“I have a favor to ask you: will you put your phones away?” Phoebe Bridgers of supergroup Boygenius asked her fans before she sang the ballad “Letter to an Old Poet” this past Sunday. She’s been asking this of fans since the group's summer tour.
I heard this monologue during the group’s Sept. 30 performance at All Things Go Music Festival. She went on to talk about the weird feeling of singing into the crowd during such a vulnerable song and only seeing phones and camera flashes. She noted how it takes away from the connection with fans that concerts are supposed to be about.
Clearly, concert etiquette has gone out the window. We’ve gotten to the point where artists are directly having to ask their fans to respect them, instead of it being a given.
At each show, Bridgers sits on the edge of the stage and sings into the crowd during the song. It’s an intimate moment where the singer can connect with fans, especially those who relate to the song’s subject matter about leaving a toxic relationship. While most fans were in the moment, enjoying their performance, some needed to be told how to show basic etiquette.
She shouldn’t have to do this, but we’ve sadly reached a point where this behavior at live shows happens more often than not. Along with this disrespect to the artist, people’s general lack of manners at concerts can affect the overall experience for the entire crowd.
As soon as the headliner hits the stage, people explode with excitement, some more than others. I completely understand the hype around concerts and the anticipation that comes with waiting for the artist to come out. The second the lights dim and the filler music goes off, I get excited too.
However, I don’t spend the entire show screaming lyrics at the top of my lungs, preventing everyone else from hearing the actual singer.
However annoying this is, it doesn't even begin to cover the issue of fans disrespecting artists so blatantly. Within the past few years, there have been multiple incidents of fans throwing objects at singers while they’re performing – because nothing says “I love you!” like causing Harry Styles to leave the stage, clutching his face in pain.
And he isn’t the only one; many other artists have been pelted with objects ranging from bracelets to cell phones. It’s gotten to the point where singers have to ask their audience not to throw things at them in anticipation of this behavior. These are basic expectations for audiences to respect, yet these incidents happen far too often.
