Concert kerfuffle

[fred sterenberg]

I'm coming to the surface here to pose a question: What is your opinion of this performer's reaction?

We have a lovely outdoor concert venue here that attracts national acts and charges $50 to over $100 per ticket, depending on the fame and drawing power of the act. Carlos Santana set the high water mark this summer at $125(?) per. Last night the main attraction slowed down mid way and did a short acoustic segment. Part way through, he severely - profanity-laced - chastised some folks in the front section for talking loudly through his performance and then he threw down his (perfectly good) guitar and walked off until the folks were removed (they were). Then he returned and finished his set. Now, I have been at concerts there (wasn't there last night) and some people do seem to be willing to shell out lots of money to sit outside and tell their friends around them every detail of what is going on in their lives and treat the main act like background music.

So was the reaction warranted?

[Doug]

warranted?

I don't think so.  Not at all professional.  But I've known people like that in lots of fields not just music.  I think removing paying customers because of the performers temper tantrum is wrong. 

Professional =
I went to a Livingston Taylor, Johnathan Edwards concert in the 70s in a big sports arena (500+ seats).  There were less than 10 people in the audience.  Both men performed as if the place was packed.  I"m guessing that a lot of performers would have packed up and left us with no show but not those two professionals. 

[Marshall]

*Sigh*

It's a sign of the times and the age. Everything is about ME, you know. Music, and all forms of entertainment have become ubiquitous; they are everywhere; commercials selling cars and beer; movie & TV soundscapes; they're all used to entice and coerce us. So much so that we take them for granted and consider them backdrop to our lives. . . . , I'm not defending the behavior or the attitude. I'm just saying it's pervasive. Team that up with youtubes videos of your cat and selfies shot at the Taj Mahal touted on fb as though it is Folk Art, and you get a montage of media bombardment that is all about ME. For many people, mostly younger, they don't know how to respect anything, because they've grown up believing it's true, everything is always about them. Maybe the parental generation shares some fault for coddling them that way. But this self centered reality has seeped into all American's life style, no matter what age (if you have a smart phone and a facebook account )


I'm sure there were better ways to handle this by the performer. I understand his frustration. But I don't know if he solved anything. Maybe it was the right thing to do.

[millring]

I think it would be appropriate to come up with some clever way of embarrassing those who disrupt a concert. Maybe this reaction was overboard, but I'm more sympathetic to the reaction than to the concert goers who were removed.

[Marshall]

Good point John. But I've seen similar things done. And the offenders don't usually get very embarrassed. You see, they've proved their subliminal point; it is always about THEM ! But they usually tone it down after that. (But remain secretly almost proud of their recognition).

[coachdoc]

My reaction to the disrespectful audience members? Jerks. My reaction to the performer? Jerk. See how enlightened my week at Kripalu has made me?

[drlj]

Years ago a friend of mine was performing in front of a noisy crowd. He stopped playing and began speaking to the crowd in Greek. After a minute or so everyone quieted down to try to figure out what was going on. He then said, in English, "thank you for your attention" and launched into the next song. Everyone was polite and quiet from that point. Of course, if you don't speak Greek, you may be at a disadvantage.

[aquaduct]

The reaction was not warranted at all unless the audience members were directly taunting him or trying to distract him (it happens).

I'm reminded of a training class in customer service that I once took that contained a Disney anecdote. The people who work there have it drilled into their heads that even though it may be just another day for them, the people come there might have spent their whole life's savings to give Grandma one and only last outing with the family. When someone asks, "Excuse me, can you tell me when the 7 o'clock fireworks start?" you say, "Yes ma'am. They start promptly at 7 o'clock and if you follow me I'll show you where the best seats to watch it are."

I would have pitched a fit and disrupted as much as possible if some douche bag did that to me.

[Chesapeake]

My theory is that people born after the advent of television are trained since an early age to watch entertainments passively, as if they don't need to interact with whatever is going on, including listening politely to live performances. I noticed during a spell as an adjunct professor of political science at University of Maryland that many in my classes seemed to regard me as just another TV show, something they didn't need to get personally involved with. Other profs told me they had the same experience, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just me.

Anyway, I agree that though the provocation was significant, the guy should figure out some routines to use on gauche audience members, rather than throw down his ax and storm off.

[millring]

The performer is in a better position than the rest of (the majority of?) the expensive-ticket-buyers to stand up for their right to hear an uninterrupted concert.

[Deleted]

Yes engaging the talkers would have been correct, use them as part of the show. Personally I would have singled them out and asked them if they were enjoying the show, how's your kids, did you go somewhere for vacation this year. Then asked them "Now that we have that out of the way can we get on with this concert?"

Having a hissy fit is a little over the top and this is not the first time for Carlos. Then again, there should have been a usher near by for a performer that is known for not being very tolerant of rude audience members.

[Marshall]

Jul 24, 2014 10:14:46 GMT -5 Chesapeake said:

. . . , people born after the advent of television are trained since an early age to watch entertainments passively, as if they don't need to interact with whatever is going on, including listening politely to live performances. . . ,

Oh, that's GOOD ! ! ! !

[billhammond]

I didn't read it as being Carlos who threw the fit. But I agree it was not called for, whoever it was.

[fred sterenberg]

No no! It wasn't Carlos. I left the name out of it on purpose.

I don't condone the performer's reaction, mostly because it was littered with the F-bomb and was pretty much a tantrum. But, having been to concerts there before where the yakking was prevalent, I can sympathize with him. I am not a confrontational person by nature but I have turned around and told people to shut up at this venue. I paid my money to see the act, not to hear about your sorry life. It is quite prevalent there, regardless of who is performing. I think the fact that it is outside makes a difference. I think - could be wrong - that indoor concerts would be less likely to have that problem. I guess some people THINK that it is an expensive picnic with friends. A time to catch up, y'know? Anyhoo, this was a performer that we had wanted to see but missed out on because tickets sold out too quickly for our tortoise pace. Kinda glad I missed it both for the idiots in the front section and the tantrum by the main act.

[RickW]

I can sympathize, though like everyone else, I think there were better ways to deal with it. I have been to two shows in the past year for all rock groups. In theory, the fans of said group like music, as they don't like the basic pop pap. But in the first one, we had a group of girls behind is in the theatre who talked at the top of their lungs through most of the show. I didn't want to start something, so said nothing, but it drove us crazy. Rarely got that when we were younger and going to shows.

[Tamarack]

Just checked the local news -- the performer was Ray Lamantangne -- I've heard the name, not familiar with the person or his music. Most commenters condemn the yakkers and performer equally, although it seems the yakkers were not uncommonly obnoxious.

[billhammond]

To be clear, he came back and did a strong show:


www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/07/concert_review_ray_lamontagne.html

[millring]

Which makes sense. Nobody COULD HAVE talked over Santana. Lamontagne is a different story. He's trouble.

[aquaduct]

That's a drag. Kinda liked Ray.

[millring]

As I read the story, I can't believe the writer found any fault with Lamontagne. He finished the concert. He got angry with people who were probably pissing off more than just the performer. Everyone paid for the concert. Ironically, my guess is that the ones who were ruining it for everyone else paid less or nothing for their seats -- these front row things often going to society, not payers.

I forwarded the story to my friend, Steve. He said that last week he couldn't enjoy the Sarah Jarosz concert because of the loud partyers in the front. That was up the road at Interlachen.