Tuesday Top Tens - Ten Things I Love/Hate At A Gig



Me and Dean tend to go to a lot of gigs and our most recent one being Friendly Fires for his birthday.  Whilst there, we had a tendency to moan more than enjoy it because of other people! And this got me thinking aboutmy pet hates when going to a gig because we realised people can be really selfish and ruin the experience for others!  So, I have compiled a list of the things that really get on my wick, and also the things that make the experience all worth while!

Things I Hate:
1:  Tall people standing at the front or in front of you - if your lucky enough to be 8 feet tall, then why do you need to stand near the front to see the band?  Surely you can see not only them but also the lights above them plus the rest of the crowd that are below you struggling to see?  Does not make any sense to me!

2:  Girls and their handbags,Boys and their rucksacks - now what could you possibly need at a gig that requires the biggest bag you own?  I get that a bag can be a fashion statement, but at a recent gig, there were numerous girls with massive bags that not only looked like it weighed them down with the amount of stuff inside, but it was also banging against my back and pushing me out the way as if it was another person!  What is the point? Surely its more of a hinderance than a need?  I took a little clutch bag that could fit my essentials in and I was heavy-bag free!  A rucksack is slightly more acceptable so you can experience the hands free version of bringng a bag, but when a guy has a rucksack on, standing in front of you jumping around, I get smacked in the face by the bag! Ugh!!

3:  People dancing inappropriately - I need to make myself clear on this one, me and Dean are terrible for dancing inappropriately!  Jumping, swaying, wooing and screaming all fall into this category and I am one of the biggest culprits of this at a gig! However, i do take into consideration others around me and if I want to scream, I do it away from someones ear, if I want to bounce, I make sure I dont lean on the persn next to or in front of me!  But do others take my consideration when they want to dance like an idiot?!!  No they do not, and my experience the other night proved this, when I had a girl leaning back as far as she could, onto me, grinding and swaying on me as if I was not there!  I pushed her away so she would get the hint but it didnt work! In fact, it made her worse!

4:  People that spend all that money on a ticket, then proceed to stand still and not enjoy it - I find someone like this at nearly every gig!  Im not asking everyone to jump around like a loon like I do, but there are other people out there that deserve the ticket more, who will appreciate the band they are seeing, instead of standing there like they are at a funeral!

5:  Pushing past me when its quite clear there is no room - this really winds me up!  Im standing in a specific spot which means I have a direct view between people's heads to see the stage and enough room for me to dance, but not enough room for anyone to bring their friends along to squeeze through and stand in front of my spot!  Not only that, but there is no room for your six beers, your tall friend or your three ruckacks and three handbags!!



Things I Love:

6:  Seeing a band for the first time and it turns out to be everything you expected and more - I regularly see my favourite bands, but when I see someone new, I dont always know what to expect.  But most bands that care about their fans and have the budget, pull out all the stops to make the experience amazing.  Most recently being Athlete, Hurts and Friendly Fires who haveblown me away when seeing themfor the first time.

7:  Hearing that one song you know everyone has been waiting for - there is always one song that a band is most famous for that you know will be played at the end, and seeing the place come alive and be filled with all that energy is so much fun to be a part of.  Songs that have stood out for me that I will always remember seeing live include Common People by Pulp, Best Of You by Foo Fighters, One Day Like This by Elbow and Viva La Vida by Coldplay

8:  Seeing a mind blowing show and reminiscing about it for the next seven days- there is nothing better than coming away from a gig on a high!  When bands pull out all the stops to make their music even more incredible and getting your moneys worth.  Things that make a gig mindblowig include a different version of a song (acoustic maybe?), ticker tape, fireworks, pyro-technics and having the band leap off stage so you can touch them!

9:  Meeting a band after their gig - I have not done this many times but when I have it totally adds to the experience!  I have met lead singer from a small indie band from the 00s, twice, had Nicky Wire from the Manic Street Preachers walk past me onto his tour bus,and met the lovely Friendly Fires so they could sign my CD and have my picture taken with them!

10:  Dancing like a mad woman to my favourite bands - Now I did cover this above, but when its me doing all the dancing and not others being annoying, it really adds to the gig experience!  Its a chance for me to throw all my cares away, take in the music and feel emotions I dont always get to feel,just through the powers of music!!

Phew, that was great for a good old rant!