disrespect at gigs

[ww23]

I know 98% of all us hardcorey NMA fans are respectful and enjoy the music, the lyrics and everything at gigs, but I really have to get something off my chest.
I have seen NMA and Justin solo tons of times in various countries around Europe and I have to say that some members of the travelling "family" are not really that cool or mindful, in fact they are rather thick.
Like Dublin last Friday. Lots of loud talking during the songs and also especially during the quieter ones. I also see no point in some people of "the family" standing with the back to the stage for the whole gig (!) and pretentiously singing along every word to the faces of other people who want to look AT the stage and not at the naked singing torso of some guy who needs his ego fix.

First encore "Drummy B", in Ireland, so great! But: blokes talking and hugging and beery screaming at each other and these are not regular people, all of these with NMA shirts and well travelled NMA gig goers. Very likely having come over from the UK.
This "I have seen it before / I know it all / I am a seasoned NMA supporter" behaviour is nothing but thuggish, macho and nothing short of a football hooligan bully.
I mean, if you wanna talk to your mates and blokes and whatnot just go outside and talk your beer talk there but not during the music we all want to hear and immerse ourselves into.

One of the best NMA moments was when Justin threw one girl out of the concert during his solo set in a small venue in Vienna. She just would not shut up. Talking all the time.
Justin put his guitar down and escorted her outside.

Spoiling it for other people is just disrespectful.

safe travels my friends

[cthulhu]

i totaly aggree with you on the talking during gigs. it's the most annoying thing. they don't pay attention to the gig and also disturb the other people. that behaviour is a totally unwelcome and *putinswearwordsinenglish* thing to do.

but i think you are mixing two things here. i don't have a problem with naked torso singing men, standing in another direction, if they don't talk;-)

i know what you mean, but i feel it's a kind of different enacting of the songs and i can understand the direction. it's like: why singing to the band, that's kind of a mirror thing (no mirrir, no shadow?) and instead enacting to the fellow crowd. giving the song a personal meaning by singing and acting on it.
i'm always near or in the moshpit and sometimes you find another person and you act with them. like reaching out with your hands, starring at each other, giving the lyrics a pantomime thing to it.
i'm just rying to give some credit to the people who give much bodily-wise at the gigs, dancing, pogo, crazy arm moves, over-enacting...i feel more disturbed by the ones who don't want to dance and get angry with you because you have to move.

but talking and not paying attention is the worst!

[jc]

Hello WW23,

not sure how to answer this as it made me think; do some of us really come across as self important knobs on an away day. I have seen examples of rude behaviour at almost every gig but I would put that down to the law of averages in that in any crowd you are going to get some wankers. I do find that a lot of the ruder people are those who haven’t been out for a long time or not very often and this is their one chance of freedom. I agree, if you need to rekindle long lost friendships, go do it in a more appropriate place. Regarding the singing with backs to the band thing, that is just people connecting with each other which is a very important part of the gig for some, it is certainly not an alpha male stand off or pack type of thing. [edit] Like Cthulhu says above, I am more worried about the people who don’t respond to the music. [/edit]

Like I said it’s never going to be perfect, the law of averages I’m afraid. Please don’t let that put you off and hope you come and say hello next time and I can sing the wrong words to you as my recall of lyrics is terrible.

Cheers

jc

[Master Ray]

It's been brought up many times before, I think I might have started a thread about it at some point.  And, as a veteran of NMA gigs for nearly 30 years, I can agree with some of your post.

The 'talking loudly' thing... got no patience with it at all.  I've been there so many times when NMA were doing a mellow number and certain folks were talking LOUDLY about some bullshit or other, drowning out the music with no respect for the people around them (and, on occasion, got a bit nasty with the people who had a problem with it).... this is NOT acceptable.  You're not into the quiet stuff?  Fine, then piss off and don't ruin other folks enjoyment, come back for the loud stuff!

The 'people standing with their back to the stage singing' thing... not so much.  NMA have always had the emotive 'singalong' thing (hence NOATV) and I have had many times when I've had a vocal thing going with strangers.  Those chorus' demand it!     As long as they weren't being unpleasant, I see no problem with that.  And if they were, it's easy to move a few feet to the left or right...

This "I have seen it before / I know it all / I am a seasoned NMA supporter" behaviour is nothing but thuggish, macho and nothing short of a football hooligan bully.

I think that's a bit over the top, friend.  This is a band that people are passionate about, get so excited about and might unintentionally offend.  I'd hate to see an NMA gig where folks just watched the set in a bland and mild fashion.

But, hey, that's just my opinion.  Other opinions are available.   

[Pol]

All I'm gonna add is the book cover thing . I may look kinda alpha male but that's a million miles from the real  n I've been know to take my top off but only cos it's too hot . I've been know to turn my back to the group n interact with the crowd but I'm there to see the band and enjoy myself and try make sure others enjoy themselves. Everyone is different yes there is a few arseholes as jc  said law of average. 

[Johnz]

Like others have said, the talking is just disrespectful and annoying. I usually try to move or, failing that, tell people to shut up. It works surprisingly often. I personally still find the 'back to the stage thing' a bit peculiar but it doesn't bother me and it's really part of a NMA concert. I remember this being one of Joolz' running jokes at RSC gigs back in the day.

The macho behaviour you describe was certainly the norm in the 80s and really put me off 'The Militia', as it was called then. It has been discussed a lot here over the years. Luckily, the vibe seems much better these days and I hope that you managed to enjoy the gig regardless. By the looks of it, it was a real blinder.

[Valstar]

Thanks you will help me get something of my chest.

I’ve been to 40+ NMA gigs (so really an average fan when it comes to NMA  ), but the worst was the night of thousand voices ... When it was a really well known songs, people were singing out loud, but for some fans, opening the songbook would have been a disgrace it seems, so when it was not a song they knew completely, they were speaking loud and cheering together not even watching at the stage, to hide they were not able to sing the song without the textbook (I was referring to the songbook even when it was a song I knew by heart, just in case the emotion would make me loose my mind  ).

That was just a few people, but as often they were the ones I’ve noticed the most ‘cause they were loud and obnoxious.

Hope there will be not to much in Paris tonight !

[Pol]

Having watched some of the YouTube footage, I think a lot of it can be put down to the size of the venue.  It does look really small and there isn't that buffer zone between the pit n front of the stage .

[Valstar]

And yesterday night in Paris was perfect, no chat during songs (not around me in any case  ). This words was even a bit a « sing along » moment 
[edit] wrote « effect » instead of « perfect »

[Guillaume]

And yesterday night in Paris was effect, no chat during songs (not around me in any case  ). This words was even a bit a « sing along » moment 

Yes the audience was cool! Sold out -or almost sold out!- show, The Trabendo is a really nice parisian venue for NMA despite mixed sound maybe, i saw them 3 times there (the 30th birthday shows were especially fantastic!!)...'These words" was "a kind of magic" moment yesterday night. 

[Valstar]

It’s not really on topic of disrespect at gigs, but to answer Guillaume, I hate the trabendo. Sound is most of  the time awfull (was not at the 30th anniversary or last year, was yesterday, really really terrible, like 2D sound, you could hear every instrument distinctly but flat, with no « dynamics »), seen many gigs there, more with terrible sound than the opposite (Killing Joke ho my that was a shame). Have tickets for Selecter there next year, not happy with it.

At La Maroquinerie, a few years ago, Justin said he didn’t wanted to play another venue in Paris anymore, I wish he could have the choice instead of the touring agencies because la Maroquinerie is a REALLY incredible venue for NMA ! (Will see the Young Gods there in a few month, happy me  remember also an amazing Wire gig at la Maroquinerie).

And two years ago, le Divan du Monde was also perfect for NMA. But please no more Trabendo, too risky to bet on the sound there 

[Master Ray]

ww23, you still out there?  Be interested to hear your opinions after the responses... 

[jackroadkill]

Call me a miserable old bastard but when I go to see a band, I go to see the band, not to watch a load of drunk people compete with each other in order to prove who's the biggest fan.

It's a real turn off for me and it's the reason why, for the first time since 2010, I won't be at the Nottingham show next week.

[Anna Woman von NRW]

Perennial topic this one .....

The talking thing is unfathomable to me. It's been made clear enough from the stage - if you don't wanna listen then bugger off to the bar, go for a fag or just shut the feck up. Simple really.

As to the other issues I'm a bit divided. I'm as guilty as anyone else for the "enthusiastic" singing and dancing business  and in another life (  ) the T shirt off business too - simply because it gets so damn hot. I think by and large this is restricted to the pit in the front middle and venues are usually large enough for folks to watch from somewhere else if they don't like it: there's room for everyone and quite frankly it's a large part of the celebratory communal experience from a gig : it's not just listening to the cd at home is it?

Having said all that there is a truth in what posters have said regarding Uberfans and competition for fan of the year award that IS frankly fecking annoying and has little to do with the gig and more about personal needs to be no.1 And sorry but unfortunately there are always some who do indeed come across as self important knobs on an away day - much like at any event, night out anywhere. I don't know that it's possible to pin it down to a certain "type" of fan, I guess dickheads are dickheads.

I very much doubt that these issues are solely an NMA thing and I don't suppose it will ever change (certainly hasn't in the 30 years I've been seeing the band) and I don't think i really want it to cos I guess I think it's part and parcel of the whole thing. However I would say that Jackroadkill's post is a very sad one to read and a reminder to everyone to have a little bit of consideration.

Lastly a personal bugbear is the self-entitled folks watching the gig through a camera on their phone: I don't wanna see it through a poxy little screen held up in front of me and if you insist on doing so then tough luck if you get bumped about 

[ruckedout]

It's been brought up many times before, I think I might have started a thread about it at some point.  And, as a veteran of NMA gigs for nearly 30 years, I can agree with some of your post.

The 'talking loudly' thing... got no patience with it at all.  I've been there so many times when NMA were doing a mellow number and certain folks were talking LOUDLY about some bullshit or other, drowning out the music with no respect for the people around them (and, on occasion, got a bit nasty with the people who had a problem with it).... this is NOT acceptable.  You're not into the quiet stuff?  Fine, then piss off and don't ruin other folks enjoyment, come back for the loud stuff!

The 'people standing with their back to the stage singing' thing... not so much.  NMA have always had the emotive 'singalong' thing (hence NOATV) and I have had many times when I've had a vocal thing going with strangers.  Those chorus' demand it!     As long as they weren't being unpleasant, I see no problem with that.  And if they were, it's easy to move a few feet to the left or right...

This "I have seen it before / I know it all / I am a seasoned NMA supporter" behaviour is nothing but thuggish, macho and nothing short of a football hooligan bully.

I think that's a bit over the top, friend.  This is a band that people are passionate about, get so excited about and might unintentionally offend.  I'd hate to see an NMA gig where folks just watched the set in a bland and mild fashion.

But, hey, that's just my opinion.  Other opinions are available.   

Its made me too....will get back to you.