# How do you feel about these musical performance rent-a-crowds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965 "2019-02-04T20:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/1 "2019-02-04T20:31:53Z")
Saw it most recently of course at yesterday’s half time Maroon 5 performance. A bunch of correct aged, correct look people to enthusiastically bounce with the music and do their choreographed swaying of arms are ushered in along with the band. I suppose it’s somewhat better than having a bunch of millennials standing like robots with their iPhones stuck between their faces and the band but you could probably eliminate that by banning phones with those let in. The rent-a-crowd people sort of bother me since now instead of watching performers with fans that you are supposed to feel a part of you are now watching performers with sub-performers surrounding them. You can’t gauge the crowds reaction to the performers cause it’s all staged at that point. It’s like the producers of reality shows who remove any smidgen of reality from TV have gotten their hands into live performances and sucked and spontaneity out of them too. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/2 "2019-02-04T20:42:28Z")
In this particular case, meh. The Super Bowl Halftime Show is 99.99999999999% for the people watching on TV, and is produced in a manner specifically designed to look cool on TV, and that includes making it look like a huge crowd of people actually went to the Super Bowl just to see Maroon 5 play a 15 minute concert. In other words, it’s 100% entertainment bullshit from the beginning. If Maroon 5 was actually hiring people to attend their real concerts, well, that’s just sad. Perhaps not as sad as people actually paying to see Maroon 5, but you know what I mean. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/3 "2019-02-04T20:51:46Z")
Never in my life I have I thought “those random fans of this artist who were able to score affordable tickets to be on the field at halftime and get a good spot up near the stage sure are lucky.” Like…who do you expect to be given access to the field and the stage at the Super Bowl halftime? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/4 "2019-02-04T20:52:02Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > In this particular case, meh. > > The Super Bowl Halftime Show is 99.99999999999% for the people watching on TV, and is produced in a manner specifically designed to look cool on TV, and that includes making it look like a huge crowd of people actually went to the Super Bowl just to see Maroon 5 play a 15 minute concert. In other words, it’s 100% entertainment bullshit from the beginning. They also need to be very controlled since it’s going to be on TV, and they have a very limited time to get on and off the field. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/5 "2019-02-04T20:59:13Z")
Good points. In that case I’d rather they just not have any type of crowd at all, faux or real. Either move the performers closer to the stands or put some other type of performers or entertainment around them. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/6 "2019-02-04T23:28:25Z")
I would think that it would make a lot of sense for the performers to get some tickets to distribute to their genuine huge fans - the ones who actually would travel to the Superb Owl host city for the 15 minute concert, especially if they promised a real concert the next night. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/7 "2019-02-05T01:22:30Z")
[How Do Fans Get on the Field During the Super Bowl Halftime Show?](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-do-fans-get-on-the-field-during-the-super-bowl-halftime-show.html/) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/8 "2019-02-05T02:47:47Z")
There was a guy on a Who fan site that was on the field for Superbowl XLIV. The halftime show was pretty dismal but the band played in person for the practice sessions. The practice session gig was real live Who…miles better than the televised performance. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/9 "2019-02-05T03:13:36Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I would think that it would make a lot of sense for the performers to get some tickets to distribute to their genuine huge fans - the ones who actually would travel to the Superb Owl host city for the 15 minute concert, especially if they promised a real concert the next night. I would totally watch the Superb Owl before I would watch the Super Bowl halftime show. Goes off to Stub Hub to look for tickets… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/10 "2019-02-05T04:04:42Z")
Mr. DeVille, why do you need 10,000 extras for the parting of the Red Sea? People are going to the movie solely to see Moses! ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/11 "2019-02-05T04:13:57Z")
Adam Levine needs your money! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-these-musical-performance-rent-a-crowds/828965/12 "2019-02-05T04:32:40Z")
It’s lame. The whole thing is lame. I don’t know why they need halftime “entertainment”. In addition to the fake fans, I think the musicians used stunt instruments as well. The music was probably piped-in. I think the singer did actually sing and not lip-synch, tho, so there’s that. Woulda been better to just roll 20 min of commercials. Still, if they are insisting on having a micro-concert, I like the point in the article linked above - why’d they bring-in a group from L.A. when there is a load of musical talent to be found locally in Atlanta. Hmmm. :rolleyes: