Thoughts on things

Yep, it’s another rant. This time about drunken idiots at concerts.

Last friday, I was at a concert with The Flower Kings with Wife and some friends. It was a great night, and even one of the warm-up bands was great (the other one… not so much, but that’s another story). I’ve never been that big a fan of The Flower Kings, but seeing them live is considered essential to any prog nerd like myself, so I couldn’t skip the chance now that they were playing here in Trondheim. And after this show, I’m really warming up to them. And what a show it was, the guys really showed what a world-calibre band they are. Roine Stolt is older than my father, yet he and his band mates manage to give the band’s live appearance an incredibly youthful energy and feel that I’ve seen in few other bands.

The Flower Kings played for about two hours, and from the very first note of “The Truth Will Set You Free”, I new I was in for a real treat. All the guys in the band are amazing musicians, and they were incredibly tight live. Even with a new drummer, they played their mind-bogglingly complex material flawlessly (as far as I could tell). I only have one quibble with the concert: Drunken idiots trying their best to ruin the experience for everybody.

I see them at almost every concert I’m at. They are not there to enjoy the music. Hell, they might not even have heard of the band that’s playing. They are there to get drunk and hang with their friends, because “concerts are so much fun!”. The problem is that concerts usually starts quite late, so may of these people manage to get really, really drunk before it begins. Of course, because concerts are “so much fun!”, they try to push their way to the front of the stage, after the concert has begun. So they walk around in the crowd, pushing everyone and spilling beer, while talking to their friends (loudly, so they can hear each other over the music) and generally behaving like asshats.

As far as I can tell it’s only gotten worse the past years, and I really hate this trend. These people are embarrassing both themselves and the band with their behavior, and making the whole experience miserable to those who are there to actually see the band and enjoy the music.

Here are my suggestions to bands, managers and venues on how to improve the concert experience:

• Stop selling alcohol. It’s a long shot, especially since venues make a lot of money on selling beer. But I would gladly pay 30-50% more for the ticket if no alcohol is sold. I enjoy a beer myself, but when I’m at a concert it’s all about the music, so I’d sacrifice this without blinking.
• Start concerts earlier. When bands don’t start playing until midnight, some people will have had plenty of time to get mighty drunk. Starting shows earlier will lessen the amount of drunks, and will also make it easier for those who have to go to work the morning after, or catch the last bus/train that nigh.
• Take steps to remove annoying drunks. If people in the front rows of a concert are visibly and annoyingly drunk and bothering the rest of the audience or the band, have guards move them to the back of the venue. There they can still see the band, but won’t be that much of a nuisance. If they resist cooperation, throw them out.

These steps might seem a bit harsh, but implement one or two of them, and the concert experience will be much better for everyone.

Nothing will probably ever be done, however, so I’ll just continue my suffering.