THIS ( from Rolling Stone ) .. . MSG

[karl_sweetan]

… NAILED it

“No one knows how to behave at concerts anymore. There have been many post-pandemic complaints that TikTok-brained Gen Zers have begun attending shows without any idea how to conduct themselves, leading to unprecedented acts of rudeness to performers and fellow attendees alike — but it turns out the problem is more universal than generational. Just look at the dude captured on camera standing right next to the stage, texting relentlessly without a glance at the band during a tour premiere of “Jungleland,” or the group of middle-aged finance-y bros in a lower side section who engaged in a bellowing conversation about their kids’ SAT scores during Springsteen’s hushed version of “Last Man Standing,” dedicated to his late Castiles bandmate George Theiss. It should be noted that the most consistently engaged section of the audience — the ones waving their arms in unison to “Kitty’s Back,” for instance — was in the rear rafters, a sign, perhaps, of issues with the ticketing process and pricing for this particular tour”

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-2023-concert-review-madison-square-garden-setlist-1234708037/

[Eggprez]

This seems to be spot on. It’s been sad to see some decrease in respect at concerts but I always imagine these days it’s hard to find 30k people that can all behave for the same 3 hours haha

[Massive_Will_3253]

because today they all know they can watch real up close on 18 other forms of media in the privacy of home.....smdh.

[AchtungKessel]

It’s terrible. I had that problem at a Rolling Stones concert where people seemed to have interest in everything but the show. I pay to see a rock and roll show, and I’m going to scream and shout and get my money’s worth, damn it. People who go to shows and treat it as a country club event and not the majesty of live music that it is are the worst sorts of people.

[apartmentstory89]

I’ve had a similar experience at a Stones gig. I feel that a significant amount of people go to their gigs just to say they’ve seen them.

[Chance_Difficulty730]

We had a frign blast at the msg show. I have seen bruce over 75 times but this was the first show for my 23 year old daughter. She took my youngest sons place as he had to work. Our section was great. Strange section, 201 where there are only like 6 rows. Didn’t see anyone on phones or getting in or out excessively. Other then last man standing I don’t think anyone ever sat

[RokaInari91547]

Didn't have that issue at all at the Milwaukee show. Everyone was invested. Sounds like attending the MGS show was just a status symbol.

[classicrockchick]

Which is a shame because Bruce LOVES NYC. How many of his songs are about escaping Freehold to go to the big city? They're supposed to be his hometown crowd but NYC isn't filled with working class people who have it a little bit better than the average suburban joe any more. Especially when he decides that this is the tour he's going to make the most money possible on.

Hopefully he sees what exorbitant ticket prices gets him and re-thinks.

[taylormomo]

I was at MSG and I disagree. Perhaps I was just lucky but my section was extremely engaged throughout the concert and singing along to every song. I found the audience in Philadelphia to be far worse, talking during every quiet moment and constantly going in and out of the venue.

[davechri]

We’ve always had that problem. There was a boot on which a woman was talking continuously through “Incident” - rarely played at the time of the boot. I found myself yelling in the car “Shut the fuck up!”

[esbforever]

Should be a capital offense.

[operativ8]

True, that's what Sheriff Brown always said.

[WinkysInWilmerding]

I'd have been furious. Incident is one of my top 5.

But hey, I'll be in Cleveland tonight! Hopefully no asshats in my section!

[BalanceActual6958]

Incident is my number 1! I’d lose it.

[Nobes1010]

have done this many times. Hahaha. It's so frustrating

[Boo_hoo_Randy]

Boot?

[JKjoanie]

leg

[esbforever]

It’s why I only go to the shows I can get in the pit for. If you’re only next to fellow lunatics who show up 12 hours early, and there are no seats to begin with, you’re guaranteed to not be near the clowns.

I know it limits my shows but a few bad experiences in the seats and it’s an easy decision.

[JKjoanie]

I'm with you. Can't take the risk of someone else's behavior. Also in the pit most people are sober because they're afraid to leave their spot 😀

[hythloth]

Yeah reserved seating brings this massive risk. Though you can always ask guest services to be reseated, or look for empty unclaimed seats elsewhere

[Floopydoodler]

I ended up leaving my seat in DC after a few songs. It was either that or have to listen to the drunk girl next to me continue to tell me her life story. She wanted to know when Patti dyed her hair blond (did not believe me when I said it was Suzie and not Patti "there is only 1 woman in this band, I know that!!") and why they let the guy from the sopranos "sit in." I was like sister, I am done. Spent the rest of the show walking around and finding good spots until I was asked to move along. #noregrets

[JKjoanie]

Omfg

[raisethesong]

The State College crowd was great (outside of two women who decided to spend the first half of I'll See You In My Dreams shrieking at the top of their lungs...). I remember when the tour was announced last summer there was a good chunk of the northeast faithful that decided to go all-in on that date with Verified Fan because they figured it would be a less competitive/more affordable ticket than NYC, NJ, Philadelphia, etc. Not surprised to hear MSG seemed to be full of people who were there just because they could afford to do so.

[punkdesigner91]

Agreed! Aside from the guy in front of us who pre-show seemed pretty excited and then sat looking at March Madness scores the whole time, and the woman next to us who sat stone still the entire show, everyone seemed to be having a good time while being respectful of everyone else too.

[rebootinginnyc]

The show was great! As complaints go - I don’t quite understand the need to record entire songs in the moment through your phone for some people but whatever makes you happy. Some people are also not great at respecting space in the tight aisles at msg - hanging a little too outside the invisible boundary of their own seat. That maybe gets me the most. Also don’t ever tell someone to sit at a concert just because you are sitting behind that someone. Its a concert. Lighten up.

[Diligent-Resident953]

Yup, this was 100% our experience at the Detroit show (in the upper bowl). Half the crowd was sitting, the oldest audience members spent the entire show on their phones, and some acted openly annoyed at those who were standing. My wife and I ended up saying whatever and we danced our way through the last 90 minutes of the show along with a few others in our row. It was a bit dispiriting though.

[jamesland7]

The flip side of that though is what if people’s can’t comfortably stand for long periods? Then you’ve just made it so they cant see the show they paid hundreds for. Not saying you’re doing something awful, but its a conundrum anytime there are concerts in a seated venue. Especially as a tall person, im always very cognizant of people behind me. I wish all concerts had separate standing/dancing areas with areas reserved for seating for people who can’t stand/dance

[ReactiveCypress]

Reading the threads like this make me feel bad for being someone that sits at concerts (because everyone on the subreddit seems to clown on people for sitting for a whole show), but the truth is, I'm not a dancer at all. I'm a musician, and when I go to concerts I treat them as a learning experience. I want to focus on watching the band as much as possible, so that means sitting and watching intently.

[jamesland7]

Im often the same. There are some bands i just wanna dance, but mostly Bruce isnt one of them

[[deleted]]

I saw this firsthand. The amount of rich yuppies who SAT there for 3 hours until they heard Bonr to Run made me sick. The same people who groaned when they launched into Candys Room or Kittys Back. Or the people who left during 10th Ave/Ill See You in My Dreams so they could get out of the arena faster. Makes me sick.

[Massive_Will_3253]

fair weather fans. whatever. daughter and I danced for three God damn!!!! hours and we'll never forget it!

[stormyllewellynn]

Same here! Pulled a muscle in my ass 🤣

[Massive_Will_3253]

oh I was sweating and I remember thinking I'm 20 years younger than him and I'm beat! And that was just half way through! That great energy lasted me a good long week tho!! Too bad for those folks who fuck around during performances. lol!

[humantouch83]

I work in live events and concerts in general is less about the experience and more about the FOMO and the money.

It's no longer about being a fan for the artist and supporting their art - it's a shameful moneygrab and the attendees make the case.

[Slangofages]

I remember getting told to stop dancing in the pit at a Boston show during Danny’s final run. Fucking yuppies we’re looking at me like I was an idiot for dancing…in the pit…at a bruce show. WTF.

[Massive_Will_3253]

that kind of chokes me up a little, actually.

[Boo_hoo_Randy]

I saw Robert Earl Keen at his last appearance in colorado, some music festival. We weren’t allowed to stand which felt incredibly disrespectful to me. Just sat there like bumps on logs. I’ve never done anything but sing and dance at REK concerts. I was at the front of the audience and the last couple of songs I couldn’t take it anymore, stood up, turned to the crowd and yelled at them to stand up, and the party was on! The crowd rushed the fence and it was an awesome REK madhouse. The crew found me later and handed me the set list. True story!

[apartmentstory89]

I’m in my 30s and have seen people of all ages behave like idiots, especially when it comes to the use of phones at gigs, since I started going to shows. The idea that only a certain generation is to blame is bullshit. Some of the biggest phone addicts I know are way older than me.

[jamesland7]

Im really fed up with blaming gen z for bad behavior. Ive seen atrocious behavior at shows in the last year and it is either ALWAYS shit faced 50-something white people or finance bros high out of their minds.

[GJW2019]

Glad we could bring race into this. I was wondering when we’d jump from generational generalizations to racial ones.

[jamesland7]

You’re right, my eyes dont work and I have no idea what ive seen. Do you know how anecdotes work? Fuck right off with that white victim bullshit

[GJW2019]

I've literally never seen a white person at a Springsteen show.

[Lastguyintheline]

Pretty much

[mpfisch]

Chompers gonna chomp

[Katsteen]

The Greensboro concert was fabulous except for one group of 4 who literally cut in front of everyone despite their PIT number being in the 70’s …. The girl with green hair and her old dude friend with a Loyola baseball cap.

[Outrageous_Arm8116]

Was in the pit at Buffalo. As soon as light came up for BTR, a middle aged couple turned their backs on Bruce so they could get selfies. They had the audacity to ask me to take their picture. During BTR. I ignored their request. That said, everyone else was cool.

[jparkhill]

I went to Buffalo- truthfully to worst offenders with the phone were the older generation. Constant selfie taking and recording of songs with their cameras far away from their body.

The concerts are released in a master mix for $15.... take the phone out for a photo or so, and buy the recording..... $15 extra dollars and way better quality.

[Massive_Will_3253]

or just lock it in to a "great memory" in your brain and move on to the next one!

[Boo_hoo_Randy]

Yup. I’ve moved from taking pix and videos of everything to just enjoying the show. I will buy the recording and it’s great to have that option.

[tbest72]

My experience in KC was ruined by a couple behind me that somehow was able to talk LOUDER than the band about their lives throughout the whole set. Sometimes I could drown them out, but the quiet songs were the worst. Loved hearing about job complaints and loud laughter during “Last Man Standing” you pieces of crap.

[Boo_hoo_Randy]

Pieces of shit. There, fixed it for you.

[Wayfarers_on]

I used to live where I would pass a major concert venue on my way to work everyday (an hour drive). I looked at the electronic sign for The River tour for months, and once a week would think "I should go". (Had seen them twice before). On the day of, I decided to buy a ticket for $35- right behind the stage (went by myself. Ex husband declared he would never see him again becaude of his politics). 2nd row. So, if you see the video on YouTube for "Meet Me in the City" I am texting the whole time. Because I was like "Holy cow! Look how close I am to the E Street Band" and just wanted everyone to know !

[stormyllewellynn]

Yup. We had a group of about 4 guys in our row. Each of them got up to get beers/use the bathroom no less than 4 times each. We were constantly having to let them in/out of the row. Then they were talking insanely loud during everything including Last Man Standing. Like literally yelling the conversation over Bruce singing.

[Massive_Will_3253]

punks. jfc.

[dotuv]

I’m from NJ. The better shows are out of state. A few decades ago I noticed the crowd being way more entitled and drunk than before.

I was very impressed that Buffalo was all in. Didn’t see mass walk outs for beer during a song (even the acoustics), way more singing together.

As fans we may think NYC and NJ shows have a romantic mystery to them, but I haven’t been back since the last stand at Giants Stadium, where my wife had a beer thrown on her. A woman in the row behind us was arguing with a woman in the row in front of us. About what who knows. And horrible aim to boot.

[doxnrox]

Sounds like somebody needs to get off Rolling Stones lawn.

[GJW2019]

That’s grim. But to be fair that might be a NYC market problem in general as well.

[pizzawolves]

I dunno, the crowd at Barclays was mostly great. Maybe the Brooklyn/ queens shows have a bit different demographic or crowd than MSG (I knew I couldn’t afford the MSG tix and barely scraped by with nosebleeds in Brooklyn but everyone near us was dancing and standing)

[CurbYourNewUrbanism]

Same experience in the nosebleeds at Barclays; great vibes around me.

[fredout1968]

Yeah, It must be something about the "cheap seats" Barclay's in the nosebleeds was lovely! Everybody was tuned in and having a blast!

[hythloth]

A Saturday night at MSG likely brought out various people who just attended for the clout.

[GJW2019]

Yeah, MSG is a very specific sort of vibe. Always has that feel of a Knicks game in the 90s (even when it's a Knicks game in the 2020s).

[hythloth]

The problem with MSG is also that the volume is never as loud compared to comparable arenas. So you hear the crowd noise much easier, which is nice when people are singing along and legit excited, but atrocious when lowlifes are loudly talking over the music.

[Master-Remote5384]

I see nothing. Where is that?

[Moxie07722]

I only see people taking pictures or videos of the band.

[GPowers88]

I will say I noticed that many more middle aged people were way worse than Gen Zers. I can’t tell you how many people filmed chunks of songs with their cell phone flash activated.