Singing aloud at shows

[Moss]

Ok, how do I always get stuck next to the "hippy dancy girl"

 

Anyway, most distracting, not the worst, just most distracting concert experience was watching a guy act out songs at a Lucinda Williams show in hand puppet fashion. Like if she sang the word butterfly, his hands did butterfly Napolean Dynamite style. I guess it was little loss since Lucinda live was like a deer in headlights. But that distracted me the entire night. I couldn't look away, and it made be feel funny on the inside.

 

Reminds me of that Dennis Miller bit about people acting out songs on the dance floor:

 

Ain't no mountain high enough

Ain't no valley low enough

 

Hey buddy, ain't no dance floor big enough...

[Calexico]

I detest this even though I have totally been guilty of it from time to time. It is worse at smaller shows.

 

I was kept very quiet one time at a Gillian Welch gig cause there were two lesbians making out next to me in the corner so...I was kind of occupied watching them quite a lot.

[NightOfJoy]

Ok, how do I always get stuck next to the "hippy dancy girl"

 

Anyway, most distracting, not the worst, just most distracting concert experience was watching a guy act out songs at a Lucinda Williams show in hand puppet fashion. Like if she sang the word butterfly, his hands did butterfly Napolean Dynamite style.

 

I love it when that stuff happens. I'm fascinated with freaks.

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

Ok, how do I always get stuck next to the "hippy dancy girl"

 

Anyway, most distracting, not the worst, just most distracting concert experience was watching a guy act out songs at a Lucinda Williams show in hand puppet fashion. Like if she sang the word butterfly, his hands did butterfly Napolean Dynamite style. I guess it was little loss since Lucinda live was like a deer in headlights. But that distracted me the entire night. I couldn't look away, and it made be feel funny on the inside.

I stood next to a guy who danced to and acted out the lyrics at one of the Pixies reunion shows. He sang along, but was pretty quiet. I thought it was funny/gooberish, but it didn't bother me all that much.

[dmait]

>Just to nitpick: The GD did not play "St. Stephen" at those Warlocks shows in '89. Sorry to douche up the thread even more....

 

My bad. Make that MSG '83. I deserve that one. Not that this setlist sub-issue has gained any traction in this thread.

[jff]

I stood next to a guy who danced to and acted out the lyrics at one of the Pixies reunion shows. He sang along, but was pretty quiet. I thought it was funny/gooberish, but it didn't bother me all that much.

 

Did he slice his eyeball?

[Guest Francis X. Hummel]

I completely disagree. That's information I'd like to know at a show and to hear from a true fan. I'd like to know if a song is a rarity or even if it hasn't been played in 4 or 5 years. When the Dead broke out St. Stephen in Hampton in 1989, the fans were ready to jump from the rafters because it hadn't been played in so many years. I'm fascinated by breakouts, first-time lives, and last-time playeds. Then there's this guy who keeps track of the last time Dylan played each song: http://boblast.blogspot.com/

 

That's fine. My point is, it doesn't make you cool to announce to everyone that you know that date they last played the song. Not at all. Apparently it's hateful to dislike such people.

 

If you know that you've checked out a number of Dead shows over the last few years and never heard St. Stephen and they bust it out, fine, go nuts. But don't think that everyone around you thinks you're the shit for knowing the arena/date/lineup/entire setlist, or whatever, that they last played it. Just listen to the damn song and enjoy it. Like most of the other people are.

 

I was really just going off one experience, where this total ass ruined the show by saying shit like that at the start of every song. It was a quiet and small show, and outside having a cigarette later in the night, the dude playing actually pointed this out to the guy. He was annoyed that at the start of every song, there was someone who chose to talk to everyone rather than listen because he thought everyone would think he's cool. When of course, everyone thought the guy actually playing the fucking song was the cool one.

[Nobody Girl]

This may peg me as a weirdo, but when I feel the need to sing out, I lip synch. Really.

If that makes you a weirdo, then I am one, too.

[cryptique]

I should add to my previous comments the following thoughts...

 

For the most part (speaking for myself, anyway), those of us who aren't crazy about people singing loudly at shows don't ever do anything about it. We have learned to just deal with it and enjoy the show in spite of it. We don't ask people to quiet down, we usually don't even shoot them dirty looks. The extent of our expression of annoyance tends to be a roll of the eyes, maybe an exasperated sigh, followed by an attempt to ignore such people for the rest of the show.

 

We do not infringe on others' good time, because we're not like that. We merely have different opinions on the best way to enjoy a show. In the end, we just do our best to roll with it. Like we always do, because we're the awkward introverts who are quite accustomed to other people running roughshod over us and not caring what we think about anything.

 

Pretty much the only chance we ever get to bitch about this stuff is in forum threads like this. Otherwise you probably wouldn't ever hear about it. So if you're one of those who would tell us to "stay home" or "go to a classical concert," get over yourself. You already won this debate because you're in the majority, and the minority has no power to force you to change your behavior, nor would we every seriously attempt to do so.

 

This is just our chance to tell you how we feel. If you want to ignore it, fine ... but we'll keep feeling that way. Maybe a few of you will realize that there are people like us out there, and think of us next time. Maybe not. But now we've had a chance to get it off our chests.

 

Also, please don't "feel sorry" for us for not wanting to sing and/or dance. We're not like you -- we enjoy shows on another level. Not a better one -- just a different one.

 

That's all.

[myboyblue]

poor, poor Cryptique.

[Guest Francis X. Hummel]

nicely said, cryptique.

[watch me fall]

At the thrift store today, Should I Stay Or Should I Go came on and I played air guitar, sang and danced.

 

Mostly I can't help it.

 

[Sir Stewart]

[cryptique]

poor, poor Cryptique.

Too much? Can you hear the violins playing in the background?

 

Damn. I knew I shouldn't have cut the fart joke at the last minute.

[watch me fall]

I can see both sides. If your enjoyment of a show requires you to to sing along, you did pay for a ticket. If your enjoyment of a show requires hearing the band unaccompanied by the masses, you did pay for a ticket. Personally, I feel that paying to hear the music that you paid for trumps paying to hear yourself warble. This may peg me as a weirdo, but when I feel the need to sing out, I lip synch. Really.

 

Weirdo.

[John Smith]

At the thrift store today, Should I Stay Or Should I Go came on and I played air guitar, sang and danced.

 

Mostly I can't help it.

 

 

Damn it, I hate it when people sing and dance while I'm shopping...it totally ruins the experience.

[OOO]

Singing along is for losers. I sing all the lyrics 5 seconds early so everyone knows I really know the lyrics and am not just following along.

[Bula Matari]

I can't imagine you guys are selfconcious enought to think about this.

 

If I find myself singing along, I don't wallow in ennui or hipsterness. I just fucking sing. And I will be doing it on loud nubers where everybody else is singing.

 

Now the really irritating shit? How about the hippy/hipsters who feel the need to hippy dance to some obscure opening act that lookslike they have been sleeping under a bridge before the show and have to clear a 40sqft circle around them because they are twirl dancing. Goddamnit but i HATE what MDMA has done to the behavior of folks who get high at shows. Yeah...I know you love me man, but STOP ACTING LIKE AN ASS HAT.

[LouieB]

depends on the show really.

And if the singer wants you to sing along...

 

LouieB

[tinnitus photography]

And if the singer wants you to sing along...

 

LouieB

 

forced audience participation is another circle of hell. ray davies fucking ruined his own show because of that grandstanding bullshit.

[Nobody Girl]

forced audience participation is another circle of hell.

I will go on record as saying I really dislike the audience participation part of Kingpin.

[The High Heat]

if you're watching Jeff do "Sunken Treasure" solo, they you should probably not muck that up with your own vocals.

And please don't "Whoo!" during the quiet, poignant spaces in the song. Save the whooping for between songs. Thank you.

 

At the Raleigh Tweedy show in '06, Tweedy encouraged singing along, but just after one song into it, he called out a woman for singing off-key. He applauded her effort, but told her that she and he were doing two different things.

[cryptique]

I will go on record as saying I really dislike the audience participation part of Kingpin.

I will go on record to agree with this, and to say that I don't much like "Kingpin" to begin with.

 

I've never understood all the love that song gets. When they play it live, it's my chance to go take a piss.

[Doug C]

I will go on record to agree with this, and to say that I don't much like "Kingpin" to begin with.

 

I've never understood all the love that song gets. When they play it live, it's my chance to go take a piss.

I agree. I always think of the songs that I would love to hear instead of Kingpin.

[PopTodd]

I sometimes sing along, until I realize what I'm doing and stop myself.

Because, honestly, I am there to hear the band.

 

Still, it's fun and it's all a part of the fun to have fun with the fun stuff that you do. I like fun.

 

It's fun.