Bad behaviour at concerts is becoming normalised, experts say
Music industry experts are saying that bad behaviour at concerts has become the new norm after a spate of incidents where musicians have been hit by items thrown on stage by audience members.
On Thursday, Las Vegas police dropped a criminal investigation into an incident involving Cardi B, in which the rapper was seen throwing a microphone at a member of the crowd at a concert after a drink was thrown at her.
Concertgoers have been sharing footage of numerous artists falling victim to unruly fans. Harry Styles was hit in the eye with a sweet in Vienna, Bebe Rexha received stitches after she was hit in the face with a mobile phone in New York, and Pink was left stunned when someone threw their mother’s ashes on stage in London. In perhaps the most extreme incident, Ava Max was slapped mid-song by a concertgoer in LA.
The man charged with assault over the Rexha incident later said he threw his phone because he thought “it would be funny”.
“This kind of disrespectful behaviour has become the new norm at live performances, but it must stop for the sake of an artist’s and crowd’s safety,” Sam Allison, the head of events at independent music store chain Rough Trade, said this week.
Some believe that the rise in incidents may be driven by social media, with fans trying to become a part of the show, in order to post videos of stunts that could potentially go viral.
In response, Allison has shared his advice for concert etiquette “so all fans attending feel safe, secure and most importantly, continue to enjoy live events”.
“Never throw anything on to a stage or at an artist while they are performing,” Allison said. “Phones, soft toys, food, drinks, flowers, and clothing are some of the most common items thrown by fans on stage, but when thrown in proximity and at a fair speed they can cause injury and also be a major safety hazard on stage.”
Alongside throwing items on stage, Allison said, other behaviours deemed distracting to an artist were flash photography, shouting and attempting to engage a performer in conversation.
Footage from the Cardi B concert last weekend showed the rapper taking matters into her own hands after a member of the audience threw a drink over the performer.
According to Las Vegas police, a concertgoer had filed a police report for battery after being hit by “an item that was thrown from the stage” – though it was unclear whether it was the same person accused of throwing a drink. But the Grammy-winner will face no charges due to “insufficient evidence”, police said.
The spate of incidents has prompted a number of performers to speak out. Last month, during her Las Vegas residency, Adele told her audience: “Have you noticed how people are like, forgetting show etiquette at the moment? People just throwing shit on stage, have you seen them? … Dare you to throw something at me and I’ll kill you.”
The singer Charlie Puth has also urged concertgoers to cease the “disrespectful and very dangerous behaviour”, while Tyler the Creator urged his fans to “stop throwing your shit on stage”, and Kelly Clarkson told an audience they could only throw diamonds at her.
Some fans exasperated by other people’s behaviour have taken the matter into their own hands, posting advice on how best to deal with antisocial behaviour during concerts. Taylor Swift fans have even created a concert etiquette guide.
Dr Lucy Bennett, a lecturer at Cardiff University who studies the relationship between fans and musicians, said collective action by fans could create a sense of belonging within their community and allowed them to express their identity.
“However, I think something is changing more recently and we’re seeing more isolated, disruptive, individual physical acts such as throwing items,” she told the BBC.
Bennett also said people’s attitudes might have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic “where we couldn’t be physically present at concerts”. Organisers of other live performances, from musi
cals to stand-up shows, have long complained of rowdy or misbehaved crowds since the isolation of the lockdowns.
Myah Elliott recently told her nearly 500k followers on TikTok: “We need to normalise calling out toxic fan behaviour, when people at concerts are doing things they’re not supposed to be doing that affects other people’s experiences.” This included shoving to get to the front, she said. “Do not be afraid to shame them.”
After a number of tragic incidents in recent years – including a crowd surge at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in 2021 that led to the death of 10 people, and a rush to enter the O2 Brixton Academy in 2022 that led to the death of two people – venues are keener than ever to stress the importance of safety protocols.
Allison said: “Venue rules of conduct exist for a reason – they are there to ensure that event attendees stay safe and can enjoy their time without any problems.”
Rules for concert etiquette, by Sam Allison
1.Don’t throw objects on stage Although your actions may be well intentioned, you should never throw anything on to a stage or at an artist while they are performing. Focus your energy on enjoying the music and the atmosphere of a concert or gig.
Participating in this trend could also result in you being removed from the event, which no one wants, especially if it is a favourite artist you have been looking forward to seeing.
2. Be conscious of fellow fans
There is nothing more irritating than people standing around you at an event who have no concept of personal space and respect. It’s important to be respectful of personal space and safety.
The trend of throwing objects on stage can ruin the experience for the crowd, just as much as it does for the artist.
3. Abide by venue and security rules Before a gig or concert, most venues will send out instructions to ticketholders about the conduct they expect from fans on the day.
Performance space security will reserve the right to remove anyone from the premises they believe are behaving incorrectly, so make sure to look at a venue’s guidelines before attending an event and always follow the instructions of their security team. 4. Don’t distract the artist
Flash photography and attempting to get a performer’s attention by shouting or being physically disruptive are just a few examples of other behaviours, which can ruin the experience for everyone.
A live performance is simply not the right time to engage in conversation with an artist, which can put off a performer and make you very unpopular among other attenders next to you.