david1@aluxe.UUCP (nelson) (12/17/84)
I've been meaning to post this for months and finally have done it.
In April I went to a Grateful Dead concert for the first time
in about 10 years. 10 years ago the crowd was generally quiet and sat
during the performance (probably couldn't stand). It was quite
enjoyable being able to hear and see the performance. People still
moved from their ticketed seats to the aisles, but at least sat down.
Well, this time, 10 years later, it was a whole different story. The
crowd insisted on standing for 90% of the concert. The people in the
aisles stood and blocked the view of people who were sitting
in the seats that they had paid for. If I wanted to see
the group I had to stand which wasn't nearly as comfortable. But
what really pissed me off was all the noise. People cheering, clapping
and just making a nuisance of themselves.
What happened over those 10 years. The Grateful Dead were revered
back then. In the '60s and early '70s they were symbolic of
anti-war feelings, long-hair culture and a communal feeling
among the concert goers. Now the crowd ("oh, these young people today
have no respect") reacted to them as just another rock and roll band.
Well I was warned that the concert would not be as I remembered. The
Dead still had it, but the crowd was indeed a bummer.mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON) (12/19/84)
> > In April I went to a Grateful Dead concert for the first time > in about 10 years. 10 years ago the crowd was generally quiet and sat > during the performance ... > <.......> > > Well, this time, 10 years later, it was a whole different story. > People cheering, clapping and just making a nuisance of themselves. > Of give me a break! The entire point of going to see the Dead has always been that they are THE band to go see to let one's hair down (long hairs, get it!) Dancing in the aisles, singing, and cavorting are an ESSENTIAL part of going to see the Dead. I have seen the Dead 5 times over the last 7 years (I am not a hard core Deadhead, but some friends are - 30-40 concerts over 14 years, and they agree) and crowd "participation" has been the one constant in shows where material, sound quality and performance varied greatly. The show you saw 10 years ago must have been pretty boring, or was it the complimentary LSD (:-) ? Marcel Simon
mjc@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA (12/19/84)
From: ihnp4!aluxe!david1@CMU-CS-PT.ARPA (nelson) > >Well, this time, 10 years later, it was a whole different story. The >crowd insisted on standing for 90% of the concert. The people in the >aisles stood and blocked the view of people who were sitting >in the seats that they had paid for. If I wanted to see >the group I had to stand which wasn't nearly as comfortable. But >what really pissed me off was all the noise. People cheering, clapping >and just making a nuisance of themselves. This has been the case at every concert I've been to with an audience larger than ~3000. The medium doesn't seem to matter; it happens at Neil Diamond concerts as much as at AC/DC ones. Or does this only happen in Pittsburgh? [Disclaimer: I have never been to an AC/DC concert. However, being related to someone who not only craves hard rock/punk/new wave but thrives on the noisy concert environment tends to get me detailed reports.] -Dragon -- UUCP: ...seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!lll-crg!dragon ARPA: monica.cellio@cmu-cs-cad or dragon@lll-crg
mosier@iuvax.UUCP (12/19/84)
Hmmm, I can't remember EVER sitting at a Dead concert. Their music
had as much energy last summer as it did 10 years ago. Oh for sure
some people get a little a, over exuberant, but its always been that
way. Ya' see, when that music starts up, its just one giant musical
orgasm after another.
"Dead fans are sooo loyal, they come underwater,
from Utah, backwards, to stand in line to see
them play."
-- Bill Graham
steve mosier
mosier@Indiana.csnet
{pur-ee purdue ihnp4} !iuvax!mosierrcd@opus.UUCP (12/19/84)
> In April I went to a Grateful Dead concert for the first time > in about 10 years. 10 years ago the crowd was generally quiet and sat... >... > Well, this time, 10 years later, it was a whole different story. The > crowd insisted on standing for 90% of the concert. The people in the > aisles stood and blocked the view of people who were sitting > in the seats that they had paid for... Sorry, that's just the way it is at a Dead concert. You can't dance sitting down! If you want to watch, stand up--but most of the show can be had by listening anyway. > ...But > what really pissed me off was all the noise. People cheering, clapping > and just making a nuisance of themselves... If this was an East-Coast show, you might try one further west. I'm serious...the character of the crowds very much reflects the locale. I've heard noisy crowds, but none that interfered much with the music except perhaps at the beginnings of the sets. > What happened over those 10 years. The Grateful Dead were revered > back then. In the '60s and early '70s they were symbolic of > anti-war feelings, long-hair culture and a communal feeling... > ... > Well I was warned that the concert would not be as I remembered. The > Dead still had it, but the crowd was indeed a bummer. This is the jumping-off point for what I really have to say. If you'll think about it, the Dead are about the most apolitical band of any real standing. (They're not amoral, mind you, but politics has never really come to the fore.) "Throwing Stones" and "My Brother Esau" are some of the most political songs they've done, and those have appeared in the last few years (out of 20 for the band). How did you get the idea that they were symbolic of anti-war feelings? I'm suggesting that it was YOUR interpretation. Similarly, you were primed for not finding the recent concert to be what you expected. That priming, plus the old "You can't go home" effect, bummed you out. Of course there are enough irritations at a rock concert to get to you if you have any inclination to be bummed out. The Dead, more than any other band, create art in which your mind fills in the subject, the mood, and the interpretation. There are good and bad concerts, and there are good and bad crowds--but your head will have as much to do with how you like the concert as anything. Personally, I find the communal feeling stronger at a Dead concert than anywhere else in everyday experience. -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.
woods@hao.UUCP (12/20/84)
> Well, this time, 10 years later, it was a whole different story. The > crowd insisted on standing for 90% of the concert. The people in the > aisles stood and blocked the view of people who were sitting > in the seats that they had paid for. If I wanted to see > the group I had to stand which wasn't nearly as comfortable. I have been going to Dead concerts for 7 years, and have never sat down except when my legs were tired. Where have *you* been? Why would *anyone* want to sit down at a Dead concert, unless they didn't belong there in the first place? I don't think that people standing the whole time is at all typical of rock concerts. That's one reason why I like to go to Dead concerts so much. The crowd is really *into* it. What bands have you been seeing? I'd like to go to some of their shows too, they must be hot. If you want to sit down, stay home. I like to dance. --Greg -- {ucbvax!hplabs | allegra!nbires | decvax!stcvax | harpo!seismo | ihnp4!stcvax} !hao!woods "...once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right..."
strock@fortune.UUCP (Gregory Strockbine) (12/21/84)
>> Well, this time, 10 years later, it was a whole different story. The >> crowd insisted on standing for 90% of the concert. The people in the >> aisles stood and blocked the view of people who were sitting >> in the seats that they had paid for. If I wanted to see >> the group I had to stand which wasn't nearly as comfortable. > > I have been going to Dead concerts for 7 years, and have never sat down >except when my legs were tired. Where have *you* been? Why would *anyone* >want to sit down at a Dead concert, unless they didn't belong there in the >first place? I don't think that people standing the whole time is at all >typical of rock concerts. That's one reason why I like to go to Dead concerts >so much. The crowd is really *into* it. What bands have you been seeing? I'd >like to go to some of their shows too, they must be hot. If you want to sit >down, stay home. I like to dance. Standing or sitting at concerts. It always seemed silly to me to go to a concert where you where required to sit while foot-tapping, body-moving music was being played. Its worse when you actually have an assigned seat number.