A few years ago, I was at a Sufjan Stevens show, and I found myself distracted and disappointed by several audience members in my vicinity texting throughout the show.
The entire show.
C’mon, people. If you’re going to use your phone the whole time, you might as well have stayed at home. To add insult to injury, many modern concertgoers seem to operate under the illusion that capturing a video of a concert will look or sound anything like the actual experience.
I’m not alone in my dismay, apparently. Rolling Stone compiled a list their ten greatest concert annoyances, albeit a few years late. These behaviors, among which include taking photos/videos, incessant interaction with social media, and inconsiderate chatting, are now considered acceptable by the droves frequenting concerts. It appears people treat the music as a backdrop to social interaction, whether physical or virtual. Throw in a few drinks and some drugs, and things get really out of hand.
What happened to diggin’ music for the sake of music?
Given the option between braving the modern brouhaha and staying home to play guitar, I choose the latter.