Sure, live gigs are great, and we definitely miss them. But, there’s a few things that we certainly don’t miss about concerts, and here they are.
2020 has sucked, that is no lie. Yeah, we were set up for a brilliant year with heaps of stacked lineups, but then coronavirus hit, and our calendar became as empty as anything.
We’ve definitely seen some creative and innovative ideas on how to start up the gigs again, from socially distanced concerts to space suits that you can vape and have hook-ups in, but barring that, there hasn’t been a brilliant solution just yet.
Although we’re keen to see live music get it’s boots back on, and we can’t wait to be in the middle of a mosh pit once again, there’s a few things about live shows that we don’t miss at all. But, to be honest, if live music came back quicker, we’d be happy to always deal with these.
1. Finding out that your favourite band skipped over your city:
Score! Your favourite international band is finally rocking up to Australia. You go to check the tour dates, and realise that they’re literally only playing in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Go. Fucking. Figure.
2. The ticket site charging you an absurd amount of surcharges:
I’m already purchasing a pretty expensive ticket as is, so why aren’t all these charges already included? Convenience fee? What – is it convenient for more money to leave my wallet? And don’t even try to pull a “printing cost” fee, if I’m printing the ticket from my own printer at home.
3. That one person who records the entire gig on their phone:
You’re blocking the bloody view, and nobody is going to want to watch a gig that you recorded. If they wanted to see it so badly, they probably would’ve bought tickets for it. Do us all a favour and take maybe a couple of photos, then pop that sucker back into your pocket.
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4. That other irritating person who decides to whistle after every song:
NO. JUST DON’T. Sure, I’m at a gig, and I’m keen to hear some loud music, but you doing an insanely loud whistle right next to my hear after every song? Not necessary. Just give a clap, hoot and holler, but leave the whistling for calling your pup from across the dog park.
5. People who talk through the entire live show, even during the songs:
Did you really just pay $60 to simply drink and talk with your mates? I know a great place where you can do that for a lot cheaper. It’s called a pub. Go there instead, because we want to hear the music, and that’s what we paid to listen to.
6. When a band is ridiculously late, then doesn’t even apologise:
Sure, we can understand being a little late – things happen. But, if the band is running over 1/2 an hour late, and they don’t even arrive with a “sorry” in tow, I’m bound to be a bit bitter, especially if I had work the next day, and was already anticipating being home by a certain time.
7. That one mate who just can’t control their beer, spilling it all over you:
Why even bother buying it, if half of it is going to land on yourself, the crowd, and the floor? Beer ain’t cheap at gigs, so how about you chug that bad boy prior to entering the mosh pit, and don’t you dare sling it around above your head, because we’re already sticky enough with sweat.
8. That other mate who won’t quit yelling out a request every two seconds:
We get it, you request music. The band gets it. The crowd gets it. If they didn’t play it the first hundred times that you requested it, chances are they’re not going to play it the thousandth time you shout it out, either.
9. Venues that have insanely early and strict curfews:
Why are venues choosing to host concerts if they aren’t even going to be able to let the artist do a few extra songs at the end of the night? Even worse is when they warn about curfew, then cut the mic on the artists because they’re wrapping up a song just a few minutes too late.
10. A set list that features none of your favourite songs:
Yeah, sometimes the artist want to play some new songs, or maybe they’re focusing on a particular album, but it’s definitely a bummer to shell out so much cash only to find out that the set list features only a few songs that you know, and none of your favourites.
While you’re at it, check out our list of ten things we do miss about live concerts.
