Let's all stop being dicks to each other at shows

I fear this blog is starting to become a place to rant about everything, but hey something happened at a show and it really pissed me off.

Saturday night I headed down to my favourite local haunt to watch a band that I've been admiring and promoting for well over a year now, I was super stoked and well prepared to have a brilliant evening. I was also working this show, and by that I mean I was interviewing one of the bands on the bill and reviewing the entire show.

The venue in which the show took place is fairly small, it's a basement venue that can hold 200 people at maximum capacity, and this was a sold out show. The stage isn't all that large and visibility can be limited unless you're fairly near the front. Now, remember I am working this show, so really I need to try and get a decent view of what's going on - it wouldn't be much of a review if I stood at the back unable to see anything. I wouldn't have been able to see the lights decorating the drumkit or the stage invasion that happened at the end of the set. I also understand that when a venue is as small as this, it can be annoying when you have people pushing through, bags bashing around and having your toes stepped on is never enjoyable, but in a venue like this it's gonna happen.

So there I am, trying to push my way through to the front section of the crowd, hand in hand with my friend (also a big fan of the band), some let us through kindly, others were a little stubborn so sometimes you just gotta push. Whenever I find myself in the situation of trying to push past people I always make the effort to say "excuse me" and "thank you" as I make my way through, I've found it calms peoples annoyances and hey, manners don't cost a thing.

Then I feel a big old push on my back and I fall forward, (by this point I'm at a suitable place in the crowd to see the stage, a few rows from the front), I regain myself and brush it off. I feel another push, I fall forward. I turn around expecting to see some douchebag teenager thinking it's funny to shove me around just because I'm either A) a girl or B) they're annoyed I pushed past. Instead, I'm shocked and a little disappointed to be met with a very moody faced man, who is at a guess in his mid-thirties, surrounded by three middle-aged women also looking very annoyed. He flicks his hand in my face and angrily tells me to "go on, go forward". For one I cannot actually get any further forward and also, I'm sorry what? Are you really that angry that someone has pushed infront of you? Have you ever been to a gig before? Are you just an arsehole?

I didn't retaliate well, infact I'm fairly certain I told him to "fuck off", but that's what happens when you continually push me because you're a little pissed I've gotten infront of you. I turned back to face the stage, ignoring him because I didn't want this to get messy. He pushed me again. I turned to face him again, I refrained from swearing at him, or you know, punching him square in the face which is what I would have liked to have done. The women at this point are also trying to get involved and are shouting something at me. I shout at them to just stop it, my angry face is on and I repeat myself a good few times before they eventually stop and I can go back to my business.

What I can't understand is why they all thought this was acceptable behaviour? Okay yes, I pushed infront of them, my bag may have bashed them on my way past, I may have accidentally knocked them. But you're at a rock show that is sold out, you're gonna get people pushing around. I've seen similar behaviour from teenagers who think it's funny, but full grown adults? Come on now, that's just petty and you look like an absolute jerk.

My point here is, we all need to stop acting like arseholes to each other at shows. We're all there for the exact same reason, because we love the bands, we all want to see them and have a great night. There's no need to be rude, there's no need to have a go at someone pushing infront of you. If you're the one squeezing to the front, remember to say please and thank you as you pass and if you're really against being knocked around when you're adamant about standing at the front, just fuck off to the back, we don't need you here ruining our party.