# Lighters at concerts...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 14, 2000, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252 "2000-08-14T04:38:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dauber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Dauber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dauber)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2000, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/1 "2000-08-14T04:38:18Z")

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Does anybody know when, why and who started the tradition of holding lit cigarette lighters when a band plays a mellow or “spiritual” song?

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**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/2 "2000-08-14T04:45:27Z")

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I asked the exact same question a while back but noone was able to answer… i hope someone around here knows!

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**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2000, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/3 "2000-08-14T12:08:08Z")

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They’re offering to re-light the band members’ doobies. :D:D

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**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/4 "2000-08-14T14:29:44Z")

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I reckon it’s just dumb mob psychology.

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**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2000, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/5 "2000-08-14T17:16:32Z")

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Note : this is not my opinion, this is something I read.

The liner notes on one of my roommate’s Styx albums claimed that this practice was either started or popularized by the band, especially their song “Light Up”.  
panama jack

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“People say these are the worst of times …”

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**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2000, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/6 "2000-08-14T17:32:21Z")

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I thought this started with candles at Beethoven concerts a couple centuries ago. 😉

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**Author:** ![Revedge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@Revedge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revedge)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/7 "2000-08-15T16:57:20Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by panamajack \*  
> \*\*  
> Note : this is not my opinion, this is something I read.
> 
> The liner notes on one of my roommate’s Styx albums claimed that this practice was either started or popularized by the band, especially their song “Light Up”.  
> panama jack
> 
> * * *
> 
> “People say these are the worst of times …” \*\*

Horsehocky. (not you, but Styx claim) This tradition was around before Styx was. I lit a few lighters at concerts way before they were around. It was a form of applause, and not just used during “mellow or spiritual” songs. It tended to happen at end of concerts. I think that the motivation was if you have been screaming your appreciation for a group all night, then the only way to increase your apparant appreciation was by adding a visual element. Being in the dark, the only thing that people could see would be light. Few people carried flashlights, but everyone had lighters. (For those doobies:))

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2000, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighters-at-concerts/29252/8 "2000-08-15T17:02:58Z")

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I think I read somewhere that audience members used to hold  
lighters aloft when the Doors performed ‘Light My Fire’.  
Makes sense, after all.