Smoking bans - Do you see more live music or less?

Cafe Society
1

I split my time between Chicago and Kansas City, and both towns have instituted smoking bans. In both cases, bar and nightclub owners claimed that the smoking bans would decimate their business, that people wouldn’t go out if they couldn’t smoke. As far as I can tell, this has not proven to be the case. I work for a couple of bars, and neither of them appears to have suffered any drop-off in business - the more hard-core smokers sit on the patio, or stand in front of the place.

Personally, I’m more likely to go see live music if I know I’m not going to be coughing the next day.

2

I like being able to go to a show without having to wash my clothes and hair when I get home, from the smell of smoke.

3

I see less but I won’t say it’s because of smoking.

A little smoking doesn’t bother me, I actually don’t mind the smell. But a little goes a long way.

4

I don’t think the no-smoking laws initially had me going to more concerts. But if they were to rescind, I’d definitely be going to fewer.

5

I don’t smoke, but don’t particularly care if I have to be around those that are smoking. It doesn’t even enter into my mind when going somewhere.

6

It depends on the crowd. The last smoking concert I attended was in a suburb of Kansas City that has yet to outlaw smoking in clubs. My next door neighbor played guitar in this band and I was coerced into videotaping the band.

Metal fans smoke like…

I honestly can’t think of anything to compare them to. A crowd of young people, all smoking - chain-smoking, lighting one cigarette off another.

I was hacking and coughing for the next couple of days, and my camera stank of smoke for weeks after. And it’s made of metal and plastic!

No, I’m never going to see another concert at that venue if I can possibly avoid it.

7

If bands I wanted to see were playing at bars without smoking, it would make me want to go more. What has happened, though, is that the bands I want to see are playing small venues for very large prices here, and the smoking issue becomes moot. The other factors for me are that I’m too old to enjoy a crowd of teeny-agers, and I can’t stay up late like I used to. :slight_smile:

8

I figured out how much metal fans smoke.

Imagine a room filled with 300 Joni Mitchells. They smoke like that.

9

In NYC, it’s illegal to smoke in ANY public indoor place, including concert venues. That in itself is great, but most concerts are pretty lenient on it. The only two places where I’ve ever seen any action taken against smokers are MSG (where they are politely asked to put it out or leave) and Irving Plaza (where you get one strike, and I see people get thrown out every 10 minutes)

10

… it’s a cure for cancer. - Ron James

I love being able to eat, drink or hear a band without smelling like an ashtray, and the smokers I know just take it outside.

All that being said, the thing that keeps me from going to a lot more concerts and clubs has nothing to do with smoking and everything to do with having two young kids…