With summer concerts in full swing, there’s no shortage of talkers, video takers and smokers at every performance.
Aoife saw Róisín Murphy perform at the Trinity Summer Series over the weekend – and noticed a lot of people didn’t seem to be there to sing along.
“Unless you were right up at the front of the stage, we couldn't hear the music” she told Lunchtime Live. “It was egregious."
“We noticed that people were kind of just standing around in small groups of two, three and four shouting over the music and just catching up which is lonely, but not during the main act.
“I don't know if it's COVID or people are just maybe haven't seen each other in a while – are people buying tickets just for a night out?”
Aoife said it seemed like there was a lot of “gig w*nkers” at recent gigs she has been to – people who “are just there to post on social media, but aren’t fans of the music”.
'The lead gave them the dirtiest look'
Jane told the show the chatter at one concert she attended was so bad, the performer themselves noticed.
“A lot of yapping - I suppose the music was so loud for most of the gig, it wasn't a big impact,” she explained.
BHKB2J The youth on a hill during an open-air concert, Poznan, Poland“But at one stage, the band had us singing along and they asked us to sing really quietly and whisper the lyrics back.
“There was a gang just to the left of the stage absolutely roaring chatting with each other... the lead on her honkers at the front of the stage shot them the dirtiest look.
“And they were totally oblivious that the rest of the crowd had gone quiet.”
'Irish people are rude and ignorant'
Tony in Kildare said he thinks “a lot of Irish people are rude and ignorant at concerts”.
“It's the reason I stopped going to them,” he said. “Talking and on their phones constantly - it ruins the experience for everybody.”
One texter said they have seen a lot of people vaping and smoking at concerts – even indoors – while another said shouting at concerts gets on their nerves.
Aoife said it’s a free country – but concert etiquette is also an essential skill.
“People say you can’t police fun, and obviously no one wants to do that,” she said. “Somebody said ‘maybe they’re bored’.
“But if you're bored, you're not a fan. Leave the tickets to fans... or tap out, go somewhere else and don’t ruin everyone else’s fun.”
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