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Post by MokyWI on Jul 17, 2023 17:30:25 GMT -5
americansongwriter.com/miranda-lambert-stops-show-selfie/
Was wondering how you all felt about this issue in general? I for one am feed up with people and their damn cell phones at concerts. To the point of asking if they are allowed before I buy tickets. The artists I go see these days don’t play to huge audiences so many times I am in luck and they don’t. Bonnie Raitt does not allow them at her shows when she plays here in Madison, she can’t stand the distraction and I don’t blame her. Not sure if she does this at all her shows. I would if I were her. What is it with some people having to document that they were there? If you need to do that take a photo of yourself and your ticket under the billboard. Not during the performance. Some even use the damn flash! Sit down and enjoy the show and allow others that right. They paid as well! I find it childish and rude and a huge distraction. I am not of the mindset that a ticket buyer has the right because they paid for the ticket. And this selfie crap drives me nuts. I will jump down of my soapbox now and I promise I won’t argue if you don’t agree.
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Post by erik on Jul 17, 2023 18:07:32 GMT -5
You've got a sympathetic member here.
Now, I've been going to the Hollywood Bowl every summer since 1997 (sans the 2020 season, which was kyboshed because of COVID); and one of the few irritants I have ever had about these concerts is unfortunately one that happens at pretty much every single time: people on their cell phones. And I am not necessarily talking about people taking selfies during the concert, though that has happened occasionally. I am talking about people talking on their cell phones during the concert. This is a concert, not a f***ing singles bar; and the vast majority of those who show up at the Bowl want to hear the music, whether it is John Williams, Beethoven, Mahler, or whatever else. If you want to yap and yap and yap on your damned phone until Hell won't have it, then don't go to a concert, stay the hell at home.
To be fair, I get some of those who take selfies, or record parts of the concerts at the Bowl then later post them on YouTube (I have seen some of the latter). But for God's sake, unless it's a real emergency, leave the cell phone in a secure place during the show. Otherwise, don't show up.
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Post by MokyWI on Jul 17, 2023 19:17:17 GMT -5
Yeah, talking on your cell IN THE CONCERT WHILE THEY ARE PLAYING, how freakin rude! I used to love to go to the Hollywood Bowl when I lived there. I saw Linda with Itzhak Perlman and John Williams. That was back in 94 or 95’. Went to the Bowl a few times in my three years in LA.
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Post by Dianna on Jul 18, 2023 0:01:31 GMT -5
The last concert we went to was dec 2022.. Amy Schumer at the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. They put the phones in these bags which were locked and could not access until after the concert.. all purses had to be transparent/clear.. So I just took my wallet..I thought this is the norm now..
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Post by rick on Jul 18, 2023 2:21:13 GMT -5
The "checking in" of cell phones has not been the norm. It has happened only a couple times when I have gone to a concert. I used to love going to The Hollywood Bowl, but (and I probably sound like an old man) but people don't know how to behave anymore in public situations. Take the last two times I went to see Paul Simon at The Hollywood Bowl. Someone in the box with her friend were singing along so loud and being so disrespectful that the usher moved my friend Carrie and me to a worse seat location (we got no refund or anything). The last time Simon played The Hollywood Bowl my two friends and I shared a box with a man who smoked weed throughout. There is NO smoking of anything inside The Hollywood Bowl. We didn't say anything. But the other times when we have had to deal with unruly people on their phones, talking on their phones, talking throughout the performance, if I do go tell an usher, they don't do anything. I then have called my contact at the L.A. Philharmonic/Hollywood Bowl and she says the following: "We are not going to put our employees at risk so our solution Is to move the people who are being annoyed." She said that they don't know if the unruly (possibly under the influence) person has a weapon or might just slug the usher/employee so they re-seat those who are being disturbed. This doesn't only happen at The Bowl. I have gone to a movie theater and have sat behind or next to someone talking on their phone during the movie. We hear and see enough stories on the news about people being shot in a movie theater because all they did was ask someone to be quiet. I will be turning 66 soon and I am glad I am old because, as Brian Wilson sang, "I just wasn't made for these times."
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Post by MokyWI on Jul 18, 2023 5:41:18 GMT -5
That’s the way I have felt the last ten years. Not made for these times. It’s getting crazy, we are making room for these aggressive people who come first with their guns and their “ Don’t Tread On Me” attitude. I really have to watch myself. As some of you already know.
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Post by Partridge on Jul 18, 2023 14:31:24 GMT -5
Yah. I went to the Bonnie Raitt concert in Columbia recently and my friend kept pestering me to take pictures of Bonnie onstage. I just wanted to watch the show. So I took a few pictures and one video, being careful not to disturb anyone. Not much of a problem since I was first balcony first row. They never even looked at the pictures.
I did take a few pictures of the venue and crowd coming in before the show started.
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Post by MokyWI on Jul 18, 2023 15:58:07 GMT -5
You have guts! I wouldn’t want to be scolded by Miss Bonnie, who I’ve seen live even more times than Linda. A friend of mine was told to sit down almost one too many times for standing up and dancing at one of her shows at the Overture Center here in Madison WI we went to about ten years ago. Luckily when we bought the tickets we couldn’t get two seat side by side. My friends seat was the row in front of me. They told Sally if she stood up one more time to dance she was out. The Overture is a pretty fancy venue. It’s the new home (10+ yrs old) for our symphony orchestra. Sally had see Bonnie with me a couple times before when we lived in Boston where we could stand up and dance in front of the stage towards the end so Sally was expecting to be able to shake her groove thing like before but the Overture was having none of it. I just sunk down and acted like I didn’t know her. I told her to watch her wine cause if she didn’t she was going to get herself thrown out. She wouldn’t listen…luckily she didn’t push it a third time and get booted.
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Post by Partridge on Jul 18, 2023 18:18:59 GMT -5
I had seen John Mellencamp at the same venue earlier but I had seats on the floor. Now I just like to go to a concert, take my seat and enjoy the performance. But these folks around me in their 60's and 70's had to stand up and boogie throughout the entire show. That was the concert that convinced me that from now on I would not buy seats down front. My preference is first row balcony. And those are easier to come by.
As a Bonnie Raitt fan I got the offer to get tickets before they went on sale to the general public, but I thought the prices were extravagant, so I did not take advantage. I waited until tickets went on sale to the public, got my preferred seating, and at about half the cost.
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Post by alyn on Jul 19, 2023 6:10:45 GMT -5
Yes, Brian Wilson definitely had it nailed down with I Guess I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, that song has always resonated with me even though my 'Beach Boys Period' was over a decade ago when I really couldn't get enough of their music. Now I guess I just think of the title of the song and it reflects my feelings too. I haven't been to a concert since 2003, probably more a reflection of various reasons, I just have not enjoyed crowds of people since then (I did attend football matches until about 2010 but my team is small and crowds of about 6,000 in a stadium that holds 15,000 was never really a problem :-)), no bands or artistes have toured that have enticed me out of retirement and in more recent years when I see what concerts are like since the advent of mobile phones, and the general weird mentality of people who gather together makes me glad that between 1978 and latterly touring with a band in the late 1980s, I soaked up enough live concerts and good festivals to live off memories for the rest of my life... I never enjoyed stadium concerts and only saw Chris Rea and Whitesnake at Wembley which were not great nights (Whitesnake were a brilliant rhythm and blues band in their early days and I saw them over 20 times before they entered their Big Hair Metal days) I accept I am an old person of 64, and it saddens me to say Those Were The Days, but I really feel they were. Such great memories of tickets arriving, being so excited in the lead up to concerts, great shows, good people, fabulous atmosphere and smiling wide for the duration. Occasionally meeting the heroes too.
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Post by MokyWI on Jul 19, 2023 6:40:57 GMT -5
The last Bonnie tickets I bought I didn’t use, and I have done that to a couple other shows. Once I didn’t even resale tickets just backed out at last minute and decided I was not up for the crowds myself. I am good for up to 2-3,000 but anything larger I get antsy and back out at last minute. I don’t buy those type of tickets any longer because it ends up being a waste of money. I would see shows advertised and get all excited remembering the past concerts when I was younger, buy the tickets then by the time of the show I remember the stress they induce with the climate these days and I back out. I too saw so many shows in my younger days I just live off those memories. If II need a fix I head to Youtube. The phone videos I have been complaining about show up there and I’ve watch many so really I am talking out of both ends.
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Post by alyn on Jul 19, 2023 6:49:49 GMT -5
I'm trying to put myself back in the position of when I was at my maximum gig attending period when I was in my 20s and 30s and how I'd have reacted to seeing people my age now at those shows :-)
But then I guess the bands were about the same age as me, and now those bands (if they are still alive) are the same, so I probably wouldn't have watched a band of elderly musicians when I was 20... it wouldn't have been exciting and 'rock and roll' (to me) it was all about the energy on stage...
I'm tying myself up in knots here :-) :-)
Maybe I should just end it by saying The Modern World Is Crap :-)
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Post by cymru56 on Jul 19, 2023 10:57:40 GMT -5
Generally agree with the views expressed above. I've never really got my head around the concept of the selfie nor why people see the need to photo every meal. One couple I know used to bore my friends group with pictures after every holiday. Nowadays it's like a running commentary with numerous pictures on WhatsApp of them toasting themselves in some bar which I tend to delete without opening.
My biggest hate is the taking of photos and video during the serious religious parts of baptisms. first communion, confirmations etc.
Have to admit whilst I find people videoing concerts on their phones annoying and was once tempted to elbow a guy standing next to me doing that at a Courtney Marie Andeews gig in a small club I did enjoy the end results posted on YouTube!
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Post by erik on Jul 20, 2023 8:39:28 GMT -5
Quote by cymru56 re. Courtney Marie Andrews concert:
Yes, that definitely can be annoying, especially when it is inside a club, and even more so when it is an artist like Courtney, who, in the tradition of Linda and Joni Mitchell, is the kind of artist you have to do as much listening to as visualizing, if not more so.
That said, however, when some of that cellphone video shows up on YouTube, it can be great. As I mentioned, this has happened at the Hollywood Bowl as well. Witness this bit of cellphone videography from last year's presentation of West Side Story, with the film shown on the Bowl's big screens while Leonard Bernstein's score was being performed by the L.A. Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. This is the Dance At The Gym and the very volcanic Mambo, leading up to Tony and Maria eyeing one another:
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Post by MokyWI on Jul 20, 2023 11:53:32 GMT -5
Great. You know I have never seen West Side Story. I got it for Christmas last year on blu-ray, I keep forgetting about. I am going to pull it out from the DVD bin now and put under the TV so I remember to watch. Thanks for reminding me.
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