Nirvana at MTV Unplugged, Queen at Live Aid, Santana performing Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock 69… The most beautiful thing about live music is that it brings about a union of a wide variety of people. Concerts are a collective experience in which each adds to the other…
Live music is an ineffably ecstatic affair. But clichés can be explained. A gig regular starts to see the patterns of people…
Have you ever thought about the types of people you see at a concert?
1. ‘The-Obviously-Preboozed-Out’
They are drunk as hell, shouting the loudest and dancing the hardest. We may hate them but well they do save their money and vibe too while the others wonder whether they should buy another drink and check their account balance.
2. ‘The-Gotta-Go-Guy’
‘Man, I gotta go!’ Someone must have said during Santana’s set at Woodstock. Just as the concert really starts to build… they decide to leave! ‘BUT THE MAIN ACT ISN’T EVEN ON YET!’ says their obviously-preboozed-out-friend.
3. ‘The-I-Am-Here-But-I-Don’t-Get-It’
They were just there to dine but the band began to play Porcupine Tree. They have absolutely no clue what’s happening.
4. ‘The-I-Really-Wanna-Dance-But-I-Don’t-Drink’
They love the artist. They are there for the music. They wanna dance but they’re shy. It takes the company of the-obviously-preboozed-out to make them dance.
5. ‘The-I-Really-Wanna-Dance-But-I-Don’t-Have-The-Money-To-Drink’
At their next gig they evolve into… ‘The-Obviously-Preboozed-Out’.
6. ‘The-True-Friends’
Those friends who help setup, market, photograph, etc — that immediate first community of any artist. A network of creatives in the making… They’re the crux and the core. They’re the ultimate loyalists. They’re not life of the party. They’re just the grace of the hour and heart of the matter… sometimes some songs are written or dedicated just for them…
Once a friend dedicated a cover of ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’- to me. I was satisfied…
7. ‘The-Smartphone-Addict’
For this phone-y a concert is all about capturing it all to share on social media. They spend all their time clicking photos and making reels. Vibes cannot reoccur through capturing. Concerts are third spaces but to the-smartphone-addict they are nothing but digital archives.
8. ‘That-Guy-Who’s-At-Every-Gig’
“Bro! Where were you last…” And they talk about yet another artist that they have just discovered. They live for the music and are the biggest promoters of whatever they love. They are fully immersed in the gig.
They smile, socialize, drink and just pass around good vibes…
9. ‘The-I-Know-The-Band-Better-Than-You’
They fight with other fans over who is the greater fan while fame smiles a sly smile at obscurity. Don’t be that guy who is always saying… ‘Oh, I know them since…’
10. ‘The-Showoff’
Haven’t you heard stuff like. “The drummer and I go way back…” or “You know who I saw live?” Best is to disengage before they start to ramble. “Once I…”
11. ‘The-Critic’
They are more critical than Metacritic. “The guitarist wasn’t so tight.” They just critic and complain. They are so harsh that one expects to never see them again yet they are always present at the subsequent gig where they feel. ”The bassist wasn’t so tight.”
12. ‘The-Chatterbox’
They talk the night away. Chittering and chattering instead of singing and dancing. They talk, shout, gossip. But they don’t sing. They are usually friends with the smartphone-addict.
13. ‘The-I’m-Just-Here-To-Check-Other-Competitors’
Other musicians, organisers, managers, curators… They’re here to learn, connect, collaborate and get inspired. They drink, smile and dance but always with creative agendas on their mind.
14. ‘The Ideal’
They see gigs as a rite of passage, as a catharsis for all the tensions in life…
That adrenal freak who just wishes to make the most of every moment. They arrive in groups and are expert at enjoying themselves and making everybody else happy too.
“Do you want anything?” They make sure to ask. They are first to the dance floor and the last to leave. They’re not afraid to scream and shout. They may even pull a cartwheel if challenged to…
That’s a wrap on our list of gig goer clichés. Which gig type of cliché are you?
