Right.... Is it ok to talk during a gig? Is it a case of 'I've paid so I can do what I want'. Why do I ask? Well, I was subjected to a barrage of abuse from a (drunk) party at Nick's gig all because I asked two members of their party to keep their voices down. The abuse continued the whole evening with everything from sectarian comments to the usual 'who does he think he is'. Is it the promoters job to stop people from talking or does the audience as a whole have a responsibilty to say to offenders when the talking gets out of hand. My view is that you don't go to the pictures and talk through the film, so why would you go to a gig to talk through it. I'm genuinely interested to know what people think as it seems to happens at every gig and if you say anything to the talkers you seem to be made to feel like a fool.
This is a topic that comes up endlessly and in numerous threads. The consensus of opinion seems to be it is not okay, particularly at a quieter non rock acoustic gig, but I doubt it is going to change. Funnily enough, a journo friend of mine has just written on this very issue as part of annoying things that gig goers do. I think it will be live this week and will put a link up here when it is. Should be an interesting read! That sounds like a tough night you had, Iain. Surely as the promoter you were entitled?
You should not feel foolish at all. Excessive talking and the volume at which it is done has become a pain in the backside at quieter, acoustic gigs. Having paid to gain entry does not give anyone the right to upset a great many others and possibly the performer too. A lot of the problem stems from alcohol and the fact that people don't necessarily realise how loud they are being and then don't appreciate being told, however politely, just how annoying they are being. One of the problems is that trying to oust these indiduals is that it may cause more fuss than they is already being created. Others are just attention-seeking ****wits who do realise how loud they are being and should be shot. There are a few venues that have signs up to indicate that a quieter gig should be just that (not that it is always observed) but maybe a bit more pleading/awareness of this could be put on all promotional items - tickets, website listings, posters etc. Perhaps some promoters may fear this may sound a little dictatorial and put a few punters off. Thinking of An Teach Beag (sp?) in Clonakilty a few years back there was quite a ferocious and barman when it came to shushing people up during the acoustic Irish music sessions. Perhaps he should go freelance.
It was not that it was tough. The gig was great and Nick and venue were truely amazing. People complain to me as they know me and I put the gig on, so I say something as nearly 10 people complain about it and it is as if I have asked to de-flower their cat. For me it is about having some respect for the artists and the others who have paid to watch them. This is the main reason I have stopped putting on gigs and it just confirms I have made the right decision.
Funny I went to see THAT Nadeen White Experience a few weeks back on a Friday night in Ascot .. where a total of 10 people were in the audience ( not including other acts, promotors, bar staff, bouncers (!) and freebie groupies ). Two of the people there talked all through the gig ( when they weren't chewing ) and after their meal the bloke actually sat with the back to the stage so that he could face his missus and carry on talking. I moved around the building to get away from 'em .. but it dint make any difference ... so I had a word with the promoter ... who then had a word with the bar-staff ... who then told us, that because they had had a meal ( & the fact that it was a poor turn-out ) that it gave 'em the rights to do what they wanted !! Funny ... I won't be heading back to that venue very quickly !!
Totally agree.. In Vino Veritas they say; but me, am guilty as charged. Quiet gigs are different from festival gigs. Remember Andi! Some of the clips though I watch, the best bits are when Roy/ Nick comms with the audience and it gives it a personal timbre.. They almost encourage it somehow/times? They're not just robots playing on a stage, but correspond with us. Even in America there was banter which I find encouraging that our cousins sometimes feel the need to communicate. The further North you go in the UK,especially when you reach Scotland, it increases, and I'm going to extrapolate a graph oneday, of the noise versus the beer strength average serving the population for the area. If you are doing a tour, it probably breaks up the monotony, as well. Like commas in a life sentence. Must say Roy and Nick are the best at dealing with hecklers intelligently and with loving warmth. peace andi "We're all alcoholics aren't we?!" Neil Young - Isle of Wight Festival 2009
There is a big difference between an engagement of witty (we hope) intelligent (again, we hope) banter between artist and audience, which both the Harpers enjoy, and mindless ignorant chatter taking place while totally ignoring the person baring their soul on the stage. The latter is unforgivable and makes me very cross indeed.
this is how i feel too. talking at the cinema is pretty much universally frowned upon, even more so at the theatre. at a live gig the performers are are present on stage putting their effort in to it (unlike at the cinema) so its the height of ignorance to chat through it. also totally disrespectful to the other gig goers who cant listen properly because theyre distracted by chattering, and its a waste of money too - why pay and not listen? basically, chatting at gigs has nothing going for it at all. i had a discussion about this topic with an acting friend a few years ago, she turned up at a very quiet gig i was involved in organising, sat down beside me in the front row and started chatting loudly to me. naturally i was mortified and led her to the back room and chastised her. i asked her how would she like it if someone did that at one of her plays but she couldnt see the problem and said that music allows you to talk over it. i suppose bar venues dont want to get too fussy about quietness or people will delay going to the bar and drink less.
I think people have different attitudes to music, some love it, need it and feed upon it to nourish their soul and others* just regard it as a pleasant background musak to their own oh so important ego. *I pity them
Awww Ian, you put on a fantastic gig and I'm sorry that they gave you hassle. I was off to the back/side so didn't really hear it so much, just one of the girls sitting at the bar who was a bit... overenthusiastic! You actually care about the music you put on, it's a shame you feel discouraged. I appreciate what you do and so do all our friends who were there that night :biggrin: I will never understand why you pay to go to a gig then speak so loud and so long that you are paying no attention and you ruin other people's experience on top of it... so bizarre :confused1: And yeah, a lot of it is alcohol. We've cut back on the gigs we do at King Tuts in Glasgow, as main acts now don't start til 10:30 so the bar can sell more booze. So not only do we miss the last train, but the crowds there are way more... how shall we say, refreshed and annoying these days. Really a shame, as that was once my fave venue in Scotland - their loss, but I'm sure they're counting their beer money happily. And Andi, there's heckling and then there's pretty much verbal abuse. We had a girl at the Edinburgh gig (who's come to almost every one of Nick's Edinburgh gigs I've ever seen, I would call her a fan) not realize how far she went past this line, even when other people didn't hesitate to tell her. TO HER FACE. DURING THE GIG. She seemed to be the only one who was enjoying what she was saying after about the first 5 attempts. Nick is a nice person who would rather engage than tell someone to shut up, but when heckling ruins the whole flow of a gig it's gone way too far.
It's not.. It's not just musicians who suffer it! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/go...hen-the-heckling-became-way-out-of-order.html andi :33: :30: :banghead:
Spotted by my friend and Exit Calm manager Dawks, big slogan on the wall of the Luminaire in London: "SHUT UP. No one paid to listen to you talking to your pals. If you want to talk to your pals when the bands are on, then please **** off out the venue" :biggrin:
Verbosity v luminairy http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/talking-gigs-make-it-stop :33::cuss::banghead::rant:
What part of the show did you like the most? The conversation... I agree with the sentiment here. Talking loudly during performances at gigs is just plain rude to the vast majority of the audience. I suppose some small gigs tend to "interfere" with the regulars at various bars and venues, but raising your voice above the band to be heard by multiple friends shows how drunk and self-centered you are. I'll bet we've all done it--but we shut up when shushed because we're reminded we PAID to hear the music. A little talk breaks up the gig, especially when it's the performer. Civilized feedback/humor makes each show unique. If we didn't talk at all, it wouldn't feel like a social event, so there is a reasonable balance somewhere. What do these people talk about anyway? Business, romance, food, politics? How many remember their drunken ravings OR the music in the morning? Perhaps a little humor is in order? Maybe if enough of us keep asking their opinions of the band/music, they'll eventually figure out it might be worth listening so they can say something intelligent when the gig's over and we can actually understand them.
Found another annoying thing on Saturday night: SMOKING! Now I like a cigarette, but in a small, hot and packed venue like The Watershed on the weekend for The Twang, I just don't think it was on. Man mountain in front of me just casually lit up, followed by two others. I would have called security, only they were a bit busy breaking up a fight - between two hair-pulling girls! Whatever next. :closedeyes:
i thought this kind of irresponsible sociopathic behaviour had been outlawed in all civilized societies by now
I've had way too many gigs completely ruined by groups if idiots jabbering away all through the gig, and pretty much drowning out the band/artiste. Half of them not even facing the stage. Why go to a gig and not listen to the act??? Makes me want to kill people, it does!
