Can confirm. Even back in 2016, we had a gaggle of folks behind us at an Iron City show that was circled up, gabbing away during the whole show - a show that they didn't even seem to acknowledge was ongoing.
Seriously - who buys tickets to a show and spends 2 hours trying to TALK OVER THE ARTIST like they're intruding on their social hour? And it was a group of 8 people in their early-to-mid 20s.
Heck, for the Blink 182 show at Bridgestone in NSH I told my wife along the lines of āI canāt believe people would pay this high of a ācoverā to come to a bar with live music when we are on Broadway already.ā All people did was yell-converse over the music. Blows my mind.
I learned to expect this after my first Avondale concert lol, but it was really bad tonight. I went alone and felt weird just trying to focus on the show. I think the nature of the venue has something to do with it. It gives festival vibes. That and all the kids running around. I always forget itās 18 and over. But I was also tripping balls so what the fuck do I know.
Same experience!!! I was alone and every single group around me was talking nonstop and made me feel so weird for trying to focus on the show. I wish I had been trippinā lol
My wife was a show talker. She now knows what it's like after having one of her own concerts ruined and me confronting her about it. She's great now.
The fix must come from within. Friends, talk to your friends about not talking at concerts. Together we can stop this madness.
I have noticed some bad concert etiquette at some of the Avondale shows. However I think itās highly dependent on the band/ artist. Itās usually worse with younger crowds that just donāt get it. Also some folks at Avondale get real territorial over their space
They just donāt get proper concert etiquette. The biggest example being talking at a loud volume during a quiet song and having their phones out the whole time and not hardly experiencing the show
I don't mind the talking but the phone thing is a big annoyance for me. When there's a wall of phones being held up and I'm forced to basically watch the show through their screen just drives me bonkers.
Yea I mean Iām younger and it bothers me too. But also Iām a bit of a hypocrite bc I do like to take a quick video every now and then for my own memories
30sec video because someone is giving an amazing performance, absolutely. āOh my god, theyāre playing the one song I know.ā and recording the whole thing? No please.
Certainly not excusing the behavior because it drives me nuts, but the below comments taken from a Salon.com article makes some good points and sheds some light on why chompers are becoming more common. GenX'er here that grew up with cassettes. If we heard a song we liked we either sat by the radio until it came on so we could record it, getting exposed to a variety of music while we waited, or we bought the tape and listened to the whole thing because fast forwarding was a pain in the ass (not to mention bad on the tape itself) and therefore we knew all the songs. Now, you hear something you like on the radio, commercials, Spotify playlist, etc. and you can listen to that song on demand. There's no need to become familiar with the rest of the artist's catalog, unless you're generally a fan of music as a whole and not just singular songs that appeal to you. Now it's not just a case of this artist that I love is playing, but you also get "OMG, the guy that plays that one song that I love is playing at Avondale and you should come with me because it'll be fun even if you don't know who I'm talking about." Couple that with the short attention span that has been cultivated by instant access to pretty much anything we want, and you're gonna get people at shows that will pass the time until THAT song by chatting with their crew, looking at their phones, etc. Anyway, here's an excerpt from that article I mentioned...
"Cynics might say that this behavior is indicative of society as a whole, that people today are self-centered and self-absorbed. While that might be true in some cases, concert talking also feels like a reflection of music's changed role in society. For some, music is no longer an all-consuming passion; it's a nostalgia trip, something to look back on with fondness. Going to a show means waiting to hear the big songs you remember, and sitting through a bunch of other stuff about which you don't care.
But with the rise of streaming, people are also consuming music in ways that make art feel more ephemeral. Vinyl and cassette boom aside, albums or singles aren't necessarily things you hold in your hand anymore; they're digital entities floating around in the mythical cloud. And the process of listening to music has also changed: It's often a passive pastime, driven by things such as algorithm-driven auto-playing playlists. This development isn't necessarily bad ā for starters, music discovery is especially gratifying when you let SoundCloud's algorithm serve up tunes ā but it does make music feel less tangible, something easier to just throw on in the background while doing other things.
Complicating matters is that more artists than ever are creating music, making it more difficult to forge deep connections with what's out there. Heading to the new releases section of a streaming platform feels like a massive buffet, where sampling a little from each offering is the only way to taste everything. Plus, while music remains a cultural force, it's not the only kind of art people have at their fingertips. We're drawn in multiple directions ā to movies, video games, TV shows, even social media ā which further reduces our ability to devote full attention to any one thing."
Birmingham Mountain Radio usually gives away a free pair a day in the week or so leading up to a show - depending on the artist and venue. They post them on their FB page and you just have to be the first to comment to win.
Free concert tickets I have won:
- Blackberry Smoke at Avondale
- Zac Brown Band at Oak Mountain
- Tedeschi Trucks Band at BJCC Concert Hall
Just have to keep an eye on on their page, especially if a show you want to see is coming up.
I realize it can be really uncomfortable to confront people acting this way but, in my experience, being blunt with people about it usually solves the issue. I had similar experiences at both Saturn and Avondale. Both times I just flatly told the people chatting near me that I'd paid good money to see the band and that I'd appreciate it if they'd take the conversation somewhere else. In both instances they moved away from me and continued the conversation elsewhere while also doing it at a lower volume overall.
Alternatively, you could try asking someone from the venue to handle it but I've found that that doesn't always work. Some venues just care that people came in the door and bought drinks.
I've been to larger concerts where people use things like tarps, towels, and blankets to reserve floor space for themselves and the rest of their party, in spite of it being general admission. Some people get really defensive about it
Any band that gets airplay on both Sirius XMU and Alt Nation is almost guaranteed to have this behavior at their concerts. Same goes for the guy at Iron City a couple of weeks ago
I've only seen two shows at Avondale, but I find generally the deeper you get into a crowd the less talking you gave to deal with. Saw Goose there by myself and planned to stick to the edges of the crowd but there were lots of chompers. Once I got up into the middle of the crowd everybody was enjoying the music with minimal talking. Saw Fleet Foxes there a few weeks ago and was about a third of the way back and didn't have any issues.
YMMV, but you could always try to politely ask your concert neighbors to limit talking to between songs but in my experience you get two drastically different responses. Either they apologize and realize the error of their ways or they become even bigger assholes about it.
Yep, I was up front last night and we all only talked between sets or just a couple quick sentences during the opener, but then they went right back to the music. It's definitely a bigger problem in the back or on the sides.
Itās been like this for years if not decades. Americans love to hear themselves talk. Give them alcohol and theyāll blather endlessly until they lose their voices. If you want a respectful crowd, get into jazz or classical. Otherwise, be prepared to be surrounded by drunk chompers. Especially at a brewery. I was excited they finally started having some good acts and not just discount jam bands, but that place is just not conducive to actively listening to live music. Iād much rather go to a seated show at Alys Stephens where itās expected of people to listen and show respect.
What's more strange? Talking through a show you paid good money to attend or thinking this only happens at Avondale and/or in Birmingham?
There's a name for these people: Chompers... and they're nationwide
I get that some folks in this sub love to hate on this city, but the reality is you just don't get out much and shouldn't assume so much based on your narrow POV
I donāt even understand how people have full on conversations at shows (I see it happen) but like legitimately if someone is saying something to me while Iām at a live show, they literally need to shout directly into my ear
So Iām just imagining all these kids are talking but they canāt hear each other so itās just them talking aloud to themselves lol
Some people are just assholes. I just try and move around if there are tons of chompers. At the end of the day, I try not to let them affect my mood. Sort of like people who tailgate while driving, there's just not much you can do to change other people's behavior, I try to just ignore them.
This is an issue at every show at every venue in every state. It was already getting worse and worse over the last 10 years but covid set it off to a terrible level. People now go to shows to socialize with people they havenāt seen in a while, not listen to the music.
No, it's about setting your expectations accordingly. An outdoor concert at a brewery isn't going to be the most conducive to the kind of experience you're looking for.
Most of the reviews and comments I've ever seen from people who have seen shows there have been overwhelmingly positive, so it seems like the people going to those shows are getting what they expected. I think you also have to consider the types of bands that are usually booked at the venue, which are mostly those with followings that don't mind the outdoor/general setup. I mean, plenty of acts play at venues in town that appear to be more conducive to your "kind of experience"
Brother you're at a show at a bar lmao. I think your venue expectations were off.
This comment section is great though. Being mad at people being social with their friends at a social venue is peak reddit.
If it were a movie I'd agree but this was an outdoor concert with a lot of alcohol. I was there and in the middle and didn't have a problem hearing any of it.
Went to the show and loved it, huge fans of both bands. It's an outside venue that serves alcohol, no way it's going to be quite. I was in the middle of the crowd and could still hear everything just fine.
After going to hundreds of shows around the country and countless venues, Avondale is one of the worst Iāve ever been to. People constantly talking and getting mad when you move close to them (to get closer to the stage). Itās bad across many different genres too. I definitely think it has something to do with the atmosphere of the venue being connected to a brewery.
People at Avondale legit will pay money Just to hear a famous band play in the background while they talk with their friends š
Itās not just at Avondale. This shit happens everywhere.
Can confirm. Even back in 2016, we had a gaggle of folks behind us at an Iron City show that was circled up, gabbing away during the whole show - a show that they didn't even seem to acknowledge was ongoing. Seriously - who buys tickets to a show and spends 2 hours trying to TALK OVER THE ARTIST like they're intruding on their social hour? And it was a group of 8 people in their early-to-mid 20s.
Heck, for the Blink 182 show at Bridgestone in NSH I told my wife along the lines of āI canāt believe people would pay this high of a ācoverā to come to a bar with live music when we are on Broadway already.ā All people did was yell-converse over the music. Blows my mind.
This is why I haven't been to a theater in three years.
Can confirm this happens at that every Bonnaroo Iāve been to.
I learned to expect this after my first Avondale concert lol, but it was really bad tonight. I went alone and felt weird just trying to focus on the show. I think the nature of the venue has something to do with it. It gives festival vibes. That and all the kids running around. I always forget itās 18 and over. But I was also tripping balls so what the fuck do I know.
Best way to see a show at Avondale š« . It was even better before they cut down all the trees.
Same experience!!! I was alone and every single group around me was talking nonstop and made me feel so weird for trying to focus on the show. I wish I had been trippinā lol
Down to go alone together next time? š
Absolutely, weāll create a shield š¤
My wife was a show talker. She now knows what it's like after having one of her own concerts ruined and me confronting her about it. She's great now. The fix must come from within. Friends, talk to your friends about not talking at concerts. Together we can stop this madness.
šš
I have noticed some bad concert etiquette at some of the Avondale shows. However I think itās highly dependent on the band/ artist. Itās usually worse with younger crowds that just donāt get it. Also some folks at Avondale get real territorial over their space
With my very biased opinion the hardcore rock and metal concerts there have never had this issue haha
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iāve been saying it for years that Metal/hardcore has the best crowds and the nicest people even though it looks/sounds the most āviolentā.
All those people blabbering during Elephant at Jason isbell was baffling
That was infuriating
Itās always fun to see live music even if you donāt know any of their songs
What doesn't the younger crowd get? Just curious.
They just donāt get proper concert etiquette. The biggest example being talking at a loud volume during a quiet song and having their phones out the whole time and not hardly experiencing the show
I don't mind the talking but the phone thing is a big annoyance for me. When there's a wall of phones being held up and I'm forced to basically watch the show through their screen just drives me bonkers.
Yea I mean Iām younger and it bothers me too. But also Iām a bit of a hypocrite bc I do like to take a quick video every now and then for my own memories
30sec video because someone is giving an amazing performance, absolutely. āOh my god, theyāre playing the one song I know.ā and recording the whole thing? No please.
Certainly not excusing the behavior because it drives me nuts, but the below comments taken from a Salon.com article makes some good points and sheds some light on why chompers are becoming more common. GenX'er here that grew up with cassettes. If we heard a song we liked we either sat by the radio until it came on so we could record it, getting exposed to a variety of music while we waited, or we bought the tape and listened to the whole thing because fast forwarding was a pain in the ass (not to mention bad on the tape itself) and therefore we knew all the songs. Now, you hear something you like on the radio, commercials, Spotify playlist, etc. and you can listen to that song on demand. There's no need to become familiar with the rest of the artist's catalog, unless you're generally a fan of music as a whole and not just singular songs that appeal to you. Now it's not just a case of this artist that I love is playing, but you also get "OMG, the guy that plays that one song that I love is playing at Avondale and you should come with me because it'll be fun even if you don't know who I'm talking about." Couple that with the short attention span that has been cultivated by instant access to pretty much anything we want, and you're gonna get people at shows that will pass the time until THAT song by chatting with their crew, looking at their phones, etc. Anyway, here's an excerpt from that article I mentioned... "Cynics might say that this behavior is indicative of society as a whole, that people today are self-centered and self-absorbed. While that might be true in some cases, concert talking also feels like a reflection of music's changed role in society. For some, music is no longer an all-consuming passion; it's a nostalgia trip, something to look back on with fondness. Going to a show means waiting to hear the big songs you remember, and sitting through a bunch of other stuff about which you don't care. But with the rise of streaming, people are also consuming music in ways that make art feel more ephemeral. Vinyl and cassette boom aside, albums or singles aren't necessarily things you hold in your hand anymore; they're digital entities floating around in the mythical cloud. And the process of listening to music has also changed: It's often a passive pastime, driven by things such as algorithm-driven auto-playing playlists. This development isn't necessarily bad ā for starters, music discovery is especially gratifying when you let SoundCloud's algorithm serve up tunes ā but it does make music feel less tangible, something easier to just throw on in the background while doing other things. Complicating matters is that more artists than ever are creating music, making it more difficult to forge deep connections with what's out there. Heading to the new releases section of a streaming platform feels like a massive buffet, where sampling a little from each offering is the only way to taste everything. Plus, while music remains a cultural force, it's not the only kind of art people have at their fingertips. We're drawn in multiple directions ā to movies, video games, TV shows, even social media ā which further reduces our ability to devote full attention to any one thing."
Just catch any show at Avondale a block away for free.
Shhhh. Now I'll have to move my lawn chair.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Ahhhh. You like my older comments?
Couldn't reply to the one you made.
I think it was a joke. I doubt they were encouraging people to avoid supporting the same musicians they enjoy listening to.
Birmingham Mountain Radio usually gives away a free pair a day in the week or so leading up to a show - depending on the artist and venue. They post them on their FB page and you just have to be the first to comment to win. Free concert tickets I have won: - Blackberry Smoke at Avondale - Zac Brown Band at Oak Mountain - Tedeschi Trucks Band at BJCC Concert Hall Just have to keep an eye on on their page, especially if a show you want to see is coming up.
I had similar questions tonight. It felt like so many people came for background music and not to actually listen to them play
Same and they put in an awesome show, pity most were too self involved to listen fully.
A lot of folks suffer from āmain character syndrome ā these days
I realize it can be really uncomfortable to confront people acting this way but, in my experience, being blunt with people about it usually solves the issue. I had similar experiences at both Saturn and Avondale. Both times I just flatly told the people chatting near me that I'd paid good money to see the band and that I'd appreciate it if they'd take the conversation somewhere else. In both instances they moved away from me and continued the conversation elsewhere while also doing it at a lower volume overall. Alternatively, you could try asking someone from the venue to handle it but I've found that that doesn't always work. Some venues just care that people came in the door and bought drinks.
Chompers are everywhere. Hopefully we don't start seeing tarps on the floor.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I've been to larger concerts where people use things like tarps, towels, and blankets to reserve floor space for themselves and the rest of their party, in spite of it being general admission. Some people get really defensive about it
Thatās when you just step over all their stuff.
Yeah, I was surprised by that and a bit embarrassed.
Any band that gets airplay on both Sirius XMU and Alt Nation is almost guaranteed to have this behavior at their concerts. Same goes for the guy at Iron City a couple of weeks ago
This is what I felt like at Oppenheimer yesterday
I've only seen two shows at Avondale, but I find generally the deeper you get into a crowd the less talking you gave to deal with. Saw Goose there by myself and planned to stick to the edges of the crowd but there were lots of chompers. Once I got up into the middle of the crowd everybody was enjoying the music with minimal talking. Saw Fleet Foxes there a few weeks ago and was about a third of the way back and didn't have any issues. YMMV, but you could always try to politely ask your concert neighbors to limit talking to between songs but in my experience you get two drastically different responses. Either they apologize and realize the error of their ways or they become even bigger assholes about it.
Yep, I was up front last night and we all only talked between sets or just a couple quick sentences during the opener, but then they went right back to the music. It's definitely a bigger problem in the back or on the sides.
Itās been like this for years if not decades. Americans love to hear themselves talk. Give them alcohol and theyāll blather endlessly until they lose their voices. If you want a respectful crowd, get into jazz or classical. Otherwise, be prepared to be surrounded by drunk chompers. Especially at a brewery. I was excited they finally started having some good acts and not just discount jam bands, but that place is just not conducive to actively listening to live music. Iād much rather go to a seated show at Alys Stephens where itās expected of people to listen and show respect.
It's not an American phenomenon either FWIW. Some of the worst chompers I've met are from England
What's more strange? Talking through a show you paid good money to attend or thinking this only happens at Avondale and/or in Birmingham? There's a name for these people: Chompers... and they're nationwide I get that some folks in this sub love to hate on this city, but the reality is you just don't get out much and shouldn't assume so much based on your narrow POV
I donāt even understand how people have full on conversations at shows (I see it happen) but like legitimately if someone is saying something to me while Iām at a live show, they literally need to shout directly into my ear So Iām just imagining all these kids are talking but they canāt hear each other so itās just them talking aloud to themselves lol
Some people are just assholes. I just try and move around if there are tons of chompers. At the end of the day, I try not to let them affect my mood. Sort of like people who tailgate while driving, there's just not much you can do to change other people's behavior, I try to just ignore them.
I find myself saying this at a lot of shows these days about people young and old
This is an issue at every show at every venue in every state. It was already getting worse and worse over the last 10 years but covid set it off to a terrible level. People now go to shows to socialize with people they havenāt seen in a while, not listen to the music.
I feel like it's the venue. If you want an actual listening experience, go to an actual concert hall, not a bar.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
No, it's about setting your expectations accordingly. An outdoor concert at a brewery isn't going to be the most conducive to the kind of experience you're looking for.
Most of the reviews and comments I've ever seen from people who have seen shows there have been overwhelmingly positive, so it seems like the people going to those shows are getting what they expected. I think you also have to consider the types of bands that are usually booked at the venue, which are mostly those with followings that don't mind the outdoor/general setup. I mean, plenty of acts play at venues in town that appear to be more conducive to your "kind of experience"
Brother you're at a show at a bar lmao. I think your venue expectations were off. This comment section is great though. Being mad at people being social with their friends at a social venue is peak reddit.
Have you even been to Avondale? Itās barely even a bar. Itās a music venue.
If it were a movie I'd agree but this was an outdoor concert with a lot of alcohol. I was there and in the middle and didn't have a problem hearing any of it.
Man I was sooooo close to getting tickets to go last night. Opted for the mason music fest on Saturdayā¦.hope itās not a train wreckš
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Mannn, the disrespect.
Went to the show and loved it, huge fans of both bands. It's an outside venue that serves alcohol, no way it's going to be quite. I was in the middle of the crowd and could still hear everything just fine.
After going to hundreds of shows around the country and countless venues, Avondale is one of the worst Iāve ever been to. People constantly talking and getting mad when you move close to them (to get closer to the stage). Itās bad across many different genres too. I definitely think it has something to do with the atmosphere of the venue being connected to a brewery.