At one of Taylor Swift’s latest ‘Eras Tour’ stops in Edinburgh last week, a notable crowd interaction happened.
The pop superstar stopped in the middle of a song after noticing a fan who was in distress. In a viral video that quickly spread around social media over the weekend, Swift could be seen requesting assistance for the fan in question.
“We need help right in front of me, please, right in front of me,” Swift sang while playing her guitar and keeping her eyes locked on the fan. “Just gonna keep playing until we notice where it is.”
Swift continued playing her guitar while motioning over to the person in need of help.
“I’m just gonna keep playing ’til somebody helps them, then I’m gonna keep singing the song,” the singer-songwriter continued. “I don’t think anybody’s gotten to them yet, and they’re gonna.
“Because we’re not gonna keep singing, we’re just gonna keep talking about the people that need help in front of me. Just let me know when. I can do this all night.”
At her subsequent Murrayfield Stadium concert in Edinburgh, Swift’s set was interrupted on four separate occasions, with the artist having to indicate from the stage where exactly stadium staff needed to help out each time.
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Just this week, Chappell Roan, the up-and-coming pop star everyone’s talking about, paused her North Carolina show to address those in attendance.
“I just want to be honest with the crowd. I feel a little off today, because I think my career is going really fast and it’s hard to keep up,” she said. “I’m just being honest, I’m having a hard time today.
“I’m not trying to give you a lesser show. Thank you for understanding. This is all I’ve ever wanted,” she added.
Earlier this year, P!nk made headlines around the world when she stopped her Sydney concert when she found out someone in the crowd had went into labour.
“I feel like we shouldn’t be looking. Everyone give her privacy!” P!nk told the rest of the crowd after asking if the pregnant woman was having a boy or a girl.
@smallzy Woman goes into labour during Pink comcert #pink #summercarnival
Justin Timberlake acted similarly to Swift in Austin a few weekends ago after spotting a fan in need of assistance. After his initial attempt to get the attention of security staff failed, Timberlake proceeded to call for the lights in the venue to be turned on.
We all know that the live music experience has changed post-COVID, often for the worse: much has been made of the decrease in crowd etiquette over the last couple of years, with many choosing to act the fool rather than properly listen to the music they’ve paid money to hear.
But can the increased crowd interaction by artists be classified as a negative thing? Perhaps, in these post-pandemic years, the metaphorical barrier between artist and audience member has been removed – or at least reduced – and Swift and Roan and Timberlake and many more performers are eager to make their fans feel seen and heard.
Not everyone agrees, though. Claudia Oshry (take this with a pinch of salt – Oshry is an influencer) claimed that artists such as Swift are pausing their concerts for attention.
“Ok, I want to say something and I know people are going to come for me but I have to say it,” Oshry, better known as Girl With No Job, said in a TikTok video on Monday, June 10th. “Do we feel like musicians – touring musicians – these days are stopping the show a lot to make sure fans are OK?
“Maybe people are just doing it for attention now,” she pondered. “[It’s] a way to get news articles written about you. And it’s, like, not genuine and the people are fine. Do we feel that way?”
@girlwithnojob
But maybe, Girl With No Job, maybe artists paying closer to attention to crowds at their concerts is an irrevocably positive thing. After all, it’s less than three years since the tragic Astroworld Festival crowd crush. Going to a concert has always been a communal experience, but not often with the artist being as aware of their part in the communality as they are now.
Now if only we could get certain individuals to address their crowd etiquette…
