Idiots and Imbeciles... What have we come to?, Part 2

[Pepper]

Children Please.

 

[JaniceM]

So, last night we went to a concert in Fort Worth. I thought it would be pretty tame since it was Duran Duran and Chic. Before the concert, in the parking garage for some strange reason the guides were making everyone back into the spaces. It held up traffic getting into the garage for an ungodly amount of time, but I can only surmise it is so everyone can leave quickly after the concert is over. Wouldn't you know, there was one guy who REFUSED to back in, so he and another concert goer were already going at it, yelling and "chest bumping" like big he-men until one of the guards came over and insisted the idiot back in. That held up traffic even more.

Inside the concert, after many beers there were many drunk people dancing in the aisle and one 50-something woman that was almost ready to collapse as she danced in front of everyone. We had Floor seats (never again), and staff started coming by and asking people to clear the aisles as not only is it rude but it must be a fire hazard. I felt so bad for the woman behind me because she had a walker and could not stand, was in an aisle seat and could only see the screens because people were dancing in front of her. One guy came up and was yelling the song into her ear. It was like a mosh pit full of teenagers in the 70's. And most of the attendees were in their 40's, 50's and 60's so I would have expected better. I'm not a prude. I know everyone needs to let loose, but it was ridiculous. We enjoyed the concert regardless.

Today I was in the grocery store with my hubby. There were only 2 counters open that were not self-service, but the line was moving so quickly that were through in 5 minutes. A 60-something woman behind me said, "They need to hire more staff." I said, "well many people have chosen not to go back to work". (In reality, the unemployment rate is under 4% and many have chosen to look for jobs that offered a better life balance and/or those that pay more.) Then she went on the say "That's because we are paying them to stay at home". I bit my tongue, since my job was eliminated due to Covid after 35 years in my industry and those unemployment payouts were my lifeline. Then she goes on about how she isn't happy with the state of our country. I didn't even answer because I could already guess what would come next if I engaged her. How can someone be so stupid as to just spout off what she believes to be true and assume that I will engage with her when I don't even know her? I guess some people are starved for affirmation.

Sorry to rant, and yes, I said in an earlier thread that people are very friendly in Dallas, but some are idiots and with some you just want to keep the conversation light.

Locally, there's a place which, throughout the summer, limits guests to individuals 21 years old and over. The main attraction: alcohol is served. The place is a ZOO. I don't even want to think about drunk idiots acting up and pestering the animals.. it's a dumb idea!!!

 

[Packerjohn]

As a country boy that grew up on Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Hank Williams, Johnny Horton and Webb Pierce, just to name a few, I attended many live concerts. People sat down and carefully listened to the music and then clapped hands after the song was over. None of that waving hands around and bothering folks behind you. I sure don't remember anyone drinking any beer at country shows in the 60s; not even at a George Jones Concert. Of course, I'm a Canadian so can't speak for our good neighbours to the south.

Today with dancing, drinking, drugs and very rude people, I wouldn't attend any concert for free. You can keep your concerts and you can keep the idiot public with no manners. Dogs are better behaved, I believe. Sorry, if I offend any dogs.

 

[David777]

...
Inside the concert, after many beers there were many drunk people dancing in the aisle and one 50-something woman that was almost ready to collapse as she danced in front of everyone. We had Floor seats (never again), and staff started coming by and asking people to clear the aisles as not only is it rude but it must be a fire hazard. I felt so bad for the woman behind me because she had a walker and could not stand, was in an aisle seat and could only see the screens because people were dancing in front of her. One guy came up and was yelling the song into her ear. It was like a mosh pit full of teenagers in the 70's. And most of the attendees were in their 40's, 50's and 60's so I would have expected better. I'm not a prude. I know everyone needs to let loose, but it was ridiculous. We enjoyed the concert regardless.

Acceptable etiquette at music concerts has always varied significantly depending on music genre, region, and whether it is paid seating or General Admission aka GA. A classical music concert and Grateful Dead concert are two extremes. A rock concert here in the San Francisco Bay Area given its extensive rock history will have a different vibe than that in many other regions. The discrete use of certain drugs in The City venues has always been quietly tolerated. I've personally been going to rock concerts here for over 5 decades and have much to say about concert seating so will offer my 2 cents. Just today, got an online Livenation $60 ticket (cheap, includes $23 in fees) for The Who at our hockey arena 8 weeks from now. Also will soon buy a cheap lawn GA ticket for Sammy Hagar & The Circle w/guest George Thorogood concert a week from tomorrow.

One thing common is that with paid seating in fixed venue seats one ought not rudely obstruct views of others. With GA that allows people to sit or stand anywhere. If one is down on a venue's floor in front of the stage, it is up to the individual to locate a spot with an acceptable view that is obviously more difficult, the closer to the stage. In this region with paid seating where the venue floor in front of a stage has rows of portable chairs that always charge the highest prices, it has become acceptable for those who have chair seats to dance to the side of those sections that is usually a wide open walking zone leading elsewhere. From such locations beside the chairs, no one is blocked however isle monitors vigorous make sure anyone entering via gates down on the floor actually has a seat for that zone. That noted it is also true in this era few people actually dance. It is also understood others at rock concerts may choose to stand up in front of their chairs that of course blocks view of those behind unlike stadium seating where rows are at increasing heights.

Back in the early 70s when rock concerts became huge, it was almost always GA. Significantly more people danced at concerts and dance styles were different than what was common even a decade later and more varied. By the end of that decade, paid seating given a trend for more profits from seating, more control over the ability to stifle illegal drug use, and selling alcohol for profit, became more common to the point today younger generations unless they happen to attend a Grateful Dead event have little clue what a GA concert is like. Note something my counter culture generation quickly found out was that police and venue personnel had no way to control activities of people deep inside a dense standing GA crowd.

As a hard core rock dancer from the earliest era, I greatly prefer GA concert events. Livenation that has unfortunately monopolized concerts and venues nationwide, now seems on a mission to force the use of only mobile tickets for venue gate entry because it inhibits counterfeit tickets, allows faster gate pass through entry, makes payment via online credit cards smooth, and requires no mailing of physical paper tickets. Persons dancing at rock concerts may not want to have a bulky weighty smartphone when attending a concert so I've had to jump through hoops arranging special Will Call entry using printed out copies and already did so for the ticket I bought today.

 

[Tempsontime65]

Idiots and Imbeciles...I see that you've met my wife's family!!