Concert Issues [★]

July 31, 2016

VIXX in concert @ Mall of Asia Arena [May 2015]
I have been to a lot of concerts already. Through the years, I can say that I have experienced different crowds within those concerts. Kpop, rock, hip-hop, alternative, pop, acoustics - name it, and most likely I've been in a concert like that. I can say attending concerts is a way of life - it's a culture, alive and constantly changing.

The music scene has evolved through the years. From the early 90's up to now, a lot has changed on how we indulge to that concert experience with our most loved artist of all time. 

Just recently, Philippine Concerts, a fan-driven organization dedicated to posting updates about the concert scenes in the country, posted a controversial argument on their FB page:



This statement stirred a number of conversations as concert fans voiced out their opinions on this argument. As a concert-goer, I've experienced almost every color of the audience spectrum in a concert. I've been that die-hard fan who only got the cheapest ticket available (2NE1). I've also had some luck getting the "best seats" in the arena for artists I barely know (Super Junior, One OK RockEXO). And yes, I have also been in a concert, not as a fan, but as part of media as a photographer and SNS content writer (Best of Best, Epik High, VIXX, Threadfest Manila). There are a lot of others wherein I attended as a normal fan. With my experience on several concerts, I base my stand on the statement above.

I disagree.


I was glad to learn that a lot of people agreed on my opinion (my comment got the most likes on that post). Let's face it - we don't really need to bash those folks who are in the mosh pit or at the front seats, whether they are huge fans or not -  they paid for it. There were some people who didn't agree with me, and I empathize with the arguments that they presented. They raised good points, and I respected each of their opinions.

Here are the kinds of people that you may find in a concert (based on my observations):

* People in the front row, who showed little energy or just sat throughout the show
The initial reaction is to hate and become annoyed with these people. However on second thought they may have a reason for behaving like that. Maybe they are the kind of crowd that are just chill and they enjoy the band the most if they are relaxed and sitting down. Each person has their own way of being entertained, right? They already had the best view of the artists, so they might be thinking that theres no need to stand up. Also, they may just not be as expressive as others when they fangirl/fanboy. I know someone who is very passionate in following and watching her favorite artists in concerts, but she is not the type that screams and jumps like crazy during their performances. She just calmly watches them in silence, absorbing the presence of the artists within the duration of the concert. She tells me she has to savor every chance to experience them live, that's why she doesn't want get distracted by screaming her heart out or singing along with the songs.

* People who are not really watching the show (sleeping / looking at their phones most of the time)
I've seen this comment in that thread, and I must say I am impressed. How the hell can one sleep during a concert? w(°o°)w 
No sane fan will pay money just to sleep in concert. If there are really people who do that, I can only think of 2 reasons:

  1.  This sleeping/bored person came to the concert just to accompany someone - maybe his significant other, or someone who is still a minor (some concerts need minors to come attended with an adult).
  2.  This person is working. Yep, you read that right. There's this reality that not all present in a concert are there to watch and enjoy the artists' performance on stage. Some are there to document the event as part of their tasks at work. If you see people that are on their phones most of the time in a concert, most likely they are media staff posting live concert updates on SNS. I would know, as I had been one. As much as I wanted to enjoy the concert, I had to do my task and produce the expected output for our team.

* Celebrities/famous personalities that get the best seats on a show (for free!)
I believe this is the kind of crowd that is most frowned upon. Most of the time, they get those complimentary tickets from the concert organizer. The purpose? These people will help provide publicity to the concert. They were sponsored to be there in exchange of  posting nice feedback on their SNS. Celebrities have a lot of followers online that would be able to see the concert posts. It might be hard, but let's not be too bitter with them. Let's just look at this angle - these celebrities are actually helping create more buzz about the concert, giving our favorite artists more publicity. They might even come back to the country because of that! To be fair, promoters also give out complimentary tickets to genuine fans via contests on the radio and on SNS.



Whatever kind of crowd the artist gets on their concert, at the end of the day, business is business. It's the return of investment that matters to the promoters, which benefits the artists themselves.

If you were not able to get the best seats (or worse be #teambahay) the first time your favorite artists come here for a concert, let be that a lesson to save up. Don't let it happen again. Come to the concert! Wherever you are seated in the arena, I'm sure you will be able to enjoy the artist's performance on stage!

'Til our next concert, fellow fans!



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