going to Chicago to hear Aimee Mann in a Christmas concert. It won’t be an overly amped affair, so the crowd will need to keep a respectful silence. I’m paying $90 to hear Aimee sing, not to hear the idle chatter of rude fans. So should it get overly noisy, I would hope that she would take advantage of her position on stage to admonish the idiots. Just as Tweedy did.
Loading ...
This makes me think of a Neil Young solo acoustic show I saw about 15 years ago in Chicago. He played two nights and I went to the one on the second night. It was at a venue (the Chicago Theater) that normally served drinks. In fact, drinks had been served the first night. Apparently, the crowd got a little too loud under the influence and Neil decreed there would be no dinking for night two. I (and not a few others in the audience)was a little disappointed that the event was dry, but I understood, even as Neil deliberately drank a bottle of Budweiser on stage to taunt us.
Dave | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply
Definitely. Hands down one of my biggest annoyances is audience members who can’t shut up during a concert. It’s one thing when you’re at a bar where a band just happens to be playing. It’s an entirely different thing when you’ve actually purchased tickets and everyone around you has purchased tickets. Talkers ruin the show for just about everyone around them. It’s why I’ve never been a big fan of getting bloffo before or during concerts. If I’m really interested in seeing musicians play, I want to remember the show and cherish it. You know? I can get drunk anywhere. Heck, I just about have.
John | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply
I am not very knowledgeable about Mr. Tweedy’s work…..maybe I should be. That was good.
M.B. | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply
I can’t remember any concerts that I’ve been to where the audience has been an issue. But I’ve been to mostly obnoxiously loud rock shows.
I take that back; maybe I’ve seen one too many rock shows. In the past year I’ve seen BB King and John Prine at the Sangamon Auditorium. At both shows some drunks (yes, I am stereotyping drunks) had to be escorted out or addressed by security.
It really depends on the venue and the type of crowd participation. For example: It’s much more acceptable to scream like a 13 year old girl at the Hannah Montana concert than a Ryan Adams concert. Or that’s the opinion I got from all the ssh’s.
So in summary, everyone should sit in their seats like good little boys and girls during the show, and maybe we’ll play heads up 7up afterwards.
shoo | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply