Concert Etiquette

BY LIV SLABY

After much deliberation and careful planning, we have decided that these are the commandments of showgoing.

1. Do not cut in line. If there is a line to get into the venue, don't be the guy who thinks it's okay to push right past the people who have been there for hours. This goes for the merch line too.
2. Do not film the entire show. Pay attention to your surroundings! Stop waving your phone around, trying to catch every movement of your favorite band member. Not only are you basically ruining the experience for yourself because you're preoccupied with saving the memories for later, but you're also blocking people's view. Not to say that some pictures or videos aren't okay!

3. Do not push people into the mosh pit who don't want to be there. There are plenty of people already in it who would love to run around and hit you.
4. Do not jump off of people's backs to crowd surf. Unless it's your friends, those poor people don't know what's coming! Grab a couple people to help you do it cheerleader style instead.
5. Try to restrain yourself from throwing things. I get toilet paper rolls, balloons, or confetti, but cigarettes, water bottles, full beer cups, and shoes? Really?
6. Mosh when the time is right. There's always someone getting super rowdy during the most easycore song the band has. Save it for when that sick breakdown comes.
7. Leave the "OMG I'M GONNA MARRY YOU" attitude at home. You came to have a good time and see some live music, not proclaim your love to the singer who's ten years older than you. Please respect boundaries and don't make the performers uncomfortable.
8. Do not drop crowd surfers!! This one's really important, because a lot of people I know have gotten seriously hurt because people dropped them. Just do your part and hold the person up for a few seconds, and don't be the reason they got a concussion.

Warped Tour by Erin Feinberg

9. Be aware of your surroundings. Have fun! Make new friends! Look for crowd surfers before they're right on top of your head, and know where the mosh pit is so you don't look up from your phone to find yourself in the middle of it. By the way, during a show is definitely not the time to be checking Instagram.
10. Be a helper. This one's kind of obvious - help people up when they fall, clear a path for that guy to drag his blacked out girlfriend out of the crowd, help people crowd surf, and just be there if people need help.
11. Don't be an asshole. Don't harass anyone. Don't intentionally get your sweat all over people. Don't be obnoxious or obnoxiously drunk. Trust me, shows are a lot more fun if you don't go in with a plan for pissing a lot of people off.

If you follow these guidelines, you're ready to be a valued, non-annoying audience member! These are all from my personal experience, so feel free to let me know of your own concert etiquette tips. Just use your good judgement and common sense and you'll have a great time at any show!