I’ve noticed over the past few years a decline in respect and concert etiquette that’s causing concerts to lose their charm.

Live concerts offer thousands of people an opportunity to escape into a magical experience they will never forget, giving attendees a glimpse into their favorite performer’s musical artistry. So, why take it for granted? It seems that crowds have developed an “anything goes” mindset that has led to acting out becoming the new norm that could end concerts as a whole.

When I think of concerts nowadays, a big element that pops into my mind is the growing trend of throwing objects on stage.

I don’t mean throwing something sweet like flowers, or a cute love note. I mean throwing things like trash or rocks on stage that could cause harm to the artist performing. First of all, why is this even a growing trend in the first place? I can name over ten artists who have gotten injured or blatantly disrespected by this. Artists like Adele, Tyler the Creator, Steve Lacy, Billie Eilish, and many more have urged the crowd not to throw things on stage as it is disrespectful to them and potentially harmful.

A great example that I can think of is Kid Cudi’s Rolling Loud Miami performance.

After replacing Kanye West as a headliner, Cudi walked off stage cutting his set short because of multiple water bottles being thrown at him. Watching the video of this whole thing just makes me angry and kind with the levels of disrespect the crowd has. The actions of many ruin what could’ve been an amazing performance and for what? A laugh or a chance to go viral on TikTok? 

Tiktok and the obsession with going viral has made a significant impact on not just concerts, but the entire world. It seems that it is the main reason for the crowd’s bad behavior. I’ve stumbled across countless videos of people playing games or pretending to be asleep during someone’s set just to get attention and their 15 minutes of fame. And although, yes, many of these are quite funny to watch, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it is extremely disrespectful to the artist trying their best to put on a show for the crowd. Lots of videos of this sort have influenced people to go out to concerts and do this.

Take Coi Leray for example. I’m not the biggest fan of her music, but around a year ago there was this viral trend to act like you’re sleeping or make fun of her while she’s performing on stage. As a performer myself, this would probably be the most discouraging and embarrassing thing that could happen to me, and most likely make me quit my job. I feel that people aren’t attending concerts for the music anymore, and instead to make fun of the performers. 

People spend months saving up for a concert ticket to see their favorite artists, while some simultaneously spend hundreds to thousands of dollars for a one-night event. Why ruin that for millions of other people and at the end of the day, yourself? If you don’t like the artist, then simply don’t go. Don’t waste your time, others’ time, or your money. And if you like the headliner, but not the opener, remember that yes, you bought a ticket for the headliner, but the opener is still a part of the experience. 

At the end of the day, performing artists are doing their job much like the rest of us. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant and throw food at the waiter, would you? So, why disrespect a talented artist who just wants to share their passion and hard work with the rest of the world?

Moral of the story: if you’re going to be disrespectful to artists at a show…don’t go.