Anyone ever seen a zydeco band perform in a smallish club setting? With the first note played everyone is up dancing, pausing only to chug a beer in between songs.
:dubious: I’ve seen several Broadway shows, some of which may have met with your approval. Guess I forgot to tell all my friends.
^^^
I would like to retract that post, please. I feel I must have taken bienville’s words the wrong way.
I’m curious how you are reading it now, because I read it the way you initially did and was rather taken aback.
That’s just it…it doesn’t really make sense.
Unfortunately, it’s probably not the musicians or the songwriters.
I feel sorry for you for the paucity of your experience regarding concerts, that you feel the only music worth going to see is git-off-yer-ass-and-whoop-it-up music.
It depends on the show. I agree with the mob rule rule, and it usually doesn’t take much of a mob to start everyone getting up and dancing and enjoying it. It’s unfortunate for the handicapped; it’d be nice if there was special seating for them (and in many newer venues, there is.) Best of all, of course, when there’s space for the dancers. That’s usually where you’ll find me, for that type of show (though I wouldn’t call what I do “dancing”.)
Well, yeah. Damn kids. If I catch you having fun again, you’re in BIG trouble!
If you’re sitting through zydeco, you’re doing it wrong.
I saw Keb Mo in a series at a local campus venue; the series was eclectic including jazz, classical, singer-songwriter, americana, etc. Keb joked at the crowd for being reserved, encouraging them to shout out, get up, and have some fun. Well, they went overboard, even climbing on stage, and one guy even sat next to him and picked up a guitar (and made a complete ass of himself since he could hardly play.) Keb handled it with aplomb, to his credit.
But seriously, those reserved white folks, you just can’t take 'em out. They clap on the downbeat and just don’t know how to behave.
Or should I say “us reserved white folks.”
I play too, and I enjoy it when the crowd dances! But I appreciate it when the crowd has a clue and knows how to be cool, suitable to the situation, whatever the situation may be.
Another poster said it before but it bears repeating: The bright and clear line here is assigned seating. If your ticket says “general admission”, whether there are seats or not, dance away. If anyone doesn’t like it they can move. But if your ticket says something like “24L” or “15AF” then you cannot move, and therefore neither can the person behind you if you decide to block their line of sight. So stay put and take off your giant hat.
I’ve been to a lot of live music shows. Probably on average once a month for the last 20 years. In general, almost all shows have a mix of dancers and sitters, but predominately dancers (or at least stand-and-wigglers). People who sit usually find a spot in the back or the balcony where they can see over the heads of the standers (most venues tilt up away from the stage for this reason and put the seats in the back). But occasionally a group books a show at an actual concert hall or auditorium with actual numbered seats and actual ushers and in those cases specifically it is rude to stand up or dance in front of others.
I suppose you could go to the back and dance there behind the back row, but nobody does. They rush to the front, block the view of the expensive seats and usually have to get a short lecture from the performer about how that’s not cool.
I had the same experience at a Melissa Etheridge concert years ago. Everyone standing even though there were seats, great fun.
Couldn’t go now since I can’t stand so I’d have a view of someone else’s arse and I’d look like a weirdo. And if I hadn’t been to a concert of hers before I don’t think I’d know that she was the kind of performer who tells everyone to stand up. And she did back then at least.
A solution: the back third (or quarter? Whatever makes sense for the venue’s logistics) of rows are designated as seating only, no standing. Plus the aisle seats and those next to them are also designated as non-standing since that’s usually where people with mobility problems (plus their carers, if they have them) need to go. All notified when you purchase your ticket and priced equally. Dancers get to dance, sitters get to sit. 
The front third would make more sense in some ways, but it really is nice for the performer if they can see some dancing, and that helps the overall atmosphere. Besides, the back third are often as accessible as the front third anyway.
Field/ Grassy seating with picnicking? Yeah, get up and dance some. Assigned seating? Sit the FUCK down and let me watch the show I paid $ 750.00 to see. 
Hmph, both times I wore my high-heeled tap shoes to the bowling alley, they told me to rent their shoes or they were gonna throw me out.