Concert Pet Peeves

Now, I feel like this is an appropriate time to haul out my concert pet peeves. They're just annoying things people do at shows that I hate and I think you're a crappy person if you do these.

Ben Kweller at Wonder

Shoving your way to the front. No. Stop. You wanna be in the front? GET THERE EARLY!! There are people who DID get here earlier than you and it's a real low move to shove people out of the way because you "really love this band and NEED to be in the front!" No. That's not fair. I've taken my share of elbows from people shoving past me just moving people out of the way to get to the front. Those people deserve it, not you. And cut it with the "but I'm short!!!" excuses. Yeah well, that's not a reason to be a jerk to people. You're short? I'll say it again - GET THERE EARLY. It's happened to me before - getting stuck behind a guy who's crazy tall and I can't see well, but I have nobody to blame but myself. Get there earlier, move before it gets crowded, or do something that doesn't entail you being a rude cusshole.

Announcing setlists. People like to take pictures of the setlist and then read them out loud, or just shout what's on it to their friends. Not cool bro. First, I don't get why someone really wants the setlist ruined before the show. That's like, part of the fun. You don't know if your favorite song is up next or what they're going to do. I feel like if I knew they weren't doing a certain song I loved, I'd be prematurely bummed and not care about all the awesome songs they ARE doing. So don't look at a setlist early. And, if you MUST, don't yell about what songs are on it because not everybody wants to know.

Islands at Doug Fir

Shouting out requests. This is super annoying, and I feel like sometimes it gets really rude. They already know what they're going to play, you're not going to change their mind. Well except one time when Jeff Mangum played Little Birds because everybody yelled it, but I digress. It doesn't usually work. A few times it's made me mad is when I've seen Islands and people are yelling out Unicorns songs. We get it, Unicorns were great, but that's not Nick anymore, he said they're never coming back like a billion times, and I feel like it kinda pisses him off. It pisses me off because Islands are great and have so many great songs and THIS ISN'T UNICORNS SO SHUT UP. Also semi-related: don't throw stuff on stage, and don't carry on a super loud conversation during a very slow/quiet song - loud enough where EVERYBODY can hear you during the song, and the band themselves has to ask you to shut up.


Getting blackout drunk and being annoying and distracting. If you want to get wasted and go to a show, whatever. But don't get super drunk, shove your way to the front, talk to your friend ridiculously loud, repeatedly ask what band you're seeing, and dance with your arms out in a 5 foot circle, effectively clearing 3 rows of people from the front.

Wow. Do I sound like a seventy year old?! I swear I'm not shaking my cane at these young whipper snappers, trying to mess up anybody's good time, but for real, don't be a jerk, just enjoy yourself and let everybody else do the same.