I went to a Pet Shop Boys concert in Tokyo about 6-7 year ago. From the very first set, many of us “westerners” started dancing in front of our seats. It was about half way through to show that most of the Japanese guests got up to move to the music. 
Will they ever learn? I was at TMBG concert over a decade ago where they pretrty much did the same thing - I believe the exact phrase was ‘Ingore the fire codes and get up and dance!’ - except when the crowd complied, the stage collapsed… don’t let their light-hearted, quirky music fool you; sociopaths, both of em.
Antidancers? Nondancers? I hate the overdancers. I am not putting anyone here in this category, of course.
I go, I dance, but I do not appreciate the antics of the two teenaged girls who pushed, bullied and whined their way to the third row (beside me, of course) at the Belle & Sebastian show in Seattle last September. They pretty much just moshed, flailing their arms about, whacking other fans, calling the ones that berated them “dirty old bitches”. Seriously, kids.
Dancing at a concert is a serious business and a delicate balance.
matt_mcl, adding to the chrous of voices here, the guy needs to get a life. But seriously, if anybody dared to grab me like that there would certainly be a little more than words exchanged, and I would have made it a point to dance, if for nothing else than to fuck him off.
I’m still floating on a clowd from going to see the Pet Shop Boys here in Boston this past Friday and I have to say that entire concert was geared toward having the audience on its feet in joyous dance for at least the last twenty minutes of the show. Our audience skewed pretty middle-aged, which was really nice to see, and by the end everyone was on their feet clapping, swaying, and in general adding to the concert vibe rather than sitting quietly sucking it up like so much soundproofing. It was rather excellent. And for the record, I was sitting in the back of the orchestra section and I’m perilously short for a storm-trooper. I understand the frustration of being short and up the back, because I’ve done it in far worse venues, but to me, to be a part of a concert experience where people are participating rather than passively receiving music is worth it. I accept that mileages will vary.
This is a toughie for me. I’ve been on both sides of this argument. Because I think when “dance bands” tour they ought to reserve the whole floor for those who want to dance, and the upper decks for those who just want to watch and listen. Both viewpoints are valid. Sometimes I want to dance, sometimes I want to watch the band perform.
It sucks when the two crowds get commingled.
Years ago, I was at a concert (Jethro Tull) where I got 2nd row balcony seats. I was thrilled, figuring I wouldn’t have to contend with tall people standing in front of me blocking my view of the stage (I’d given up on floor seats untold years before).
So my luck I get this drugged out hippie-chick in front of me and my friend who felt compelled to dance to every song. Now 95% of reasonable people would not consider Tull a dance band.
I wasn’t the only pissed off person. Shouts of “sit down” rained down on her, to no avail. Someone up behind me threw a hamburger at her and hit her in the head. She turned around and started cursing out my friend, convinced it was his burger. My friend told her to fuck off and finally the girl’s boyfriend pulled her away from the crowd. Incidentally, he sat in his seat the whole time.
So this “problem” goes both ways.
Thanks for the heads up that they’re on tour, matt. I just bought a ticket to see them in LA at the Wiltern theatre. I’ve been sulky since missing Depeche Mode last year, must make up for it with PSB.
Now, if they’ll only play Jack and Jill Party I think I’ll be a happy clam (of course, they’d need Pete Burns)
Think that’s bad? My roommate and I missed a DM show in May when it was canceled - two hours before the show. Talk about a letdown!
Of course, we were 10th row at their previous Chicago show in November 05…
“Disappointing show/
Man, those guys blow…
Then the next song came on/
That’s when it all went wrong/
And the PA fell on the crowd/
Then the cops came/
And took us away/
For an extended period of questioning about the PA…”
You were at that show? It’s on the “Gigantic” DVD, y’know.
That’s one advantage to most concert venues here in Spain: you get “bench” tickets and “floor” tickets. Mostly, people on the benches don’t intend to dance and people on the floor do.
People who are on the benches and want to dance move out of the row of seats and into the stairs, where there’s room to dance.
PSB is one of those people whose shows are worth it even if you don’t like the music (not if it grates on your nerves, of course).
Hey matt, I think I met that same fucker 15 years ago at a Melissa Etheridge concert. Was he wearing a tie?